In this Mortal Shell Combat Guide we will guide you on how you can get better at combat in Mortal Shell. Mortal Shell is a relatively difficult game as compared to traditional RPGs and it is vital that you get good at combat quickly in the game if you want to survive longer. This guide will introduce you to all of the basic combat mechanics and share some tips and tricks with you as well that will help you get good in defeating enemies in Mortal Shell.
Combat Guide – Mortal Shell
Our Mortal Shell Combat Guide details everything that you need to know about combat in Mortal Shell and some tips & tricks on how to get better at it.
Choose a Shell That Suits Your Gameplay Style
Mortal Shell offers you to play with the Foundling but on its own, Foundling is extremely weak and must resort to ‘Shells’ of fallen warriors to become powerful enough to survive in the world of Mortal Shell. The very first Shell that you get in Mortal Shell is Harros, the Vassal. It is much better than the default Foundling with no Shell but as compared to the other three Shells, it is still pretty weak. You should try to find the other shells as quickly as possible in Mortal Shell however they are found pretty early in the game as well.
The other three Shells in Mortal Shell are Solomon, The Scholar, Eredrim, the Venerable, and Tiel, the Acolyte. The main stats of all these Shells are Durability, Stamina, and Resolve. Each of these three Shells excels in one of these stats. Harros comes with a balance of all three stats. Solomon has the highest Resolve, Eredrim has the highest Durability while Tiel has the highest Stamina. Based on your gameplay style, you can choose to pick any one of these three Shells for your gameplay. You can change Shells later as well so you will not be locked with your initial choice.
Use Harden to Your Advantage
Mortal Shell unlocks a very useful ability right at the start of the game called Harden and this particular ability stays useful all the way until the end of the game. You can quickly harden yourself up while fighting your enemies which makes it a solid addition to your abilities list. This does not work against bigger enemies and stronger attacks but otherwise, you can use this super-handy ability to stun enemies and deal massive damage to them following the stun however you must watch out as certain enemies in the game can also Harden themselves up during combat.
Build and Use Resolve
One of the key mechanics used in combat is Resolve and it is charged and stored when you are fighting with enemies. As you land attacks on your enemies, your Resolve will continue to increase and will store in the form of charges. These are represented by the small white bars right above your health bar. While you are not in combat, they do not show up but as you enter combat and start earning Resolve, the white bars will begin to appear in the game for you.
Storing Resolve is vital because you will spend Resolve charges to activate special skills and abilities which are not useable otherwise in the game. Along with attacks that you unlock in your skills menu, you can also spend Resolve to activate special buffs on your weapons. It is crucial that you store Resolve and use it only when you really have to use it. It will also help you when you want to restore your health with Riposte.
Learn to Parry the Enemy Attacks
Parry is a very useful mechanic in Mortal Shell however you have to first unlock this ability with story progression. When you reach Fullgrim Tower, go to its second floor and look for Old Prisoner who is the large character bound by chains. Go to it and interact with the icon and you will get an item called Tarnished Seal. This item will now unlock the ability to parry.
There are two different types of parry in Mortal Shell. One is Riposte which consumes Resolve while the other one is Perfect Parry. The buttons for both are the same and if you do not have any Resolve, you will perform Perfect Parry however it requires more precision than the Riposte. The Perfect Parry only stumbles the enemy however the Riposte not only staggers the enemy but it also opens them up for a special attack that will restore some of your health in the game.
Handling Death
When you die for the first time in your Shell, you will spawn near it and you will be required to get back into your Shell quickly in order to gain its benefits back as well as all of your dropped Tar. If you manage to get back in your Shell, you will get back full health and your Tar back however if you die again, you will spawn back at a previous checkpoint leaving your Shell and tar at the spot where you died. This will now require you to go back and recover your Shell and your Tar. If you die on the way, you will lose all of the Tar however the Shell remains in its place.
Always Learn Enemy Patterns
Every enemy in Mortal Shell has a specific attack pattern that it will follow to attack you in combat. Some of their attacks are basic while some of their attacks are only triggered when they reach a particular amount of health. The quicker you learn the attack patterns of your enemies, the easier it will be for you to defeat them. Learning will also help you to time your dodge, attack moves, or Harden right.
Time your Dodges Right
Dodge is one of the most used mechanics in Mortal Shell and the quicker you master the art of dodging your enemy attacks, the better player you will become in the game. Fighting head-on will never work in Mortal Shell because you have to play it smart. Apart from Perfect Parry, Riposte, and Harden, you also have to mix in the traditional dodging in the mix if you want to survive combat with some of the tougher bosses of the game.
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This concludes our Mortal Shell Combat Guide. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comments section below.
