Mortal Shell 2: How to Get the Second Blackmarrow Key and +26 Ova

The Child’s Feeding Ground Beacon in Mortal Shell 2 holds one of the eight Blackmarrow Keys, and it sits behind the Lost Child boss at the far north of the map. Reaching it also nets +26 Ova from a cleansed corruption pocket, and the key itself lets you open a Shade chest inside the Marrow Keep elevator room to recolor one of your Shells.

Quick answer: Beat the Lost Child in the Sanguine Caverns Corrupted Gate, cleanse the corruption around the Ova to collect +26 Ova, then fast travel back to the Child’s Feeding Ground Beacon and open the chest in the new room behind where the Ova sat to receive the Blackmarrow Key.

What you need before starting

The Child’s Feeding Ground Beacon only appears after you defeat the Lost Child, so the whole detour is gated behind that fight. The Sanguine Caverns Corrupted Gate that houses the boss is located at the northernmost part of the map, and the run there begins from the Widow’s Overlook Beacon.

This key does not require Night Mode, unlike the Blackmarrow Keys sold by the Night Merchant or hidden inside the Shrine of Sorrows. You just need to survive the trek and win the boss fight.

Route from Widow’s Overlook to the Lost Child

Open your map and fast travel to the Widow’s Overlook Beacon. This is your starting point for the push north into the Sanguine Caverns.

World map with the Widow's Overlook beacon highlighted among discovered locations — The map screen with the Widow’s Overlook beacon marked as your starting point. Image credit: Cold Symmetry / via @SharkR

Run from Widow’s Overlook through Blackridge Pass and Blackridge Cliffs, clearing the minor enemies you meet along the path. Keep heading toward the Sanguine Caverns.

Open world map with location markers showing progress toward the Sanguine Caverns — Checking the map to confirm your progress as you close in on the Sanguine Caverns. Image credit: Cold Symmetry / via @SharkR

Cross the green valley, deal with the spectral enemy guarding it, and take the wooden bridge into the Sanguine Caverns proper.

Grab the Glimpse along the way, push past the remaining enemies, and reach the Stonebled Gate beacon. From here you cleanse the beacons that stand between you and the boss arena.

Pick up prompt appearing over a fallen enemy as the player collects a dropped item — The pick up prompt over a downed enemy as you grab a Glimpse on the way to Stonebled Gate. Image credit: Cold Symmetry / via @SharkR

Fight through to the Sanguine Caverns Corrupted Gate and defeat the Lost Child. Winning the fight makes the Child’s Feeding Ground Beacon rise out of the ground inside the boss arena.

Collect the +26 Ova and grab the Blackmarrow Key

Interact with the new Child’s Feeding Ground Beacon and choose the Cleanse Beacon option to enter the dungeon inside it. Head down to the Ova and cleanse the corruption surrounding it to claim +26 Ova.

Cleansing the corruption automatically transports you back to Marrow Keep. This is expected, so do not worry about being pulled out of the dungeon.

Fast travel back to the Child’s Feeding Ground Beacon and select Enter Dungeon. Return to the same spot where you cleansed the corruption.

A new secret room is now open behind where the Ova used to be. Step inside and open the chest to receive the Blackmarrow Key.

Use the Blackmarrow Key to unlock a Shade

Blackmarrow Keys open the Shade chests in the Marrow Keep elevator room. There are eight chests there, one for each Shell, and every chest holds a unique Shade for that Shell.

You can only open a chest for a Shell you have already unlocked. If you want Eredrim’s Shade, for example, you must have unlocked Eredrim first. Opening a chest consumes the key, so each of the eight chests needs its own Blackmarrow Key.

Once a Shade is unlocked, you can equip it by resting at any Beacon and choosing the Change Shade option. Shades only recolor a Shell’s armor and clothing, so they change appearance without altering stats.

How to confirm it worked

When the collection registers, you will see a “Beacon Cleansed: Child’s Feeding Grounds” confirmation and the +26 Ova added to your totals. Picking up the key shows the Blackmarrow Key in your inventory with its use listed as opening a locked treasure in the Marrow Keep.

At the elevator room, a successful unlock triggers an “Apply Shade now?” prompt after you open the chest, confirming the Shade is yours. The one common reason a chest will not open is trying to use the key on a Shell you have not unlocked yet.

Because there are eight chests and eight keys spread across a single playthrough, hold onto every Blackmarrow Key you find if you plan to recolor all of your Shells. The one from the Child’s Feeding Ground is only a single piece of that set.