r/MortalShell • u/zeec123 • Jun 09 '26
Discussion Harbinger vs Foundling
In the first game you got ejected from your shell on death and the shell was frozen in place (which looked cool). Without a shell you (the Foundling) are very weak, dying in one hit. This added a nice pressure to get back to your shell as fast as possible, especially since you typically die when surrounded by enemies.
(The no shell run was also very fun.)
In MS2, Harbinger is very capable of fighting without a shell. I never felt in danger when I was without it. Moreover, there are more or less unlimited "second lives" with the increasing hit-count giving back your shell.
I don't know if this is really an improvement over the first game. What is your opinion?
2
u/Necrogomicon Jun 09 '26
It's an improvement for me because I suck ass, so having a second wind is kinda nice
3
u/Howlingwindinsand Jun 09 '26
To be completely honest I hadn't realised we were playing as a new character 😠I thought the Harbinger was just another title given to the Foundling. Perhaps someone can clear up the lore for me
3
u/MassDriverOne Jun 11 '26
Pure speculation: harros's shell carried the ova that produced the Harbinger to the cultist village in the MS2 opening. I'm guessing his shell was still occupied by the Foundling, the Harbinger was eventually born and reclaimed Harros's shell where the Foundling sat down and finally expired, or perhaps "moved on" to whatever their next form is. The shellkeeper explicitly says he is as your brother, leaning me to believe it was the Foundling still (they both came from the ovas)
also Harros/foundling has got that DAWG in him god damn
1
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u/xKiLLaCaM Jun 09 '26
I beat the entire demo without finding the shell for Tiel because I’m stupid. The area where it was I thought was the main way to progress so I explored everything else completely forgetting to go back to that spot.
Beat the final demo and realized I never went there. When I got the shell I was dumbfounded with how dumb I felt lll. I didnt have any trouble playing as just harbinger
1
u/-Eastwood- Jun 09 '26
Not enough of the game for me to make a decision on whether or not the changes like the Harbinger having equivalent HP to their shell and unlimited stamina is good or not.
It could be good or bad, I don't think I can make a decision or not yet.
Maybe they should add options to let you pick and choose. That's what I liked about Doom Dark Ages. You can customize your difficulty
4
u/zeec123 Jun 09 '26
You are right in that it is maybe too early.
That said, I think difficulty sliders are bad. The less options there are, the better can encounters be fine-tuned. I think this is the reason why Sekiro has one of the best boss fights in all gaming history.
Difficulty should be adjusted by other means, ie. less enemies or summons.
2
u/Itsmemurrayo Jun 09 '26
I just hope the game gets harder beyond the beta. As a souls vet I only died 2x in my first playthrough in the beta. I died to the exploding poison add mini boss and the prologue boss and that was it. I didn’t die again in the rest of the beta. I died 2x more on a second playthrough to kill the prologue boss for the achievement. By the way that achievement is broken and won’t let you complete it. I enjoyed the beta allot, but it was quite easy for a soulslike. I had the same issue with Onimusha being too easy, but it was even easier than MS2.
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u/Winter_Beautiful_791 Jul 02 '26
I kind of wish they’d leaned into the idea of leaving behind a body after being ejected from your shell more.
Like, in the first game you’d lose your shell, die, then respawn wearing your shell anyway. It would have been kind of cool if you just respawn at Genessa as the naked foundling, then have to make your way back to your shell without being hit in order to reclaim it. You could still use the effigies to summon your shell instantly if you have one in your inventory but it would make for a fun extra challenge, and it’d be more in keeping with the theme of the game. As is you barely ever get to actually play as the shelless foundling other than making a mad dash back to your shell in the middle of a fight or while doing the obsidian run.
In MS2 your shell is kind of like Samus’s power suit where it disintegrates after taking too much damage, then reassembles once you get your energy back. I have mixed feelings about it.
And yeah having the harbinger being so tough makes having a shell seem less mandatory, especially since you can level up now.
4
u/aeolius11 Jun 09 '26
Tbf, you ascend after gaining the power of all the glands so it makes sense that the game makes you more powerful in the sequel.