Lockpick

The Lockpick is a Timesville key item buried on the beach with the Metal Detector. It unlocks the Rat’s room on the apartment building’s second floor — the hub for Water Break hydration, hidden hamster-wheel evidence, and Beartha’s Nibbles blackmail beat that leads to the stolen PGD, Fish Paper, and Black Rose chain.

You cannot reach Nibbles’ evidence without the Lockpick, which means Beartha’s quest stalls until the telescope shack → skeleton detector puzzle is complete.

Prerequisites

Complete these steps before the Lockpick can spawn:

1. Catthew hide-and-seek → Fishing License (parallel, not strictly required for dig)
2. Telescope from aquarium/party chain
3. Beartha PGD quest started — place telescope at locked beach shed
4. Key constellation unlocks shed → skeleton Metal Detector puzzle
5. Collect Metal Detector underground

Shack puzzle details: Beartha · Timesville.

Finding the Lockpick — Beach Metal Detect

1. Equip the Metal Detector on the Timesville beach
2. Walk the shoreline until the detector beeps rapidly
3. Press M1 to dig when beeping intensifies
4. Repeat sweeps until the Lockpick appears

Tips:

• Use windowed mode if digs fail silently (Metal Detector page)
• Patch 1.05 fixed shack softlock when leaving without the detector and re-entering near night (Patch Notes)
• Patch 1.02 noted Mellow rendering under objects near the bridge/shack — re-enter area if stuck

This first beach dig is separate from the later triple dig (Camera, Fish Paper, PGD) after Nibbles blackmail.

Using the Lockpick — Rat’s Room

Return to the apartment building near Timesville entrance:

• Floor: Second
• Door: Middle door on the right
• Action: Use Lockpick to unlock

Inside the Rat’s room:

Interaction	Reward / effect
Water bottle	Water Break achievement — 2nd of 3 sources (Achievements)
Hamster wheel	Spin until secret panel opens
Hidden evidence	Beartha’s photos + blackmail material
Nibbles confrontation	Choose Blackmail → PGD beach dig clue

First hydration source: Office water cooler (Core Key chain). Third source appears later in the campaign.

After the Lockpick — Beartha Chain Continuation

Examining evidence triggers the Nibbles dialogue branch. He confesses the PGD was buried on the beach. Re-equip the Metal Detector for the second dig pass:

1. Camera
2. Fish Paper (Stay ending — pairs with Timesville Fishing 18-fish marathon)
3. PGD at far western beach edge

Return PGD to Beartha → Black Rose → Rosie grave → VHS Player chamber.

Stay Ending Relevance

The Lockpick indirectly gates Stay (Ending C) because:

• Rat’s room evidence enables Fish Paper recovery
• Fish Paper + 18 fish → Lost Key / Fish Paper Key (Stay Secrets)

Keep a near-complete Chapter I save before starting the 18-fish grind (Save System).

Optional — Transparent Mug Brawl

If you still carry the Transparent Mug from The Office Gambling Den, the party room (second floor, separate door) can spawn an optional brawl. Requires Lockpick route completion only insofar as you must have visited the apartment floor during Beartha’s chapter — mug pickup is Office-side.

Connections

• Metal Detector · Beartha · Catthew
• Timesville Fishing — Fish Paper / Lost Key
• Stay Secrets · Achievements
• The Office — Water Break first source

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: The Metal Detector won’t find the Lockpick. A: Switch to windowed mode, sweep the full beach until rapid beeps, and confirm you finished the skeleton puzzle underground first.

Q: Which apartment door needs the Lockpick? A: Second floor, middle door on the right — the Rat’s room.

Q: Is the Lockpick consumed on use? A: No — it unlocks the door permanently for that save; keep it for checklist clarity but re-use is not required.