Keys are character-specific access entitlements for doors, garages, and vehicles. Use them to review what your current character can access and operate eligible locks. The generic sharing commands in this guide apply at doors; vehicle ownership uses its own vehicle actions.

Understand what a key represents

A Southland key is not a physical inventory item. It cannot be dropped, traded as an object, lost from a bag, or moved between your account’s characters. The game records that one particular character is entitled to access one particular entity.

Ownership and key access are different:

  • an owner controls the entity and its sharing policy;
  • an authorized keyholder can use the access that entity grants and operate its lock; and
  • holding a shared key does not make the character the owner.

There are no key levels to compare. Either your current character has active access or it does not.

List your current access

  1. Log in as the character whose access you want to check.
  2. Use /keys.
  3. Review the active entries by their player-facing label and type.
  4. Match the label to the door, garage, or vehicle you intend to use.

The list does not expose storage numbers. If an expected entry is absent, first make sure you selected the correct character. Access belonging to another character on the same account does not carry over.

Lock or unlock an eligible entity

Move into the correct interaction context before using /lock:

  • stand at the relevant outside or inside entrance point for a door or garage; or
  • be in or close to the relevant vehicle.

The command resolves the eligible current or nearby entity, so move close to the exact one you mean to operate. On success, the game confirms the new lock state.

A key permits the lock change; it does not let you walk or drive through an entity while it remains locked. Unlock a door or garage first, use /enter, and lock it again afterward when appropriate. A locked vehicle prevents ordinary entry until an authorized character unlocks it.

At a high level, the same access model applies in different ways:

  • Standalone doors: an active door key permits lock control at that entrance.
  • Garages: garage access permits use of the garage and lets a keyholder operate its door lock.
  • Vehicles: a vehicle key permits lock control and the vehicle’s other keyholder interactions.

Give one character door access

Access sharing happens at the entrance, not through the inventory. /givekey applies to the door where you are standing; vehicle keys are managed through the vehicle system instead.

  1. Go to the standalone, property, or garage door whose access you want to share.
  2. Make sure the policy allows your character to manage access.
  3. Use /givekey for the intended character.
  4. Have that player review and accept the offer while both characters remain in the required context.
  5. Wait for the success message, then have the recipient confirm the new entry with /keys.

The offer does not grant access merely because it was sent. Acceptance rechecks that both players remain available and close together, that the giver can still share the door, and that the recipient does not already hold access. It does not require both players to remain at the original door after the offer was created. Declining, moving too far apart, disconnecting, or already holding the same shared access can leave the recipient without a new grant.

Sharing boundaries depend on the door:

  • an owner controls sharing for property and garage doors;
  • a shared property or garage key does not let its holder redistribute or revoke access; and
  • at a standalone door, an existing keyholder may share or revoke that door’s access under the standalone-door policy.

Vehicle access can still appear in /keys and works with /lock, but granting or revoking it belongs to the vehicle ownership guide and its generated vehicle actions.

Revoke one character’s access

Go to the relevant door and use /takekey for the character whose access should end. The same management boundary applies: property and garage access is owner-controlled, while an authorized standalone-door keyholder can manage that door’s shared access.

A successful revocation removes that character’s entitlement. There is no physical copy for them to return. Ask the affected player to reopen /keys if they need to confirm the result.

Revoke access deliberately. A successful removal can immediately prevent that character from unlocking or using the entity, even if they were previously trusted.

Know what happens after a sale or deletion

Shared access does not survive an ownership-ending transaction or deletion. Existing keys for that entity are revoked rather than remaining with former owners or trusted characters.

For a vehicle sale, the buyer receives fresh owner access after the transfer completes. A sold garage returns to the market without the previous owner’s or keyholders’ access. If an entity is deleted, its access entries no longer provide a usable key.

Recover when access fails

  • No matching entry appears in /keys. Check the current character and the entity label. If access should exist, return to the owner or authorized sharer for a new grant.
  • /lock finds nothing eligible. Move to the exact door point or closer to the intended vehicle, then retry.
  • The entity stays locked. Confirm that /lock reported success. A key does not bypass a lock; it must be unlocked before entry.
  • A share offer fails or expires. Bring both players back to the entity, confirm the giver is allowed to share, and make a fresh offer.
  • A grant is refused as already held. Reopen /keys; repeating the offer does not create additional copies of the same shared entitlement.
  • Revocation is refused. The acting character may be a keyholder without owner-level sharing authority, or may be at the wrong door.
  • A sale or removal just occurred. Old access is intentionally revoked. The current owner must issue any access that should exist afterward.
  • The result is still unclear. Wait for the command’s final success or refusal, reopen /keys, and retry only from the correct entity if no change completed.

For offer acceptance and unclear-result recovery, see Offers and incomplete transactions. For moving through entrance points, see Doors, interiors, and world interaction. For garage ownership and vehicle transit, see Buying and using garages. For physical belongings, see Inventory and items.