A key

There are two items in RuneScape that are called "A key". Upon finding either, a player will receive the message "You found a large key". Both keys have the same description and, except for a very slight colour variation, look the same. The easiest way of telling the keys apart is when a player tries to bank them, as they stack separately in the bank, showing that they are different objects. However, if a player has only one in their bank at the time, it is difficult to distinguish between the two.

Both keys open a door found west of their respective dungeon entrance (key1 at Gnome Village Dungeon and key2 at Waterfall Dungeon) and spawn in a room to the east of their respective dungeon entrance, making it easy to pick up the needed key with little trouble and saving bank and inventory space in the process. However, if a player has a low combat level, they will likely receive damage from the surrounding monsters while searching the crates in the respective rooms. Holding both keys in a player's bank for later quests also avoids the need to retrieve them again (but as explained below, bank space can be better used for items that are not so conveniently replaced).

Holding Glarial's amulet in a bank space saves time and inconvenience. Remember that no weapons or armour are allowed in Glarial's Tomb, where you retrieve the amulet. Having the amulet also removes the need for Glarial's pebble to access the tomb. Holding either "A key" in the bank is not recommended considering how close each key's spawning point is to the doors they open.

Neither key can be stored on a Steel key ring.

1
Quests that use key1:
 * Waterfall Quest
 * The Eyes of Glouphrie
 * The Path of Glouphrie

A key is found in one of the crates in the storeroom underneath the maze surrounding the Tree Gnome Village. The room is east of the dungeon entrance.

The key is used in three quests. The first instance is in the Waterfall Quest. The key is used to unlock the door where the gnome named Golrie is hiding from Hobgoblins that have invaded the dungeon. A player can find these rooms west of the dungeon entrance. Once the door is unlocked, Golrie will give the player Glarial's pebble, which is required to enter Glarial's Tomb near Baxtorian Falls.

The second and third quests are The Eyes of Glouphrie and The Path of Glouphrie. You need to access the room that Golrie was hiding in during the Waterfall Quest to acquire extra coloured shapes.

If dropped or lost, key1 can be retrieved by searching the crates again. In Waterfall Quest, the character supposedly gives the key to Golrie, but the key can be retrieved at a later time through the same method.

In the Path of Glouphrie quest, players will keep the key.

In Roving Elves, Golrie has traded places with the hobgoblins. He is no longer located behind a locked door. As such, a player should no longer need key1 if they wish to retrieve Glarial's pebble.

2
Quests that use key2:
 * Waterfall Quest
 * Roving Elves

Once a player reaches the dungeon under Baxtorian Falls (Waterfall Dungeon), they can go east from the entrance and search crates to find "A key". This is key2. A player can reach the door requiring key2 by heading west and then north from the entrance of the dungeon.