Compare named sources with random loot
The community Wiki’s current Items listing names three Basic Skeleton Key sources: an Edwin event answered with knowledge, Old Man Jackson’s closet, and chests in the Mall Mines. It also describes the key as consumed when used. These are places or events to check, not evidence of a repeatable key farm or a guaranteed respawn.
Listing checked September 16, 2026: retrieved Wiki search text; build and revision unspecified. We have not replayed these events. Keep the older developer explanation below separate from this newer listing.
A streamer's location is not guaranteed
Chris Cote says Basic Skeleton Keys are random finds. Sources include garbage, chests, boxes and fishing treasure.
Scope: April 8, 2025 developer reply, checked September 15, 2026. No release patch or drop rates are identified.
Search by source type
A player asked why a key visible in a streamer's music-store visit was absent in their own game. The developer's answer explains that mismatch: the key is random loot, not a guaranteed pickup at that exact spot.
During normal exploration, check the named container types. Include fishing treasure when fishing is already part of your plans. This is a practical suggestion, not a ranked farming route.
Keep the item name exact
Use Basic Skeleton Key when searching or reporting. Do not assume every item called a key uses this loot rule.
What remains unknown
The reply gives no guaranteed reset method, number of attempts, best container or current full-game percentage. A later player's report of finding very few keys is an individual result, not a probability estimate.
Continue with the right next step
Do not confuse this key with the Mall F1 Hallway Key supplied during Adrian’s Basic Axe task chain. If you are already fishing, the Fog Eel note covers a separate Lakefront objective.