Choose a locked door
Sources checked 2026-11-01: IGN and PC Gamer. These are attributed route summaries, not our own playtest. Choose your door below; the Mandate key requires later progress in Pangzhen.
Three checked routes, not every key in the game. English landmark names are retained for matching the sources; other labels are descriptive, not certified in-game UI.
Outpost: Cell Key
Reach the Outpost in Weeping Creek Valley during Against the Flow. The locked side door is left of the entrance gate; you must first speak to the guards and enter.
Pass through the Outpost and finish the Forge upgrade introduction. Find the Outpost bell beside her workstation.
Take the stairs to the right of the bell. At the top, take the right-hand branch, not the left-hand story path.
In the small courtyard, collect the orange-glowing Cell Key beside the corpse. Return to the original entrance gate.
- Which door?
- The locked side door to the left of the first Outpost gate, not the main gate the guards open.
- Reward / next step
- Open the side door for a Blackstone Fragment.
You do not need to leave the Outpost to find the key. The source also lists other pickups at the fork; none is an extra key requirement.
Mandate Encampment: Outer Gate Key
You can encounter the Mandate Encampment gate when first reaching the Village of Lu, but the key comes later in Pangzhen, during its second chapter. Advance the story rather than searching only around the gate.
Progress through western Pangzhen to Gu Wanyue, The Wailing Wraith, and defeat the boss.
Drop down the well in the boss arena, then climb the ladder straight ahead.
In the following room, watch for puppet enemies and collect the key from the corpse. Return to the Mandate Encampment gate.
- Which door?
- The Mandate Encampment outer gate encountered near the Village of Lu.
- Reward / next step
- Unlock access to the Mandate Encampment region. No specific chest or loot reward is established here.
PC Gamer uses both Gu Wanyue and Gu Wangyue for this opera-singer boss. Follow the arena and well landmarks; these are not two different key routes.
Thieves Camp: Dungeon Key
Progress through the Crimson Forest as far as Cliffside Lodge. For the surrounding Quickhand treasure quest, PC Gamer says to free Zhang and meet him at the Thieves Camp; it does not state that accepting his request is a condition for picking up this key.
At Cliffside Lodge, go upstairs and collect the cellar crank.
Use that crank to open the lodge cellar, then drop down. Look for the corpse with a glowing item below you and collect the key.
Return to the Thieves Camp and unlock the Dungeon gate. The jade treasure chest is immediately on your right.
- Which door?
- The locked Thieves Camp Dungeon gate. The cellar crank opens the lodge cellar; it is not the dungeon key.
- Reward / next step
- A jade chest for Quickhand’s Request. The Crimson Forest completion reward is Flying Dagger, but requires all three regional treasures, not this chest alone.
Do not confuse this with the Crimson Forest Tunnel Crank used at Outlaw Trap. This route goes via Cliffside Lodge and its cellar.
Coverage and unresolved keys
The available references to Village of Lu cellar key contain only titles, so its location and acquisition route remain unconfirmed. For a purchase or activation key, use the buying guide instead.
SOURCE LINKS
Sources
Sources for this page include game announcements, store listings and independent reporting. Publication names and dates help distinguish official information from reported observations.