Mortal Shell is a fairly challenging game. Though some may argue it’s not as difficult as some of FromSoftware’s flagships like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, it’s still more difficult than your average game. However, if the game’s requirement of demanding skill still doesn’t meet your masochistic desires, there is an altar in the game that will make your experience so much tougher. This altar activates the Obsidian Dark mode. Continue on and read this Mortal Shell guide.
The Obsidian Dark mode disallows you from using the shells in the game. Any progress you have with the shells that are already at your disposal will be removed and you won’t be able to inhabit any more shells any further. That’s right, you can essentially play the game in its entirety as an empty vessel. Not only will you die after you get hit once, but enemies will also be more aggressive than they already are. You do get a substantial increase in stamina so you can be more mobile and match your enemies’ aggressiveness.
Sound enticing? Here’s how you can activate this mode:
From the tower, head out using the tunnel at the end of the corridor left of Sester Genessa. Once you’re out, head left and continue further, across the swampy area, until you see an enemy camp.
Further down, take the path behind the stone slinger until you reach another swampy area where the giant toad NPC hangs out.
Just beyond him is a narrow cave. Go through that and as soon as the path gets wider, turn left and you’ll find a tunnel that’s covered in branches. Break the branches, go through the tunnel, and you’ll find the altar once you emerge. Approach the aforementioned ominous-looking altar, interact with it, and a warning prompt will appear. Of course, at this point, you already know what you’re getting yourself into.
Ignore the warning, say Yes to the prompts, and voilà. You’re now playing as the Obsidian Dark shell, a darker, more bad-ass looking shell who will die when he gets so much as a scratch. Congratulations! This Mortal Shell guide ends right here.
If you want to check another Mortal Shell guide, here’s how to find all shells.
Mortal Shell is already available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Read our full PS4 review right here.