Sunken Boxcar in Shadows Over Loathing
Image via Asymmetric

How to Complete Shadows Over Loathing Dauphin House – Guide

The literal definition of a fun-house!

Shadows Over Loathing is the hilarious and riveting sequel to West of Loathing, an incredibly popular RPG that came out all the way back in 2017. Just like its predecessor, Shadows Over Loathing is an intensely entertaining adventure game full of mayhem, humor, and way more puzzles than strictly necessary. If you loved playing Asymmetric’s previous two Loathing games, Kingdom of Loathing and West of Loathing, then you’ll love playing Shadows Over Loathing!

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The puzzles in this game are honestly a lot more complex than people give them credit for. One over-complicated puzzle that many players have trouble solving is the Dauphin House side quest, which is honestly far too complicated to even attempt to sovle without a guide. Thankfully, this guide covers everything you need to know about the Dauphin House in Shadows Over Loathing!

Complete Guide to the Dauphin House in Shadows Over Loathing

The Dauphin House is one of the most profitable locations to visit in Shadows Over Loathing. In addition to untold riches, you’ll also gain tons of stats from completing this quest! You’ll also be helping a friendly old hobo named Pepperidge Dauphin recover his father’s collection of antique padlocks, which is always a plus.

To start the Dauphin House side quest, you’ll first need to unlock the Dauphin House on your map by talking to Pepperidge Dauphin in the Sunken Boxcar location. Once you’ve got the house on your map, simply follow these step-by-step instructions (make sure you follow them exactly in this order, or it’ll get confusing):

How to Get Padlock #1

You’ll need to recover 11 total padlocks hidden on the Dauphin property to complete this quest. In order to do that, you’ll also need to recover a lot of keys, since most of the padlocks will be locked. Here’s how to get the first padlock:

  • Travel to the Dauphin House marked on your map.
  • Go over to the rotted car in front of the building and press “E” to jimmy it open. This will grant you your first padlock key: the Dauphin padlock key (tarnished). – Requires Wire Coat Hanger (or Cursed Key).
  • Next, go over to the garage and use the key from the rotted car to unlock the padlock keeping its doors shut. This will grant you the first of the 11 required padlocks. – Requires Dauphin padlock key (tarnished).

How to Get Padlock #2

Once you’ve got the first padlock, you should have gained access to the garage. You can go inside it and look around, but you won’t be able to unlock the padlock that’s inside of it just yet. Once you’re done exploring the garage, follow these steps to get your second padlock:

  • On the far left side of the property, there is a tree with a hole in its trunk. Reach your hand inside and retrieve your second padlock key: the Dauphin padlock key (mossy)
  • Enter Dauphin Manor through the front door.
  • Turn right and walk all the way down the hallway until you come to the final door (the kitchen). Enter through the kitchen door and rifle through the drawers next to the sink. Doing this will grant you your second padlock.
    • Doing this will also grant you the dire corn holder, paper clip, and fuse items.

How to Get Padlock #3

Don’t leave the kitchen just yet! There is a second padlock hidden in the kitchen, which will be your third padlock. Here’s how to get it:

  • Go to the locked fridge on the left side of the kitchen.
  • Press “E” to unlock the fridge’s padlock using the key you got from the tree outside. Doing this will not only reward you with your third padlock but also another key: a key in a block of ice. – Requires Dauphin padlock key (mossy)

How to Get Padlock #4

There aren’t any more padlocks (or keys) left in the kitchen, but there are in the rest of the house! Here’s how to get your fourth padlock in the Dauphin House in Shadows Over Loathing:

  • Exit the kitchen.
  • Start walking down the opposite direction of the main hall until you come to the final door (the bathroom).
  • Enter the bathroom and drop the frozen key (the one you got from inside the fridge) into the hot bathtub. Doing this will give you access to the key that you obtained from the fridge: the Dauphin padlock key (cold).
  • Use the newly-accessed key to unlock the bathroom’s medicine cabinet. This will earn you your 4th padlock. – Requires Dauphin padlock key (cold)
    • You’ll also get the mercury eyedrops and the activated charcoal briquette items from the medicine cabinet.
  • Go over to the toilet and try to flush it. When it refuses to flush, reach into the toilet’s tank and fish out the problem: the Dauphin padlock key (wet).
Bartender in Shadows Over Loathing
Image via Asymmetric

How to Get Padlock #5

There aren’t any more keys or padlocks in the bathroom, but you’ll definitely need the new key that you fished out of the toilet to get this padlock:

  • Exit the bathroom.
  • Go over to the locked door directly next to the bathroom. Use the key that you got from the bathroom’s toilet to unlock the door’s padlock. Doing this should give you your fifth padlock. – Requires Dauphin padlock key (wet).

How to Get Padlock #6

By unlocking the door next to the bathroom, you’ll gain access to the second floor of Dauphin Manor. Here’s how to get the sixth padlock:

  • Walk through the newly-unlocked door to get to the second floor of Dauphin Manor.
  • Go down to the final door on the right side of the hallway (bedroom).
  • Enter the bedroom and go over to the bed.
  • Check underneath the bed’s pillow and retrieve the Dauphin padlock key (shiny).
  • Exit the bedroom.
  • Walk down the hallway and go to the final locked door on the left. Using the key you got from the bedroom, unlock the padlock that’s keeping the door shut. Doing this should give you your sixth padlock. – Requires Dauphin padlock key (shiny).

How to Get Padlock #7

Unlocking the final door on the left of the second-floor hallway will give you access to another bedroom. Inside is where you’ll find the key to your next padlock:

  • Enter the newly-unlocked room (bedroom).
  • Go to the nightstand in the corner of the room and open it. Doing this should reward you with another key: the Dauphin padlock key (disappointing).
    • The nightstand should also give you the self-adhesive rivets and junk mail items.
  • Exit the bedroom.
  • Go over to the door next to the bedroom and unlock it using the key you just obtained. Doing this should grant you your seventh padlock. – Requires Dauphin padlock key (disappointing).

How to Get Padlock #8

Obtaining your seventh padlock will also conveniently open up another room for you to explore! This room won’t actually contain any padlocks or keys, but it is still worth exploring because the item that it does hold will help you get another key and your eighth padlock:

  • Enter the newly-unlocked room (the attic).
  • Go over to the workbench and grab the handmade radio.
    • Listening to the radio in different parts of the house will allow you to hear the ghostly voices of past Dauphin family members. Listening to it in the attic will allow you to listen to a conversation between Mr. Dauphin and his son.
  • Exit the attic.
  • Go back to the final bedroom on the left side of the hallway and listen to the radio. Doing this will allow you to listen to a conversation between Mr. Dauphin and his daughter, which will give you a clue about the whereabouts of another key.
  • Once you’ve listened to the conversation, go back down to the first floor of the Dauphin Manor.
  • Go over to the row of Dauphin family paintings and check behind the painting of Calpernie Dauphin (One-Eyed Aunt Calpernia). Doing this should reward you with another key: the Dauphin padlock key (sticky).
  • Go back outside and enter the garage.
  • Use your sticky key to unlock the tool chest. This should give you your eighth padlock, in addition to another key: the Dauphin padlock key (rusty). – Requires Dauphin padlock key (sticky).
    • The tool chest should also give you the handsaw item.
  • Before you exit the garage, listen to the radio. You should be able to listen to a conversation between Mrs. Dauphin and Mr. Dauphin.
  • After you’ve listened to the conversation, look underneath the workbench in the corner. You should find another key taped next to an old oil can: the Dauphin padlock key (loose).
    • You’ll also obtain the 11-in-1 oil item.
Shadows Over Loathing Artwork
Image via Asymmetric

How to Get Padlock #9

Once you’ve got the rusty key from the garage, getting your ninth padlock is easy. After you’ve exited the garage, follow these steps to get your ninth padlock:

  • Go back inside of the Dauphin Manor and go to the collection of fine china at the end of the hallway (next to the kitchen).
  • Use the rusty key you got from the garage to unlock the fine china collection’s padlock. This should give you your ninth padlock. – Requires Dauphin padlock key (rusty).
    • Doing this will also reward you with the fine china helmet item.

How to Get Padlock #10

Just like with the ninth padlock, getting the tenth padlock is incredibly easy. Using the loose key that you got from the garage should help you get your second-to-last padlock:

  • After you’ve gotten your ninth padlock, go back upstairs to the second floor of the Dauphin Manor.
  • Go back to the final bedroom on the left of the hallway and go inside.
  • Go to the cedar chest in the center of the room and use the loose key from the garage to open it. Doing this will grant you your 10th padlock. – Requires Dauphin padlock key (loose).
    • The cedar chest will also contain the perfumed wedding veil item.

How to Get Padlock #11

The final padlock is easier to get than you think! As long as you followed all of these steps in order, then you should have no problems getting your final padlock. Here’s how you retrieve the eleventh padlock in the Dauphin House in Shadows Over Loathing:

  • Exit the bedroom.
  • Listen to the radio in the second-floor hallway of the Dauphin Manor. Doing this will allow you to listen to a conversation between Mrs. Dauphin and her daughter.
  • Go to the empty plant pot at the far right side of the hallway. Reach inside and grab the hidden key: the Dauphin padlock key (dirty).
  • Go into the bedroom door next to the plant pot.
  • Go over to the locked nightstand in the corner of the bedroom and open it using the dirty key. Doing this will grant you the final padlock! – Requires Dauphin padlock key (dirty).
    • You’ll also gain the creepy music box item from the nightstand.

How to Complete the Dauphin House Side Quest in Shadows Over Loathing

Now that you’ve got all 11 padlocks, it’s time to return them to their rightful owner. Follow these steps to complete the Dauphin House side quest:

  • Travel back to the Sunken Boxcar and head inside.
  • Talk to Pepperidge Dauphin.
  • Tell Pepperidge Dauphin that you’ve found his father’s padlocks, then hand them over.
  • Once the padlocks are back where they belong, you’ll have successfully completed the Dauphin House quest in Shadows Over Loathing!

Related: Shadows Over Loathing – How to Solve Mudhenge Puzzle


The Dauphin House in Shadows Over Loathing is trickier than most locations that you’ll stumble across in the game, but it’s definitely not alone in that regard. If you ever need help getting through a tricky location in this game, like the Crystal Store location, then just check out Gamer Journlaist’s helpful Shadows Over Loathing guides!

Author
Image of Allysen Pierce
Allysen Pierce
Allysen Pierce is a freelance writer with a passion for gaming who has been a part of the Gamer Journalist team since May 2022. Her main passions are horror games and dating sims (especially combinations of the two), but she has been known to play literally anything that is put in front of her. Her current favorite games include Skyrim, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, Cult of the Lamb, Slaughter Horse, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. When she's not playing games (or writing about them), she can be found reading, baking, watching horror movies, or playing with her cat.