Key locations in Ultima IX

Listed across the 9 tables on this page are the locations for the various keys found in Ultima IX. As a result of limited Q/A and polish, multiple keys are made available that will never be used or used in odd places. The technical reason for this is in how locks and keys work in Ultima IX. The behind-the-scenes mechanic is that each locked door or chest removes the locked flag whenever a key of the same scripting ID is in the Avatar's inventory. The key is then removed from the inventory. Since these IDs are not unique, sometimes a key will work on multiple locks. Most of the time, each key will be used up by a lock somewhere in the area. For multiple instances in the game, however, the lock flag is not set because there was a lack of testing and polish or an attempt to reduce difficulty. For completeness, all keys and their intended locks are listed below. Keys that do not have an appropriate scripting ID, will have all possible locks listed. Additionally, this page will include the changes to lock targets incorporated in the Forgotten World produced 1.20 fan patch for Ultima IX.

All original key/lock locations were found using a combination of editor tools produced by the Forgotten World team and game playthroughs.

Beginning and Compassion Act

Key	Location	Lock(s)	Notes
	Earth, on the Avatar’s computer desk	Earth, fence gate leading to park
	Stonegate, inside equipment chest if spiritually-oriented	Britannia surface, chest on a small island near Skara Brae
	Britannia surface, under clothes in Leon’s upstairs closet	Britannia surface, Leon's upstairs chest
	Britannia surface, inside Leon's upstairs chest	Britannia surface, downstairs chest behind counter
	Britannia surface, on table in Cathedral of Love serpentwyne mixing room	Britannia surface, Cathedral of Love storeroom
	Britannia surface, inside trapdoor in Cathedral of Love library room	Britannia surface, metal chest in Cathedral of Love storeroom
	Britannia surface, on display in Britain provisioner's shop		No lock for this key.
	Britannia surface, on display in Britain provisioner's shop		No lock for this key.
	Britannia surface, on display in Britain provisioner's shop		No lock for this key.
	Britannia surface, on display in Britain provisioner's shop	Britannia surface, mad mage's backdoor, Vasagralem's backdoor, abandoned shack near Yew
	Britannia surface, on display in Britain provisioner's shop	Britannia surface, mad mage's backdoor, Vasagralem's backdoor, abandoned shack near Yew
	Despise, inside small metal chest next to room holding Castro and Felix	Despise, door to room holding Castro and Felix
	Despise, key in rat nest past room with corpse	Despise, exit door from rat nest room
	Despise, key on dining room wall	Despise, locked chest in secret room behind dining room
	Despise, key inside previously mentioned chest, next to treasure	Britannia surface, chest in heartstone cave or door to second section of Terfin dungeon
	Despise, key in pool near guard post past chapel	Despise, nearby door beyond spiked pit
	Despise, key on pew near Iolo’s lute	Despise, chest behind stalagmites in caverns	Key next to the treasure will also open this.
	Despise, on table in cell near crushing trap	Despise, door that leads to the caverns
-	(n.a.)	Britannia surface, main door to Ashling's mill.	The door opens when Compassion is restored and Ashling comes back to Britain. Due to a bug, sometimes it remains locked.

Humility Act and Buccaneer's Den

Key	Location	Lock(s)	Notes
	Britannia surface, on Guild member inside hidden cave	Britannia surface, releases silver serpent prison	Key stays in the inventory.
	Transition between Buc's Den and New Magincia, inside crate with pot inside it	Transition between Buc's Den and New Magincia, chest nearby the crate
	Upper Hythloth, in side passage of transparent wall section	Upper Hythloth, chest in center of transparent wall section
	Upper Hythloth, inside drainpipe in side room past transparent wall section	Upper Hythloth, locked wall box at the end of the passage

Honesty Act

Key	Location	Lock(s)	Notes
	Main Deceit, on table outside of Avatar’s cell	Main Deceit, wood door that leaves the area
	Britannia surface, near pirate mage on shipwreck	Britannia surface, chest nearby that has Arms of the Magi
	Britannia surface, key behind crates in heartstone cave	Britannia surface, left chest inside heartstone cave
	Britannia surface, key on face's tongue in heartstone cave	Britannia surface, right chest inside heartstone cave
	Britannia surface, key at bottom of Moonglow cave to Shrine of Honesty	Britannia surface, mad mage backdoor, Vasagralem backdoor, abandoned shack near Yew

Justice Act and Northern Britannia

Key	Location	Lock(s)	Notes
	Britannia surface, On goblin shaman's throne on path to Yew	Britannia surface, chest near above throne
	Britannia surface, key in inventory of goblin in cave NW of Yew past rope bridge	Britannia surface, nearby chest in cave
	Britannia surface, key underneath pillows in pirate camp on coast west of Yew	Britannia surface, mad mage backdoor, Vasagralem backdoor, abandoned shack near Yew
	Britannia surface, key inside crate outside to door of fisherman's house in mountain peaks west of Empath Abbey	Britannia surface, door to fisherman's house
	Britannia surface, on closet in fisherman's house	Britannia surface, chest inside fisherman's house
	Britannia surface, on ghost ship off coast northwest of Yew (at 46°0'N, 54°30'W)	Britannia surface, chest in crow's nest of ghost ship
	Wrong, key under warden's book	Wrong, wooden door to Cleo’s cell	The cell is not locked, thus the key is useless.
	Wrong, key in secret passage near spider and binding circle	Wrong, wooden door to Cleo’s cell	The cell is not locked, thus the key is useless.
	Wrong, chest with Avatar’s backpack in room near secret passage cell	Wrong, lever lockbox to floor grate nearby
	Wrong, key inside chest in barracks	Wrong, lockbox to fake Raven’s cell	The lockbox is not locked, thus the key is useless.
	Wrong, key received from Raven	Wrong, opens to hall with two buttons on banner

Sacrifice Act

Key	Location	Lock(s)	Notes
	Britannia surface, on Raxos’ drawers	Britannia surface, Raxos' house trapdoor	The trapdoor is not locked, thus the key is useless.
	Britannia surface, key obtained from Raxos	Britannia surface, Nico's cell door	Either from killing Raxos, or talking to him after repairing the shrine.
	Britannia surface, obtained from Rom Baro	Britannia surface, Rom Baro's wagon
	Britannia surface, inside Rom Baro's wagon	Britannia surface, mad mage backdoor, Vasagralem backdoor, abandoned shack near Yew
	Covetous lift, in Lothar’s inventory	Covetous lift, lift box to release plate between level 1 and 2
	Covetous level 2, in alcove on the other side of the column	Covetous lift, lift box to release plate between level 2 and 3
	Covetous level 3, Skully’s grave	Covetous lift, lift box to release plate between level 3 and 4
	Covetous level 4, on table in exit chamber with 'dead' skeleton	Britannia surface, mad mage backdoor, Vasagralem backdoor, abandoned shack near Yew

Honor Act

Key	Location	Lock	Notes
	Britannia surface, obtained from Vidos	Britannia surface, door to Bastion
	Britannia surface, obtained from Synnovea	Britannia surface, allows access to room at inn	Key stays in the inventory.
	Britannia surface, inside chest past one of the pits that appears	Britannia surface, door to room where archmage Groldek’s resides

Valor Act and Dawn/Destard

Key	Location	Lock(s)	Notes
	Britannia surface, key that appears next to Jordan's body	Britannia surface, Raxos' house or silver serpent
	Destard, on ledge in prisoner's room,	Destard, unlocks prisoner via dialogue	Key stays in the inventory.
	Destard, key in cell with giant rats and bones	Destard, key to Wyrmguard barracks	The door is not locked, thus the key is useless.
	Destard, key in pentagram bowl surrounded by dragon statues	Britannia surface, pirate camp northwest of Yew or Terfin dungeon
	Destard, inside secret room (spiders and webs) along hall around the demon room	Destard, door under pentagram on wall in Talornia temple that leads to binding circle room
	Destard, in chest on ledge high up in Talornia temple	Destard, mad mage backdoor, Vasagralem backdoor, abandoned shack near Yew
	Destard, in crate in room along passage to gem cavern	Destard, chest inside the same room
	Destard, Saphera’s hidden key in her room	Destard, unlocks Saphera’s storeroom
	Destard, inside open crate under stairs in liche room	Destard, door to dead cult leader's coffin

Spirituality Act and Isle of the Avatar

Key	Location	Lock	Notes
	Abyss level 1, inside dragon's inventory	Abyss level 1, chest nearby – has blackrock armour	Should the key hover in mid-air, then the X-cheat is needed.
	Abyss level 2, invisible key along passage to binding circle room (use Ethereal Sight)	Abyss level 2, door to binding circle room	The door is not locked, thus the key is useless.

Terfin

Key	Location	Lock	Notes
	Lower Guardian dungeon, on table in training room	Lower Guardian dungeon, chest in training room – contains arrows
	Lower Guardian dungeon, on counter in bar, Winged gargoyle is inside	Lower Guardian dungeon, unlocks door to south passage revealed by button on floor in training room
	Lower Guardian dungeon, underwater in room with drain valve past through the flooding tunnels		No matching locks.
	Lower Guardian dungeon, on table with gold in brazier room	Lower Guardian dungeon, chest inside chests/mimics room past brazier room
	Lower Guardian dungeon, inside chest unlocked by above	Lower Guardian dungeon, door revealed by brick on wall with four pushable bricks
	Lower Guardian dungeon, replaces lightning sword in magic barrier room	Lower Guardian dungeon, door that exits cell/torture room
	Upper Guardian dungeon, key in crates room in first part of this dungeon	Upper Guardian dungeon, door to bedroom across from crates room
	Upper Guardian dungeon, on table in barracks bunkroom	Upper Guardian dungeon, door to statue room revealed in this section
	Upper Guardian dungeon, on ledge inside dated statue room	Upper Guardian dungeon, door to diamond tile room teleported into to get to this	Already unlocked via other means from within.
	Upper Guardian dungeon, in spider web pit past treasure room	Upper Guardian dungeon, chest nearby pit that is next to a cave-in
	Upper Guardian dungeon, inside chest in cell near alchemy lab room	Upper Guardian dungeon, does not actually unlock treasure room	Can only be given to Ciara during conversation for plot item.

Notable keys

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The following keys are far away from their lock:

Key	Location	Lock(s)	Notes
	Stonegate, inside equipment chest if spiritually-oriented	Britannia surface, chest on a small island near Skara Brae
	Despise, key inside nearby chest, next to treasure	Britannia surface, chest in heartstone cave or door to second section of Terfin dungeon
	Britannia surface, key that appears next to Jordan's body (Valorian isles)	Britannia surface, Raxos' house or silver serpent
	Destard, key in pentagram bowl surrounded by dragon statues	Britannia surface, pirate camp northwest of Yew or Terfin dungeon

The following keys are interchangeable and they all open the same doors. As in the previous table, these keys are far away from their locks, too.

Key	Location	Lock(s)	Notes
	Britannia surface, key at bottom of Moonglow cave to Shrine of Honesty	Britannia surface: mad mage's backdoor; Vasagralem's backdoor; abandoned shack near Yew.
	Britannia surface, key underneath pillows in pirates camp on coast west of Yew
	Britannia surface, inside Laszlo's wagon (Minoc)
	Covetous level 4, on table in exit chamber with 'dead' skeleton
	Destard, in chest on ledge high up in Talornia temple

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Key Locations
Games	Ultima VI ☥ Ultima Underworld ☥ Ultima VII ☥ Ultima Underworld II ☥ Ultima VII Part Two ☥ Ultima VIII ☥ Ultima IX

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Ultima IX Walkthrough
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