The locked Eternal Guard wagon at the Poisoned Camp sits behind one obstacle: an elite enemy who holds the only key to its door. You will find it in the Vale of Wrath during Chapter V (CRIME), on the camp road that runs past a dark wooden carriage marked with a gold “N”. Here is where the Wagon Key is, who carries it, and what waits inside once the door swings open.
Quick answer: A dual-sword Volunteer standing on the Poisoned Camp road drops the Wagon Key straight into your inventory when he falls. Use it on the wagon door bearing the gold “N” to reach the letter inside.
Where the Wagon Key is in the Vale of Wrath
The Wagon Key is held in the VALE OF WRATH, the Chapter V (CRIME) area unlocked after you open the Outward Pass Gate. You won’t find it as a ground pickup: a Volunteer wielding two swords carries it. He waits on the route across the Poisoned Camp, immediately before the locked carriage.
The Poisoned Camp is an army camp built across a rocky valley, with canvas tents, wicker fences, watchtowers, wooden walkways and stacked timber. The wagon itself is a dark wooden Eternal Guard carriage with a French tricolour flag planted beside it, and its door carries a large gold “N” set inside a gold laurel wreath. It stands on the camp road about 25 m from the Poisoned Camp Lantern. For the wider layout, the Vale of Wrath map plots the camp against the rest of the region.
Before starting the fight, rest at the Lantern. It sits beside the encounter, so a death leaves you with very little ground to cover again. From the camp’s east-side ledge, you can see the entire area, including the road and wagon, and spot the Volunteer before climbing down to him.
After killing you, the Volunteer will be back at the camp when you return, waiting motionless on the road until you attack him again. A rifle-carrying Volunteer is also close by, but the key does not require you to take him on.
How to beat the dual-sword Volunteer
You are looking for a tall Volunteer in a blue coat with white cross straps, a metal face cage, and a sword in each hand. One arm is mutated into a red, plague-swollen limb. His core numbers are below.
| Health | Posture | Drop on defeat |
|---|---|---|
| 650 | 500 | 500 Catalysts + Wagon Key |
He can cover roughly 10 m in around a second. The rush ends in a two-sword lunge, followed by broad slashes and crossed strikes; he can also seize you with the mutated plague arm. This approach and attack sequence killed a 140-health William in about 2 seconds, making a stationary low-level attempt to trade hits fatal.
Stay out of reach until he launches his forward lunge; evade that and the slashes, then move in to counterattack. Since Volunteers are resistant to firearms, use your melee weapon to finish him instead of your pistol. Parry to build his Posture, then land a Critical Attack once it breaks. The Saber has the strongest Critical Attack of the weapons.
When he falls, you collect 500 Catalysts and the Wagon Key goes directly into your inventory. There is no item to grab off the ground and no separate pickup prompt. You can confirm it under Inventory, Key Items, where the entry reads “Wagon Key” with the description “A heavy carriage key to the Eternal Guard wagon.”
He is one of several elites who hold keys across the campaign. The full roster appears in the every elite enemy and its drop breakdown.
How to open the Eternal Guard wagon
With the key in hand, the door opens in three quick actions.
What’s inside the Eternal Guard wagon
Inside, the wagon is far larger than it looks from outside. It opens into a red-velvet salon with red damask walls, heavy red curtains, tall bookcases, red sofas, a red coat dropped on the floor, wall candles, and a staircase at the back climbing toward a light.
The one pickup is a letter resting on a wooden writing desk beside an oil lamp. The prompt reads “[E] TAKE”.
It is “CAPTAIN LEFÈVRE’S LETTER — NEW TROOPS”, and it reads:
(…) With respect, Sir, I must report that my men are deeply unsettled by the new troops assigned to guard the shipment. These soldiers barely speak or sleep; they move in an unusual way, and some stare straight through people. Even the horses shy away from them. I request further instruction on how to maintain discipline and morale under such circumstances (…)
Nothing else in the wagon can be picked up; the letter is the sole item. It adds to Chapter V’s story by hinting at the unusual “new troops” guarding a shipment, but it provides no gear.
Is the Wagon Key worth getting?
Defeating the Volunteer gives you the key and 500 Catalysts; the wagon contains just the letter. Visit if collecting every key or reading all the notes matters to you, but skip it when gear is your only goal. The Musket is in a house only a few steps from this Lantern, so you’ll be nearby already. To find the remaining keys and their locks, consult the every key and what it opens list and the every key on the Valor Mortis map.
