The Star Wars Outlaws lockpicking minigame tasks you with using Kay's Data Spike to match a sequence of beats. Succeed and you can get through sealed doors or into valuable containers, but it can often be a tricky minigame, requiring very precise timing, speed, and rhythm. It doesn’t help that not long into the Star Wars Outlaws, the Data Spike locks get more complex, with faster and longer inputs often needed. If you're struggling with dataspiking in Star Wars Outlaws, I've explained how this minigame works below so you can pick locks in no time.
Star Wars Outlaws lockpicking explained
Data Spike lockpicking puzzles in Star Wars Outlaws are solved by pressing R2/RT in time with a short, looping, rhythmic sequence. Hitting every beat of the sequence in one go opens the lock but missing a beat resets it, so you must re-enter the sequence. Thankfully, there's no limit to the number of attempts you get per lock, so you can keep trying until you succeed, unlike Star Wars Outlaws hacking.
Each lock's sequence is shown via a synchronized flashing light on the lock module, the movement of lock's pin, the sound of the lock mechanism, the red light on the back of Kay's Data Spike, and vibrations if you're using a controller.
The very first lock you'll probably open will just be a relatively slow and regular two-beat sequence, but the difficulty ramps up as you're introduced to sequences that are three or four beats long, faster, and have a more irregular timing. Although there aren't any upgrades or Star Wars Outlaws Experts and Abilities that make dataspiking easier, there are several settings you can adjust if you want to breeze through it:
- Turn on the visual aid to help you with the timing: You can toggle a user-interface aid that helps you see the beats of the puzzle with a pulsing white ring.
- Change difficulty settings: Under the Minigames section of the Gameplay settings menu, you can change lockpicking difficulty to easy, which makes the beat timing less strict.
- Turn it off entirely: Also in the Minigames settings section, you can turn off the lockpicking rhythm challenge entirely. All you need to do is press R2/RT until the lock opens.
Additionally, be aware that NPCs can still spot you while you’re picking locks, so make sure your surroundings are empty before you start data spiking, though you can look around while picking a lock to ensure the coast is still clear.
© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission.
