Graff Gem Mines 'Key' frustration.

I was mining/exploring the Graff Gem Mines my past few gaming sessions, and for the life of me I can't find the key needed to get beyond a door near the beginning of the map if you enter through the Graff Gem Mines Entrance. I've spent hours and hours exploring, mining, and killing everything in sight yet nothing drops a key, so this is either a bug or the key drops so rarely that it's almost pointless to try to find it. That is unless you enjoy endless grind. Especially, since there is no way to 'Jimmy' or magically unlock locked doors like in most other games, so please at least have the keys needed in each dungeon drop at a more reasonable rate, so I don't run in circles grinding just to try to get the key I need to progress further into the dungeon, or, better yet, please, please add a picklock or D&D Knock like spell to allow me to explore without the need to grind in hopes that the one key I need will finally drop.

 

I don't recall what you are talking about, so perhaps it is a new (to me) underground network door. Is it a prison bars style door? Those keys are usually dropped by a mini-boss in the scene.

 

There's a mini boss type character roaming the halls you need to kill for the grate one. The spiritual Barrier is removed by following the note in front of the barrier.

 

the mobs that have the key are the boss ones with special names, like "vile overseer" or something like that.

 

It must be a bug then, as I didn't run into any special mini boss types with names, like the ones I've seen in other dungeons. SotA map shows that the door I was trying to get through would have taken me to Spindrift Passage, and I basically ran around killing and mining things for an hour or so 3 days straight, and I never got a key that would open the door. The door specifically says a key is needed when you click on it.

 

you sure you found all the bustable walls?

 

So, it should be on the Kobold Overseer (he spawns on first floor near entrance) or on the third floor with elementals, there is a Satyr Overseer (or something like that) that drops a key. Make sure you check every nook and cranny because sometimes they go back into the back hall by the door you are talking about. I don't think the Kobold wanders over into the other area they added recently, so he should be somewhere around there.

 

I also have the same problem in the Kiln Cistern - if the mob that has a key does not spawn then you cannot progress to Midmaer Passage for example.

I hope the pick locks skill is added soon so people have options to get these doors open.

 

Graff's undergone some changes lately, but if you're referring to the door to Spindrift Passage, this key drops off of "Kobold Foreman" which is a kobold warrior with a bit more health. He can spawn either in the top room with the other kobolds, in the mid level room, or past the mid-level room if you go left at the intersection toward a dead end room that has a single emerald node. He will randomly be in any of those places and after being killed can respawn in any of those three places. I have dozens of these keys from running the full mine up and down mining everything, but sometimes I'll get a mine where I don't see him, usually means in that dead end room off the beaten track (no reason to go down there unless you were looking for him).

I agree the key situation needs some work. Making them single-use or 'chance to break' made things worse, not better. I may have dozens of keys to this place, but as they have weight, I have them all in a box at home, so if I am in a zone that needs a key, I always have to hunt for it anyway. Either make them all weightless, or quest items, or give us some sort of keyring to put them on so we only have to carry one "item" - any of these would make the locked door/key frustration less frustrating.