Destiny: Get Skeleton Keys – For Strike-specific Loot in Rise of Iron

destiny-omnigul

In Destiny, there have been skeleton keys since “Rise of Iron.” How do you get them and what are they good for?

In Destiny, there is a lot of strike-specific loot. This refers to items that only drop in specific strikes. A well-known example is the Grip of Malok in the “The Will of Crota” strike. You can obtain the pulse rifle as a random drop by sending Omnigul to the endless hunt.

destiny-skeleton-key

Until now, you could only obtain this special loot by playing the strikes repeatedly and hoping for the luck that the desired item would drop – and then also with the right perks. This endless and frustrating grind is now alleviated in RoI: With skeleton keys.

What are skeleton keys and strike treasures?

A skeleton key is, according to the in-game description, a consumable item that can open a strike treasure. Aha! But what is a strike treasure?

At the end of various strikes, after you defeat the final boss, a chest appears. This chest is the strike treasure. Inside is “unique equipment fitting to the strike in which the treasure was found.” In other words:

Destiny strike_blighted_chalice_3rd

If you open a strike treasure with a skeleton key, you will receive strike-specific loot. One key is consumed per chest.

How do you get skeleton keys?

Bungie states three ways to obtain the keys:

  • Through the weekly Nightfall strike
  • Through the heroic SIVA Crisis strike playlist
  • Through the SIVA Crisis strike playlist

However, guaranteed drops are not the keys. You will have to rely on luck for this.

At Shiro-4, you will receive a guaranteed key after you eliminate Sepiks Perfected in the revamped strike.

destiny-shiro

A clever method to efficiently farm skeleton keys has not yet been discovered. 

The advantage of these “Skeleton Keys” is that you do not have to keep playing a strike to obtain its specific loot. You can relax and play through the playlists, and when you get a key, you can then play the required strike. This removes the monotony and frustration from farming these items.

By the way: The strike-specific items come with light levels up to 385.

Update: Here you will find a list of all strike-exclusive items.


With “The Rise of Iron” came additional keys: The splice keys. What they are and how to get them, you can find out here.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.