Big Key

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Big Key

Main appearance(s)

Other appearance(s)

Location(s)

Dungeons

Use(s)

Unlocking the boss door

Comparable Item(s)

Puzzle Key

Big Keys,^{(ALttPA Link to the Past | TWWThe Wind Waker | TMCThe Minish Cap | TPTwilight Princess | ALBWA Link Between Worlds | EoWEchoes of Wisdom)}^[1]^{[name references needed]} also known as Nightmare Keys,^{(LALink's Awakening)}^[2] Boss Room Keys,^{(SeriesThe Legend of Zelda Series)}^[3] and Boss Keys,^{(OoTOcarina of Time | MMMajora's Mask | OoSOracle of Seasons | OoAOracle of Ages | PHPhantom Hourglass | STSpirit Tracks | HWHyrule Warriors | CoHCadence of Hyrule)}^[1]^[4]^[5] are recurring Items in The Legend of Zelda series.

Location and Uses

Big Keys are one of the three standard dungeon items, the other two being the Compass and the Dungeon Map. They are generally harder to find than Small Keys and are used to open the big door leading to the Boss' chamber. Big Keys can sometimes be used for purposes other than entering the Boss Rooms.

A Link to the Past

Big Key
You will need the big key to open certain dungeon doors and the big treasure chest.

Big Key
Some chests and doors only open with a Big Key.

In addition to opening doors, Big Keys are also used to open the Treasure Chests containing a dungeon's item in A Link to the Past. Doors unlocked by the Big Key may not necessarily lead directly to the boss.

Link's Awakening

Nightmare Key and Small Keys
You will need the Nightmare Key to enter the Nightmare's lair. The Small Keys, which can be used only once, are used to open other locked doors in the dungeon.

Nightmare Keys open access to a Dungeon's Nightmare in Link's Awakening.

Ocarina of Time

Boss Keys are always found in large Treasure Chests that have yellow and blue designs in Ocarina of Time. This iteration only opens the door to that dungeons Boss.

Majora's Mask

Functionally, the Boss Keys are the exact same as its predecessor, the same chest and all. This iteration has a pattern of the key being found after every second Mini-Boss of each dungeon. The Boss Key does not remain with Link should he travel back in time. Instead, he must relocate the Treasure Chest containing the Key to retrieve it once more. However, Link can directly warp to the boss's chamber one they have collected the remains.

Oracle of Seasons

Keys and Boss Keys
You'll need the Boss Key to open the door to the boss's lair. Other keys found in the dungeon can be used only once to open a locked door or block.

Boss Keys are found in Dungeons after a puzzle in Oracle of Seasons. They allow entry into Boss Rooms.

Oracle of Ages

Keys and Boss Keys
You'll need the Boss Key to open the door to the boss's lair. Other keys found in the dungeon can be used only once to open a locked door or block.

Boss Keys are found in Dungeons after a puzzle in Oracle of Ages. They allow entry into Boss Rooms.

The Wind Waker

Big Keys function nearly identical to how they functioned in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask (the counterpart pair) and would continue for nearly all 3D Zelda games to come. The design of the key would be carried over in later installments such as Phantom Hourglass and The Minish Cap.

Four Swords Adventures

In this game, Big Keys are optional items that open Big Chests, which contain a large number of Force Gems.

The Minish Cap

Big key
The door that leads to the dungeon boss’s room can only be opened with the Big Key

There are six Big Keys in The Minish Cap, all of which are found inside Dungeons (Deepwood Shrine, the Cave of Flames, the Fortress of Winds, the Temple of Droplets, the Palace of Winds, and Dark Hyrule Castle). Most of them reside in a large blue Chest, and are used to open the large Locked Doors covered by golden chains. The exception to this is the Big Key found in the Temple of Droplets; it is frozen into a Key-sicle, and must be thawed out using Light Beams.

In the Palace of Winds, there are two of these large Locked Doors; however, unlike Small Keys, Big Keys are not consumed after being used as long as Link is in the same Dungeon, and thus the second Locked Door can simply be opened with the same Big Key used to open the first. According to artwork, the Big Key's design is nearly identical to the design in the Wind Waker.

Twilight Princess

The Big Key from the Goron Mines must be put together by obtaining the three Key Shards from the Village Elders in Twilight Princess. In the Snowpeak Ruins, the Big Key is replaced by the Bedroom Key, as said dungeon is actually the mansion residence of Yeto and Yeta.

Phantom Hourglass

Link must carry the Boss Key in his hands rather than in his inventory in Phantom Hourglass, making him unable to attack and vulnerable to attacks.^[6]

Spirit Tracks

Link must carry the Boss Key in his hands rather than in his inventory in Spirit Tracks, making him unable to attack and vulnerable to attacks. In some instances, Boss Keys are electrified and Link must have Princess Zelda possess a Phantom in order to carry them for him. Boss Keys are now not obtained from chests as they were in Phantom Hourglass.