'Keying' - What it is and how to do it

If you're somewhat new to Diablo, like I was when I just recently started playing again, you may have heard of something called 'keying' games. This is when you go to a Hell game and search it for 3 keys: Key of Terror, Key of Hate, and Key of Destruction. Together, these three keys make what is called a 'keyset', which I believe can be traded for a HR (correct me if I'm wrong). With three keysets, you can go into a game and transmute each set of 3 different keys. Each set makes a portal to a boss, and each boss drops a different organ. BUT, make sure to wait until you have three keysets before you go hunting for organs. This is so you can transmute each keyset in the same game, resulting in three different portals rather than starting a different game and accidentally getting the same portal. Once you have killed the three bosses and collected their organs, you have what makes an 'organ set', or 'org set' for short. Organ sets can be traded for 4-5 HRs I think. As with the keysets, if you transmute the three organs, a portal opens to Uber Tristram, which houses Uber Mephisto, Uber Diablo, and Uber Baal, along with a horde of minions. This area can be used for a Guber if I'm correct, but that's getting outside of the 'keyset' area. Anyways, that's a little info about what keying is, and what it can get you. Now, on to how you do it.

The Three Keys

Be aware! More than one of the same key can drop in a game, for example: The Countess can drop two keys of Terror, Summoner two keys of Hate, etc!

1. The Countess (Key of Terror)
Go to the Black Marsh waypoint. Use Sting's MapHack if you'd like to find your way around much easier (A guide to set up MapHack in a safe way is here, or here). Since I have Enigma, I tele to the tower, but it's possible to run if you're geared to the point that you don't die in Act 1 Hell (which isn't too hard). Then, just tele/run to each level of the Tower Cellar until you finally reach the 5th level, where the Countess resides. There really isn't much of a strategy to beat her, just try to watch your health/mana as she may have mana burn which is transmitted through her minions, and can prove quite a problem for hdins or other magic based chars. After you've cut through her and her minions, she'll die and drop one or more runes for you, and if you're lucky enough, a Key of Terror! Always remember that keys have a terrible chance to drop, so if you don't find any on your first key game, don't be discouraged. At least you got some runes from the Countess.

2. The Summoner (Key of Hate)
Go to the Arcane Sanctuary waypoint, turn on MapHack if you have it (makes it much easier here, combined with tele) and begin your search to the four corners of the Sanctuary. If you have MapHack on, search for the little pedestal with a book on it, that's where the Summoner is on your map. There's nothing to say about killing him, other than do it. From the times I've killed him, I haven't got many good drops, but you can actually find some very rare stuff off of him (Thanks phil)! So always remember to stop by the Arcane Sanctuary in a hell game!

3. Nihlathak (Key of Destruction)
Go to the Halls of Pain waypoint. MapHack. Tele/run around, looking for a square trap-door-looking thing on your map. This is where you need to go, the Halls of Vaught. Once there, go to the corner with Nihlathak (easily noticable with MapHack on). This fight may require a bit of strategy. Nihl will use a very annoying Corpse Explosion, which hits you from oddly far away, and takes a nice chunk out of your health bar. To avoid this, either stay away from dead bodies (hard to do around Nihl, since he summons Slayers to attack you, but most likely just to blow up their corpses near you), or if you have Redemption aura, turn it on and watch the corpses magically disappear as your health/mana goes up! After you've gotten rid of some of the bodies, it makes it a little easier to survive, but then again if you can quickly go in, do some heavy damage to him and his minions, you'll be fine. If you've got luck on your side, a Key of Destruction will drop!

And please note: on the way to each boss, don't forget to kill the groups of mini-bosses and their minions! This is a pretty solid way of finding full rejuv potions, which definitely come in handy when facing the harder bosses (Nihl).

And that's pretty much what you do to get what is called a keyset. You must keep in mind that this is a tedious job . If you plan on getting many keysets, you'll have to spend some time doing it!

Credits/Fixes:
Nate:

• helped me with info about Keysets/Org Sets

Phil:

• informed me that the Summoner actually does have some good drops! lol
  
• reminded me that the named bosses on the way to each of the three key-droppers can sometimes drop some useful stuff
  
• advised me to add that you should always have three keysets before entering an organ collecting game
  
• added that more than one key of the same name can drop from a boss!

Jer:

• also added that more than one key of the same name can drop from one boss!

When I face off with Nihlithak, I do so with my hammerdin. I teleport on top of Nihlithak before I hammer, so he's pretty much the FIRST one to go down when I take him on. Be VERY careful of the poisonous snakes if they spawn in Hall of Vaught. They will make short work of a mercenary, AND you! Do your best not to teleport into OR NEAR the poison trails, as they will deal some heavy poison damage. As a rule, I tend to avoid attacking the snakes at all. Teleporting on top of them is a near-sure way to land yourself in a heap of trouble.