Mortal Shell holds many secrets. Like the renowned Souls games, this Souls-like is tricky in that it doesn’t give you much information at all. Learning how to parry, for example, requires a lot of trial and error. Figuring out how to upgrade your weapons can be just as confusing.
After all, you’ll likely need as many upgrades as you can get in order to beat this tough-as-nails RPG, and Mortal Shell‘s cryptic messaging doesn’t help. In this guide, we’ll show you what you’ll need to know to modify your swords and other gear to make sure they’re as useful as possible.
How to Upgrade Weapons and Gear
Mortal Shell doesn’t explicitly tell you how to upgrade your weapons, but if you’ve stumbled upon the first upgrade area — with Sester Genessa on the bottom floor in Fallgrim Outskirts — you probably know where the Workbench is located.
If not, you’ll need to progress through the first area of the game until you reach the tall tower that will serve as a hub for you in this section. It’s effectively like a Bonfire from the Souls games, as it includes a way to upgrade your Shell and weapons, along with a nifty shop and a couple of NPCs.
You’ll find the first Workbench on the floor above the initial Sester you run into. Here, you’ll come across a number of different upgrades you can delve into, all of which require certain items depending on what you want to do.
The thing to keep in mind is that you’ll find Anvils at the start of each temple, so you don’t always have to double back to the one in Fallgrim Outskirts.
The main thing to know is that you’ll need to find the items that pertain to each upgrade, and they work differently than they do in the Souls games. Instead of being random drops from enemies, the upgrade materials in Mortal Shell are found in fixed locations, similar to the way Estus Flask upgrades work in Dark Souls.
Some enhancements will give you special finisher moves, while others, like the strength upgrade, will add to a weapon’s damage output. To increase the damage, you’ll need to find Quenching Acid, which can be found in chests throughout the world.
Where to Find Quenching Acid
The first Quenching Acid is in the Fallgrim Outskirts area, not far from the Sester. Take the long tunnel to the left of the Sester, which leads to a crawlspace. Crawl through, and take a left down the hill, and when you get to the bottom, take a sharp right down another hill.
Keep following this narrow path, and you’ll run right into a lute player, with a Weltcap on the right. Make sure you grab the Weltcap if you need it and wrap around to the left, towards the little camp. Here, in a chest, you’ll find the first Quenching Acid.
This area is right in front of the giant burning landmark that looks like bull horns. You can’t miss this area, as it’s on the way to the next section in the game. Open the chest and head back to the Workbench to upgrade your damage output.
Other Ways to Upgrade Weapons
The nice thing is that Mortal Shell gives you a few different ways to upgrade your gear, so you don’t have to only focus on finding items throughout the world.
For starters, you can actually purchase a handful of the upgrade materials you’ll need from Vlas, who is located at the top of the tower mentioned above — aptly named Fallgrim Tower.
He’ll sell you various items, including Tools for 8,000 and Quenching Acid for 2,500 Tar. You can buy two of them from him, so you’ll have 3 Quenching Acid very early. We’re currently working on a full Quenching Acid locations guide, which we’ll share here once it’s completed.
The other thing you’ll want to remember is the ability to upgrade with the Sesters. Many of these upgrades impact your Shell, but some will also affect your weapons, so make sure you take a look at them to see what they offer.
You’ll find a Sester at the beginning of each temple, along with more further in, so you’ll have multiple opportunities to upgrade.
In short, look out for upgrade items like Quenching Acid, and keep an eye on your Tar so you can upgrade with Sesters, or buy items from Vlas and you’ll be in good shape!
With all that in mind, you should have everything you need to know about upgrading your weapons in Mortal Shell. For more tips and guides on the latest Souls-like, such as how to farm Glimpses, be sure to head over to the game’s primary guides page here!
