DS3 Jailer’s Keys: How To Unlock the Cell Doors in Irithyll Dungeon

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There are a ton of locked doors in Irithyll Dungeon. Some you’ll unlock naturally, but for the others you’ll need two keys:

  • The Jailbreaker’s Key (found in Irithyll Dungeon)
  • The Jailer’s Key Ring (found in the Profaned Capital)

We’ll run you through exactly how to find both of these keys and where to use them below.

 

Finding the Jailbreaker’s Key

Starting from the Irithyll Dungeon Bonfire, walk down the corridor in front of you until you reach its end, then turn right onto the walkway.

 
The Irithyll Dungeon Bonfire / DS3
The Irithyll Dungeon Bonfire
 

Take out the Jailers here, then take the first left when the path opens up.

Walk over the small bridge and turn right at its end. Walk down this corridor until you can enter a cell on your left, then head inside it.

 
The open cell that leads to the Key / DS3
The open cell that leads to the Key
 

Inside you’ll find a large hole in the left wall that leads to two neighboring cells. At the end of the second there’ll be a large metal gate that you can open.

Head through this gate and turn left then right to find yourself in a new hallway.

Walk down this hallway and enter the first cell on your right to find the Jailbreaker’s Key on a corpse.

 
The Jailbreaker’s Key on a corpse in the cell / DS3
The Jailbreaker’s Key on a corpse in the cell
 

Using the Jailbreaker’s Key

Once you’ve found the Jailbreaker’s Key, leave the cell and turn left, walking down the corridor until you reach a closed gate.

This gate can be opened from this side to create a shortcut for your later runs through the Dungeon.

 
The shortcut gate / DS3
The shortcut gate
 

Turn right from here, backtracking across the bridge to find yourself back in the first hallway.

Turn left and walk to the end of the hallway to reach a grated window behind a pile of debris – it’s this window that the Jailbreaker’s Key opens.

 
The window that is opened with the Kailbreaker’s Key / DS3
The window that is opened with the Kailbreaker’s Key
 

Smash the debris and interact with the window to unlock it and open up a huge shortcut.

By heading through this window, you can cut a respectable chunk off of your journey through Irithyll Dungeon.

 
The other side of the window shortcut / DS3
The other side of the window shortcut
 

Finding the Jailer’s Key Ring

To find the Jailer’s Key Ring, you’ll first have to reach the Profaned Capital Bonfire, found immediately after exiting the Dungeon.

 
The Profaned Capital Bonfire / DS3
The Profaned Capital Bonfire
 

Slide down the ladder and head through the large gap in the wall at the other side of the room.

Turn left once you hit the ground, then follow the curve of the building until you see a wooden walkway.

 
The site of the Gargoyle ambush, with the wooden walkway in the distance / DS3
The site of the Gargoyle ambush, with the wooden walkway in the distance
 

Sprint towards the walkway as soon as you see it to avoid the Gargoyle that will spawn once you get close.

At the top of the walkway you’ll find yourself in a tight corridor. If you’re confident with Dark Souls 3’s janky jumping mechanics, run straight ahead and jump over the hole in the path.

 
The hole in the corridor maze / DS3
The hole in the corridor maze
 

If you don’t want to risk falling into the pit below, take your first left once you enter the corridor system.

Follow that up with two right turns and you’ll find yourself back in the first corridor, albeit on the other side of the hole.

Now simply turn left and run to the end of the corridor to find the exit to the corridor maze on your right.

 
The way out of the maze / DS3
The way out of the maze
 

Outside, you’ll find yourself overlooking a large pool of poisonous water. Look for the illuminated rock outcropping that’s connected to the building on the opposite side.

Once you drop into the water, the ladder on this outcropping will be your goal.

 
Your view of the illuminated outcropping from above the poison lake / DS3
Your view of the illuminated outcropping from above the poison lake
 

Sprint immediately once you hit the ground, and don’t stop until you hit the ladder, lest you be poisoned or killed by the enemies that hide in the water.

Once you’ve climbed to safety, follow the rooftop around, ignoring the hole in the building to your right as you turn the corner.

Travel up the staircase ahead of you. Continue past the slanted roof and into the archway at the staircase’s end.

 
The large staircase to the side of the main path / DS3
The large staircase to the side of the main path
 

Continue up the next set of steps past the archway, and keep climbing until the title card for Irithyll Dungeon reappears.

Turn left once you reach this corridor, and follow it all the way around until you reach a dead end. The corpse here will be holding the Jailer’s Key Ring.

 
The corpse that holds the Jailer's Key Ring / DS3
The corpse that holds the Jailer’s Key Ring
 

Warp back to the Irithyll Dungeon Bonfire to start using the Key.

 

Using the Jailer’s Key Ring

The Jailer’s Key Ring opens up 3 doors throughout Irithyll Dungeon, with the first being right next to the Irithyll Dungeon Bonfire.

Walk down the corridor in front of the Bonfire and look to your right to find a locked cell that the Jailer’s Key Ring will open.

 
A corpse holding a Rusted Gold Coin in the unlockable cell / DS3
A corpse holding a Rusted Gold Coin in the unlockable cell
 

From this cell, continue down this corridor and walk out into the cell block. Turn right and ignore the small bridge, instead walking past it until you see a corridor to your right.

Walk down this corridor and down the stairs at its end. Take care of the enemies here before safely opening the cell to your left with the Jailer’s Key Ring.

 
The Prisoner Chief’s Ashes behind the second unlockable cell door / DS3
The Prisoner Chief’s Ashes behind the second unlockable cell door
 

The corpse in this cell holds the Prisoner Chief’s Ashes, an item that unlocks Rime-Blue Moss Clumps, Pale Pine Resin, and Karla’s armor set in the Firelink Handmaiden Shop.

The final cell that the Jailer’s Key Ring can open is in the large room at the bottom of the area that’s filled with Jailers.

 
The room at the bottom of Irithyll Dungeon / DS3
The room at the bottom of Irithyll Dungeon
 

Take your preferred route down to the room and clear out the Jailers before you try to locate the final cell.

You’ll find the cell in the front-right corner of the room.

Open it up to free Karla, a vital vendor that will sell you sorceries, pyromancies and miracles when given Scrolls. Talk to her until she warps to Firelink Shrine.

 
Karla waits in the final unlockable cell / DS3
Karla waits in the final unlockable cell
 
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Jack Salter

Jack is a writer from the UK that spends too much time Nuzlocking the Pokémon series. After a crushing defeat, he relaxes by rewatching Attack On Titan in the hope that it'll make the final season come out sooner - It never does.