How to fill up your WoW Classic Keyring to get into every dungeon

Of all the things removed from the game as it has expanded, I think the Keyring is the thing — besides the Loch Modan dam — that I miss the most. Collecting all the keys was an early ambition of mine, and I was so proud I could get into anything that needed a key.

So I am extremely excited to find out the Keyring is returning  to WoW Classic — though it won’t be available immediately at launch. Before the Keyring shows up, keys will be stored in your bag, eating up precious bag (or bank) space. As you leveled and you acquired more keys, the ring expanded to a final 12 slots, which would would comfortably hold most of your keys.

Even though the Keyring isn’t available just yet, you’ll want to start collecting keys now. Here are keys you’re going to need, want, or just pick up as you play.

All (or almost all) of the keys you can collect

Searing Gorge: The first key is Alliance only. This is the key to Searing Gorge. Even if you rarely go to the gorge, doing the quest line to get the key will give you lots of experience.

Kolkar Booty: For Horde, there is a  key needed to open the Kolkar Booty in The Barrens. It drops off any of the Kolkar by the Stagnant Oasis.

Gnomeregan: Did you know Gnomeregan has a back door? The key to open it is found on the Electrocutioner 6000. I don’t remember ever going out that way, but I had that key.

Scholomance: It’s fitting that the key to get into Scholomance is a skeleton key. This is obtained via a quest chain beginning at Chillwind Point for Alliance and The Bulwark for Horde. You’ll be traveling to Kalimdor and Un’Goro to forge your key and you’ll be tasked with killing Araj the Summoner — a level-61 elite — in Andorhal. What’s nice is only one party member needs the key to get into the dungeon. Rogues can pick the lock and Seaforium Charges can blow the door open if no one has completed the quest chain for the key.

Stratholme: Originally one large dungeon, Stratholme had a back door — commonly referred to as the servant’s entrance, but officially the East Gate. If all you want to do is the run for Baron Rivendare and possibly get the mount, you’ll want this key. It also opens gates inside the instance: boththe Eastwall Gate and the Gate between Festival Lane and King’s Square, which will make running the whole of Stratholme much easier.

Onyxia’s Lair: Once you start the attunement quest chain to enter Onyxia’s Lair, you’ll be spending a lot of time in Blackrock Depths. You need to rescue Reginald Windsor and for that, you’ll need the key to his cell door: it drops from High Interrogator Gerstahn.

Dire Maul: This dungeon is, as you know, composed of several wings. In order to open the North and West wings, you need a key. To get it, you run into Dire Maul East wing and find the imp Pusillin — but need to chase him through the wing to catch him. Don’t worry if he gets ahead of you, because he’ll wait for you to come to him, like a game of tag. At the end of the game, he turns into a demon, and killing him rewards your key.

Scarlet Monastery: This is another dungeon with multiple wings, some of which can’t be opened without a key. The Scarlet Key is looted from Archanist Doan’s chest, located behind him in the library. After that you’ve run the library wing to kill Doan, the rest of the Monastery is open. This is good because it felt as if there were a billion quests taking me through the instance at this level.

Blackrock Depths: You can be forgiven for not knowing about the quest that gives you this key, because you have to be dead to get it. When you obtain this key, you’ll cut about 45 minutes off a BRD run because you can skip past the Ring of Law, the East Garrison, The Domicile, and part of Shadowforge City.

Grim Guzzler: There was a key to open the back door of the Grim Guzzler in Blackrock Depths. It was removed when the key ring was removed. You get it from the Barkeep, Plugger Spazzring.

Relic Coffer Keys: Also from BRD, those crazy Relic Coffer Keys went into a stack on the key ring. You still get them but they make a stack in your bags and despawn once you leave the instance.

Not all keys are keys

Remember, not everything needing a “key” to enter will have an actual key. Upper Blackrock Spire is a ring. Onyxia’s Lair is a necklace. Molten Core, Blackrock Spire, Blackwing Lair, and Naxxramas have attunement quests (or other, non-key items), but no physical key.

Hooray for the keyring!

Here’s to the return of the keyring. You won’t be needing it right at the start — which is good, because it won’t be in the game from the start. Initially, you can just carry around the backdoor key to Gnomeregan in your bags or stick it in your bank. There’s something exciting about doing all these quests and being “that” person who can get into anything.