Mess Hall Key Location

Lost in The Shallows after the ship tutorial? Follow this guide to navigate Mariner's Keep, locate the Mess Hall Key, and rescue Fillmore the blacksmith in No Rest for the Wicked.

Alright, so you've made it through the ship tutorial and washed up on the beach. You're in a spot called The Shallows. Don't worry, finding your way to Mariner's Keep is pretty straightforward from here – just head northwest. It's basically unavoidable, so you can't really get lost yet. You'll cross a bridge and then need to smash through a wooden barricade to get into the Keep.

Once you're inside, clear out the courtyard and push north. You're looking for some spiral stairs that lead up to a tower. At the top of this tower, you'll find a Whisper. Think of these as your checkpoints, and since there's one so close to where we're going, you don't need to stress too much about dying.

The blacksmith you need to find, Fillmore, is actually just southeast of this Whisper, inside the Mess Hall. But, surprise surprise, the door's locked. Good news though, the key isn't far. From the Whisper, head downstairs and then go east. Keep pushing past a bonfire, and you'll eventually hit a gate. Clear out any enemies in your way. Right in front of the gate, there are some barricades. From there, head south and look for a doorway. This leads out to a wooden walkway. You'll find a corpse there – loot it! That's where you'll find the Mess Hall Key.

Now that you've got the key, head back west from the gate until you find that bonfire again. From the bonfire, go south. You should see the door to the Mess Hall. Open it up, and you'll be met by three Risen. They're pretty standard sword-wielding types. If you want to make this fight a bit easier, try to funnel them through the doorway one by one. They can sometimes clip through each other, and your attacks can hit multiple enemies at once, so you might be able to take them down without too much trouble.

Once they're dealt with, head into the Mess Hall. You'll find Fillmore, the blacksmith. He'll explain how he ended up here and offer his services. For now, he'll repair your gear for free, which is awesome! Make sure to take advantage of this, because after you beat the first major boss and reach Sacrament, he'll start charging you.