This is my comprehensive guide to The Division 2 Raid Keys & Backpack Trophies. In each of the two raids, you can collect five keys, which are required to open a special chest at the end of the raid.
Opening the Dark Hours chest gives you a 10% chance to obtain the Eagle Bearer exotic, while the Iron Horse chest offers a 10% chance to get the Ravenous exotic.
You can collect the first four keys in each raid once per week, with a reset every Tuesday. However, the fifth key, which drops from the final boss, can be farmed indefinitely.
This guide also covers backpack trophies found in both raids. While these trophies can only be collected once per character, completing the raids on multiple characters allows you to revisit their locations for a material boost.
If you prefer a video format, check out the video below.
The Division 2 Raid Keys & Backpack Trophies (Dark Hours)
Raid Key 1
After defeating Boomer, you’ll move on to the next area where you’ll find your first raid key. The key is located inside the sandwich shop, and you’ll notice a button nearby.
To access the key:
- Have one of your team members head to the opposite room that’s locked by a padlock.
- Shoot the padlock to reveal a switch.
- Interact with the switch, and then quickly press the button outside the sandwich shop.
This will open the gates, but be prepared for drones to spawn. Take them out, and then enter the shop to collect your raid key.
Riot Gas Canisters Backpack Trophy
After the Weasel encounter, there’s a backpack trophy you can acquire. Head up the elevator shaft and cross the plane. Once you reach the other side, pass by the door you’re supposed to go through, and you’ll spot a crane platform. Jump onto it, and there will be a search interaction to collect the Riot Gas Canisters backpack trophy.
Raid Keys 2 & 3
After defeating Weasel and collecting your backpack trophy, head outside where you’ll need to eliminate some ads and drones. Once you’re back inside, you’ll find a door with a space above it. Have someone throw a concussion grenade through this gap, which will open the door and reveal your second raid key.
Next, as you enter the following room, you’ll trigger a mechanic where elevator doors will begin to close. This elevator is on the opposite side of the room, and various ads, including Chunga’s and Warhounds, will spawn. To get the key, someone needs to rush straight for the elevator to get inside before the door closes. Once inside, they can press a button to reopen the door, and it will stay open.
My strategy is to keep everyone together while we secure the second key, then send the healer to race for the elevator while the rest of the team clears the ads. The healer can drop their healer hive along the way to ensure the team stays topped off if needed.
Raid Key 4
Right after the Lucy and Buddy encounter, proceed towards the terminal. Instead of heading right towards the final boss encounter, take a left at the terminal. There, you’ll find the fourth raid key lying on the floor, ready to be picked up.
Raid Key 5
Drops from one of your loot piles after completing the Dark Hours raid.
The Division 2 Raid Keys & Backpack Trophies (Iron Horse)
Raid Key 1 & Breakthrough Backpack Trophy
After clearing the first boss, you can progress into the Foundry. The game requires you to collect two spark plugs dropped by enemies in the previous fight and insert them into two generators located in the area.
There is one generator on the left side and one on the right side. Once both are plugged in, the train that Gray spawned on will move backward, allowing you and your team to enter.
As you enter, you’ll find your first backpack trophy in the center of a crucible on the left side, across from a blue container. This is the Breakthrough trophy, and there are three more trophies to collect throughout the raid.
The blue container holds your first raid key, but it’s locked. To unlock it, head forward through a door and you’ll find another generator next to a switch you can interact with.
Interact with the switch, then head back outside to the rail-yard. In this area, you’ll find 4 screens, and one will be randomly lit up green. Starting from the right, as you exit, look for the first screen under the stairs. The second screen is further along the same wall. From the second screen, head to the opposite side to find the third screen, and the fourth will be next to the third.
Once you locate the green screen, interact with it to receive a third spark plug.
Head back inside and plug the spark plug into the third generator. A window will open as you do so. Your team must throw concussion grenades through this window to land in the blue container.
These grenades will unlock the container, allowing you to get your first raid key.
A quicker method is to plug in only one spark plug in the rail-yard after defeating Gray, but make sure to pick up the second one. Then, have your team approach the train Gray spawned on. Everyone can then open their social menu and fast travel to someone else.
This will move everyone past the train and into the Foundry, and you’ll already have the spark plug for the third generator, allowing you to obtain your first key.
Raid Key 2 & Molten Backpack Trophy
Once you finish the Fieser boss fight, you’ll move into a mechanic where you’ll earn your second backpack trophy, the Molten Trophy, and the second raid key.
For this section, everyone should stay on their current builds, except for one person, who will need to switch to a 6 skill tier build with Acosta’s Go-Bag equipped. They should also have Sticky EMP and Oxidizer Chem Launcher as their active skills, as this will help save time later on.
Once everyone is ready, there is a switch in the center of the room that will open both doors on the left and right.
Mechanic Overview:
- Time Limit: After hitting the switch, you will have a time limit to complete this mechanic, but there’s plenty of time to do it.
Team Setup:
- One person will go through the left door (there are three locked gates to deal with).
- The rest of the team will go through the right door to handle ads.
One person on the right needs to look across and spot a yellow junction box on the left door. They must shoot this to allow the person on the left to continue.
- Note: I usually have the tank from the previous encounter handle this task, but any team member can do it.
After the first junction box is shot, climb up some boxes on the right and look through a window to find another junction box. Shooting this will unlock the second door for the person on the left to continue.
Chunga Encounter:
Once the second junction box is shot, a chunga will spawn on the left side. The person alone on that side may need help from those on the right to kill it. The chunga will drop a key that opens the third locked door on the left side.
With the key, the door can be opened, and everyone will be able to collect their raid key and backpack trophy.
There is also a fourth door on the left that you can open to avoid having to backtrack.
The Molten Backpack Trophy is located near where the chunga spawned on the left, inside a bucket next to a prison bed.
The second raid key is located on the ground near this fourth door.
Raid Key 3 & High Ground Backpack Trophy
After completing the previous mechanic, you’ll move on to another one where you’ll need to complete it to earn the third raid key. I refer to this part as Sniper Alley.
Your team should continue using the same builds, but one person, the one I mentioned earlier, will need to switch to a 6 skill tier build with Acosta’s Go-Bag if they haven’t already. They should also be ready with Oxidizers and the Sticky EMP. Additionally, if you have rockets left over from the Fieser encounter, it’s advised to bring them here.
Once the person with the Oxidizers has them maxed out, they can signal the team to jump down, making sure two people have the rockets if you’ve brought them.
The person with the Oxidizers will stay up top, throwing a grenade and then aiming their EMP across the area at a door behind some shutters. Once the grenade goes off, they’ll receive overcharge thanks to the Acosta’s Go-Bag. As soon as that happens, they should fire the EMP at the door, aiming for the warning sign or at the piece of cover in front of the door (both work).
Once the EMP is fired, the person with the Oxidizers should jump down, and the healer will need to interact with a valve to start the sequence. It’s crucial that the EMP does not detonate at this point, as it keeps the snipers locked in the room they’re supposed to come out of.
While the EMP is keeping the snipers in place, the person with the Oxidizers can then fire overcharged Oxidizers at the snipers’ room, killing them. This will drop a key at the feet of one of your teammates.
This isn’t the intended way to handle it, and you could let the snipers spawn and allocate people with Bullet Kings to suppress them. However, these snipers can still get shots off, and if one lands, it will instantly kill agents, potentially ruining any flawless runs. Using the oxidizer method ensures the task is completed cleanly. If you go with Bullet Kings, make sure the snipers don’t die before the mechanics are complete or you won’t get the key.
While the person with the Oxidizers is handling the snipers, the rest of the team should move forward. You’ll spot two pipes on a platform above, one on the left and one on the right. If you have the rockets from Fieser’s encounter, use them to destroy the pipes right away. If not, you’ll need to climb ladders on both sides to collect rockets from the back or DPS the pipes.
With the pipes destroyed, two players will need to climb to the next level on each side, where you’ll find two valves on each side. You’ll need four people to hit all four valves at the same time.
Once the valves are hit, an explosion will occur that kills the snipers. You’ll then climb up to grab the key. If you used the oxidizer method, the key will already be at someone’s feet from earlier.
There will also be ads to deal with during this, but you can ignore them while performing the sequence by using turrets or decoys and then kill them afterward. If they attack you, you’ll need to deal with them.
The only downside to the oxidizer method is that you can’t jump up to the snipers’ location to shoot the Gingerbread Man if you’re going for that commendation. However, you can still hit it by targeting a concussion grenade on the left side, as the blast radius will cover the Gingerbread Man even with the shutter closed. Just have someone track the Gingerbread Men to make sure it’s caught by the blast.
Step Two for the Third Raid Key:
After completing Sniper Alley, you’ll push forward and head outside. The person who has the key from the snipers will want to go up the stairs on the right to find a crane console.
Wait for the team to get in position before interacting with the crane console. This will trigger three junction boxes that will appear in the area, and you’ll have limited time to shoot them. In the center of the area is a caged section with three light bulbs. The third raid key is located inside this section.
For the first junction box:
- Two players should stay up by the crane console and look across to the opposite side. They’ll see a white box in a window, which is where the first junction box will be. Get ready and aim.
For the second junction box:
- Look opposite the caged area. You’ll see a gap where a container is located, and behind it is another white box containing the junction box. The container will move once the key is in. Make sure at least two people aim and be ready.
For the third and final junction box:
- At the end of the area, you’ll need to shoot down a rope and climb up to the top. Near the pipework, you’ll find another white box that opens to reveal a junction box once the key is inserted. Again, have two people aim and be ready.
Once everyone is in position, insert the key into the crane console and ensure everyone shoots their junction boxes.
If successful, the caged area door will open, and you’ll be able to retrieve your third raid key. If someone misses, the lights will show which one was missed, as one or more bulbs will remain red.
Don’t worry if you miss; as long as you don’t open the door to the next area, the team can wipe and try again immediately. However, if you mess up Sniper Alley, you must start a new raid to get the key.
After Getting the Third Key:
You’ll find a third backpack trophy, called High Ground.
Proceed through the door into the next area. You’ll find two nuts, one on the left and one on the right. Shoot them to fully tighten them, and then you’ll be able to search a nearby toolbox to claim the backpack trophy.
Raid Key 4
After the Williams boss encounter, you’ll enter a sequence where you must push through Foaming NPCs, disable an electric obstacle, and reach a door that needs to be shot open. One team member must rush past the ads to interact with a lever that stops the Iron Horse train, triggering a cutscene.
Recommended Setup
Two players should equip hazard protection builds—the higher the protection, the better. Ensnare resistance mods can also help mitigate the foam traps.
Execution
- Open the door, and the two players with hazard protection will run straight ahead, following the path.
- Foaming NPCs will target them, and foam traps will be scattered around, but with max ensnare protection, these won’t be an issue.
- You’ll encounter a burning obstacle that you must climb over.
- Above the fire, there are three weak points—shoot them to release water and extinguish the flames.
- Once the fire is out, both players can jump over and proceed to a generator with two switches on the right.
- Hit the switches in sync to disable the electric obstacle.
Rest of the Team
- While the two players handle the generator, the rest of the team will exit through the door, head up the stairs on the left, and continue along the platform filled with foam traps and Foaming NPCs.
- Ignore the ads and keep running, breaking free of any foam if necessary.
- At the end of the platform, drop down and wait for the electric obstacle to be turned off. You can shoot the door ahead through the electric field.
Final Steps
- Once the electric fence is disabled and the door is broken, one player must rush past the ads, enter the room above, and pull the lever.
- After the cutscene, all ads will disappear, and you can collect the fourth key.
Fourth Key Location
From where you passed through the electric obstacle, go straight ahead, pass through a gap, and look to the right to find the key.
Raid Key 5 & Iron Horse Backpack Trophy
Drops from one of your loot piles after completing the Iron Horse raid.
Iron Horse Backpack Trophy
The last backpack trophy of the raid can be obtained after completing the final encounter. Once the raid is finished, you’ll find it on the cannon that falls to the ground during the final cutscene.
That wraps up this guide! I hope you found it helpful. If you have any questions or are interested in joining my team that supports the community, feel free to join my personal Discord server.
Below, you’ll find complete guides for both the Dark Hours and Iron Horse raids—be sure to check them out!
