self>SabSparrow: /* Keys by campaign */ Just got a Forbidden Key in the Unwaking Waters explorable area

2026-10-15T22:01:06Z

Keys by campaign: Just got a Forbidden Key in the Unwaking Waters explorable area

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{{Otheruses|keys to chests|access keys that activate products on your Guild Wars [[account]]|Access key}}

A [[key]] is an [[item]] that can be used to unlock a [[chest]]. With the exception of [[Lockpick]]s, keys can be used only once to open chests with a matching name. They can be purchased from [[merchant]]s, obtained as [[loot]], or (in some cases) obtained from [[reward trophy]] [[collector]]s (e.g. [[Equipment Requisition]]s).

The costs of keys, and the value of the loot they unlock, varies with the difficulty of the [[region]] in which they are used. However, the merchant value of chest contents is almost always less than that of the key itself.

Each use of a key costing at least {{Cost|600}} contributes one point to the [[Treasure Hunter]] title. Luxon and Kurzick Keys which are bought from [[Faction merchant]]s also count towards the title.

== Keys by campaign ==

=== Legend ===
# Keys for chests [[drop]] from [[foe]]s in the associated [[explorable area]]s and [[mission]]s in [[normal mode]]; they can be purchased from merchants in associated [[outpost]]s.
# [[Faction merchant]]s offer discounts on Luxon and Kurzick keys ({{Cost|480}}) and Lockpicks ({{Cost|1200}}).
# Kurzick Keys and Luxon Keys can also drop from the [[Echovald Forest]] foes and [[the Jade Sea]] foes, respectively, that [[spawn]] in [[Pongmei Valley]], even though only [[Canthan Chest]]s spawn in Pongmei Valley.
# {{Anomaly|Chests do not spawn in [[Nightfall]] [[Cooperative Mission]]s or [[Riverside Province]].}}
# {{Anomaly|Forbidden Keys also drop from [[Shiro'ken]] regardless of where they spawn.}}

=== Prophecies keys ===
{| {{STDT}}
|- style="background:lightgray;"
! Icon || Name || Cost || Used in (Region or ''location'')1
|-
| [[Image:Ascalonian Key.png|50px]] || Ascalonian || {{Cost|50}} || [[Ascalon]]
|-
| [[Image:Steel Key.png|50px]] || Steel || {{Cost|80}} || [[Northern Shiverpeaks]]
|-
| [[Image:Krytan Key.png|50px]] || Krytan || {{Cost|200}} || [[Kryta]]4
|-
| [[Image:Maguuma Key.png|50px]] || Maguuma || {{Cost|300}} || [[Maguuma Jungle]]
|-
| [[Image:Elonian Key.png|50px]] || Elonian || {{Cost|450}} || [[Crystal Desert]]
|-
| [[Image:Shiverpeak Key.png|50px]] || Shiverpeak || {{Cost|600}} || [[Southern Shiverpeaks]] (except: Sorrow's Furnace)
|-
| [[Image:Darkstone Key.png|50px]] || Darkstone || {{Cost|600}} || [[Ring of Fire Island Chain]]
|-
| [[Image:Miner's Key.png|50px]] || Miner's || {{Cost|750}} || ''[[Sorrow's Furnace]]''
|}

=== Factions keys ===
{| {{STDT}}
|- style="background:lightgray;"
! Icon || Name || Cost || Used in (Region or ''location'')1
|-
| [[Image:Shing Jea Key.png|50px]] || Shing Jea || {{Cost|80}} || [[Shing Jea Island]]
|-
| [[Image:Canthan Key.png|50px]] || Canthan || {{Cost|450}} || [[Kaineng City]] (except: Raisu Palace mission and explorable area)
|-
| [[Image:Kurzick Key.png|50px]] || Kurzick2, 3 || {{Cost|600}} || [[Echovald Forest]] (except: Urgoz's Warren)
|-
| [[Image:Stoneroot Key.png|50px]] || Stoneroot || {{Cost|1250}} || ''[[Urgoz's Warren]]''
|-
| [[Image:Luxon Key.png|50px]] || Luxon2, 3 || {{Cost|600}} || [[The Jade Sea]] (except: The Deep)
|-
| [[Image:Deep Jade Key.png|50px]] || Deep Jade || {{Cost|1250}} || ''[[The Deep]]''
|-
| [[Image:Forbidden Key.png|50px]] || Forbidden5 || {{Cost|600}} || [[Raisu Palace]] [[Raisu Palace (explorable area)]]
|}

=== Nightfall keys ===
{| {{STDT}}
|- style="background:lightgray;"
! Icon || Name || Cost || Used in (Region or ''location'')1, 4
|-
| [[Image:Istani Key.png|50px]] || Istani || {{Cost|80}} || [[Istan]]
|-
| [[Image:Kournan Key.png|50px]] || Kournan || {{Cost|450}} || [[Kourna]]
|-
| [[Image:Vabbian Key.png|50px]] || Vabbian || {{Cost|600}} || [[Vabbi]]
|-
| [[Image:Ancient Elonian Key.png|50px]] || Ancient Elonian || {{Cost|600}} || [[The Desolation]]
|-
| [[Image:Margonite Key.png|50px]] || Margonite || {{Cost|750}} || [[Realm of Torment]] (except: Domain of Anguish)
|-
| [[Image:Demonic Key.png|50px]] || Demonic || {{Cost|1250}} || ''[[Domain of Anguish]]''
|}

=== Core keys ===

{| {{STDT}}
|- style="background:lightgray;"
! Icon || Name || Cost || Used in (Region or ''location'')1
|-
| [[Image:Phantom Key.png|50px]] || Phantom || {{Cost|750}} || ''[[The Underworld]]'' ''[[Scarred Earth]]'' ''[[The Courtyard]]'' ''[[The Hall of Heroes]]''
|-
| [[Image:Obsidian Key.png|50px]] || Obsidian || {{Cost|1250}} || ''[[The Fissure of Woe]]''
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[Image:Lockpick.png|50px]] || rowspan=2 | [[Lockpick]]2 || rowspan=2 | {{Cost|1500}} || [[Charr Homelands]] [[Depths of Tyria]] [[Far Shiverpeaks]] [[Tarnished Coast]]
|-
| All regions in [[hard mode]]
|-
| [[Image:Zaishen Key.png|50px]] || [[Zaishen Key]] || 5,000 [[Balthazar faction]] or 5 [[Tournament Reward Point]]s or 1 [[Zaishen Coin|Gold Zaishen Coin]] {{zgold}} and {{Cost|100}} || [[The Battle Isles]]
|}

== Notes ==
* [[Droknar's Key]] is the [[storyline]] reward for completing [[Eye of the North]] and is used to obtain a [[unique item]]. Despite the name, it is a [[reward trophy]] [[collector|collected]] by the reward NPCs in the [[Epilogue]] explorable area.
* In [[normal mode]] in the main campaigns, you can choose to open a chest with the corresponding key or a [[Lockpick]]. In [[Eye of the North]], all of the chests are [[Locked Chest]]s, but there is a greater chance of breaking the picks in [[hard mode]].
* In hard mode, you need a Lockpick to open a chest, as all regular chests are replaced by Locked Chests.
* Using Zaishen Keys does not give points towards the Treasure Hunter title.
* Chests do not spawn in certain instances that can only be entered via [[quest]]s, such as [[mini-mission]]s and repeatable [[List of Eye of the North primary quests|Eye of the North primary quests]] (see also: [[:Category:Quest explorable areas|Quest explorable areas]]).

== Trivia ==
* Locked chests and keys were added to [[Guild Wars]] in the [[Game updates/20050907|September 7, 2005 update]] to reduce chest [[farming]]. Prior to that update, chests could be opened for free and had a fixed spawning location. The update did not change [[Hidden Stash]]es, [[Wreckage]]s, [[Wrecked Catapult]]s, and [[Chest (Fissure of Woe)|Chests in the Fissure of Woe]] and [[Chest (The Underworld)|the Underworld]], which are the only non-[[quest item]] chests that continued to not require keys to open.

==See also==
* [[Treasure]]

[[Category:Keys| ]]
[[Category:Item types]]

Key - Revision history

self>SabSparrow: /* Keys by campaign */ Just got a Forbidden Key in the Unwaking Waters explorable area