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Not to be confused with Nightmare Key.

Big Keys,(ALttP | TWW | TMC | TP | ALBW) are recurring items in The Legend of Zelda series.

Location and uses[]

Big Keys are very similar to their later counterpart, Boss Keys, as their purpose is to open the big door leading to the Boss' chamber. Unlike Boss Keys, Big Keys can usually also open Treasure Chests. In their appearances, Big Keys are one of the three standard dungeon items, the other two being the Compass and the Dungeon Map.

A Link to the Past[]

A Link to the Past Manual Description
A Link to the Past logo
Big Key
You will need the big key to open certain dungeon doors and the big treasure chest.
A Link to the Past & Four Swords Manual Description
A Link to the Past & Four Swords logo
Big Key
Some chests and doors only open with a Big Key.

The Big Keys in A Link to the Past are depicted as having an angry glare and devil-like horns. Big Keys can be used more than once, although only in the same dungeon. Aside from opening doors, Big Keys also open the Treasure Chests containing the main Dungeon Item. Doors unlocked by the Big Key may not necessarily lead directly to the boss. One instance of this is the very first Boss Key, located in the Hyrule Castle dungeon, where Link can use it to unlock Zelda's cell after defeating the Ball and Chain Trooper with the Big Key.

Four Swords Adventures[]

In Four Swords Adventures, Big Keys retain their design from A Link to the Past. Unlike before, Big Keys are optional items instead used for opening Big Chests, which contain a large number of Force Gems. One of the Links has to physically carry a Big Key as if it were an object to use it.

The Minish Cap[]

The Minish Cap Manual Description
The Minish Cap logo
Big key
The door that leads to the dungeon boss’s room can only be opened with the Big Key

There are six Big Keys in The Minish Cap, all of which appear inside Dungeons (Deepwood Shrine, the Cave of Flames, the Fortress of Winds, the Temple of Droplets, the Palace of Winds, and Dark Hyrule Castle). Most of them reside in a large blue Treasure Chest, and are used to open the large Locked Doors covered by golden chains. The exception to this is the Big Key found in the Temple of Droplets; it is frozen into a Key-sicle, and must be thawed out using Light Beams.

In the Palace of Winds, there are two of these large Locked Doors; however, unlike Small Keys, Big Keys are not consumed after being used as long as Link is in the same Dungeon, and thus the second Locked Door can simply be opened with the same Big Key used to open the first.

The game's Big Key artwork depicts it with a nearly identical design to their Boss Key equivalents in The Wind Waker, in which there is a discrepancy where they are also titled Big Keys.

Twilight Princess[]

The Big Key from the Goron Mines must be put together by obtaining the three Key Shards from the Goron Elders in Twilight Princess. In the Snowpeak Ruins, the Big Key is replaced by the Bedroom Key, as said dungeon is actually the mansion residence of Yeto and Yeta.

A Link Between Worlds[]

In A Link Between Worlds, Big Keys are designed after their appearance in A Link to the Past. However, like Boss Keys, their only function is unlocking the door to a Boss Room in the same dungeon that the Big Key is found in.

Nomenclature[]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in other regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
LanguageNameMeaning
JapanJapanese大きなカギ (Ōkina Kagi) (ALttP)[1]
ボス部屋のカギ (Bosu Beya no Kagi) (OoT)[2]
大きな扉の鍵 (Ōkina Tobira no Kagi) (ALBW)[3]
Same as English.
Boss Room Key
CanadaFrenchCAGrande clé (ALBW)[4]
FranceFrenchEUGrande clé (ALBW)[5]
GermanyGermanGroßen Schlüssel (LA | ALBW)[6][7]
de-niwa:Großer SchlüsselGroßer Schlüssel (LANS | HWDE)[8]
de-niwa:Großer SchlüsselGroßer Schlüssel (LANS | HWDE)[9]
Big Key
Big Key
Big Key
ItalyItalianGrande chiave (LANS | ALBW)[10]Big key
South KoreaKorean커다란 문 열쇠 (Keodalan Mun Yeolsoe) (ALBW)[11]
SpainSpanishEUGran llave (ALBW)[12]
Latin AmericaSpanishLAGran llave (ALBW)[13]
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

See Also[]

References

  1. A Link to the Past manual, pg. 37 Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Vol. 1 (Shogakukan 1) pg. 29 Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords (Shogakukan) pg. 13
  2. Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Shogakukan) pg. 152
  3. "「大きな扉の鍵」を手に入れた!
    大きな扉を開くことができる!
    " — N/A (A Link Between Worlds)
  4. "Vous avez obtenu la grande clé! Vous pouvez à présent pénétrer dans le repaire du boss." — N/A (A Link Between Worlds)
  5. "Vous avez obtenu la grande clé ! Vous pouvez à présent pénétrer dans le repaire du boss." — N/A (A Link Between Worlds)
  6. "Endlich! Mit dem Großen Schlüssel lassen sich die Verstecke der Endbosse öffnen!" — N/A (Link's Awakening, German version)
  7. "Du hast den Großen Schlüssel erhalten. Damit kannst du die große Tür öffnen!" — N/A (A Link Between Worlds)
  8. "Um die Tore zu öffnen, musst du den Großen Schlüssel in einer der Festungen finden." — Tutorial (Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition)
  9. "Um die Tore zu öffnen, musst du den Großen Schlüssel in einer der Festungen finden." — Tutorial (Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition)
  10. "Hai ottenuto la grande chiave! Ora puoi aprire la porta grande!" — N/A (A Link Between Worlds)
  11. "「커다란 문 열쇠」를 획득했다!
    커다란 문을 열 수 있다!
    " — N/A (A Link Between Worlds)
  12. "¡Has conseguido la gran llave! Ahora podrás accedar a la sala que se oculta tras la gran puerta." — N/A (A Link Between Worlds)
  13. "¡Has obtenido la gran llave! Ahora podrás accedar a la sala que se oculta tras la gran puerta." — N/A (A Link Between Worlds)
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