How to use the Makeshift Gaol Key in Dragon's Dogma 2

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Secure your freedom with this special item.

Dragon's Dogma 2 Makeshift Gaol Key - The overseer and soldiers
(Image credit: Capcom)

If you're wondering how to use the Makeshift Gaol Key in Dragon's Dogma 2, you've likely just arrived in Melve and are greedily eyeing the item in Dudley the merchant's inventory, trying to work out if 3,000 gold is worth it. Everyone loves a mysterious key, but you might not want to invest so much without knowing where this gaol—or "jail" if we're not being ye olde—actually is.

You might have also gotten a Makeshift Gaol Key in your goodies for buying the deluxe edition of the game and are wondering when you can reap the rewards. Here I'll explain what your Makeshift Gaol Key is actually used for in Dragon's Dogma 2.

How to use the Makeshift Gaol Key

It'll likely be no surprise to you that the Makeshift Gaol Key unlocks a Gaol, but the real question is which gaol and in what context. Once you arrive in the capital city of Vernworth, you'll come to realise that there are places where access is prohibited at certain times of the day. Most of Vernworth Palace is off-limits at night, for example. If you're caught and killed in one of these areas by the guards you'll be hauled off to gaol and put in a cell. You can also just straight up break the law if you want to get thrown in gaol.

In any other RPG this wouldn't be so bad, but Dragon's Dogma 2 is pretty ruthless when it comes to trying to game saves and escape the consequences of your actions, so either way, you're going to have to escape from prison. Usually, this would involve talking to the guard through your cell door and paying him an exorbitant sum of gold to secure your freedom, but if you have a Makeshift Gaol Key you can just unlock the cell door and make a break for it.

Word to the wise if you ever find yourself in the gaol without a key; look for a pot in your cell to pick up and smash. This should contain a Makeshift Gaol Key, giving you one free prison-break on the house. Obviously, if you get arrested again this same trick won't work, but it's handy for that initial escape.

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Sean Martin
Sean Martin
Senior Guides Writer

Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for secrets or bashing his head against puzzles, you'll find him revisiting old Total War campaigns, agonizing over his Destiny 2 fit, or still trying to finish the Horus Heresy. Sean has also written for EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.