Locked Gate is one of those events that looks incredible on paper: limited-time access, unique underground area, special blueprint, and a flood of containers. But when you realize it only appears twice per day and you get just one hour to play it, the real question isn't how do I do it?—it's is this worth rearranging my schedule for?

I've gone through the event, tracked my drops, and watched how lobbies behave when the timer is ticking. In this guide I'll walk you through how Locked Gate works step by step, how to play it in both friendly and PvP lobbies, what the actual rewards look like, and in the end we'll answer the big question: who should be doing this every time it pops, and who should just stick to night raids.

• 1. Locked Gate Basics: What, When, and Where
• 1.1 Event Overview
• 2. How Locked Gate Actually Works
• 2.1 Step-by-Step Flow
• 2.2 The Four Key Locations
• 2.3 Gate Control Room and Consoles
• 3. Efficient Key Hunting: Don't Waste Your Hour
• 3.1 Smart Routing for Keys
• 3.2 Mines and Risk Management
• 4. Reading the Lobby: Friendly vs PvP and How to Adapt
• 4.1 In a Friendly or Mixed Lobby
• 4.2 In a PvP-heavy Lobby
• 4.3 Merchant Squad and Trust Signals
• 5. Underground Route: Where the Real Loot Lives
• 5.1 Getting In: Outer Gates Only
• 5.2 Where to Loot First
• 6. Bobcat Blueprint and Augments: What You're Really Farming
• 6.1 Bobcat Blueprint: How It Actually Works
• 6.2 Augment Blueprints and High-Value Attachments
• 6.3 Trading and Cooperation Underground
• 7. What About Non-blueprint Loot and Trials?
• 7.1 Regular Loot: Attachments and Guns
• 7.2 Trials: The Hidden Value
• 8. Is Locked Gate Even Worth Doing?
• 8.1 Quick Value Comparison
• 8.2 Who Should Definitely Do Locked Gate
• 8.3 Who Can Safely Skip or Treat It as Optional
• FAQ
• Q1: Do I have to go underground to get the Bobcat blueprint?
• Q2: How many runs can I realistically get in during one event window?
• Q3: What's the point of playing nice in matches before Locked Gate?
• Q4: Are blueprint drop rates really 30% underground?
• Q5: Is there any reason to prioritize Hidden Bunker over Locked Gate now?
• Summary

↖ 1. Locked Gate Basics: What, When, and Where

Before you spend an evening camping timers, you need to know what you're signing up for.

↖ 1.1 Event Overview

Here's a quick overview of the Locked Gate event:

You only get an hour to queue and play, which in practice means 2–3 solid runs if you're efficient. That time pressure is exactly why understanding the flow upfront matters so much.

↖ 2. How Locked Gate Actually Works

Let's break down what happens from the moment you spawn to the moment you're sprinting through the underground.

↖ 2.1 Step-by-Step Flow

You can think of the event as three phases: key hunt → gate opening → underground loot rush.

Now let's dig into each part in more detail.

↖ 2.2 The Four Key Locations

Locked Gate uses four fixed locations tied to four consoles in the Gate Control room:

• Ancient Fort
• Raiders Refuge
• Reinforced Reception
• Pilgrim's Peak

Each of these locations has containers that can spawn a specific key for its matching console.

A few important details:

• Any container at the POI can have the key.
• Multiple keys can spawn for the same console at once.
  • This means if someone dies with a key in their safe pocket or drops it to troll, the event is not hard‑locked.
• Mines are hidden in the dirt across the map during the event.
  • If you start suddenly exploding for no reason, it's probably not a bug—it's a mine.

Because locations are fixed, you technically don't have to visit Gate Control first. You can simply:

1. Spawn in.

2. Identify which of the four POIs is closest.

3. Loot containers there until you find that key.

↖ 2.3 Gate Control Room and Consoles

The Gate Control room is your central objective hub. Inside, you'll see four consoles, each tied to one of the POIs.

• You interact with a console using the corresponding key.
• The console will show different colors (green/red), but the color itself doesn't really matter to you.
• What matters is:
  • All four keys are found by someone.
  • All four consoles are activated by someone.

Once all four have been activated, the main underground gate at Outer Gates will begin opening.

Important:

• The only entrance into the underground during the event is via Outer Gates.
• All the other usual underground entrances are blocked off.
• When the gate opens, you want to be already moving toward Outer Gates, not debating whether to go.

↖ 3. Efficient Key Hunting: Don't Waste Your Hour

Locked Gate is time‑gated twice: once at the global event level (1 hour), and once at the raid timer level (40 minutes). So every minute you waste not looting or moving with a purpose is basically deleting containers you could have opened.

↖ 3.1 Smart Routing for Keys

From a pure efficiency standpoint, I suggest this order of operations:

1. At spawn, check which of the four POIs is closest

• Ancient Fort
• Raiders Refuge
• Reinforced Reception
• Pilgrim's Peak

2. Commit to the nearest one first.

• Don't immediately sprint across the entire map; you'll just bleed time and stamina.

3. Loot every container in that POI until you find the key.

4. Once you have a key, head to the Gate Control room and turn it in.

Why this path?

• Because multiple keys can spawn per console, you don't have to control all four POIs yourself.
• If you spread out as a lobby, the event can be cleared quickly. If you insist on soloing all four locations, you either need an organized trio or you're gambling that other players aren't doing anything.

↖ 3.2 Mines and Risk Management

While you're out key hunting:

• Expect mines in seemingly random dirt patches.
• If you play aggressively and sprint everywhere, you're more likely to hit them.
• A practical approach is:
  • Slow down a bit in suspicious open areas.
  • Use your ears: explosions elsewhere tell you someone else is also learning the hard way.

If you find yourself losing one run early to mines, treat that as information for the next run rather than pure bad luck.

↖ 4. Reading the Lobby: Friendly vs PvP and How to Adapt

The same event feels completely different depending on whether your lobby is friendly, mixed, or full of hungry PvPers. How you play Locked Gate should change based on that.

↖ 4.1 In a Friendly or Mixed Lobby

If players seem chill—few gunshots, people waving, lots of flares—you can lean into cooperation.

In that scenario, I usually:

Play nice in a few matches before Locked Gate days.

• If aggression-based matchmaking exists, being less bloodthirsty beforehand might land you in calmer lobbies during the event.

Focus on doing your part for the keys.

• Loot the POI closest to you.
• Take the key to the Gate Control room.

Communicate in chat or via pings.

• Ask Ancient Fort done? or Anyone at Raiders Refuge?

Once the gate opens, prioritize Security Wing but don't grief teammates.

When a lobby leans friendly, the event feels almost like a co‑op raid: you collectively open the gates, then everyone fans out underground and farms containers.

↖ 4.2 In a PvP-heavy Lobby

If, on the other hand, you hear constant fighting and see no hesitation in shooting on sight, you're in a very different version of Locked Gate.

What do players tend to do in PvP lobbies?

Camp the Gate Control room.

• They let everyone else risk mines, do the key runs, and then wait inside the control room to ambush anyone bringing keys.

Control Outer Gates once the underground opens.

• Expect ambushes on the way down, covering angles where you have no easy fallback.

If you're in this kind of match, you need to change mindset:

Treat Gate Control like a boss room.

• Never walk in casually.
• Clear corners, listen carefully, and assume someone has their crosshair aimed at the door.

Consider playing around other squads.

• Let more aggressive players fight each other, then move in once the noise dies down.

Bring tools:

• Defibs are great; they let friendly players trust you, and they give you a second chance after a third‑party.

If you are a PvP player yourself, you'll probably be on the other side of this:

• Camping Gate Control to catch players bringing keys.
• Rushing Outer Gates the moment all consoles are turned on.
• Playing for control of the underground Security Wing, not just for random containers.

↖ 4.3 Merchant Squad and Trust Signals

One interesting community detail: some groups use a specific merchant squad outfit as a kind of informal I'm friendly uniform.

If you see players wearing that outfit, they are signaling that:

• They aim to be friendly.
• They tend not to shoot you in the back.
• They often bring extra defibs and help revive.

Obviously, this isn't a guarantee—this is still a PvP game—but in my experience, when communities rally around a particular skin as a trust marker, it genuinely helps create pockets of cooperation in an otherwise tense environment.

If you like that idea, you can adopt the same outfit and play by the same code: bring defibs and help the most vulnerable guy first. It makes these high‑density events less miserable for solo players.

↖ 5. Underground Route: Where the Real Loot Lives

Once all four consoles have been used and the outer gate opens, the clock is still ticking. You've done the setup; now it's time to cash out.

↖ 5.1 Getting In: Outer Gates Only

• The underground is only accessible via the Outer Gates entrance during the event.
• All other typical dungeon entrances you know from regular runs are blocked.
• That means if you're on the wrong side of the map when the gate opens, you're late to the party.

If you notice the fourth console being activated and you're still far away, your best move is usually to commit to a straight line toward Outer Gates, not get distracted by extra fights.

↖ 5.2 Where to Loot First

Once you're inside, here's how I prioritize:

1. Security Wing – first priority

• The Security Wing—and especially the breach room—is currently busted for loot.
• The drop rates for augment blueprints and the Bobcat blueprint feel significantly higher here.
• This is my immediate sprint target every run.

2. Puzzle Room

• After the breach room, make sure to solve and open the puzzle room.
• This is another clustered source of high‑value containers.

3. Maintenance Wing and other underground rooms

• Don't ignore them. They may not be as stacked as Security Wing, but they still contribute to your overall blueprint and attachment haul.

My practical rule of thumb:

Underground = loot everything you see.

• There's no reason to be picky; the blueprint drop rate is high enough that every extra container matters.

↖ 6. Bobcat Blueprint and Augments: What You're Really Farming

Let's be honest: a big reason you're even reading this is because of the Bobcat blueprint and augment blueprints.

↖ 6.1 Bobcat Blueprint: How It Actually Works

The Bobcat is the event‑specific blueprint for Locked Gate, much like Volcano is for Hidden Bunker.

Key details:

• The Bobcat blueprint is tied to the event, but not locked to the underground.
• You do not need to be in the Locked Gate underground area to get it.
• It can drop from any container during the event, anywhere on the map.

I've seen multiple confirmed cases from other players where Bobcat dropped in random containers outside the underground, and I treat this as solid evidence that:

• The event must be active.
• The blueprint can drop from any container, not just the special rooms.

What does this mean for you?

• If you're chasing Bobcat specifically, your top priority is maximizing the total number of containers you open during the event window, not tunnel‑visioning underground access.
• Doing your part to open the gate is still good, but it's not mandatory for Bobcat.

↖ 6.2 Augment Blueprints and High-Value Attachments

Beyond Bobcat, Locked Gate is an excellent place to farm:

• Augment blueprints
• Higher-value attachments such as:
  • Extended barrel
  • Lightweight stock
  • Extended medium mag 3
  • And other premium attachment blueprints

From my early runs and tracking:

• Focusing only on the underground area, I saw around 30% of containers drop a blueprint.
• Outside the underground, in the normal area during the same event, I saw about 10% blueprint drop rate.

For context:

• The current global blueprint drop rate post‑update seems to sit around 5%.
• So even if my exact numbers are skewed by RNG, going from 5% to 10–30% is a massive increase.

Caveat:

• My dataset is still small—only a couple of runs so far—so treat these numbers as early, anecdotal indicators, not final truth.
• That said, the pattern is clear: the underground is a blueprint fountain compared to normal play.

↖ 6.3 Trading and Cooperation Underground

Because the blueprint drop rate is so high down there, you'll often end up with:

• Blueprints you already own
• Blueprints that don't fit your current build

In friendly lobbies, it's genuinely worth:

• Dropping duplicates on the ground and asking if anyone wants to trade.
• Saying I'm looking for X, anyone have it?

Since almost everyone is going to find multiple blueprints in a good locked gate run, coordinated trading can easily turn a decent run into an amazing one for your entire lobby.

↖ 7. What About Non-blueprint Loot and Trials?

At this point you might be asking: Okay, blueprints sound great, but what about guns and attachments? And what's up with trials here?

↖ 7.1 Regular Loot: Attachments and Guns

From my experience and early data:

• Outside of blueprints, the rest of the loot feels more or less like a normal Bluegate event.
• You're not suddenly drowning in ultra‑rare attachments or epic guns just because you're underground in Locked Gate.
• If your only goal is to farm top-tier attachments or guns, you're often better off sticking to night raids, which are already excellent for that purpose.

So:

Locked Gate's main advantage is not raw item quality, but how concentrated the blueprint drops are, especially for augments.

↖ 7.2 Trials: The Hidden Value

One thing that makes Locked Gate secretly powerful is the 2x trial modifier.

• The event acts as a kind of new Hidden Bunker for running trials.
• That 40‑minute timer and dense container layout make it a great place to complete trial objectives efficiently.
• When the new trial season starts, I expect Locked Gate to be a go‑to farm spot for anyone serious about optimizing trial progress.

If you're planning ahead:

• Mark the event times on your schedule for trial pushes.
• Treat it as trial acceleration hour rather than just loot fiesta.

↖ 8. Is Locked Gate Even Worth Doing?

Now to the core question: should you plan your day around this event?

The honest answer is: it depends on what you're chasing.

↖ 8.1 Quick Value Comparison

Here's a simplified comparison based on goals:

↖ 8.2 Who Should Definitely Do Locked Gate

You should go out of your way to play Locked Gate if:

• You really want the Bobcat blueprint, or
• You're in a progression stage where augment blueprints are what holds your build back, or
• You're planning to sweat trails in the new season and want a reliable 2x window.

In these cases, yes, it's worth checking Metaphorge, planning for the event times in your timezone, and committing that 1‑hour block.

↖ 8.3 Who Can Safely Skip or Treat It as Optional

On the other hand, if:

• You already have Bobcat and most augments you care about.
• You mainly enjoy gun and attachment hunting.
• You don't love high‑tension, PvP‑heavy lobbies.
• Your playtime is very limited and fragmented.

Then Locked Gate becomes optional content, not mandatory. You might still jump in when timing lines up, but you don't need to bend your entire schedule around it.

↖ FAQ

↖ Q1: Do I have to go underground to get the Bobcat blueprint?

No. While Bobcat is the Locked Gate event blueprint, it can drop from any container during the event, not only in the underground area. Being underground does give you many more containers in a short time, but if you're unlucky getting in, you can still find Bobcat topside as long as the event is active.

↖ Q2: How many runs can I realistically get in during one event window?

If you're efficient and don't wipe early, you're usually looking at 2–3 decent runs within the 1‑hour global event window. Each run starts with a 40‑minute timer, similar to Hidden Bunker, but in practice travel, matchmaking, and mistakes eat into that.

↖ Q3: What's the point of playing nice in matches before Locked Gate?

If aggression-based matchmaking is active (and many players suspect it is), then playing more friendly in the lead-up to Locked Gate might place you in less violent lobbies when the event is live. That means more cooperation, faster key turn‑ins, and fewer gate campers. It's not guaranteed, but it lines up with how many matchmaking systems work.

↖ Q4: Are blueprint drop rates really 30% underground?

In my early runs focused on the underground areas:

• Roughly 30% of the containers I looted had a blueprint.
• Outside the underground during the event, I saw about 10%.
• Global post‑update rates seem to hover around 5%.

However, this is based on a small sample—just a couple of runs—so there's a lot of room for RNG and error. I treat 30% as this is what I saw so far, not a guaranteed, fixed rate.

↖ Q5: Is there any reason to prioritize Hidden Bunker over Locked Gate now?

Hidden Bunker is still solid, but Locked Gate:

• Offers the Bobcat as an event-exclusive blueprint.
• Has great augment blueprint density underground.
• Provides a 2x trial modifier similar to how Hidden Bunker was used before.

If your current goals match those strengths, Locked Gate is basically the new king in that niche. If you just want general loot and calmer runs, you might feel more comfortable with traditional content or night raids.

↖ Summary

Locked Gate is not just another limited-time event; it's a targeted blueprint farm, a Bobcat chase, and a trial grinder wrapped inside a one‑hour window with plenty of player drama layered on top. When you understand the fixed POI locations, the key mechanics, and how to read whether your lobby is friendly or lethal, you can walk into that hour with a plan instead of gambling your time.

If you're hunting Bobcat, augments, or trial progress, this event is absolutely worth structuring sessions around. If your interests lie elsewhere, you can treat it as a high‑pressure side activity—fun when it lines up, but not something you have to bend your life around.