Mortal Shell 2: How to Beat The Monolith in the Obsidian Vault

The Monolith is one of the three guardian bosses inside the Unfound Path, the final dungeon of Mortal Shell 2. It sits at the end of the Obsidian Vault section, and beating it is one of the requirements to bring down the corrupted tendrils that block the center of the zone before the last boss.

Quick answer: Whittle down the Monolith’s large health bar while sidestepping its jumping body slams. Once you drop it below half health, it starts firing beams and spinning, so keep moving and dodge as the beam passes. After it dies, sever the red gland hanging in the arena to open the way forward.

How to reach The Monolith in the Unfound Path

The Unfound Path only becomes available later in the campaign, once you have recovered enough Ova. The large platform in the middle of the dungeon is sealed off at the start. To open it, you explore the three branches of the area and destroy the tendrils inside each one, but every tendril is protected by a boss you must clear first.

The Monolith is the guardian of the Obsidian Vault branch. The other two guardians are Orrem, the Discarded Golem on the Bridge of Procession, and the Malborn Offspring in Faithful’s Shelter. After all three tendrils fall, only the final boss, Zmey the Unbidden, remains.

Note: The Monolith does not offer a spectral shell summon, so you fight this one without a Glimpse-purchased ally. Bring a shell and weapon whose timing you already trust. A fast dual-blade like the Axatana on a mobile shell such as Genessa, the Wayward works well because the whole fight rewards movement over trading blows.

The Monolith’s attacks by phase

This is a huge stone block with a very high health pool, so expect the fight to run long. It shrugs off a lot of damage, and the moveset changes once you cross the halfway point of its health bar.

Phase	Attack	How to handle it
First half of health	Jumping body slam	The block leaps and drops to crush you. Move out of the landing spot, then punish as it recovers.
Below 50% health	Beam fire	It shoots out beams across the arena. Keep running and time your dodge so the beam passes over you.
Below 50% health	Spinning beams	It rotates while the beams are active, sweeping the space. Dodge at the moment the beam reaches you rather than dodging early.

How to beat The Monolith

Stay mobile in the early phase and watch for the jump. When the Monolith lifts to slam down, clear the shadow it lands in, then close back in for a few hits before it acts again.

Keep chipping its health with short attack strings. Because its health pool is large, resist the urge to over-commit. Land two or three hits, then reset your spacing so you are never caught mid-combo.

Once you pass the halfway point, switch to a running mindset. The beams start here, so treat the arena as a space to circle rather than stand your ground.

When it spins with the beams active, dodge on the beam’s timing, not ahead of it. A well-timed roll as the beam sweeps across you avoids the damage; rolling too soon leaves you exposed when the beam actually arrives.

Punish the gaps between beam sets. Between sweeps there are short openings to run in and attack. Empty its remaining health during those windows and the fight ends.

Reward and how to progress after the kill

Defeating the Monolith rewards the Monolith Fragment, a chunk of etched obsidian. It has no combat use and can be traded for 5,000 tar if you want to cash it in.

The fight is not finished the moment the boss dies. To open the next stretch of the Obsidian Vault and continue clearing the tendrils, walk up to the red gland hanging in the arena and sever it. This triggers a transition cutscene and moves the dungeon forward.

You will know it worked when the sever prompt fires and the scene changes. With the Monolith’s tendril down, you can turn your attention to the remaining two guardians, Orrem and the Malborn Offspring, before facing Zmey the Unbidden at the end of the Unfound Path.