Not every character you make in Baldur’s Gate 3 is going to be good at lockpicking. Hell, I don’t even run with a lockpicking-proficient rogue in my party because I’d rather my Warlock hang out with Gale, Shadowheart, and Karlach because one’s my boyfriend and the other two are my besties. Tons of treasure chests and doors throughout Faerûn lead to loot and hidden rooms, so I always try to keep Thieves’ Tools on hand to grant us access. However, it turns out that if you don’t have any such items handy, there is one other option: Simply smash the treasure chest open.
You won’t always have Thieves’ Tools in your pack but it turns out you can just swing a melee weapon or cast a damaging spell to get what’s inside. Most chests have medium or higher “toughness,” which means weaker blows will just glance off, ineffective. As such, you’ll need a high-strength character like Lae’zel or Karlach on hand, as their melee attacks are most likely to hit the threshold that actually damages the box. You can strike a box repeatedly without any negative ramifications. Even with a strong character it may take a bunch of tries before you put a dent in its armor, but this is the most resource-frugal way to get into a treasure chest.
If you don’t have a powerful, axe-wielding queen nearby, you can also just blow up the chests. Destroying a chest doesn’t destroy the loot inside, even if you’re using fire and gunpowder. YouTuber Proxy Gate Tactician posted a video debunking myths surrounding Baldur’s Gate 3, and the first includes rigging 100 chests up to explode and comparing their loot before and after the big boom. Every weapon, accessory, and other item was accounted for. So it doesn’t matter how rough you get with the chest, your precious items will remain intact.
Ultimately, if you want the loot in a treasure chest, nothing can stop you if you’ve got the muscle or explosives to break the items out of their wooden (or even metal) prison. The same applies to locked doors as well, though they usually have a key lying around somewhere or a puzzle to solve instead. But hey, this is your Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough. Be as destructive as you see fit.
