Mortal Shell 2: How to Get and Use the Citadel Gate Lever

The Citadel of Penance sits in the western part of Fainweald in Mortal Shell 2, and its main gate stays sealed until you slot in the missing Citadel Gate Lever. The lever is carried by a miniboss below the fortress, and once you return it to the wall mechanism, the entrance stays open permanently.

Quick answer: Defeat the Bloodcursed Lithopod southeast of the Citadel to get the Citadel Gate Lever, then bring it back to the main gate and interact with the wall mechanism to open it for good.

Where the Citadel Gate Lever drops

The lever was stolen and taken into the ravine below the fortress, and a note posted at the gate points you toward the culprit. That culprit is the Bloodcursed Lithopod, a large stone crab that guards the lever near a body of water.

Travel to the Gloomshade Grove Beacon, which is the closest fast-travel point to the fight. From there, head southeast toward the patch of water shown on your map.

Continue downhill until you reach a waterfall with a pool nearby. Several worm-like enemies roam this spot alongside the Bloodcursed Lithopod boss.

Clear the poison worms first. Left alive, they chip away a large chunk of your health during the boss fight, and the Troubadour’s Lute can confuse them if you already have it.

Focus the Bloodcursed Lithopod. Watch for the moment it hunches backward before leaping toward you. That leap is easy to Parry or Deflect with your Seal, which opens a window to counter.

When the Lithopod dies, it drops the Citadel Gate Lever. Clearing the crab also opens access to the nearby Ravaged Hideout dungeon if you want to explore before heading back.

Note: The Lithopod loves to jump and slam. It can even be killed without a single hit from you. Luring other enemies into it can start an infight, and the crab sometimes launches itself so high that it dies from fall damage. The lever still drops either way.

How to open the gate with the lever

With the lever in your inventory, return to the Gloomshade Grove Beacon and head west along the path.

Follow the route until you reach the Citadel walls and the sealed main gate.

Find the lever mechanism set into the stone wall beside the gate, insert the Citadel Gate Lever, and interact with the prompt. The gate opens and stays open, giving you a permanent entrance through the front.

You know it worked when the gate mechanism triggers, and the entryway swings open, letting you walk straight into the Citadel courtyard without teleporting.

Alternative entry without the lever

The lever is not the only way inside. A second route on the other side of Fainweald teleports you straight into the fortress, though escaping is harder because you start deep in the prison cells.

Fast travel to the One-Legged Wolf Beacon in the southeastern part of Fainweald and head south past the Tavern.

Turn left before the bridge and cross toward the ruins. Look for a candle mounted on the wall and interact with it. This teleports you directly into a prison cell inside the Citadel.

Break out by landing a normal attack on the cell door, then fight your way up. Take the lift toward the middle of the arena to continue.

Note: A coin pouch inside the arena reads as a “touch” prompt rather than a “pick up” prompt. Grabbing it triggers the Warden boss fight, so only take it when you are ready to commit.

Two ways in, compared

Method	Requirement	Result
Citadel Gate Lever	Defeat the Bloodcursed Lithopod southeast of the Citadel	Opens the main gate permanently through the front
Wall candle teleport	Interact with the candle near the ruins by the One-Legged Wolf Beacon	Drops you into the prison cells; you fight your way out

What waits inside the Citadel of Penance

However you get in, a Beacon in the southeast corner of the interior acts as a fast-travel point. Behind the market stalls, a breakable wall hides a Revered Gland used to upgrade your Mether’s Pulse healing flask.

The main reward is the Eredrim shell. Reach the center of the base, defeat the Warden boss in the arena, and interact with the body to claim Eredrim, a tanky new warrior you can inhabit in combat.