Key (Disambiguation)
Keys are items found in the dungeons of every Zelda game. They are necessary for advancing through locked doors. Keys can be obtained through a variety of different puzzles. For example, sometimes you may need to defeat all the enemies in a room. Other times you may need to break a hole in the wall with your bombs. In some situations you need to do what you least expect, and that way it will be easier to advance to victory. Once a key is used, it disappears.
There are roughly four different keys:
- Small Keys are the most common keys.
- Boss Keys are big keys that grant access to the dungeon's boss.
- Dungeon Keys only appeared in Link's Awakening, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages and were needed to enter their respective dungeons. They are sort of an alternative version of the Boss Keys, as the dungeons with a dungeon key do not require one to also get a boss key.
- Phantom Hourglass featured three keys needed to open doors spread across the islands of the Great Sea.
Small Keys
The Small Key is featured in many Zelda games. It can be found in small chests and by killing enemies, such as Rats In A Link to the Past, but could actually be bought in The Legend of Zelda. A Small Key can be used to open locked doors that have chains around them. In every Zelda game, except The Legend of Zelda, they can only be used in the dungeon where they're found.
Boss Key
The Boss Key is a necessary dungeon item. It actually goes by several names: Boss Key, Big Key, and, in Link's Awakening, the Nightmare's Key. It is used to open the boss's lair and other big doors. In A Link to the Past, the Key is also necessary to obtain the item hidden within each dungeon. In Phantom Hourglass the Big key must be carried by Link to a huge golden key block with an eye embeded on it.