The Prologue Loadout: a Mortal Shell 2 beginner build

1The loadout

• ShellHarros the Vassal

  The most straightforward Shell to read: Stone Stun petrifies whatever is about to hit you, and petrified enemies take Break Damage while they stand there.

• SealUntarnished Seal

  Blocking has the widest margin for error of any defence here, and a well-timed block still deals Break Damage rather than merely surviving.

• WeaponThe Iconoclast

  A balanced primary with no mechanic to learn around, which is what you want while you are still learning everything else.

• SidearmNaylshotte

  It comes with Harros, and a short-range burst is easy to land without understanding projectile arcs yet.

When it comes togetherComplete the moment the prologue ends. Nothing on this list has to be hunted for.

2Tarstones

Listed in priority order — slot them in this sequence as you find them rather than waiting for the full set. Every stone below is one the named gear actually accepts.

The Iconoclast

Weapon socket

5 stones

Tied to the primary, so changing weapon means revisiting this list.

1. 1

   Acolyte's StoneAbilityslot first

   A charged light attack, sold by Merrick for coin rather than hidden behind a boss — the first upgrade most players can simply buy.

2. 2

   Unwieldly StoneAbility

   A charged heavy from the same merchant, and worth saving for; by level four it restores health on a kill.

3. 3

   Unyielding StoneCombat

   Stagger immunity on your light combo, which forgives the most common beginner mistake of committing to a swing too late.

4. 4

   Grudge StoneCombat

   A guaranteed critical hit on a fixed cycle, needing no timing and no setup to pay out.

5. 5

   Auspicious StoneSupport

   Melee critical chance, which improves every weapon you will try next as well as this one.

Naylshotte

Sidearm socket

3 stones

Drawn from a pool the melee slot mostly cannot touch.

1. 1

   Corroded StoneCombatslot first

   Damage over time from every shot, which quietly makes the ranged slot useful without asking anything of you.

2. 2

   Barrage StoneAbility

   An explosive round that scatters on detonation, and one of the few sidearm abilities the Naylshotte accepts.

3. 3

   Emberseed StoneInfusion

   Burn on critical hits, and a first taste of what infusions do before you find a better one.

Harros the Vassal

Shell socket

1 stone

These fit whatever else you are carrying, which makes them the picks that survive any change of weapon.

1. 1

   Justiciar's StoneSupport

   Up to forty percent more Coin from the dead once it is at level four, which is how you afford the two stones Merrick is selling.

3How to play it

1. 1

   Block first and dodge second. The Seal is the most forgiving thing you own.

2. 2

   Answer a blocked attack immediately — the opening after a guard is the whole rhythm of the game.

3. 3

   Save Stone Stun for the moment you are surrounded rather than the moment you are losing a duel.

4. 4

   Use the Naylshotte at arm's length, not across the room.

5. 5

   Spend coin on the Acolyte's Stone and the Unwieldly Stone before anything else.

4If you have not found it yet

Each of these plays close enough to the piece it replaces that the rest of the page still holds.

• 

  Eredrim the Venerableinstead of Harros the Vassal

  The natural next Shell for the same defensive style, with a Riposte payoff attached to it.

• 

  Axe and Daggerinstead of The Iconoclast

  Faster and found early, if you would rather learn the game by attacking more often.