Ever since it was announced back in April, it’s been clear that Cold Symmetry’s new action game Mortal Shell wears its Dark Souls influence on its sleeve, hewing very closely in many ways to the formula that made FromSoftware’s series such a hit. That said, the game does offer some unique twists on the Souls-like genre, one of the most notable being its use of the titular Shells.
These are how the game approaches its class system, making them one of the core mechanics in Mortal Shell alongside things like parrying. The Shells are the bodies of fallen warriors that the protagonist, a wraith-like being known as the Foundling, can inhabit. Players start off finding one at the start of the game, but there three more hidden throughout the game’s dreary world for them to find, each boasting different stats to encourage different playstyles.
Finding additional Shells is one thing, but something players might not immediately know how to do is switch between them. For those eager to know, there are a few ways to go about changing Shells in Mortal Shell.
Fallgrim Tower
The tower in the game’s central area, Fallgrim, serves as the main hub where players can manage their gear, interact with NPCs, and spend Mortal Shell’s currencies like glimpse to buy abilities for their Shells. The tower is also where players will find a mausoleum where the Shells they’ve found are kept when not in use. All they need to do to swap out Shells is walk up to a slot in the wall with a Shell resting in it and interact with it.
Effigies
It’s actually possible to swap between Shells outside the tower as well, which will be helpful when one of the game’s more brutal combat encounters calls for a quick change in tactics. There are consumable items known as Effigies, which can be found in chests or item drops from slain enemies. These come in four types, one for each of the game’s four distinct Shells. When collected, they appear as an Unknown Effigy until players discover their respective Shell, at which point they’re free to use it to instantly switch to that Shell on the spot.
Of course, these won’t be of any use until players actually find the Shells, which can be quite a challenge on its own. Luckily, players can get some help in-game, as they can interact with empty slots in the mausoleum to receive visions to give them an idea of where to find the Shells. If that’s too much trouble, however, there’re always guides for where to get all of Mortal Shell’s Shells.
Mortal Shell is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.