How to use the old key in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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Open a locked door on the continent with this mysterious festival prize.

Expedition 33 old key gate
(Image credit: Sandfall Interactive)

Finding a use for the old key in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a bit unusual. Just like the weird pictos, you can acquire this mysterious quest item at the expedition festival before you leave Lumiere, but since you get it before you even arrive on the main game's map, it's impossible to know which door it's used to unlock.

The description doesn't give much away either; it's simply an old key used to unlock an old door. While I'll point you in the right direction below, note first that you won't be able to use the old key until a fair way into act two of the game, so you might want to return here later once you've progressed to that point.

Where to use the old key in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

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Expedition 33 old key - Pipe
You'll need to drop down a hole in a broken pipe in Old Lumiere(Image credit: Sandfall Interactive)

The old key opens a gate in Old Lumiere but, as mentioned, you won't find yourself in this area until later in act two of the game, around 15 - 25 hours in, depending on how many extracurricular activities you get drawn into. You'll head to this area as part of the story and the door that the old key opens is hidden just off to the side of your main path through it.

When you arrive in Old Lumiere, you'll soon find your party split into two groups. First, you'll play as Lune's group, and then as Maelle, and this is when you need to locate your locked door. From the Expedition 42 - Left Street rest point where Maelle starts:

  1. Head down the hill into the open area with the sword
  2. Go through the broken archway on the right
  3. Turn right immediately past the fallen windmill
  4. Look over the ledge to spot a big pipe with an item on top and a hole in the middle
  5. Drop down through the hole and turn around to find a locked grate
  6. Open it with the old key

Behind this locked grating, you'll find the otherwise inaccessible Survivor log. Similar to the expedition logs you run into around the map, this secret diary tells the tale of a resident of Old Lumiere, though I won't spoil anything about it in particular—use the old key yourself if you want to find out.

Expedition 33 tipsExpedition 33 lost GestralsExpedition 33 mime locationsExpedition 33 JarExpedition 33 weird pictos

Expedition 33 tips: Conquer the continent
Expedition 33 lost Gestrals: Runaway kids
Expedition 33 mime locations: Beat the buskers
Expedition 33 Jar: Help the Nevron see light
Expedition 33 weird pictos: Where to use them

Sean Martin
Sean Martin
Senior Guides Writer

Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for secrets or bashing his head against puzzles, you'll find him revisiting old Total War campaigns, agonizing over his Destiny 2 fit, or still trying to finish the Horus Heresy. Sean has also written for EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.

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