Oblivion Remastered: How to get Skeleton Key
How to obtain the unbreakable Skeleton Key by completing Nocturnal's Quest
Wondering how to get the Skeleton Key in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered? There's nothing more troublesome than breaking a dozen precious lockpicks on a tricky closed chest in Oblivion. If you're hankering for an easy way to open locks, though, look no further than the Skeleton Key, which is the equivalent of an unbreakable lockpick.
In this guide, we'll explain what you need to do to get the Skeleton Key in Oblivion Remastered and set out on the path to true master thievery.
How to get Skeleton Key in Oblivion
The Skeleton key is a reward for completing Nocturnal's Quest, which is fully outlined in our guide of all Daedric Quests in Oblivion. You'll need to be at least level 10 before you can start this quest.
When you're ready, head to Nocturnal's Daedric Shrine, which is in the south of the world map, near Leyawiin. There, speak with Nocturnal, who'll ask you to go to Leyawiin and bring back the Eye of Nocturnal, which was stolen by a pair of Argonian thieves.
Once you're in town, venture to the eastern central slums to find a house occupied by two Argonians named Weebam-Na and Bejeen. When confronted, the Argonians won't admit to their thievery, but you can eavesdrop on them (either by hiding in the shadows or using the Invisibility spell) to learn that they've hidden the Eye of Nocturnal away in Tidewater Cave, which is south of Leyawiin, on the eastern river bank.
Tidewater Cave is a relatively simple dungeon with some trolls and other standard foes to contend with. Eventually, you'll find a flooded tunnel with a chest located underwater - the Eye of Nocturnal is next to the chest and glows with a bright light. Bring it back to Nocturnal and the Skeleton Key is yours.
Skeleton Key console command
If you don't want to take the above route, you can use Oblivion's console commands to cheat your way into obtaining the Skeleton Key. Keep in mind that using console commands disables achievements.
To activate the console interfact, hit the tilde (~) key, which is located near TAB and 1 on most standard QWERTY keyboard layouts. Then input the following command:
player.additem 0000000b 1Copied!The Skeleton Key will now be in your inventory.
Using the Skeleton Key
The Skeleton Key replaces your standard lockpicks in most situations and cannot be broken. It also increases your Security skill by a nice 40 points as long as you keep it in your inventory.
When playing the lockpicking minigame, you'll see the Skeleton Key instead, and you can simply spam the Auto Attempt button to brute force a lock. However, it's still a good idea to keep some regular lockpicks handy for those rare instances when you get caught by guards and need to escape from jail. Since the Skeleton Key is considered an inventory item, it will be removed from your possession on these occasions.
That finishes our guide on obtaining the Skeleton Key. If you're searching for other cool ways to boost your stats in Oblivion, check out our guide on how to increase both attributes and skills. You should also take a peek at our guides on how to recharge weapons, how to cure disease, and how to create spells.