Rift Keystone Fragments, usually called "Rift Keys" or "Keystones" are a kind of [[material]] awarded for completing Bounties and opening [[Horadric Caches]]. Rift Keys are spent to open [[Nephalem Rifts]], and have no other function of or purpose in the game. These materials are found only in Reaper of Souls and in [[Adventure Mode]].

Opening * See also [[Greater Rift Keys]]. Prior to [[Patch 2.1], opening a Nephalem Rift requires required 5 rift keys, and all players in a game can could enter the same rift after one player opens Rift once it was open. (This created the [[Rift itForward]] phenomena.) In Patch 2. Thus players often party up 1 the Rift Key system changed to 1 Rift Key for each player who wished to enter the rift. The same applies to [[Greater Rifts and take turns opening them]], so which require 1 [[GRK]] of the Rift Key expenses are spread equallycorrect level for character who wishes to enter.

[[File:Greater-rift-keystone-l10.jpg|thumb|Greater Rift Keystone, level 10.]]A new kind of rift key was added in the [[Patch 2.1]], tied to [[Greater Rifts]]. To open these higher levels special types of Rifts, players must farm find a [[Greater Rift KeysGKR]] , which are only dropped is a random drop by [[any Rift Guardians]]Guardian. Completing a Greater Rift Keys come in several quality levels, with higher level keys opening within the 15m timer will earn higher level RiftsGRKs.  Unlike normal Rift keys, a greater rift keys is required from each character in * See the game who wants to enter the Rift. Thus there is no free-loading or entering a Rift that someone else has opened, as [[Greater Rifts are serious business; timed dungeons with almost all of the rewards coming from the Rift Guardian, which players must rush to reach in time]] article for full details on this major game system.

A From RoS' launch up until [[Patch 2.1]], [[Rift it Forward]] was a popular player innovation technique (exploit?) to share the costs of Rift Keys and rewards of Nephalem Rifts is known as [[Rift it Forward]]completions. Patch 2. This is a sort of community-minded exploit where a player spends his rift 1 killed this system by changing Rift costs from 5 keys to open a rift for a powerful character, in exchange for the reward from to 1 key per each player upon entering the Rift Guardian and rift completionor Greater Rift.

The usual When the RiF system worked, the technique is was for a powerful player to solo a Rift on a high difficulty level, then to use the public or clan chat to offer spots in his game to other playersjust before he completed the rift. A weaker character or characters would join inand enter the rift, thus getting their share of the reward when Guardian's drop, plus the [[Rift Guardian]] is killed exp and gold reward for finishing the Rift is completedrift. In exchange, and then the weaker character would open up a new Rift in that game, and then exit, leaving it for the powerful player. The weaker characters leave the game then, so as character to remove the multiplayer scaling up of monster hit pointssolo, and hope to join in again once saving him the Rift is nearly clearedcost of any rift keys.

This system benefits the benefited weaker characters by giving them free experience, gold, and items, and benefits the benefited powerful character characters by enabling him them to do Rifts without having to farm for or spend his their own Rift Keys. Though the entire system is something of technically an exploit, Blizzard has commented approvingly[http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/12506571192?page=3#45] on it, and seems seemed to have no desire plans to nerf or modify end Rif'ing... until Patch 2.1 suddenly changed the shared rewards to make Rifting it Forward impossiblerift costs and did just that.