Rust and Vengeance

[Grimshot]

From what I've pieced together the only way this quest starts is by joining a faction and entering Harmattan or jamming power coils into a damaged golem... So is there any reason I can't (or shouldn't) just go grab all the gemstone keys before starting the quest?

[Nerevar]

you simply cannot reach the gemstone keys before the quest all dungeons are locked. which is pretty much any major dungeon in the entire map. only the small minor ones are open.

there is 2 triggers.

useing 3 power coils to repair the golem. this begins the quest with a 100 day timer. (resets to 60 days once you slay the first of 1 possible bosses even if where above 60 days) this can be done even before you join any faction. only parallel quest where this is possible.

joining any faction (aside sorobor its delayed a bit for them) triggers the quest with 60 day timer when the player travels to harmatten after joining a maingame faction. this will happen with a cutscene and doesnt need power coils.

however this is forced and since you can only reach the map via travel into the city you cannot avoid this trigger.
(note : you can safely finish your entire mainquestfaction and even the three brothers and the timer wont ever begin or the quest fail aslong as you never enter harmatten during all this. its the only parallel quest that doesnt autofail upon beginning 3rd factionquest)

[Grimshot]

The dungeons are supposed to be locked? I've already grabbed two gemstone keys and have been using the train to go everywhere (originally entered through the foundry). They must have changed something or I ran into a bug. I should probably start the quest before going for the mini bosses just in case.

[Nerevar]

maybe they removed the locked dungeons then. but the bosses shouldnt be fightable at all. and they give gemstone keys.
i guess they didnt want to lock people out of the dungeons in case of timer failure or something.