Division 2 Dark Zone Keys: How to get the best loot in the game

Division 2 Dark Zone Keys are the... key to success, if you'll pardon the pun. Without them, you'll have to steal the loot in Dark Zone chests which will make you go rogue, other players will try to kill you, and you could easily see all your loot stolen by some other rogue agents. Division 2 Dark Zone Keys unlocks some of the best loot in the game, which you can use all the way through to The Division 2 endgame. Here's everything you need to know about Division 2 Dark Zone Keys.

You can get Dark Zone keys by killing Elite enemies

It’s not as clear as it should be, but there are a few surefire methods to picking up Dark Zone keys that can be gleaned from the first game. High-level or ‘named’ enemies should be your first port of call. These are the yellow enemies with silly names that crop up and lead a pack of goons from the various factions that inhabit DC. Simply wipe them out and you have a chance of picking up one of these elusive keys. You can usually find them in the compounds where the chests are, but they may also be part of a patrol.

You can get Dark Zone keys by killing other players

Another method to picking up Dark Zone keys is wiping out other players who are holding them. The Dark Zone is PvP-heavy, and if you’ve ever tried to extract any loot from one of the designated zones there, you’ll know that it is staunchly dog eat dog world out there. Other players may work with you to help you out and share a pot, but most of the time you’re going to be dealing with rogues who want nothing more than to kill you and take your hard-earned loot.

Mitigate this issue by wiping them out first, and if you’re lucky, they will have been holding a Dark Zone key on their person, as well as whatever contaminated loot they’ve been scavenging during their adventures. Manhunts are a good option here - you can kill rogue players largely consequence free and there's more chance they'll have something on them from being evil.

You can pick locks to unlock a Dark Zone chest without a Dark Zone key

If you can’t find any Dark Zone keys (and we don’t blame you, they’re tricky to find) you can also just use a lock pick to open Dark Zone chests without a key. Beware though, this is Rogue behaviour and will eventually make you visible to other players if you keep it up. Most players are out to kill in the Dark Zone though, so don't worry too much if you have to do it.

The Keymaster perk makes finding Dark Zone keys easier

Dark Zone keys can also be picked up from loot crates as you’re scavenging, but it’s good to note that you can make this much easier by unlocking a Dark Zone Perk via the Dark Zone Officer in your base of operations. Advance to Dark Zone level 25 by rampaging your way through the quarantine and you will be able to pick the ‘Keymaster’ perk, a tier six offering that gives the player a 25% chance to acquire Dark Zone keys from loot crates. This should make your scavenging much easier, though it will take some grinding to get there.