and in BG2 you could force a chest. Perfectly logical! You are forced to use lock-picking in DAO (and DS for that matter). Your huge fighter, or Shale can't break an itty bitty lock? Come on.
Yep, I found that ridiculously unrealistic as well. Nobody who isn't a Rogue can even *attempt* to open a locked chest?? It was almost as bad as not being able to drop items from your inventory.