There are five ways to get a Dragon Key, all in Qinghe: the Breakthrough to Solo Mode Level 2 (open from character level 15), the quest Skill Theft: Unearned Lesson, and the first clear of three outposts: Bloomveil Monastery, Gourmand's Grove and Tiger Fort. Each key opens one sanctum's hidden entrance at its Loong Dragon Pillar, where you steal a weapon martial art with Skill Theft, and the key is used up.
Last checked: November 1, 2026, for Version 2.3.
Where to get Dragon Keys
| # | Where | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breakthrough | Break through to Solo Mode Level 2. Breakthrough opens at character level 15. |
| 2 | Skill Theft: Unearned Lesson | From level 8, talk to Qiu Yuehai near the Peace Bell Tower on Moonveil Mountain, southwest Qinghe. The quest takes a few minutes and also teaches you Skill Theft. |
| 3 | Bloomveil Monastery (outpost, northeast Qinghe) | Clear it by defeating the 12 rogue monks. |
| 4 | Gourmand's Grove (outpost, northeast Qinghe) | Clear it by defeating the Buddha Fort agents. |
| 5 | Tiger Fort (outpost, southern Qinghe) | Clear it by defeating the 12 Greenwood Brotherhood bandits. |
The three outposts give their key on the first clear only, so a cleared outpost will not drop another one.
Where to use Dragon Keys
Every key opens one of these sanctums. Find the Loong Dragon Pillar at its hidden entrance, use the key, then sneak in.
| Sanctum | Weapon you steal | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Midnight Mercy Sanctum | Infernal Twinblades | South of Moonveil Mountain, Qinghe |
| Silver Needle Sanctum | Panacea Fan | Northeast side of central Qinghe |
| Strategic Sword Sanctum | Strategic Sword | Southern Qinghe |
| Heavenquaker Spear Sanctum | Heavenquaker Spear | Near General's Shrine, northeast Qinghe |
| Inkwell Fan Sanctum | Inkwell Fan | Qinghe |
Five keys, five sanctums: if you get every key, you can open every Qinghe sanctum once.
How a sanctum run works
- Stay hidden. Guards patrol the halls. If one spots you, the run fails and you start again from the entrance or the last checkpoint, and normal attacks won't clear the way.
- Reach the master. At the end, step into the marked circle and use Skill Theft while the master performs the art. The weapon martial art is yours.
- Step-by-step routes for two sanctums are on our Panacea Fan Skill Theft walkthrough and our Infernal Twinblades page.
Weapons you can get without a Dragon Key
- Skill Theft in the open: the Thundercry Blade at the Well of Heaven Martial Camp and the Vernal Umbrella at the Time Tower, both in Kaifeng, need no key.
- Your first Oddity: when you hand your first Oddity to Qi Sheng, you pick one of the Panacea Fan, Thundercry Blade, Infernal Twinblades or Vernal Umbrella. Picking the Panacea Fan or the Twinblades there saves a key.
- Join the sect: each sect teaches its own weapon to members. How to join each one is in our sects guide.
Every weapon and how to unlock it is in our weapons database.
Which sanctum to open first
Keys are limited, so spend them on the weapon you actually want to play:
- Damage in PvP: the Infernal Twinblades (Bamboocut - Wind) rate A in PvP in Version 2.3 and were T0 in high-rank 1v1 in Version 2.2.
- Healing: the Panacea Fan is the healer's main weapon; our healer build pairs it with the Soulshade Umbrella.
- Not sure yet: pick a weapon from the build tier list first, then open its sanctum.
