Mortal Shell 2: Sester’s Refuge and Forgotten Tower Full Walkthrough

Sester’s Refuge and the Forgotten Tower sit in the Ruins of Mammon and hold some of the strongest early gear in Mortal Shell 2, including the Axatana weapon, the Cursed Child sidearm, and the Black Needle spear. Clearing both areas fully also cleanses the Sester’s Gate beacon, which opens the Corrupted Gate into the snowy region beyond.

Quick answer: Enter from the left of the Outskirts of Mammon through the Bone Gate, smash the three glowing stones to reach the first Revered Gland, cleanse the Sester’s Gate beacon, then use the crossbow to extend bridges toward the Forgotten Tower. Grab the Axatana, clear the Revered Beacon dungeon for the Cursed Child, defeat the Twin Sisters in Sester’s Bastion for the Black Needle and Sester’s Crest, then cleanse the corruption to open the Corrupted Gate.

How to reach Sester’s Refuge

From the Outskirts of Mammon beacon, head left past the wartorn area until you reach a Bone Gate. That gate drops you into Sester’s Refuge. Activate the Abbey Entrance beacon first so you have a nearby respawn and fast-travel point before you push deeper.

From the Abbey Entrance beacon, move up and hit the switch on the left to open the gate. Two speared enemies will trap you inside until they are dead, so clear both before moving on.

Pass through to the far end, where a red speared enemy waits. After the fight, take the stairs on the left and drop down to a geyser leading into the caverns.

Glowing stone puzzle and the first Revered Gland

Inside the caverns, three stones marked with a yellow glowing symbol control a locked gate on the opposite end of the room. Break all three to open it. You may also face a white creature here before the gate unlocks.

Smash each of the three glowing stones. The gate at the far end of the cavern opens once the last one breaks.

Enter the unlocked room and take the first Revered Gland and the Dorsalite. The Revered Gland increases your healing, so equip it early.

Inventory menu showing the Revered Gland item obtained from the Sester's Refuge cavern — The Revered Gland in the inventory menu after clearing the glowing stone room. Image: Cold Symmetry

Use the geyser to hop up and grab the Glimpse by the wooden rails. Drop back down, head left, and clear the three enemies blocking the path. Take the Bloodseed from the broken carriage, then descend the stairs to the Sester’s Gate beacon.

Cleanse the Sester’s Gate beacon

Cleansing the Sester’s Gate beacon is the key progress step for both regions. It sets your respawn point deeper in the area and unlocks access to the Corrupted Gate later on. Do this before you start the dungeon runs.

While backtracking near the beacon, open the side gate to collect the Devout Stone. This stone generates 7 Resolve whenever you kill an enemy with your sidearm, which speeds up ability use in longer fights.

Revered Beacon dungeon and the Cursed Child sidearm

The Revered Beacon dungeon holds the Cursed Child lantern sidearm along with a Bloodseed and other pickups. The tower light in this area deals environmental damage, so the run centers on destroying the light source.

From near the beacon, fight through the enemies and take the elevator down to the dungeon entrance.

Armored Harbinger approaching a barred gate in a stone corridor on the way to the dungeon — Heading through the stone corridor toward the Revered Beacon dungeon. Image: Cold Symmetry

Avoid the damaging tower light, run up the hill, and smash the light source at the top. Doing so stops the environmental damage and awards the Cursed Child item.

Inventory screen showing the Cursed Child sidearm with the equip sidearm option — The Cursed Child sidearm ready to equip after destroying the tower light. Image: Cold Symmetry

Sweep the rest of the dungeon to collect the Bloodseed and remaining items, then mark the dungeon complete on the map. Pull the lever by the gate at the far end to open a shortcut leading toward the Forgotten Tower.

Cross to the Forgotten Tower with the crossbow bells

The Forgotten Tower sits on isolated land in south-eastern Mammon. Stone bridges to it only extend when you shoot the distant bells with your crossbow. You will use this same bell mechanic again later in Sester’s Bastion.

From the Sester’s Gate beacon, take the stairs to the left, pass the broken walls, and clear the path guarded by two Mycellian Skulks and one Knight of Mammon. Drop down at the rightmost edge of the cliff to reach the lower path.

Shoot the bell above the road with your crossbow to summon the bridge to the other side.

Go left into the Forgotten Tower and enter the tomb through the narrow passage. Run down to the basement to grab a second Revered Gland and the Sheephead Totem.

Cross the cliffs, shoot another bell to extend a second bridge, and pick up the Muradean Tome. The Tome can be sold for 1,500 coins if you do not need it.

Warrior carrying a large weapon through an icy, root-lined passage near the Forgotten Tower cliffs — Crossing the root-lined cliffs after extending a bridge with the crossbow. Image: Cold Symmetry

Where to find the Axatana

The Axatana is locked inside a small building at the base of the Forgotten Tower cliffs. A single Gloom Seeker guards it.

Drop down to the lower ledge and open the tower using the panel on the left side of the gate.

Defeat the enemy inside and claim the Axatana from the altar. Once it appears in your weapon inventory, the pickup is confirmed.

Sester’s Bastion, the Twin Sisters, and the Black Needle

Returning to the Sester’s Gate beacon lets you cleanse it and enter Sester’s Bastion. Inside, more bell shots build bridges across the area, and a mini-boss fight against the Twin Sisters (also called the Stray Sister) awaits.

Cleanse the Sester’s Gate beacon and enter Sester’s Bastion. Take out the hidden enemy near the entrance.

Shoot the bells to form the bridges across the gaps, then advance to the Twin Sisters / Stray Sister fight.

Gameplay screen reading Gloom Retrieved as the character gathers Gloom in a dark cavern of the Bastion — Collecting Gloom while pushing through the dark passages of Sester’s Bastion. Image: Cold Symmetry

Defeat the mini-boss to earn the Black Needle weapon and the Sester’s Crest. The Crest can be traded for 3,000 coins.

Cleanse the corruption and open the Corrupted Gate

After the mini-boss, cleanse the corruption to collect three Ova eggs and unlock the Corrupted Gate. The gate leads into the snowy region and toward the Conqueror’s Temple. Once the gate opens, the region’s main progress is complete.

If you have the Synaptic Vessel, use it at a beacon to upgrade the efficiency of Mother’s Pulse. This is optional but worth doing while you are already at the beacon.

Forgotten Tower Gland offering and the Seedbearer’s Scripture

The giant skeletal bird figure inside the Forgotten Tower accepts an offering of three special Glands, but only in Night Mode. Completing this offering rewards the Seedbearer’s Scripture, an equippable item that heals Cosmic Disease, a status effect used by the final boss, Zmey, the Unbidden. There is only one Seedbearer’s Scripture in the game.

You need all three Glands before the offering will work, and each is tied to a later region. Here is where each one sits.

Gland	Location
Thawed Gland	Conqueror’s Temple, on a candle-lit altar in the room of large stone hands, before the Droeg fight.
Depleted Gland	Withered Shoals, right before the Hexapod boss. Turn back from the arena toward the cave to find it.
Faded Gland	Faded Citadel, on a cliff across from the beacon near the final dungeon. Drop from the ledge and harden to avoid fall damage.

Collect all three Glands from the regions above. This requires having unlocked Conqueror’s Temple, Withered Shoals, and Faded Citadel.

Go to Marrow Keep, head to the top of the tower, and speak with Thestus. Use the Gloombound Flame to light the brazier if needed, then switch to Night Mode.

Teleport back to the Sester’s Gate beacon and return to the Forgotten Tower in Night Mode. Go up the staircase to the skeletal figure and offer all three Glands to receive the Seedbearer’s Scripture. The bird figure disappears afterward, which confirms the questline is finished.

With the Axatana, Cursed Child, and Black Needle collected, the Corrupted Gate open, and the Seedbearer’s Scripture in hand, both Sester’s Refuge and the Forgotten Tower are fully cleared. From the Sester’s Gate you can move straight into the Conqueror’s Temple to continue through the Ruins of Mammon.