Two keys, two vaults
Watch each key drop in and open its own vault. Same mechanic, very different loot.
Ominous key → Ominous vault
The vault flashes the right colour when a matching key is nearby and stays sealed for the wrong one. A normal vault never accepts an ominous key, and the reverse is also true.
The key economy, in four numbers
1
reward per vault, per player — no resets, ever
2
key types: trial and ominous, never mixed
3+
vaults you can hit from a single chamber
0
durability — every key vanishes after one use
How to earn each key
Both keys come from trial spawners. The only difference is whether the trial is ominous when you clear it.
Trial key- 1Drop into a trial chamber and find any active trial spawner.
- 2Trigger it and fight off every wave it throws at you.
- 3When the last mob of the last wave dies, the spawner ejects one or more trial keys.
- 4Grab them fast and carry them to a normal (copper-lit) vault.
Ominous trial key- 1Drink an ominous bottle to gain Bad Omen before you enter.
- 2Walk into the chamber with the effect active — the spawners turn ominous (the soul-fire blue glow).
- 3Clear the harder ominous waves the same way.
- 4They drop ominous trial keys, the only thing that opens an ominous vault.
What each vault drops
Normal vault
- ◆Emeralds and diamonds
- ◆Enchanted iron and diamond gear
- ◆Trial-chamber pottery sherds
- ◆Wind charges
- ◆Golden carrots and food
Ominous vault
- ◆Heavy core — the one for the mace
- ◆Best enchanted diamond gear
- ◆Enchanted golden apples
- ◆Big diamond and emerald payouts
- ◆Rare trims and high-level books
The ominous vault is the only source of the heavy core, so if you are building a mace, an ominous run is not optional.
Spending keys well
1Stand at the vault, hold the key, and interact. The key is consumed and the loot pops straight out onto the floor.
2Never open a normal vault with an ominous key. The vault would happily take it, but you would burn your rarest key on the weaker loot.
3Bring friends. More players means bigger, harder waves, but every player earns their own keys and pulls their own reward from each vault.
4Do not hoard keys between chambers. Spend them where you earned them — they are not worth lugging across the world.
Quick answers
Can I reuse a trial key?
No. A key is a single-use consumable. The moment you open a vault with it, it is gone.
Does one key open any vault?
No. A trial key only opens a normal vault and an ominous trial key only opens an ominous vault. Mixing them does nothing.
Can two players open the same vault?
Yes. A vault tracks players individually, so each person who has a key gets their own reward from it, once.
Do keys despawn on the floor?
Yes, like any dropped item, in about five minutes. Pick them up as soon as the spawner drops them.
Can I craft a trial key?
No. Keys have no recipe. The only source is clearing a trial spawner in a trial chamber.
What is the fastest loot route?
Do a normal clear to learn the layout, then return with Bad Omen for an ominous run. That is where the mace's heavy core and the top enchants are.
New to the whole loop? Start with finding a trial chamber, then come back here once you have your first key. When you have farmed a heavy core, the next stop is making a mace. Browse every dungeon and dimension on Astroworld structures, or look up any drop on the items database.
