A new Skyrim mod injects a short Starfield story and some sci-fi gadgets into the Elder Scrolls, Bethesda RPG game, offering a little fan-made crossover and a neat remedy for those of us still mourning the passing of the original Starfield release date.
On the surface, Quantum Lockpicks is a very simple mod, essentially adding a conjuring spell that allows you to summon new unlocking tools whenever you need them. However, creator ImADoctorNotA (solid username there) has added a couple of extra layers to how the spell works, and written a Starfield-based backstory to link it to the upcoming Bethesda space game.
Before you can use the spell, you need to find a Starfield-themed item called the “crystal communicator”. From there, the lore takes over, letting you roleplay as a Starfield adventurer who has somehow crash-landed into Tamriel.
“11/11/22 has passed,” ImADoctorNotA writes, referring to the original Starfield release date. “I (and many others) are still expectantly waiting for Starfield. I decided to do something about this, so I made a valuable mod that is Starfield-themed.
“This mod places a crystal communicator in the game, connecting your character to your team in orbit. The team has been waiting for your report after you lost contact near the location that locals call Helgen, so they deposited a communicator at High Hrothgar (a high location with good satellite reception) for you to find. After you check in with them, you will be able to have lockpicks quantum teleported to your position as long as you hold the communicator.”
Your quantum lockpicks come with a catch, however, one that’s also couched in Starfield and sci-fi lore. Owing to something called “Turing instability” (which ImADoctorNotA says is based on “a real-world modelling parameter that can be applied to quantum systems”) your lockpicks are physically unstable, and will vanish after five seconds unless you quickly use them.
This means you need to phone them in and crack whatever safe or drawer you’re trying to get to before reality phases them back out. It’s a new game mechanic and a handy Starfield tie-in that might help soothe the soreness from that skipped November release date. You can get Quantum Lockpicks over on Nexus Mods.
You can also pass the Starfield wait time with some other great games like Skyrim, or perhaps by catching up on all the information about the Elder Scrolls 6 release date. We’ve also got you covered when it comes to all the Starfield planets, so you won’t be caught off-guard when you finally jet off into the galaxy.