Developer Cold Symmetry has released a substantial update for Mortal Shell 2, aiming to address key player criticisms just over a week after its launch. The patch, available now on Steam and soon for PlayStation and Xbox, touches nearly every aspect of the game, introducing new content alongside extensive changes.
One of the most frequently cited issues with Mortal Shell 2 was its restrictive economy, which limited players' ability to experiment with the game's distinct character classes, known as Shells, and its weaponry. The update introduces new Tarstones, items that offer passive and active bonuses akin to rings in other Soulslike titles. Fragile Tarstones now yield Tarcores, a currency used to upgrade Tarstones before they break after a set number of uses. Additionally, Glimpse Stones have been added, which break down into Glimpses after defeating a certain number of enemies. Previously, Glimpses, the resource required to deepen bonds with Shells, were finite, preventing players from fully exploring all available classes within a single playthrough. With this update, both Glimpses and Tarstones are no longer finite, allowing players to fully upgrade all Shells and Tarstones in one run.
To further encourage experimentation, the patch also includes Mether's Severance, an item that allows players to reset their bond with a Shell, refunding all spent Glimpses. Each Tarstone upgrade now also yields more Tarcores, and players who had already upgraded Tarstones will receive extra Tarcores to compensate for the change.
Beyond economic adjustments, the update rebalances the game's entire arsenal of weapons and all Shells. Several major bosses have also received attention, including the addition of previously missing attack patterns.
Mortal Shell 2's world, while praised for its discovery potential, was criticized for uneven distribution of Beacons, which serve as save points and leveling locations. The patch rectifies this by adding new Beacons in the Fainweald and Mammon areas. To mitigate the issue of losing progress in dungeons, Egon's Stone now returns players to the dungeon entrance upon death, preventing loss of Gloom (the game's primary currency and experience resource) for that specific death. This stone breaks after a certain number of uses.
The gameplay tweaks section of the patch notes highlights a significant overhaul to ripostes. Ripostes, powerful attacks performed after successfully parrying an enemy, previously did not scale with enemy health in the late-game, NG+, or Night Mode. The update now significantly boosts riposte damage and widens the invulnerability windows during their execution, making them a more reliable combat option throughout the game.