Lock

A lock is a simple or electronic machine that secures a valuable container until some kind of tool or information (in the case of an electronic lock) is used to deactivate the device. Locks appear in all 3 Deus Ex games. In the first game, they appear both as traditional locks and as keypads. Traditional locks have a meter indicating their "Lock Strength" and one indicating their "Door Strength". The Lock Strength must be taken to 0% of 100%, though it can start at any number in between. One Lockpick will lower the percentage by a certain number, and this is determined by the Lockpick Skill. The Door Strength can be lowered through striking the door with a solid melee Weapon if it is low enough, or using explosives such as the GEP Gun or a LAM. NanoKeys on the Keyring can be used to instantly unlock a container with no hassle, but they must be found first and there is not a Nanokey for every container in the game. Electric Locks, or Keypads, will activate once the correct code has been entered, or a Multitool is used to activate it. The longest Keypad code is a 7-digit code in the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, and they may be as short as 2 digits. Keycodes can be found written on paper and in Datacubes, but the player can always open the keypad with nothing but the code, such as guessing or having prior knowledge of the code. There is no penalty for missing a code.

In Deus Ex: Invisible War, there are still interactive electronic and simple locks. All interactive locks can be opened through explosives, Softkeys or universal Multitools, which will now open a metal lock on a door along with keypads, which can no longer be used button-by-button as they were in Deus Ex. The Keycode must be read to access a keypad, and the code is never revealed to the player. Many more Locks can now be opened through hacking a computer and selecting the "open" queue.

Locks will appear in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, though details are not yet known. Multitools will not make an appearance, rather computers and locks will be accessed through a hacking minigame.