Skyrim:Skeleton Key

Daedric Artifact: Skeleton Key (0003a070) (lore page)
Type	Lockpick
Editor ID	TG08SkeletonKey
Statistics
Weight	0.5	Value	0

Skeleton Key

The Skeleton Key is a Daedric Artifact acquired after killing Mercer Frey. The Skeleton Key is an unbreakable lockpick, making it rather useful to enterprising thieves.

The Skeleton Key also has a secondary, less known function as being used to keep open Ebonmere, a well from which luck flows into the world. You are tasked with returning the key to Ebonmere in the Twilight Sepulcher to restore luck to the Thieves Guild. Until then, you may retain the key indefinitely for your own use.

Related Quests

• Blindsighted: Stop Mercer Frey.
• Darkness Returns: Walk the Pilgrim's Path and return the Skeleton Key to its rightful place.

Notes

• Despite Mercer Frey's ability to use the Skeleton Key to unlock many non-standard locks such as Nordic puzzle doors, the player is restricted to only those locks that could be picked normally. Locks which require a key and other lock types that do not use the standard lockpicking minigame cannot be bypassed with the Skeleton Key.

Bugs

• The Lockpicking skill may not increase when using the Skeleton Key.
• Despite being a Daedric Artifact, the Skeleton Key does not count towards the Oblivion Walker achievement.
  • The Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch, version 4.3.2, fixes this bug.

See Also

• For more information, see the lore article.