Last Updated on July 7, 2022 by Samuel Franklin
Knowing the best Tarkov keys for each map and bringing the priority ones into your raids within your secure container can vastly increase your per raid profit and can even help you extract safely. In this best keys guide I’ll cover the ones you want to own for all maps and what they provide in return. Below I’ll detail the high priority keys for Shoreline, Customs, Reserve, Lighthouse, Interchange, Labs, Woods and Factory in that order.
You can quickly access each of these sections with the links below:
– Shoreline
– Customs
– Reserve
– Lighthouse
– Interchange
– Labs
– Woods
– Factory
Keys are often overlooked by new players but can prove to be a powerful tool for the intermediate and advanced player to guarantee loot in your Tarkov raids or improve your survival rate by unlocking new extractions or paths through the game maps. The focus of this key guide is to cover the best Tarkov keys to have for each map that you should regularly have available through your secure container for your raids. Keep in mind that if you are asking yourself if a particular key is worth it you’ll need to consider the current state of the Tarkov player base which drives the cost of it and the value of the items within the room that you might find. Some items such as LEDX, military themed loot and graphics cards generally hold their value and even increase throughout a wipe cycle while their respective keys slowly become cheaper as everyone acquires one and more keys are found by the community.
Using keys can be effective as a solo player and while playing with friends in a squad, if you constantly play with friends though you can save some Roubles by splitting the high priority keys between each other. Players can also use offline mode to learn their location without risk although you won’t keep any loot obtained in this Tarkov game mode. When opening these locked doors I recommend bringing a Documents Case in the majority of situations as this can hold a number of high value items that you might find along the way such as money, coins, folders with intelligence and even other keys that you find.
For those wanting a keys guide that explores other options with niche uses (and have an hour to spare), the Pestily key tier list video provides a wealth of information:
In addition to the above broad focused tier list from Pestily he also has a fantastic priority EFT key guide for 2021 where he shows all of these in action that can help you understand where they are used on the respective maps.
Tarkov Best Shoreline Keys
There are a number of best Shoreline keys that players will want to bring on their Shoreline adventures into the resort and other locations. While the best keys for Shoreline in EFT are focused heavily on the resort there are still a small number of other options that are often overlooked and included below. Shoreline keys are all about acquiring loot and do not provide map shortcuts or benefits to the player like some other maps.
An important note when it comes to the best resort keys in particular is that many rooms at the resort are connected through balconies which means you only need one of the possible key options to access multiple rooms. In addition while there are dozens of additional resort options on top of the below list that also offer profitable loot you’ll generally derive more value from a smaller focused setup. This serves two purposes by keeping space in your Documents Case for rare items in case you die and allows you to practice a smaller number of rooms, be confident in the PvP that takes place around them and potentially encounter less fights as you cut your overall time in resort down significantly. For players that want to go in fully stacked in top tier gear and play to clear the resort of players instead you’ll want to bring essentially every key that has valuable items.
The leaner key approach in Shoreline also allows a keytool to be used for those with a smaller secure container due to their Tarkov game edition.
An important call out for this list is the exclusion of West Wing 203/205 and West Wing 218/221/222 from the below list as a significant portion of their value is tied to the potential Red Keycard spawn which even with hundreds of runs may never appear. Personally, a prefer to hit a smaller number of rooms more often than spend an extensive amount of time in resort fighting over the extremely low chance.
Key With Tape (East Wing Room 110)
Easily the most popular key for Shoreline this was added in the Sanitar patch update and quickly skyrocketed to the best resort key for Shoreline. With multiple LEDX spawn chances within the bathroom, a computer and a healthy amount of other medical spawns this is a consistent money maker although it is highly rushed so you’ll need a close spawn to resort if you want to claim this for yourself.
East Wing Room 222 or 226 Key
The connected rooms of 222 and 226 are another LEDX staple for Shoreline money runners with multiple spawns in 226. Supporting this high value LEDX item are various weapon spawns, boxes and loose spawns that have a high concentration and thus quickly add up to serious Roubles on their own.
Key To HEP Station Storage
Stepping away from the resort this is one of the best Shoreline keys for those that don’t regularly visit the resort and prefer to hit the other notable locations of Shoreline for loot or quests. What makes this so powerful is the fact that it’s rarely looted by other players and has a folder with intelligence spawn amongst a large range of valuable weapon attachments loose or within the boxes. It can even be obtained for free from Jaeger’s quest Nostalgia which is a reasonably early to mid game quest reward.
East Wing Room 310 Key
Known as the gold room this east wing key is another highly rushed location for its high value loot items like Bitcoins and golden neck chains. The room also includes 2 duffle bags that can spawn reasonable value items but it’s the loose golden items that attract players.
West Wing Room 301 or 304 Key
A connected room on the west side of the resort these two rooms offer immense value to players with LEDX spawns, graphics cards, computers and various loot items that make this one of the best west wing keys available in Tarkov to have on your PMC raids.
West Wing Room 216 Key
Another powerful west wing option to have in your secure container with its single but reasonably consistent LEDX spawn. This room also provides a potential M4A1 spawn, valuable loose loot and various grenade/weapon boxes that provide sufficient backup value if there is no LEDX.
Cottage Back Entrance Key & Cottage Safe Key
Offering players an alternative to the otherwise resort heavy best Shoreline keys these two can significantly improve the value of the cottage area by taking the total safes from 2 to 4. With the back entrance key being linked to a quest it’s value often stays high unfortunately but by using it on your Shoreline raids you’ll be able to earn some of the cost back over time after purchasing a copy for your own quest completion.
Tarkov Best Customs Keys
The best Customs keys (and in turn best dorms keys for Customs) offer useful loot opportunities as well as easier map navigation and the always popular marked room that is highly contested by PMCs at the start of the raid. With these EFT best keys for Customs you’ll be able to dominate the central dorms location and ensure you leave with a full backpack of items and a healthy dose of money in your secure container.
Marked Key (Dorm Room 314)
It will come as no surprise to players that the Marked Key is one of the best Customs dorms keys that you can have on your PMC at all times in EFT when playing this map. This is important as players will want to capitalise on the spawns that are near the dorms location and there is nothing worse than spawning close to the dorms and not having this in your inventory. Like many of the marked locations in the world of Tarkov you can find high value cases and weapons the majority of the time so ensure you bring a backpack to escape with these.
Dorm Room 110, 114 and 105
Grouping these together as a single entry in this best dorms key section due to their close proximity in the second story dorm these offer reliable money making through safes, computers, medcases and medium value loose loot spawns. With some of these required for quests players are likely to already have them and they provide a safer option than the three story dorm keys overall.
Players wanting to optimise even further can consider including the Dorm Room 104 key which offers jackets and a toolbox at the exact same location although is less of a money maker overall and adds additional time to your raids.
Dorm Room 204 and 214
Like the two story dorms the third story has a number of safes that can provide reliable value in their own right or help you acquire the Roubles required to take the car extract behind dorms if you didn’t bring any into raid. Given their second floor location these are also rarely looted and gives you ample escape paths if you are pushed from outside or inside the dorms itself.
Factory Key
While not unlocking significant loot for the player on Customs like the selections above the Factory Key is one of the best Customs keys given its ability for you to navigate the map faster by unlocking a shortcut near the new gas station along with it generally being a safer option to traverse the map both at the beginning and end of a raid.
With the Customs expansion the Factory Key can also be used to access the ZB-013 extract providing a good option for players to extract from the raid earlier or avoid the common extracts to give you a greater chance of survival.
Gas Station Storage Key & Cabinet Key
Offering another reliable safe location the gas station storage key requires players to go into the new gas station and can be a nice a top up option to the other safe keys already included here or as part of a safe farming loot run. The cabinet key is included with this one as it is right next to the storage location and offers a medical bag and medcase that can provide some reliable medical items if you’ve encountered significant PvP or simply want to check for high value medical items while in the area.
Tarkov Best Reserve Keys
Another big map for locked doors leaves many best Reserve keys for players to consider with a huge range of options. Like Shoreline above you’ll want to carefully consider how many you bring into your raids particularly due to how common folders with intelligence spawn on Reserve which are perfect for your Documents Case and then used in your hideout Scav Case if you die during raid. For those with an Edge of Darkness account or have acquired the Kappa Secure Container from Fence you may even consider bringing multiple Documents Cases to capitalise on the best keys for Reserve. Reserve keys can also be quite an investment due to their popularity so players who don’t play the map regularly may wish to be more picky about the ones they opt to purchase.
Marked Keys (RB-BK and RB-VO)
Like Customs the best Reserve keys focus heavily on the marked rooms with Reserve having 3 available. In general I’d recommend using RB-BK and RB-VO as these are accepted by the community as having better overall loot compared to RB-PKPM. That being said if you often go into the underground bunkers when playing Reserve and can fit it into your Documents Case there is no harm in bringing RB-PKPM along with you but don’t prioritise it.
RB-AM
A nice supporting key to the popular drop down room as it is located in the same black bishop location. This serves as a reliable option to obtain your old firesteel for the Collector quest along with FP-100 filters, folders with intelligence, multiple toolboxes and loose military spawns that make it a reliable money maker although you need to be on alert in this area.
RB-RLSSA (RLSA)
An often overlooked room due to it being added later into Tarkov development (approximately June 2020) and well after Reserve had already been established. This makes it a consistent option and when paired with some of the other best Reserve keys that are used at the dome (queen building). The value of this unlock comes from a folder with intelligence and the regular spawns of military technology.
RB-KPRL
Another key for Reserve that has you exploring the dome area this one has safes, folders with intelligence and weapon boxes which when combined with the safe and computer in the guard room next to it makes for a quickly profitable area.
RB-PSP1, RB-PSP2, RB-PS81, RB-PS81
Combined into a single recommendation due to their similar loot pools behind these locked gates and their shared location. These are accessed underneath the hermetic door extract but are contested by players due to the wealth of supply crates (technical, medical and ration) and quest requirements here. Running with a friend to push the hermetic door power extract can make this significantly safer as does running in quiet servers at night time.
RB-TB
While not as powerful on its own in comparison to the other best Reserve keys here this can be a strong addition to your standard setup if you are a regular visitor of RB-BK as they are located near each other. Behind this lock you’ll find consistent AK-74 spawns with top tier ammo and attachments along with loose weapon parts that can add some value to your run. That being said I’d skip this room if you acquire high tier loot from RB-BK and need to get out of the danger zone as soon as possible.
RB-ST
Often an expensive key and one I wouldn’t invest in unless you are a Reserve regular for your money runs as it will take some time to turn a profit. This is made harder by the fact that your profit comes from bulky items like the phased array element and tank batteries that require appropriate rigs or specific extracts to take out of raid.
RB-SMP
More of a utility pick than raw value the RB-SMP key is used in the medical building of white bishop and can provide an opportunity to top up your medical items mid raid when needed. With medical items such as Propital and Augmentin also having decent value it can be a small money maker on the side as well but shouldn’t be a rushed location by any means.
Tarkov Best Lighthouse Keys
The latest Escape From Tarkov map has a small number of keys available for PMCs to utilise although these are hardly needed given the abundance of loot and size of the map means you’ll never have trouble filling up an entire bag of loot. For this reason I generally don’t recommend you spend the Roubles on keys for Lighthouse as a priority but if you are a regular of the map and just want them for the sake of it or to slightly boost your potential gains then you’ll want to focus on the keys noted below.
Merin Car Trunk Key
The most valuable of Lighthouse keys this regular looking car located in a carpark near the shoreline hides the potential for high value loose loot spawns that make it a staple key for your lighthouse adventures. Spawning likes of Bitcoins, military loot and other valuables this unsuspecting car is a fantastic way to consistently acquire high value loot although obtaining the key in the first place can be problematic.
USEC first and second safe key
Safes offer reliable valuable and a chance at some of the best loot in Escape From Tarkov which makes these a reasonable addition to your loot focused raids and why there are so many other safe keys on this page already. Located close to each other these keys provide a viable option for those that regularly visit the large blue chatel in the middle of the map and want a chance at rare spawns. Given this is generally a contested location the keys may allow you to acquire loot from this location after it has already been picked clean by other players.
Rogue USEC stash key and workshop key
The final two recommended keys for Lighthouse are deep within the Rogue territory and are not for the faint-hearted PMC. With a chance to spawn a tank battery along with various high value weapon mods both of these can result in additional loot if you clear the Rogue camp. In practice though these are rarely needed as the camp already has an abundance of loot and the gear from the Rogues you’ll want to carry out as well is likely to leave little inventory space.
Tarkov Best Interchange Keys
While Interchange has a smaller number of keys in comparison to the maps covered already they are arguably all useful additions to your Interchange runs and if you can afford them I’d ensure I bring every Interchange key into raid or at least every reusable one without a durability. For the best Interchange keys it’s a difficult list to create given the change in playstyle often required to maximise your value and the relationship of these with the power mechanic of the map. This means the best keys for Interchange will also depend on whether you run solo or with squads often. Interchange is one of the maps I wouldn’t rush out to buy keys for (other than Pharmacy) until you are confident on the map and intend to play it regularly.
Ultra Medical Storage Key
A reliable source of LEDX Skin Transilluminator and other high end medical items such as Defibrillators and Ophthalmoscopes this is a highly contested room which is also surrounded by the tech stores that are equally contested. Requiring the power to be on means this is hard to use as a solo player unless the power is randomly turned on by another player.
If you are primarily a solo player or rarely play on Interchange I’d skip this key entirely given it’s cost and difficultly of obtaining the value from it without a squad member to go turn the power on for you and the PvP skills needed to extract from this location.
KIBA Store Key & KIBA Grate Key
A highly profitable location on Interchange that Killa often roams nearby and requires multiple keys to unlock with an alarm attached to it that can alert the map. This means KIBA is another difficult option for the solo player but does deliver hundreds of thousands of Roubles per run if successful due to the high concentration of weapons, attachments and even armours that spawn here.
Object #21WS Keycard
An often overlooked access card for Interchange that is ideal for the solo Interchange player due to its location being rarely contested in a low traffic area. Spawning on bosses only and the limited uses keeps this a relatively expensive purchase but does pay for itself overtime with weapon attachments, armours and weapon boxes with the community mostly ignoring this despite strong evidence for its profitability.
Pharmacy Key
A consistent money maker that also serves as a reliable method to acquire additional medical items to survive a raid this one is a good little addition to your Interchange keys. More recently a LEDX spawn was added to this location but is still relatively untouched in most raids due to the low spawn chance.
Tarkov Best Labs Keys
Labs is a whole different experience when it comes to Tarkov maps and the keys/access cards are no exception with the majority setting you back a significant sum of Roubles to acquire although you will make your money back if you a regular Labs player. If you run Labs sparingly though I’d stick to not running any when it comes to the best keys for Labs in Tarkov as they are rarely worth the investment unless you run dozens and dozens of raids on the map and extract successfully. For the dedicated Lab player who obtains as many access cards as possible to play this map regularly you can pair the below with the other coloured key cards.
Lab. Red Keycard
The ultimate Escape From Tarkov item the extremely rare and expensive Red Keycard is an item that only a small portion of the player base will ever own. While I would only recommend purchasing this if you run the Labs map almost exclusively players that find a keycard during Shoreline raids but unfortunately die and are left without a found in raid one to sell could also use it effectively to make money.
For those that find themselves running with this Red Keycard you’ll want to pair it with the affordable arsenal storage room that gives you additional access to loot.
Lab. Key. Manager Office
An affordable Labs key that is a popular option for those farming items for their Kappa Secure Container. This item unlocks two doors on either side of the manager office and has multiple rare loot spawns, folder with intelligence, safe and computer block. In practice though players generally only check the loose loot and intelligence spawn given how exposed this area is.
Tarkov Best Woods Keys
Woods is simple in comparison to other maps when it comes to the best keys for Woods in EFT. With an extremely small number of that you can use in the map it’s a straightforward affair in deciding which of the Woods keys you’ll be bringing into raid.
Shturman Key (KSH)
While expensive there are many data points from Tarkov content creators that have shown it can be a profitable key if you survive your raids after looting it. Given it’s proximity to Shturman and the centre of the lumberyard though it can be hard to use reliable which is the main drawback of the key. That being said it can be something worth bringing along for the competent player to use during the later stages of a raid when there is less risk or if you’ve acquired one from killing Shturman and weren’t able to extract with it and see an opportunity.
ZB-014
Offering a slightly earlier extract on the outskirts side of the Woods map this can improve safety when extracting although this also requires green smoke to be present and not guaranteed. In addition to serving as an extract though you’ll find decent loose loot behind the locked grate with 60 round magazines (linked to the ice cream cones quest) and the occasional fuel and other loose loot.
Tarkov Best Factory Keys
Those looking for the best keys for Factory need not look far with only a single one for players to bring into their Factory raids with it vastly improving your chance of survival on the small PvP orientated map and can be particularly useful for Factory related quests.
Factory Exit Key
Being useful on both Customs and Factory the Factory Exit Key is vital on all your Factory raids to unlock two additional extracts which means you can avoid extract campers or simply duck away from a fight going poorly. I would never enter Factory without this in my inventory and recommend all players do the same given its low cost and generally high availability from Scavs and jackets that means you’ll likely find your own anyway.
Written by
Samuel Franklin
Samuel Franklin is the founder and lead editor of the Games Finder team and enjoys video games across all genres and platforms.
Sam (Seelyon) has over 1,000 hours, 1,000 raids, 2,000 kills and 50% survival rate in Escape From Tarkov (EFT) over multiple wipes and has achieved the elusive Kappa secure container in the process. He loves the Tarkov experience and seeks to share his insights and expertise with new players to the game.
