Mortal Shell 2 doesn’t give you the ability to level up right from the start. You need to clear a specific chunk of the story first before Beacons let you spend currency on your character. You can level up in Mortal Shell 2 by spending Gloom and Beacons. Finish the prologue, reach Marrow Keep, and then invest Gloom to increase your Harbinger level.
Gloom can be earned from defeated enemies, bosses, and special plants found around the world. Shell progression works separately, as Shells get higher Tier levels using Glimpses and bonding with Zhirelle at Marrow Keep. If you find it hard to level up your character, here’s how to unlock leveling, what Gloom does, and the fastest ways to farm it more.
This article is a part of our Mortal Shell 2 Walkthrough and Guides Wiki hub.
How to Unlock Leveling in Mortal Shell 2
Complete the Prologue and Reach Marrow Keep
Although you’ll find Beacons during the prologue, you cannot use them to level up there. They’re only rest points to heal up, refill your flask, and reset nearby enemies. The Level Up option becomes available only after you defeat the introductory bosses and enter Marrow Keep.
You will have the final encounter with the Tar Golem, and once the boss is taken down and the following prologue is completed, you will be instructed to carry the Ova to Marrow Keep, the game’s main hub.
After you arrive there, find the Beacon around the location’s center, the first important checkpoint for character progression. Interact with it, and the character leveling option will unlock. From then on, Beacons you find throughout the game can be used to increase your Harbinger level, or in other words, to level up your character in Mortal Shell 2.
How to Level Up Your Harbinger
Your main character is the Harbinger, and Gloom is the currency used to increase the Harbinger’s level.
Here’s how you can take your Harbinger to higher levels:
- Earn Gloom by exploring and defeating enemies.
- Return to a Beacon.
- Rest and select the Level Up option.
- Spend the required Gloom on your next Harbinger level.
- Repeat whenever you have enough Gloom for another level.
Before you spend your currency, the game shows you exactly how much the next level costs and what stats you’ll boost. The price tag increases with levels, so later Harbinger levels cost more Gloom than earlier ones.
Your Harbinger level is the heart of your character’s progression. Since it hits milestones that give you Shell Points, it’s the best way to earn the resources you need to unlock and upgrade your Shell abilities.
How to Get Gloom in Mortal Shell 2
Defeat Enemies
Even though fighting is the better way to stack up Gloom, payouts can be different. Regular enemies drop less in quantity, while bosses and mini-bosses offer big rewards that you can only grab once. Boss loot is great to reach a certain level milestone, but since you can’t farm it, what you can do is find normal enemy hordes for steady leveling.
Beacons are the backbone of Gloom farming. Clear all the enemies around it, collect the Gloom, and return to the Beacon to rest and make them respawn, which then lets you farm the same monsters again. Repeat this process until your Gloom total reaches the next level requirement.
Farm the Sheep Pen Near Sunken Village
After dealing with The Wandering Shepherd near the Sunken Village Beacon, cross the bridge to the pen and clear the flock. You will find nine sheep there, and killing each can provide up to 900 Gloom. Rest at the nearby Beacon to let the sheep return, then kill them all again for the same reward.
Farm Dense Enemy Groups Near Beacons
The sheep pen eventually becomes less attractive as level costs rise; then you will want to duel with tough enemies for better Gloom per minute. One good spot is near the Gloomshade Grove Beacon, where you can kill four Grisha Hunters for about 1,094 Gloom per run.
Gloom Plants Provide One-Time Pickup
Beyond killing foes, keep an eye out for Gloom plants scattered around the Mortal Shell 2 map. They’re easy to spot thanks to the glowing white orbs, and striking one releases Gloom that gets picked up automatically. Unlike bosses, these plants don’t respawn when you rest at a Beacon.
What Happens When You Die With Gloom?
As usual in Soulslikes, when you die in Mortal Shell 2, your carried Gloom is dropped at the location where you fell, but you get a chance to return and recover it. If you get killed again before picking it back up, the dropped Gloom will be lost permanently.
Spend the currency at the nearest Beacon as soon as you can afford a level. There is little advantage to walking into a difficult dungeon or boss encounter while carrying several levels’ worth of Gloom. The same is true for a farming run: stop once you’ve reached your target, and bank the upgrade.
