Pirate101 Skeleton Key Bosses: Tips & Tricks

The newest content in the Pirate101 Test Realm is four Skeleton Key bosses to battle, one of which is required for a level 70 Old Scratch promotion quest. Given that you'll need to be completing at least one of these fights and you may want to farm others for some powerful new gear, I'm offering a few tips and tricks for completing the fights.

Getting Started

Skeleton Keys drop from mobs and bosses level 50+. Right now, the only keys available are Obsidian Keys for these high-level bosses. In the future, there will presumably be other keys for lower-level bosses. 

All four of the new bosses are accessed through a door in Scrimshaw Docks. Anyone can hop on the sigil and go inside, then you can pick a door to use a key on and fight the boss. Old Scratch's promotion quest will automatically give you one Obsidian Key to use (keep in mind that you could team up with others to only use one key then the rest of the group can use their keys to access other bosses). 

These bosses are tough and while they can be completed in solo runs, they're designed for teams of people. Many include time-sensitive factors that make team runs much easier and more efficient. With that, let's take a look at what you're up against.

Old Scratch

This is a mirror matchup for Old Scratch's promotion in which you need to defeat an enhanced version of the companion you'll receive after completing the promotion.

• Old Scratch has 3670 health and uses a power that damages the whole board, including himself and his own teammates, which he has multiple copies of. He will also use other Witchdoctor powers.

• His shorter skeleton companion with the hat has around 4600 health and summons a new enemy each round.

• His taller skeleton companion with a hat has around 6700 health and will often heal his teammates to recover from the boss's power.

Strategy: Take out Old Scratch quickly. He has the least health of the three major enemies and his power does significant damage. Then take out the 4600-health enemy that summons additional units, followed by the healing enemy. Then kill the remaining undead as you would any other.

Here are some tips to help you out:

• Charging companions can make your life easier. It's a big board and you'll want to move fast. 

• Line of sight is blocked by boxes and other unbreakable objects. You'll have to get close for ranged units to attack.

• Old Scratch can summon additional undead units to join the fight even after he's dead. 

Badges:
Obsidian Scratcher: Defeat Obsidian Old Scratch 10 times

Count Brastillo de Brass

This is easily the simplest of the fights and you should be able to handle it solo if you know what to expect. Count Brass has returned again and he's got new allies - and a lot of them - to help him take out your pirate.

• Count Brass is a Musketeer unit with bomb powers and about 6900 health. The only battle objective is to defeat him. Other enemies can be ignored.

• Besides the other starting enemies in the fight, Count Brass will summon eight new enemies every round. They hit as hard as any level 70+ mob but only have 100-200 health.

Strategy: Focus on the Count and unleash your critical attacks on him. Try not to stand in one group to avoid getting bombed or hit by Witchdoctor AoEs.

Here are some tips to help you out:

• His smaller minion summons are easily dealt with using Overwatch, Readied Spell, or Repel Boarders. Consider this when selecting units.

• Beware the attacks from summoned Witchdoctor units, which are particularly powerful.

• You will get a chest from every unit you defeat. Allowing the Count to summon more minions will result in more gold.

Badges:
Obsidian Primate Puncher: Defeat Obsidian Count Brass 10 times

Captain Blood

This battle is tougher than Count Brass, but certainly not the toughest of the Skeleton Key battles. It'll require some endurance with fewer players, as well as the ability to survive burst damage.

• Captain Blood starts the battle and will move immediately before you make any selections.

• The Captain has a number of tricks up his sleeve: once per turn, he'll summon a fire which can be destroyed by dealing one damage to it. He also uses Reckless Frenzy and has lots of health to spare.

• Captain Blood will summon three new minions every few rounds, even after he is dead. 

Strategy: Avoid getting too close to Captain Blood without shields or hidden powers. Take him out and kill the minions quickly to avoid a new wave.

Here are some tips to help you out:

• I believe there are three or four waves of creatures that come, all with two and three thousand health. When soloing, it's incredibly difficult to kill them all in time, so you'll likely have to defeat every wave. They will eventually stop coming.

• This battle has a lot of obstacles, which ghost enemies can fly through.

• Avoid standing next to Blood's flames. Destroy them with AoEs or ranged attacks.

Badges:
Obsidian Ante Up: Defeat Obsidian Captain Blood 10 times

English Bill

The Duck of Death has returned to seek vengeance, and you'll need to bless your team in order to win the battle! This is one of the tougher battles in the bunch.

• English Bill is immune until you activate one of the pedestals to bless your team. This blessing only lasts the round you use it and one round after. Then, you must bless the team again and you cannot use the same pedestal twice (there are three of them on the board).

• Bill uses an attack similar to Old Scratch's but which only hits your team for 1000-1500 damage a round.

Strategy: Use your pirate to active the pedestal and focus your fire on English Bill to defeat him as quickly as possible.

Here are some tips to help you out:

• If you have other units join the battle or summon henchmen after you've blessed the team, you'll need to do it again. It appears the first pedestal won't work a second time, so you'll need to use a different one.

• The other minions, which must also be defeated, have Second Chance and Relentless. They can hit hard - beware!

• While Bill has limited copies of his powerful AoE attack, be prepared to heal or manage with very low health after being attacked a time or two.

Badges:
Obsidian Quacker: Defeat Obsidian Duck of Death 10 times

Sharing is Caring

Skeleton Keys can be purchased for testing purposes in the Test Realm, but they appear to be pretty difficult to get. When you get one in the live realm, consider inviting three other people to maximize your chances of winning and to make the most of these rare keys.

What tips do you have?

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!