How to find & use the Ornate Key in Remnant 2

Remnant 2 has firmly settled into its position as one of the more interesting and successful AA releases of 2023, and that’s due to the game’s insistence on loading each of its playable zones with loads and loads of secrets. The red jungles of Yaesha, in particular, are an exciting prospect for explorers, and Remnant 2‘s Ornate Key is the way forward for several unique pieces of loot—some of them extremely handy in combat.

The tricky bit about Ornate Key, though, is that there are several different places where it can spawn. Even then, finding it is just the first step towards uncovering its true purpose and the mysterious Ornate Lockbox it is supposed to unlock. Those who’ve already unlocked Remnant 2‘s infamous Plasma Cutter will be happy to hear that the Ornate Key loot isn’t nearly as tricky to get, in comparison.

Where to find the Ornate Key in Remnant 2?

Everything to do with the Ornate Key is located around one of the main courtyards in the Widow’s Court on Yaesha. As the Widow’s Court appears to spawn as a critical area in most versions of Yaesha, discovering this location shouldn’t cause any problems. Moreover, the key feature of the Widow’s Court is its central water fountain, which doubles as one of the two possible Ornate Key locations.

Players need to look for a dead Pan warrior clad in bronze armor. Their corpse will spawn either somewhere around the water fountain itself, or tucked away into one of the temples to the right side of the courtyard. It’s not a huge issue to run through the whole complex, but knowing what to look for is half the battle here. Right next to the corpse will be the Ornate Key, as well as a scroll detailing the job that the dead Pan was supposed to do.

What does the Ornate Key do in Remnant 2?

Now that players have access to the key itself, the question that remains is – what the heck does it open? Another bit of good news here: the Ornate Lockbox that the key matches with is located relatively close by, though the path is hidden away behind some fake walls, Dark Souls-style.

Players need to look through the ruined buildings around Widow’s Court, the objective being a long corridor with a loot chest at its end. One of the walls near the chest will be fake, allowing players to proceed onwards and locate the Ornate Box at the end of the path, following a short elevator ride. This bit of procedurally generated terrain often spawns near the waterfall itself, so it may pay off to be particularly meticulous paths surrounding it.

Choosing what to do with the Ornate Lockbox

Finally, there’s the matter of the Ornate Lockbox. Players certainly can open it and reap the rewards for themselves, but as with Remnant 2‘s Merciless weapon, there are other prizes to consider as well. Specifically, here are the two big choices that players have with the Ornate Lockbox:

• simply opening it, awarding players the Thaen Seed
• keeping it locked, turning it in with the Pan Empress to get the Red Doe Sigil amulet

There’s a bit more nuance to go over here, too. Specifically, the Thaen Seed itself could also be given over to the Empress after opening the Lockbox, which awards players with the Burden of the Rebel ring. The final and potentially most interesting option, however, is for players to keep the Seed and plant it at Ward 13, which will then grow the Thaen Fruit Tree, whose fruit allows players to self-revive.

An exciting prospect, but the choice falls upon the players themselves, of course!