Mortal Shell 2: How to Get the Chapel Key and Unlock the Shrine of Trials

The Chapel Key is an early key item in Mortal Shell 2 that opens the locked door in the Grisha Hunter camp near Mushroom Village. You will almost certainly spot that locked door before you find the key, because the key itself is tucked behind an illusion most players walk straight past.

Quick answer: From the Mushroom Village Beacon, head right, cross the bridge to the pyre, then walk around the freestanding archway and step through it to reveal a hidden statue. Take the Chapel Key from the rope on that statue, then carry it left from the Beacon to the Grisha Hunter camp and use it on the locked door to enter the Shrine of Trials.

Before you go for the Chapel Key

The whole errand runs out of the Mushroom Village Beacon, so make that your base. Rest there to level up with Gloom and reset the area whenever you need a fresh run at the enemies.

It helps to grab your first Shell first, since it sits very close to this part of Mushroom Village and makes the crowds of enemies far easier to handle. One thing to keep in mind about the archway trick that reveals the key: the hidden statue only appears while the world is set to Nighttime, so switch to Night before you make the trip if the statue does not show up during the day.

Mushroom Village Beacon menu with the Cleanse Beacon option highlighted — Rest at the Mushroom Village Beacon to level up and reset the area. Credit: Cold Symmetry

Where to find the Chapel Key

Start at the Mushroom Village Beacon and head right. When you see a pair of dancing Babka enemies on your right, drop down and clear them out before moving on.

Cross the nearby bridge toward the pyre, where several more Babkas are gathered around the bonfire. Take your time and kill them all, as even weaker enemies hit hard at Night.

Player crossing a wooden bridge toward a bonfire in a dark forest village — Cross the bridge to the pyre and clear the enemies around it. Credit: Cold Symmetry

Once the area is clear, find the freestanding archway near the pyre. Walk around to the side with the steps and look back through the empty doorframe. A large kneeling statue that was not there before will appear in view.

Step through the archway to make the statue real, then look for the item hanging from a rope beside it. Interact with the rope to collect the Chapel Key.

Tip: Whenever you spot an archway in Mortal Shell 2, walk around it and peer through. The game uses these frames to hide statues, paths, and items that only exist from one side.

Where to use the Chapel Key

Return to the Mushroom Village Beacon, level up if you want, then head left this time. You will reach a Grisha Hunter camp with a Grisha pup held in a cage nearby.

Look past the cage to a building with a locked door at the far end of the camp. Use the Chapel Key on this door to open it.

Open Door prompt asking to use one Chapel Key on a chained wooden gate — Use the Chapel Key on the locked door in the Grisha Hunter camp. Credit: Cold Symmetry

You know it worked when the door opens and drops you into the Shrine of Trials dungeon. The Cage Key sold by a hunter in this camp is a separate item that frees the pup, so do not confuse the two.

What the Shrine of Trials holds

The Shrine of Trials is a short puzzle dungeon rather than a straight fight. Cultists guard the entry room, and the central statue carries a clue: “Gaze upon your king so true, back and back you shall pass through.” Face that statue and walk backwards to move straight through the wall behind you.

The rooms that follow are pressure-plate puzzles. Hitting the statues shoves them across the floor, and your job is to land them on the plates to open each door. The reward at the end, guarded by an armored Brigand Knight, is the Axe and Dagger.

Room	What to do
Entry chamber	Kill the cultists, read the statue, then face it and walk backwards through the wall.
Single-plate room	Hit the statue to slide it onto the pressure plate and open the door.
Two-plate room	Move both statues onto both plates by striking them in the right directions.
Final room	Defeat the Brigand Knight and loot the Axe and Dagger from the statue.

The Axe and Dagger is a fast weapon that trades raw damage for speed and quick Resolve generation, with almost no windup before its strikes. It pairs especially well with the Tiel Shell, whose Shadow Strike playstyle is built around rapid attacks, if you have already unlocked it.