Have you caught a glimpse of those three mysterious teasers floating around the community lately? The first tease was revealed in the March newsletter which showcased four shadowy figures with the header "A Mysterious Omen." Their presence was not alone though. Official fansites were given a sneak peak of their own to share. The second hint displayed a Krokotopia theme with a mander, a Nirini, Krokopatra, and what looks to be the sun god himself - Ra! The last, but equally intriguing clue for the next update came in the form of a vine from the official Wizard101 twitter account. According to the fly over shot, it appears some mischievous Pterodactyls are occupying the Black Sun Pyramid. What does this all mean? Nobody knows for sure, but it's been highly speculated that all three of these battles will be key bosses. Just in case they are, I thought it would be a good idea to make a short and simple key boss guide to help prepare. Enjoy!
General Information
There are three different types of keys in Wizard101 - Wooden Skeleton Keys, Stone Skeleton Keys, and Gold Skeleton Keys. Key areas are represented by special sigils or a glowing jiggling lock. Each lock requires a certain type of key to open it. In general, the wooden keys are used to open lower level areas, stone keys are about middle of the road, and gold keys unlock the higher and more challenging areas. Each locked area only needs one key, so bring others with you so they can reap some rewards as well!
Wooden Keys
Wooden keys can be obtained by opening locked chests in Lower Zigzag, the Main Hall, and the Pagoda of Harmony. They can also be dropped by numerous bosses in a variety of instances including:
- Crimson Fields - War Oni
- Shirataki Temple - Plague Oni
- The Tree of Life - Nomoonaga, Kagemoosha, Death Oni, Youkai
- Emperor's Throne Room - Jade Oni
- Pagoda of Harmony - Tsutsui
- Hollow Mountain - Temple Guardian, Master Tonkatsu, Temple Phantom (You'll need a wooden key to reach this boss)
- State Wing - The Woman's Right Hand, Billy the Cutter (You'll need a wooden key to reach this boss)
- Main Hall - Chief Whip, Noxious Gas Golem
- The Rooftop - Mister Utterson, Doctor Jackall
- Cave of Solitude Wooden Key Room - Takanobu the Masterless (You'll need a wooden key to reach this boss)
- Master One Shot Gauntlets - Rattlebones, Krokopatra
Once you acquire a wooden key, you'll now have access to special zones which either contain a boss or a locked chest. The wooden key areas are as follows:
- Locked Chests - There are three wooden key locations which contain a locked chest: Pagoda of Harmony, Main Hall, and Lower Zigzag. Once you open a chest, it will give you a handful of drops, including a possible wooden key to replace the one you just used!
- Temple Phantom - The Temple Phantom is located in the Hollow Mountain wooden key room. Notable drops from this boss include permanent versions of the blue, gold, and silver kirins, the Mote of Wisdom, the Cloud Colossus pet, and wooden keys.
- Billy the Cutter - This boss is found in the State Wing wooden key room. His most sought after drops include the Dapper Corgi pet, the Mote of Beauty, and wooden keys.
- Takanobu the Masterless - Unlike the previous wooden key bosses, this boss is not in an instance. Takanobu the Masterless resides in the Cave of Solitude with his own pair of sigils and cheats. Even though he drops the Mote of Wisdom and wooden keys, the drop he's most famous for is his unique spell - Catch of the Day! Catch of the Day is a storm spell that is exclusive to Takanobu the Masterless.
Stone Keys
Stone keys are obtainable from locked chests in Lower Zigzag and from bosses around the spiral:
- Sunken City - Simon the Sayer
- Avalon Bosses - Bane Wyrm, Caoranach the Fire-Spitter, Jabberwock, Kayla White Talon, Keela White Talon, Kiva White Talon, Pendragon
- Lower Zigzag - Kus'Bhid, Moh'Lharz, In'Zhizor (You'll need a stone key to reach this boss)
- House of Scales - Izft, Apep the Snaky One, Ammit the Devourer, Bellosh (You'll need a stone key to reach this boss)
- Crystal Caves Stone Key Room - Lambent Fire (You'll need a stone key to reach this boss)
- Archmage One Shot Gauntlets - Meowiarty
Once you're able to snag a stone key, you'll now be able to explore locked areas which contain a boss! The stone key areas are as follows:
- In'Zhizor - This boss can be discovered in the Lower Zigzag stone key room. Interesting drops include the exclusive Sailback Skink pet, the Mote of Severity, and stone keys.
- Bellosh - This boss may seem familiar! Bellosh is the cousin of another troublesome elephant known by the name of Belloq! His cheats are the same as his infamous cousin, so be prepared for lots of Ra. Bellosh can be found in the House of Scales stone key room and drops unique decks that give a universal accuracy boost, the permanent version of the Mander Palanquin mount (previously only obtained from the Pharaoh's Hoard Pack!), the Mote of Severity, and stone keys.
- Lambent Fire - Just like Takanobu the Masterless, Lambent Fire has his own private sigils which can be found in the Crystal Caves. In addition to dropping the Mote of Severity and stone keys, Lambent Fire's most prized drop is the trainable fire spell - Burning Rampage!
- Simon the Sayer - This stone key boss was created and designed by Daniel, a Make-a-Wish kid who had his dream come true after he visited Kingsisle's offices in Austin. Simon the Sayer resides in Sunken City and drops some pretty cool loot including glowing wands, the rare Polterpooch pet, the Mote of Severity, stone keys, and the Ghost Hound pet.
Gold Keys
Gold Keys are a possible reward from locked chests in Castle Darkmoor and a select few bosses like:
- Castle Darkmoor - Howling Chaney, Sir Blackwater
- Upper Halls - Akhtang WormCrawl, Spirit of Darkmoor, Shane von Shane, Bunferatu (You'll need a gold key to reach this boss)
- Graveyard - Yevgeny NightCreeper, Shane von Shane, Malistaire the Undying, Aphrodite II (You'll need a gold key to reach this boss)
- Exalted One Shot Gauntlets - Krokopatra, Meowiarty, Rattlebones
Once you have a gold key, you'll now have the option to break into some locked rooms and encounter a couple of tough bosses! The gold key areas are as follows:
- Locked Chest - Castle Darkmoor holds a locked chest room which can be unlocked with a gold key. Not only can you possibly gather helpful gear from opening this chest, but you also have a chance at a gold key drop to replace the one you just used.
- Bunferatu - This bunny in the Upper Halls gold key room means business! Despite being one of the hardest bosses in the game, Bunferatu doesn't have any stunning or must have drops to show for it. He does drop a unique pet called the Beguiled Gargoyle which may be useful to pet collectors. Bunferatu also drops the Mote of Eternity and gold keys.
- Aphrodite II - This carnivorous plant boss calls the Graveyard its home. Aphrodite II is currently the farming hotspot for energy gear. The energy given on the plant's athames, rings, and wands are the best in the game so far. But that isn't the only reason why this boss gets a lot of attention. Aphrodite II also drops the trainable life spell - Sacred Charge. You better get your weed whackers ready!
With more key bosses possibly on the horizon, I would start saving up your keys! Who knows what those three new areas have in store for us!