Are you keen on wanting to defeat all major bosses in Mortal Shell 2? There are 10 of these opponents in the regions of Fainweald, Mammon, and beyond, and they’re all salivating at the chance to finish off your character, the Harbinger. Our guide has tips to help you gain an advantage, but be forewarned that there are massive spoilers ahead.
Mortal Shell 2 major bosses versus minibosses
For the sake of clarity, the Mortal Shell 2 major bosses that we’re referring to are those that are found at the end of the Corrupted Gates in the game, as well as those in the final dungeon:
- There’s one boss in the prologue, but we didn’t include it on our list as the outcome is predetermined.
- There are six Corrupted Gate dungeons in the overworld. These are the Glutted Mire, Sanguine Caverns, and Prisoners’ Domain in Fainweald, and the Conquered Temple, Withered Shoals, and Faded Citadel in Mammon.
- Upon defeating a major boss, a beacon will spawn. Inside it, you’ll find 26x Ova, which are required for continued campaign progress.
- The final dungeon, known as the Unfound Path, becomes available later in the campaign once you’ve found enough Ova. There are three bosses that guard the tendrils that block progression. After taking them out, only the final boss awaits you.
Before we continue, we recommend taking a look at our articles about all shell locations, all weapon/sidearm locations, and all Tarforge upgrades. Having decent shell perks for your build, as well as upgraded gear pieces and Tarstones, should make the upcoming bouts more manageable.
It’s also worth adding that you can explore most of Fainweald and Mammon to find more loot, saving the Corrupted Gate dungeons for later. Last but not least, several boss encounters allow you to permanently summon a shell warrior as a spirit ally, though the unlock itself costs 1x Glimpse.
Glutted Mire boss: Magdalena, Lady of the Woods
Magdalena will likely be your first major boss fight in Mortal Shell 2. That’s because the Ova you collect for progression would lead you to her Corrupted Gate dungeon. Magdalena’s notable abilities include the following:
- Cart Ram – Lets the engine rip and barrels straight into your location.
- Fire Spin – Spins around and creates a torrent of fire around her.
- Blown Babies – Summons Tar Babies that explode when in close proximity.
This fight is purely about avoidance, which makes Tiel an ideal pick here. Dodge her ramming and spinning attacks, then do your melee combos just before she has a chance to recover. Once she starts summoning Tar Babies, keep running and dodging to avoid the explosions.
- Shell summon: Smert
- Reward: Magdalena’s Memento (Axe & Dagger) – Consume 100 resolve to rise into the air and unleash a flurry of ruthless strikes.
Sanguine Caverns boss: The Lost Child
The Lost Child boss in Mortal Shell 2 has some really nasty attacks, including a Belching Breath where it regurgitates half-eaten carcasses while targeting your location. Perhaps its most dangerous ability is Digest & Excrete. This is a grab attack that’s a bit hard to telegraph, especially if you’re too close to it.
If it catches you, it will gobble you up and then “poop” you out of its bum like discarded remains. It’s hilarious to see, but don’t let that distract you from the fact that it’s also very deadly.
- Shell summon: Tiel
- Reward: Lost Clotstone (Obsidian Hammer and Veteran’s Battle Axe) – Consume 60 resolve to spin in place and release your weapon with brutal force.
Note: After cleansing the final beacon in the dungeon, go to the innermost chamber to find a Blackmarrow Key. The item is used to open sarcophagi in Marrow Keep, which then nets you a new color scheme for unlocked shells.
Prisoners’ Domain boss: The Nameless Captive
The Nameless Captive boss should be a treat for long-time fans of soulslike games. This is akin to a straight-up melee bout:
- Sword Stab – Repeatedly strikes the ground with the large blade embedded in it.
- Violent Swing – Spins around several times, with its blade cutting large swathes around it.
The Nameless Captive has brutal, multi-hit attacks. The good news is that the patterns are fairly easy to memorize. If you can block or parry these, your victory will be even more rewarding.
- Shell summon: Eredrim
- Reward: Captive’s Scabstone (Great Martyr’s Blade) – Consume 100 resolve to swing your weapon in a violent arc, striking all who stand close.
Conquered Temple boss: Droeg the Conqueror
If you head to the snowed-in dungeon known as the Conquered Temple, then you’ll end up facing Droeg the Conqueror, a large ogre who wields a gargantuan bone club. Droeg’s most dangerous ability, however, doesn’t involve his melee weapon. Rather, it’s the Blazing Frostfire that emanates from his back.
When Droeg looks like he’s stunned, but a red icon flashes around him, it means flames will start flying outside his body. All of these projectiles home in on your position, and each one deals high damage.
- Shell summon: Gragu
- Reward: Conqueror’s Reward (Black Needle) – Consume 100 resolve to drive your weapon forward in a series of swift piercing thrusts.
Note: After collecting the Ova in the beacon, continue to the other side of the hallway. There’s an area beyond where the climate is extremely cold, causing your character to take periodic damage. If you survive all the way to the end, you’ll find the Frostshard Stone.
Withered Shoals boss: Hexapod
Although the Hexapod is located in the Ruins of Mammon, we feel that it’s one of the easiest encounters (at least among the major bosses in the game). For starters, its melee attacks cause it to spread its tentacles wide, revealing its head. This animation takes a few seconds, making it easy to telegraph.
It also jumps backward, causing a red icon to flash on its body. This means it’s getting ready to do the Squid Surge ability, where it rams into your character. A quick sideways dodge ought to be enough to avoid it, allowing you to strike it several times.
- Shell summon: Proxima
- Reward: Hexapod Core (Axatana) – Consume 60 resolve to carve through enemies with a rapid succession of strikes.
Faded Citadel boss: Isaac, the Scholar Prince
The Isaac boss in Mortal Shell 2 can be a bit frustrating to fight. Although this foe fights primarily in melee, he also has extremely high range. He can close the gap easily with his Leaping Lunge maneuver. He also does the Pin Cushion combo, where he repeatedly thrusts downward with his dual rapiers.
After depleting 50% of Isaac’s health, you’ll automatically rip away his shield. This will hardly faze him, however, since his attacks will become more erratic and unpredictable.
- Shell summon: Lazlo
- Reward: Scholar’s Wormstone (Clockwork Scythe) – Consume resolve over time to set the chainsaw in motion, augmenting your every attack.
Unfound Path: Bridge of Procession boss – Orrem, the Discarded Golem / Orrem, the Reclaimed
The Unfound Path is the game’s final dungeon. The large platform in the middle is inaccessible by default. The goal is to explore the three segments of the dungeon, all of which have tendrils that you can destroy. Before you can do that, however, you must defeat each enemy guarding those areas.
One of these foes is Orrem, a beefed-up Tar Golem. During the first phase, Orrem will create flame explosions with its Cascading Fire, which triggers after its melee combo. It also periodically jumps high into the air before crashing down.
Then, after depleting its HP, the golem will grow a tail, and you’ll enter the second phase of the encounter. The boss scurries around more often, lashes at you with its tail, and triggers flame explosions from a distance.
- Shell summon: Sariel
- Reward: Orrem’s Head – Can be traded for 5,000 coins.
Unfound Path: Obsidian Vault boss – The Monolith
The Monolith can shrug off tremendous damage due to its high health. Early in the battle, this huge stone block primarily attacks by jumping and falling down in an attempt to squash you. Then, once you’ve depleted half of its health bar, it will start shooting out beams. It will also spin around while the beams are active, so try to dodge at the perfect time to avoid taking damage.
- Shell summon: N/A
- Reward: Monolith Fragment – Can be traded for 5,000 coins.
Unfound Path: Faithful’s Shelter boss – Malborn Offspring
The Malborn offspring is the toughest Mortal Shell 2 boss in this particular dungeon. That’s because this is a two-phase encounter and the boss has some rather hard-to-predict moves:
- Cleaving Combos – Most of its attack sequences have five or six chained hits, all with varying animation speeds and delays. We feel that its patterns are harder to memorize compared to, say, the Nameless Captive from earlier in the campaign.
- Once you’ve fully depleted its health bar, it will slowly get resurrected. Use these precious few seconds to continuously attack it before it’s fully risen.
- For the entirety of the second phase, its attacks will be infused with the lightning element. It will also chuck out electrified bolts from a distance.
If you’ve improved your bond with Proxima, then she’s a viable option here due to her Ampereon perks, which grant immunity to lightning. That said, our pick happens to be Genessa, thanks to her Faithful Double summons, which are able to distract the Malborn Offspring.
- Shell summon: N/A
- Reward: Offspring Trophy – Can be traded for 5,000 coins.
Note: Before fighting the final boss, be sure to cleanse the Hidden Nave beacon. Inside, you’ll find the Endless Core, which removes the Tarforge upgrade limit.
Final boss: Zmey the Unbidden
And now you’ve reached the grand finale. It’s time to face the final boss in Mortal Shell 2. Here’s what you need to know:
- The boss is a giant dragon that breathes Cosmic Flames. If you managed to find the Seedbearer’s Scripture in Night Mode, then the item’s active and passive effects ought to help with damage mitigation.
- Zmey likes to jump away at certain points. This is usually followed by a Blade Slam that causes Cosmic Flames to emanate in a straight line. You can just dodge sideways to avoid it.
- It sometimes stands around to cast Cascading Flare, which causes flames to erupt around you for several seconds. This is a great time to use the Seedbearer’s Scripture if you have it.
- The boss also has an attack that we’ve taken to calling The Teabag. Let’s just say that if you keep fighting it in melee range, you’ll see what’s right in front of you and what your foe does whenever a red icon flashes.
We felt that Zmey was actually easier to beat compared to the Malborn Offspring. It might be because we’re using a fully powered-up Tiel shell with several perks unlocked. We dodged the boss’ attacks, which allowed us to go into stealth mode often. From there, we just kept striking it in melee, while activating Shadow Strike every now and then.
- Shell summon: Tiel or Genessa
- Reward: N/A
That does it for our guide on how to defeat all major bosses in Mortal Shell 2. Now that the final boss has been vanquished, you can interact with the siphoning machine in Marrow Keep. If you pick the “Send Ova” option, it will take you straight to New Game Plus.
If you don’t want to do that, then simply avoid picking the option. You can keep playing your current save/progression to discover anything you might’ve missed. Perhaps you still need to find various weapons/sidearms, shell locations, and maybe a secret location or two.
The ravaged lands of Fallgrim are full of ferocious foes and dangerous dungeons. You don’t have to go at it alone, though, because we’ve got a bunch of tips for you in our Mortal Shell 2 guides hub.
