The Blue Gate Cellar Key is the key that confuses everyone. Unlike most ARC Raiders keys, the item card doesn't tell you which POI it belongs to — it just says "cellar," and there are several cellars scattered across the Blue Gate map. So players hoard it, cross the whole map to use it, and then open a hatch to find… an ammo box and a fridge. This guide cuts through the confusion: every cellar door this key opens, exactly where they are, and an honest read on whether it's worth your time — cross-checked against IGN, Shacknews, GameRant and the community.
Quick answer (TLDR): The Blue Gate Cellar Key is a single-use, low-tier (gray/Common) access key (weight 0.25, sells for 100 coins) that opens cellar hatches on the Blue Gate map only. It's not tied to one door — it opens multiple cellars, the two best-documented being south of the Olive Grove (near Ruined Homestead) and in Trapper's Glade, plus more near Raider's Refuge. The loot is modest: a locker or two, a Security Breach container, an ammo box, a fridge/cabinet, and the occasional weapon case — mostly crafting materials and mid-tier items, not blueprints or legendaries. Verdict: don't cross the map for it. It's a fine end-of-round top-up if you already have one and you're near a cellar, and it beats selling it to the vendor — but there are far better keys to chase on Blue Gate.
What is the Blue Gate Cellar Key in ARC Raiders?
The Cellar Key is one of ARC Raiders' map-specific access keys — single-use items that open a locked door and then vanish from your inventory. What makes this one unusual, as IGN notes, is that "unlike most other keys, this one doesn't tell you which POI you're supposed to use it at" (ign.com). One key, several possible cellars.
Here are the item-card stats:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Common (gray-tier) |
| Type | Single-use access key (consumed on use) |
| Weight | 0.25 |
| Vendor value | 100 coins |
| Stack size | 1 |
| Map | Blue Gate (only) |
| Unlocks | Multiple cellar hatches around the map |
A note on rarity: the official wiki page is still a stub, so the in-game card is your source of truth. The community consistently describes it as a gray-rarity key — "one of the more common ones, though still rare enough that you won't see it every raid" (u4gm). At 0.25 weight it's free to carry, so there's no harm holding one until you happen to be near a cellar.
If you're clearing the whole Blue Gate keyring, this sits at the bottom of the priority list — well below the Communication Tower Key and the Village Key, both of which pay out far more per use.
How do you get the Blue Gate Cellar Key?
There's one source: random scavenging. Like every key, it surfaces from drawers, cabinets and desks inside Commercial and Residential buildings — not from open-world ground loot (gamerant). To improve your odds:
- Farm residential/commercial interiors. The Village on Blue Gate, and Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence on Dam Battlegrounds, are reliable key-fishing spots (gamerant).
- Run a Map Condition. Looting under Night Raid or Electromagnetic Storm raises loot rarity, which helps keys (and everything else) drop.
- Bring a Looting augment. Extra safe pockets mean a key (or a blueprint you find) survives a death.
- Loot the bodies. A raider who grabbed one and didn't extract drops it on death.
Because the payoff is small, don't spend a raid hunting this specific key — just hold any you stumble on.
Where do you use the Blue Gate Cellar Key?
The key opens several cellar hatches on Blue Gate — Shacknews confirms it "opens a pair" of the most accessible ones (shacknews), and IGN notes there are more attached to houses around the map (ign.com). Here are the documented locations:
- Olive Grove cellar (easiest). Head to the Olive Grove marker and look almost directly south of it. The landmark is a small, ramshackle outbuilding "that gives off the sound of buzzing bees" — the cellar hatch is just west of it, near one of the rock walls (shacknews). On the map it sits between Olive Grove and Ruined Homestead (see the annotated map above). Use the key to reveal a ladder down (gamerant).
- Trapper's Glade cellar. Head to a spot just south-west of the Nature icon marker in Trapper's Glade. The door rides up against a small, ruined building there. The use prompt can be finicky — move around a little if it doesn't appear (shacknews).
- Raider's Refuge / Ruined Homestead. IGN notes additional cellars south of Raider's Refuge and along the road west of the Ruined Homestead (ign.com). Any of these accepts the same key.
A smart safety play before you drop in: plant a Noisemaker or a mine on top of the hatch. Even if another raider spots and shoots it, you'll be alerted and can react. Bringing Jolt or Explosive Mines to place at the base of the ladder will punish anyone who tries to follow you down (gamerant).
What's behind the door — the loot breakdown
Here's the honest part thin guides bury: the loot is mediocre, and randomized. Shacknews put it plainly — the cellars "don't have the best loot, playing host mostly to the odd valuable spawn, a fridge or cabinet or two, and some loot bags with mid-tier items" (shacknews). One Reddit player summed up the disappointment after expecting more: "you get this blue cellar key thinking it'll be somethin nice and you get 1 locker, a breach container and an ammo box" (r/ArcRaiders). Here's the typical container set:
| Spawn (documented in the cellars) | Type | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 locker / valuable spawn | Container | The single best pull — chance at gear or a weapon |
| Security Breach container | Container | Needs the Security Breach skill; mid-tier loot |
| Cabinets + a fridge | Loose loot | Crafting materials, components, the odd consumable |
| Ammo box / loot bags | Container | Restock + mid-tier items |
| Possible weapon case | Container | Small chance at a higher-rarity weapon (gamerant) |
Expect mostly crafting materials and quick-use items like grenades, per IGN, with the rare-gear odds improving if you run a Night Raid (ign.com). It's a quick room — you won't spend long inside.
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Is the Blue Gate Cellar Key worth it?
Honestly? It's low priority. The reward doesn't justify a detour. As Shacknews concluded, "there are many better keys you could use on the Blue Gate if you want to max out your runs." The community agrees — one player's verdict: "If you spawn near it fine but it's not worth crossing the map for."
When it is worth using: if you already have one sitting in your stash and a cellar is near your spawn or extract, it's a solid end-of-round top-up — "you'll get more value out of using them than simply selling them to the vendor" (shacknews). For 0.25 weight and 100 coins, cracking a quick cellar on your way out is free value. Just don't build a raid around it, and don't expect blueprints.
Want the materials and gear without rolling cellar dice? Our ARC Raiders services deliver them directly — see how to get materials fast and how to get blueprints fast for the free-but-grindy route, or the best weapons tier list to decide what's actually worth chasing.
FAQ
Where do you use the Blue Gate Cellar Key? On cellar hatches on the Blue Gate map. The easiest is south of the Olive Grove marker, near Ruined Homestead — look for a small outbuilding buzzing with bees and the hatch just west of it by a rock wall. There's also one in Trapper's Glade (south-west of the Nature icon) and more near Raider's Refuge.
Does the Blue Gate Cellar Key open more than one door? Yes. It's not tied to a single POI — it opens multiple cellar hatches scattered around Blue Gate. Shacknews documents at least two easy ones (Olive Grove and Trapper's Glade), and IGN notes additional cellars attached to houses across the map. Each use still consumes one key.
How do you get the Blue Gate Cellar Key? It's a random scavenging drop from drawers and cabinets in Commercial and Residential buildings — the Village on Blue Gate and Pale Apartments / Ruby Residence on Dam are good farm spots. Run Night Raid or an Electromagnetic Storm to raise loot rarity.
Is the Blue Gate Cellar Key loot any good? It's modest — a locker, a Security Breach container, a fridge/cabinet, an ammo box and loot bags with mid-tier items, plus a small chance at a weapon case. Mostly crafting materials and quick-use items, not blueprints or legendaries.
Is the Blue Gate Cellar Key worth using? Only as an end-of-round top-up if you're already near a cellar — it beats vendoring the key. It is not worth crossing the map for; there are far better keys on Blue Gate.
Is the Blue Gate Cellar Key single-use? Yes. It's consumed the moment you open a cellar, so one key equals one hatch. If you die before using it, it's lost with the rest of your carried gear — keep it in a safe pocket.
