Mortal Shell 2: Where to Find Your First Shell After the Prologue

Once the prologue ends in Mortal Shell 2, the Harros Shell is gone for good and you start the open world as the bare Harbinger. Two replacement Shells sit within a short walk of your first Beacon, so you do not have to wander far to inhabit a new body and get your abilities back.

Quick answer: Fast travel to the Widow’s Overlook Beacon and head southeast down the path. Past the large tree and through the torch-lit wooden doorway, look left to find Tiel halfway inside a grave. Interact with the body, finish the short memory, and choose to switch to claim your first Shell.

Before you leave: what changes after the prologue

You are not tied to a single region once the prologue is over, so you can chase any Shell you want in any order. Every Beacon can now be used to level up the Harbinger with Gloom, the white currency that drops when you die. Both Shells covered here are reachable from the same starting point, which makes them the practical first picks.

How to reach and claim Tiel

Travel to the Widow’s Overlook Beacon and head southeast, following the path downhill. This is the quicker of the two routes and the one to take first.

Fight through the cultist enemies along the path and keep moving toward the large tree. Flying enemies wait around the tree, so clear them out before you pass it.

Continue past the tree toward the wooden doorway with a torch on each side. Stepping through it, your screen starts pulsing red, which means a Shell is close.

Harbinger approaching the torch-lit wooden palisade entrance with the combat HUD on screen — Mortal Shell 2 — Cold Symmetry

Look to your left to spot Tiel halfway inside a grave. Interact with the body to inhabit the Shell and trigger a short memory.

Tiel's body resting in a shallow grave, ready to interact with — Image: Cold Symmetry

During the memory, enter the house through the window on the left and let the sequence play out. When it ends, accept the prompt to switch and you can use Tiel right away.

New Shell Discovered: Tiel prompt asking whether to switch, with Yes and No options — Image: Cold Symmetry

You will know it worked when the “New Shell Discovered: Tiel” prompt appears and, after choosing Yes, your moveset and stats change to Tiel’s. If the screen stops pulsing red without a prompt, you have not interacted with the body yet.

Tiel’s ability and passive

Tiel is the agile assassin option, built around stealth and clean dodging.

Trait	Name	Effect
Shell Ability	Lingering Shadow	Turns Tiel invisible so enemies cannot see you. A Light Attack while invisible triggers Shadow Strike for heavy damage, which upgrades can increase.
Shell Passive	Shadow Dash	Dodging immediately before an attack lands makes you invisible for a few seconds and builds stagger on a boss.

How to reach and claim Proxima

Proxima is the other Shell near your start and a better fit if you prefer a tankier body over stealth. The route runs in the opposite direction from Tiel.

From the Widow’s Overlook Beacon, head northeast. Several optional dungeons branch off to the sides, but skip them if Proxima is your goal.

World map screen with the cursor near a fog-covered area while plotting the Proxima route — Image: Cold Symmetry

Push through the many enemies along the northeast path and keep moving forward. There is no need to clear every side area to reach her.

Path northeast from Widow's Overlook lined with enemies leading toward Proxima — Image: Cold Symmetry

Keep going until you see a glowing Beacon you can enter. Step inside and the screen starts pulsing red, marking a nearby Shell. Proxima is directly in front of you.

INHABIT UNKNOWN SHELL prompt shown while targeting the glowing fallen Proxima Shell — Image: Cold Symmetry

Interact with the Shell and let the memory finish. Once the sequence is over, switch to Proxima to start using her immediately.

Proxima's apparition speaking the line You are Merrick during her memory sequence — Image: Cold Symmetry

Note: This glowing Beacon is not one of the standard Beacons you cleanse to earn an Ova, so do not expect that reward here.

Proxima’s ability and passive

Trait	Name	Effect
Shell Ability	Biosampler	Fires a hook that pulls an enemy toward you, setting up a Lightning-empowered follow-up attack.
Shell Passive	Grafted Armor	Gives a 15% chance to mitigate melee and ranged damage, reducing what you take in combat.

Which Shell to grab first

Tiel is the recommended first pick because the route is shorter and the Shell rewards precise dodging with damage windows through Lingering Shadow and Shadow Dash. Proxima trades that stealth for durability, leaning on Grafted Armor’s damage mitigation, which suits players who would rather absorb hits than avoid them. Both bodies are yours to keep once you finish the memory, so there is no cost to claiming one, then doubling back for the other.