Mortal Shell II Shells

Eight hosts, not nine portraits

The keep list is Tiel the Acolyte, Proxima the Broodseeker, Eredrim the Venerable, Gragu the Insatiable, Smert the Apostate, Sester Genessa the Wayward, Lazlo the Justiciar, and Sariel the Endless. Some community clips mishear Gragu as “Grogu.” The host is Gragu. Some writeups also shorten Sester Genessa to Genessa — same Shell.

Harros is the prologue husk. Finish that opening, then treat him as gone. If a list shows nine playable names, it mixed the prologue into the roster. This page does not.

Unlock is not max

A first run can collect most of the eight if you walk the deliveries and the named fights. Fully unlocking all four talent lines on every host is a different currency problem. Community-observed first-run math: about 27 Glimpses finish four skill lines on one Shell. That budget does not scale to eight max trees on a single playthrough. Plan to finish one or two hosts; leave the rest as switchable bodies with a thin tree. A full max roster typically waits for NG+.

That is why the next question is not “which portrait looks cool” — it is where each corpse actually sits, so you do not burn hours hunting a host that is two regions later.

Widow’s Overlook first: Tiel, then Proxima

Tiel is the earliest keep. From Widow’s Overlook, walk southeast to the remains and possess him. He is the host you can lock before you have a hub routine. Proxima sits on the north side of the same overlook, by a water makeshift Beacon. If you want a second body before you leave the first region, she is the walk, not a secret ninth Shell.

Fight or delivery: Eredrim and Gragu

Eredrim unlocks when you beat the Warden. That is a fight gate, not a corpse you trip over. Gragu wants the Heart of Vatra delivered to him. The community-observed path starts at Widow’s Overlook, runs through the Mushroom Village tavern, and ends at the hand-in — do not invent a drop room this page has not walked. If a clip labels him Grogu, ignore the misspell; spend the heart on Gragu.

Later gates: Smert, Genessa, Lazlo, Sariel

Smert unlocks when you finish the Blood Offering at Prophet’s Rest. Sester Genessa unlocks when you deliver Sester’s Censer to the Stray Sester (Marrow Keep is the hub side of that hand-in). Lazlo unlocks when you complete the Royal Crypt of Mammon. Sariel unlocks when you defeat Sariel, The Endless — the boss and the host share the name; beating her is the gate, not a side pickup.

Once a host is on the list, the scarce resource is no longer the walk. It is Glimpses. Spend those next, not another corpse hunt.

One max beats four stubs

A Shell with one unlocked memory is a costume. A Shell with four finished lines is a kit. First-run Glimpses should finish Tiel or Proxima unless you already died your way into Eredrim and that tank kit is what is keeping you in rooms. Do not “dip” three hosts because each has one cool name. The leftover Glimpses will not cover the fourth line on anyone.

Weapons move; Glimpse spend sticks

Swap the melee on weapons when a room asks for reach or weight. That respec is the flexible half of a build. Shell talents are the sticky half. If you are still choosing a first host, the beginner guide is the Harros-to-Beacon loop; this table is only the Glimpse decision.

Once the spend is parked, you still need to know where you actually change bodies — that is the Keeper, not another talent node.

Beacon for field swaps, Keeper for the hub

Out in the world, a Beacon is the rest that also lets you change Shell, Seal, and loadout. In the hub, the Shell Keeper is the dedicated desk: hand in Glimpses, raise the bond / memory rank on the host you are wearing, and pick a different body before you walk back out. If a Beacon is still corrupted, cleanse it first — a dead rest is not a wardrobe.

Memories are the Glimpse sink

Each playable Shell has unique abilities plus a memory / talent tree. Glimpses unlock those memories at the Keeper. Community-observed first-run cost: about 27 Glimpses to finish four lines on one host. Completion trackers also talk about multiple memories per Shell across the whole roster — treat a full 8× memory clear as a long collect, not a first-day checklist. Exact node names and percentage lines stay TBA until a 1.0 recapture; some community talent numbers came from an earlier test build.

What does not change when you switch

The melee, sidearm, Seal, and equipped tarstones travel with the Harbinger. The Shell changes Resolve feel and the active kit, not the entire backpack. Switching Tiel for Eredrim does not unequip Iconoclast. It does change how combat timings land — a dash host and a shoulder-charge host do not use the same Infinite or Vatra habit.

If the swap is clear and the Glimpse spend is parked, the last job on this page is what each kit actually does when something swings at you.

Tiel the Acolyte — dash that must be early

Tiel’s observed kit is Lingering Shadow, Shadow Strike, and Shadow Dash. The teachable tell: dash just before you are hit. A perfect dash grants Shadow and adds stagger. A late dash is just a dodge that spent the window. He is the earliest host and the cleanest first Glimpse sink if you already like fast combat.

Proxima the Broodseeker — hook, then lightning

Proxima’s observed signature is Biosampler: a hook pull into lightning. Community notes also mention Grafted Armor as a mitigation roll that can blunt a hit and stop stagger — the 15% / 50% figures from early footage are TBA on 1.0. Play her as a grab-and-punish host, not a second Tiel.

Eredrim the Venerable — take the hit, then execute

Eredrim is the tank return. Observed tools: low-health executes, Slaughterer stacks off riposte, and a shoulder charge / blast. Unlock is the Warden, so he is never your first corpse. Spend Glimpses here when trades are what kill you, not when you want another dash.

Gragu the Insatiable — charge time is the damage

Gragu winds a charged punch for heavy stagger. Charge time scales the hit — a tap is not the kit. Unlock is the Heart of Vatra delivery. Use him when a boss posture bar will not move on light strings.

Smert the Apostate — pay health, stop the clock

Smert’s observed loop: Miracle spends health, time halt plus Fight Stance lets unarmed hits apply Chaos stacks, then the stacks detonate when time resumes. Blood Offering at Prophet’s Rest is the gate. If you cannot keep the health tax honest, do not open his tree as your first max.

Sester Genessa the Wayward — empty health is not severed

When Genessa’s health depletes, she becomes Stray instead of being severed from the Harbinger. Community notes also mention clones / an army — treat count and duration as TBA. The unlock is the Sester’s Censer hand-in at the Stray Sester / Marrow Keep, not a random corpse.

Lazlo the Justiciar — heat, then Overheat

Lazlo heats armor for a shockwave. Overheat is the stronger version: more burn, armor disabled. Royal Crypt of Mammon is the gate. The kit is a heat cycle, not a permanent shield — dump heat on purpose or the disable is the tax.

Sariel the Endless — thorns that also hurt you

Sariel expels parasitic thorns that hunt nearby enemies, apply Curse, and inflict Pain on herself. You unlock her by defeating Sariel, The Endless. Self-Pain is the cost of the kit; do not spend first-run Glimpses here unless the first host is already finished.

If a fight still fails after you know the eight kits, it is usually Resolve panic or a Seal mismatch — not a missing ninth Shell. Pair the host on builds, then walk the next Beacon on the walkthrough.