Chest Keys are consumable misc items that unlock sealed containers and doors throughout the archipelago. Using a key destroys it, so collecting spares is worthwhile if a run uncovers multiple sealed chests of the same region.
Three flavors exist: Ancient stone-disk keys for region-locked treasure caches, the Arsenal Key for ship weapon lockers, and generic door keys for gated interiors. Each has its own stack size and drop sources.
Key Comparison
Key | Rarity | Stack | Opens |
|---|---|---|---|
Legendary | 20 | Ancient chests in the Foothills | |
Legendary | 20 | Ancient chests in the Cursed Swamps | |
Legendary | 10 | Sea-soaked beach chests | |
Epic | 99 | Ship and stronghold arsenals | |
Epic | 99 | Wooden interior doors and cellars | |
Epic | 99 | Reinforced iron doors on faction vaults | |
Epic | 99 | Locked wagon chests in land ambushes |
Ancient Region Keys
Ancient keys are Legendary-tier stone disks with "faint, intricate patterns and mysterious inscriptions." Each corresponds to a specific region's ancient chests. A Foothills key does not open a Swamp chest, so hunters sort them by destination.
Image | Key | Rarity | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legendary | Ancient chests in the Foothills region. | |
| Legendary | Ancient chests in the Swamp region. | |
| Legendary | Small sea-soaked chests washed up on beaches. |
Stack size for Ancient keys is 20, so a single inventory slot handles a full region's run. The Old Key stacks to 10 and its flavor text notes it "smells of the sea, silt, and seaweed," hinting at shipwreck and coastal loot sources.
Arsenal Key
The Arsenal Key is an Epic-tier key that opens the arsenals (weapon lockers) found aboard enemy ships and in faction strongholds. Arsenals contain concentrated weapon and ammo loot, making these keys a priority pickup during boarding actions. Stack size is 99.
Door and Chest Keys
Image | Key | Rarity | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epic | Wooden doors barring interior rooms and cellars. | |
| Epic | Reinforced iron doors, typically on faction vaults. | |
| Epic | Locked chests carried on wagons during land ambushes. |
These keys stack to 99 and are often carried by the officers who lock the doors in the first place. Searching bodies after a clean sweep is the most reliable source.
Unique Temple Keys
Some doors open only to a one-off key tied to a specific quest or location. The Foothills Temple Key is the best-known example, opening the sealed doors of a single ancient temple rather than a shared region loot pool.
How to Obtain
Ancient keys drop from elite enemies and ancient ruin bosses in their respective regions.
Door keys are looted from officer NPCs and vault guards.
Arsenal Keys come from ship captains during boarding and from faction armory quartermasters.
Temple Keys are awarded by specific quests. Check the Quests page for the relevant questline.
Tips
Hoard Ancient keys before a dedicated region run. Chest density in the Foothills and Swamp rewards 10+ keys in a single trip.
Open chests before resting. Ancient chest loot is not saved between server restarts, so cash in on the cycle. See the Pirate Chest Loot Pool for what these caches can contain.
Arsenal Keys are shared between factions. A Buccaneer arsenal and a Brethren arsenal accept the same key.