Key

Key

Statistics

Type:

Pickup

Special Pools:

Blue Chest Break

Keys are a pickup that appears in Enter the Gungeon.

Effect

Keys have no effect when first collected, however several locked objects throughout the Gungeon require Keys to be opened, making acquiring and storing keys for later extremely useful. There is no limit to the number of keys that can be held by the player.

Uses

• Chests (with the exception of Brown Chests spawned upon room clear and some Chests found in secret rooms) require a key to be opened.
• NPCs, Shrines, and other special rooms (with the exception of the Shop) have a chance to be behind a locked door, which requires a key to gain entry.
• Mini-Reward Rooms contain extra loot locked behind a door which requires a key to open.
• The trapdoor entrance to the Oubliette requires two keys to be opened.
• The secret rat trapdoor in the Black Powder Mine requires a key to be opened.
• Keys can be traded to Flynt in exchange for items and guns.

How to Acquire

• All Gungeoneers start each run with a single key.
• Random room clear and boss kill reward pickups have a chance to be a key.
• The Shop and Blacksmith^ETG will sometimes stock keys for sale.
• Keybullet Kin^ETG will always drop a single key when killed, unless they are jammed in which case they will drop two keys.
• ^ETG Secret Rooms and Mini-Reward Rooms may sometimes contain keys.
• ^ETG Brown chests can somtimes give a key in addition to, or instead of, an item or gun. Additionally, if a Red Chest contains a health item like Heart Locket or Heart Holster, it will drop a key in addition to the item.
• ^ETG Dog and Knight's Gun can occasionally dig up a key.

Cut Content

• Keys have gone through a number of different iterations in the early development of Enter the Gungeon.
  • In Pre-Alpha versions of Enter the Gungeon, keys were golden, and had a bullet-shaped head which heavily resembles what would ultimately become their finalised design. This iteration of the pickup was called the Key Bullet.
    • While keys are no longer called key bullets, this name still influenced the naming of the Keybullet Kin.
    • These Key Bullets were used unconventionally. Attempting to use a key would attach it to the end of the players gun, firing it in place of the next bullet the player would fire. If fired towards a chest, this key projectile would automatically home in towards the lock, opening it. Fired key bullets could also be used offensively, and would deal damage to enemies.
  • In later pre-release versions of Enter the Gungeon, keys had a more traditional appearance, with a looped head. Additionally, its name would appear in the Shop as Iron Key.

Notes

• In co-op mode, keys are one of the few pickups which are shared between both players.
• Regular keys cannot be used to open Rat Chests, Rat locks, the entrance to the Resourceful Rat's Lair or Cell locks, as these all require special types of key to be unlocked.
• Chests in Exit the Gungeon and Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead do not require keys to open.

Gallery

• 

  A Key Bullet in Pre-Alpha ETG
• 

  The appearance of Key Bullets in the HUD of Pre-Alpha ETG
• 

  A Key Bullet in the pre-alpha, attached to the muzzle of a gun
• 

  A Key Bullet in the Shop in Pre-Alpha ETG
• 

  Since-changed pre-release appearance of the Key

See Also

• Pickups
• Cell Key
• Rat Key
• Gnawed Key