Remember those old fantasy games like The Legend of Zelda, where you had to find keys to get into certain places? Modern fantasy games like World of Warcraft often have easier workarounds instead of bothering the player with keys, with attunements and other entry-requirements that have been nerfed considerably for later expansions.
In Classic World of Warcraft, there are several keys players will need to access certain areas, like in old-school RPG and fantasy games. Just to clarify, we’re not talking about attunements or special devices like scepters or orbs that open portals or teleport players to another location. This is literally about metal keys that are stored on the keyring next to your bags or in your inventory. You can use them to open doors, locked chests, and a few other creative places. A few of these were components of quests, while others were the rewards for finishing a quest.
10 The Skeleton Key
You can be a Rogue with a lockpicking skill of 280, an Engineer with a Powerful Seaforium Charge, or you can do a long and lore-rich quest chain to get the Skeleton Key that grants access to the legendary Scholomance. The quest chain is different depending on your faction, Horde or Alliance, but the last step is always the same. Finding some friends, riding into the ruins of Andorhol, and slaying the Lich Araj. You are then awarded the Skeleton Key, which is the easiest way to get into Scholomance. You’ll never have to sit through an awkward, “What, doesn’t anyone have a key?” moment ever again.
9 The Workshop Key
You don’t need this key to get into Gnomeregan, but you can use it to bypass the first part of the dungeon and skip closer to the end. It’s one of the easiest keys on this list to acquire, as it drops from Electrocutioner 6000, one of the bosses in the instance. Not very many Horde players have this key, as Gnomeregan is deep in Alliance territory, but for Alliance players visiting this dungeon, it’s a handy thing to have. It’s a low-level lock, so a Blacksmith with a Truesilver Skeleton Key, a Rogue with 150 Lockpicking, or an Engineer with a Small Seaforium Charge can gain access without the key.
8 The Shadowforge Key
Blackrock Depths is going to come up more than once on this list. This particular key gives you access to Upper Blackrock Depths. If you don’t have this key, you either have to start a bar fight and attract the bouncer’s attention or get the succubus and her secret lover to sneak out to get that back door open. What’s really interesting about this key is how you get it.
When you were running back to BRD from the graveyard in ghost form (yes, we know you did several times), you ran through the tomb of Franclorn Forgewright, the legendary Dwarven architect that designed several familiar landmarks in Azeroth. He’s there in ghost form so you can only see him when you’re dead. He offers you a quest, and the reward is the Shadowforge Key.
7 The Crescent Key
Another key that’s handy to have but not essential, this one lets you bypass certain parts of another massive dungeon, Dire Maul. The entire instance is made up of several different wings, and the Crescent Key opens the doors to the West Wing and the North Wing, and doors in the Library leading to those wings. It drops from a troublesome mini-boss by the name of Pusillin in the East Wing of the dungeon, so it’s fairly easy to acquire. If you don’t want to bother with Pusillin, and we can’t blame you if you don’t, a Rogue with 300 Lockpicking or an Engineer with a Powerful Seaforium Charge can open the same doors.
6 The Scarlet Key
This is one of the better-known keys in the game and the first dungeon-related key most players get if they missed the Workshop Key for Gnomeregan. The Scarlet Key is found in Arcanist Doan’s strongbox, the final boss of the Library wing, and opens the doors that lead to the Armory and Cathedral wings of the instance. It only takes a Lockpicking skill of 175 to open the door, so most Rogues at this level can get in without the Scarlet Key. A Truesilver Skeleton Key or a Large Seaforium Charge can also bust open the locks if you need an alternative.
5 The Key to the City
Stratholme is an instance that’s divided into two parts, the Living side, and the Dead side. Most players do the Living part first because the Key to the City is required to access the Dead side. That’s also where you’ll find the boss Magistrate Barthilas, who drops the key. To be precise, it’s only required to open the door if you’re not an Engineer with a Powerful Seaforium Charge or a Rogue with 300 Lockpicking. The door is known as the Servant’s Entrance and is located some distance away from the Living side entrance, only a short run northwest from Light’s Hope Chapel.
4 The Dalson’s Tears Keys
There are a hundred sad stories in the Western Plaguelands, and this key is an important part of one of them. Those that spend some extra time exploring the abandoned homes and farmhouses of Dalson’s Tears will come across a diary owned by the former resident and a mysterious Wandering Ghost that drops a key. The diary entries will explain the locked outhouse that you might have stumbled upon earlier, the one that was rattling and making a strange noise. Once you dispose of the hapless Farmer Dalson trapped within, he drops a key that opens a cabinet in the house which contains your rewards and completes the final link in this quest chain. Since both of these keys are linked only to these quests, they’ll disappear once you complete them.
3 The Key to Searing Gorge
This key could have been part of another list, but here it is on this one. Only Alliance characters get this key that opens a gate leading directly from Loch Modan. Without the key, you have to pass through the high-level Badlands and risk alerting the Horde forces in Kargath to get to Searing Gorge. The key is the reward from a quest chain that starts in Loch Modan and has a few steps before giving you the key. Alternatively, you can gain access as a Blacksmith with an Arcanite Skeleton Key, an Engineer with a Large Seaforium Charge, or a Rogue with 225 Lockpicking.
2 Prison Cell Key
Just as the name suggests, this key can be used to open various prison cells in Blackrock Dungeon. If you’re playing an Alliance ’toon this key is essential to finishing your Onyxoa attunement. You get the key from the main boss in the same area, High Interrogator Gerstahn, who also drops some nice blue items for casters. Rogues with a Lockpicking ability of 250 or higher can pick the prison locks rather than bother with Gerstahn, as can Blacksmiths with an Arcanite Skeleton Key or Engineers with a Large Seaforium Charge.
1 Grimesilt Outhouse Key
Another day, another quest, and another outhouse. This one is considerably more light-hearted than the previous one and takes place in a totally different environment. At some point during your adventures in Searing Gorge, you’ll come across the Grimesilt Outhouse Key, which drops from various denizens of the zone. It starts a quest that ends and leads to another when you find the Wooden Outhouse. A hapless Dwarf, who’s been trapped there for some time, will reward you handsomely for helping him. Since this key only serves a single purpose and the quest isn’t repeatable, this key disappears from your inventory.
