The Key Walkthrough: Part I

Note - If you get disorientated at any time, a map of the current location is available by clicking Show Map on the menu bar.

Note - The Zip To menu provides instant access to locations that you have already visited, so you don't have to walk to most places more than once!

You arrive in the control room for the Arcadian fusion plant. Turn left towards the walkway above the reactor. Walk forwards to a gap in the railings on your right. Turn right to face the gap in the railings, then look down (hand pointing down) and climb down the ladder. You are now facing the reactor. Look at the panel in front of you (click on it). View the information tab on the panel and note the information. You can get back to this later. Retrace your steps to the power plant control room. Facing down the room the way you started (facing a decaying computer, seen as two vertical green lines), there are two panels ahead to the left: the first one (nearest you) is the phase port control panel and the second one (next to the decaying computer) is the reactor control panel (black panels); and one ahead to the right: the power grid (grey panel). Walk to the end of the room (towards the decaying computer) and turn right. In front of you to the left hand side of the screen is a corridor. Walk down it.

You will reach a T-junction, and the way ahead is barred. The panel on the wall indicates that there has been a severe radiation leak in the area beyond the gate. It is impossible to pass these bars, so don't bother trying. Instead, turn right and head down the corridor. When you reach another T-junction, turn left towards the atmosphere plant. Follow the corridor round to the left, and you will find yourself in a large room. Ignore the panels in front of you and to your left; turn right towards the atomic assembler and walk to the end of the room. Turn left and look at the right hand panel. This controls the assembler. Click the label that says 'Field: On' to turn the field off and allow access to the assembler. Click anywhere on the wall to come away from the panel, and turn right. Enter the assembler room ahead of you (the blue field is now off), and walk round the assembler to the left. When you have walked around as far as you can, turn right to face the assembler. There will be a panel in front of you. Look at it and note down all the information under the information tab (click the MORE button to view more information). This information is VERY IMPORTANT! Retrace your steps to the assembler control panel (the one you used to switch the field off). Switch the field back on and click 'Activate'. Walk back along the corridor.

As you follow the corridor away from the atmosphere plant, you will see a storage room on your left before you reach the T-junction ahead of you. Enter it and turn around. On the right hand side of the doorway is a panel. Look at it. Write down ALL the reactor settings under the reactor settings tab. Now return to the power plant and find the reactor control panel (beside the decaying computer - directly in front of you as you enter from the corridor). Click the reaction settings tab to input settings for the reactor. Enter the 'xeon 3' settings you found in the storage room (xeon fuel, overload reaction - power x 3). Once you are certain that the settings are correct, click the ignite reactor tab and then click the label to begin ignition sequence (WARNING - if the settings are wrong, the reactor will explode and you will die and lose the game. You have been warned!).The panel will say that it cannot find the phase port for the local grid.

Turn around and look at the grid (grey panel on right). Under the maintenance tab, click until you find an entry referring to phase ports. This will give you three numbers - the first is the new phase port range for a normal (power x 1) reaction; the second is the new phase port range for a high (power x 2) reaction; the third is the new phase port range for an overload (power x 3) reaction. Note them down. Now click on the phase ports tab and click on the reactor (red text, bottom right). This will give the old phase port channel for the normal (power x 1) power output. Go to the phase port control panel (next to the reactor control panel) and look under the 'set phase port channel' tab. This will give the phase port that the grid is set to at present (70010). To reconnect the grid to the reactor, you must enter the new phase port channel for an overload reaction (power x 3). To do this, use the existing setting, but substitute the first digit for the first digit of the new phase port range for an overload reaction (found under Maintenance on grid panel). Then click the red label to connect. Now return to the grid and power up the assembler.

Now return to the assembler control panel and enter settings for hyperion (found on panel in assembler room) and click Activate. Return to the reactor control panel in the power plant and enter the settings for hyperion 3 (found in storage room) and ignite the reactor - make sure it is correct first! Turn to the grid and power up everything except Vault 2 (there is insufficient power in the system to power Vault 2). Return to the atmosphere plant and look at the panel opposite the assembler panel (climate control panel). Switch everything on.

You are finished with this area for now. Return towards the power plant, but turn left after the storage room. In front of you is a door saying 'Access Granted'. Go through it and keep walking, past the Hub, to the end of the walkway. In front of you is a panel. Read everything at your leisure, noting down the vault access codes. Return to the Hub and take a right turn. Take two steps down the passage and turn around. Down at ground level as you look back towards the Hub is a small panel, barely visible. Look at it. Note down information under the Readout tab relating to an electrician stranded on the Graveyard planet and the location of the Valley of Stars (referred to from now onwards in this walkthrough as the VoS) under the Tower tab. Turn around again and walk away from the Hub. Turn right at the end of the passage and walk towards the main hallway. Go through the door, walk to the end of the hallway and ascend the stairs. Go through the door at the top and follow the decaying electronic walkway round to the communications tower. Go through the door at the end of the walkway and enter the tower. Walk across the tower to the hyperwave pillar in front of you and enter the location of the VoS (found on Hub panel). Click on the label saying 'Press here to scan' - it should then say 'VoS Linked' - then click on the pillar.

Congratulations! You have completed Part I of The Key! However, before you leave Arcadia and begin Part II there is one more area in Arcadia that is worth exploring. If you leave the communications tower and trace your steps back to the main hallway, and step out the door to the walkways, the Active Guide (that's the text at the bottom of the screen) will tell you that you are headed toward something called the Memorial Complex. Keep walking ahead and you will get to a door; step through it and you will find yourself at a junction of four hallways.

This part of Arcadia is not important now but it will become important in Part III. If at this point you turn right and follow the hallway to the end you will find the way blocked by some glowing blue bars; you will later find a way to cleanse that area of radiation so you can enter the Memorial Hall. If you instead turn left and follow the hallway that way you will find another set of blue bars; in Part III you will cleanse that area of radiation and continue on to the Underground Labs. If you turn left at these blue bars and walk ahead you will walk through the Great Hall and then enter the Long Hall. Halfway down the long hall is an old fusion reactor; in Part III you will cleanse that area of radiation and use it. At the very end of a hall is an empty doorway; that doorway will take you to Vault 2 and is one of the last steps toward reaching the Galactic Core. You don't have the power to enable that door or the password to open it, but you will open it later! Keep it in mind.
 

Click here to view the walkthrough for Part II.

Tim Bartram
2/27/2002

updated 7/6/2004 by Jonathan K. Cooper