LE Skeleton Key Revised

[Omny]

Let's face it; the Skeleton Key is overpowered. A lockpick that never breaks yet still levels up your Lockpicking skill? Such a tool renders over half the Lockpicking skill tree obsolete! Even if that doesn't bother you, you have to give it up forever to complete the Thieves Guild quest. Those of you who are obsessed with collecting unique items in games like I am are probably frustrated by this.

 

Well, I have a couple ideas that might just make the Skeleton Key a more balanced tool in-game while still being worthy of Nocturnal's blessing:

 

1: Keep the "unbreakable lockpick" function, but using it will not level up your lockpicking skill. Think about it: you're not really learning anything new about picking locks if you're using a magical super-key. Hell, it practically renders the actual lockpicking mini-game redundant as well, so that can go too. This is probably the simplest solution, but also the most boring.

 

2: Instead of being used like an actual key, it could be used like a lucky charm (perhaps worn as a necklace) that grants a special bonus. Increasing lockpicking skill is the most obvious choice, but most of the Daedric Artifacts go a bit farther than that. Perhaps if you manage to unlock a chest or container on the first try, the amount of gold and jewels in that chest is doubled, as a reward for your good luck?

 

These are a couple of ideas I had. What do you think? Are these even possible in the game?

[Gerandirr]

The skeleton key was intended to be overpowered.

I would even say that is wasn't as powerful as it was intended to be. Why ?

Get this :

As it's name suggests, it was supposed to be a ''key''

So if it was made as it was supposed to be, it would have been a key to open anything. No minigame, no nothing.

The end result isn't as overpowered when you think about it now, right ?

[Omny]

Oh, I almost forgot to mention this: these two ideas would be applied if the Dragonborn had gotten to keep the key as a reward at the end of the Thieves Guild quest. The overpowered version of the key could still be in play until it's returned, and at the end you receive another, less powerful key.

[Comedygameplayer]

Let's face it; the Skeleton Key is overpowered. A lockpick that never breaks yet still levels up your Lockpicking skill? Such a tool renders over half the Lockpicking skill tree obsolete! Even if that doesn't bother you, you have to give it up forever to complete the Thieves Guild quest. Those of you who are obsessed with collecting unique items in games like I am are probably frustrated by this.

 

Well, I have a couple ideas that might just make the Skeleton Key a more balanced tool in-game while still being worthy of Nocturnal's blessing:

 

1: Keep the "unbreakable lockpick" function, but using it will not level up your lockpicking skill. Think about it: you're not really learning anything new about picking locks if you're using a magical super-key. Hell, it practically renders the actual lockpicking mini-game redundant as well, so that can go too. This is probably the simplest solution, but also the most boring.

 

2: Instead of being used like an actual key, it could be used like a lucky charm (perhaps worn as a necklace) that grants a special bonus. Increasing lockpicking skill is the most obvious choice, but most of the Daedric Artifacts go a bit farther than that. Perhaps if you manage to unlock a chest or container on the first try, the amount of gold and jewels in that chest is doubled, as a reward for your good luck?

 

These are a couple of ideas I had. What do you think? Are these even possible in the game?

Well if you even bothered with the quests, you would know that you quickly lose the Skeleton Key. It was only meant for one quest.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Comedygameplayer

[Xander9009]

(My chosen words might seem blunt and harsh, but I assure you, my tone is just blunt, no harshness intended.)

Well if you even bothered with the quests, you would know that you quickly lose the Skeleton Key. It was only meant for one quest.

The problem is that you could very easily not finish the quest. Get the key, find a lock that isn't unlocked with the pick straight up, and hold your button. Unlimited lockpicking experience.

 

The skeleton key was intended to be overpowered.

I would even say that is wasn't as powerful as it was intended to be. Why ?

Get this :

As it's name suggests, it was supposed to be a ''key''

So if it was made as it was supposed to be, it would have been a key to open anything. No minigame, no nothing.

The end result isn't as overpowered when you think about it now, right ?

But that's exactly the problem he's pointing out. He said the mini-game should go, since there's no point in it. Basically, remove the experience gain when using the key since, as you said, it's a key, not a lockpick. It doesn't pick the locks, it just unlocks them. If it was made as it was supposed to be, it would be fine. As it is, it's overpowered.

 

Also, to both of you, he did say he was obsessed with collecting all the unique items, and completing the quest prevents that. He also wants a way to work in the ability to keep the key. Which, for the record, I've always been annoyed with, too.

 

That said, I prefer the "boring" solution to the other one. It might seem more boring, but it's also more closely related to the key as it's found in the vanilla game.

[Deleted1308005User]

Mmm..

I'd say that best option in my opinion would be to allow the key (somehow) to insta-open all "normally" locked doors, but not the ones that require specific key.

 

Opening doors that require certain key might break quests, thus it'd be safer to allow it open all doors.

 

Anyhow, skeleton key could be placed somewhere near the place where you see nocturnal.

Pedestal or something. Doesn't really sound like Nocturnal cares to place it actually in safe place. (Key was stolen from him in Oblivion and Skyrim)

 

Also, just checked the skeleton key from wiki.

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Skeleton_Key_(Morrowind)
Daym it looked cooler in Morrowind!