When first in the vault, I noticed the cryolater but couldn't get to it because it required master lockpicking; however, the cryolater can be retrieved without picking the lock.
Dogmeat can be taken back to the vault and be used to search the area for items and get the Cryolater without needing any lockpicking skill. Source
As someone who is new to the Fallout series, is this method intentional or an exploit? If it is intentional, does it work for all locks? Is there any reason to become a master lockpicker in that case?