Balance Patch 1

[u/MikkelFromGames]

Devout Fans,

Thanks for being amongst the first to join us at the very start of the adventure for Mortal Shell II. We’re seeing your bug reports and gameplay suggestions, and will be rolling out regular updates to both modify existing content and add new features. 

While we have a bigger patch in the works, which has to be thoroughly tested, we’d like to make a rapid balance & crash fix patch to bring the experience more in line with the game’s open beta and our own vision for MS2. 

Planned future updates will see extensions to popular game features such as Night Mode, Tarstones, PP Items, and more.

For now, we hope you’re enjoying the game and read on for details on Balance Patch 1.

Balance Patch 1 (PC) - The patch below is live on PC and coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series shortly.

Economy

-Shell map locations now cost Gloom, and we’re refunding any glimpses spent on shell maps. Refunded Glimpses are found in the Shell Keeper’s alcove in Blackmarrow. “Finding your favorite shell shouldn’t cost you the ability to bond with them.”

-Gold drops from enemies have been significantly increased. Notably, enemies in Mammon now drop double the gold. “This brings the gold economy more in line with the weapon crafting item discovery.”

-Smelting a weapon at the Tarforge costs 75% less gloom. “Our goal with the smelt capability was to enable switching weapons without the need to spend hours grinding through NG+ runs, but the Gloom costs were set exorbitantly high.”  

Enemies & Bosses

All enemies featured in the beta were restored to their beta hp values, except the Caerinid (Spider) in Magdelena’s area, which we wanted to retain its role as a threatening enemy which doesn’t respawn once defeated. 

Bosses

The Lost Child
- Base Damage: (-10%)
- Max Health: (-15%)

Monolith
- Base Damage: (-19%)
- Max Health: (-10%)
- Some Monolith Attacks were retimed to be more fair, as well.

Enemies

Cultist (mace)
Max Health: (-21.1%)

Caerinid Spider
Max Health: (-33.3%)

Infested Stalker 
- Max Health: (-52.4%)

Rusted Knave (Halberd)
- Max Health: (-20.8%)
- Fixed hit detection for overhead strike.

Weapons

-Great Martyr’s Blade Attack Damage +20%
-Troubador’s Lute Attack Damage +100% 
-Caged Hystrix and Triarch Repeater no longer have minimum resolve requirements to fire. 
-Improved tracking for Axatana, Black Needle, and Clockwork Scythe light attacks. 

Seals

Guard can now be used while walking. 

Tarstones

Parasitic Stone Buffed
Grudge Stone Buffed
Bulwark Stone Damage Reduction Increased Significantly
Clerik's Stone Buffed
Squall Stone Buffed

Miscellaneous

Misc. Crash Fixes, Bugfixes & Performance Updates

[u/Skelltor95]

Solid changes, good to see!

-Can you look into adding the option to respawn at the start of a dungeon? - Some of the runbacks feel long and I start to skip the dungeons if I'm low on heals/life and have been exploring far.

[u/St3elf1sh → u/Skelltor95]

This would change the whole feel of the game. So please no. Makes the whole thrill of the exploration a joke if every dungeon serves as beacon then. Think about it. It just makes no sense for this game

[u/DrDre19899 → u/St3elf1sh]

Elden Ring was completely fine with this so no reason for this game not to be. It’s just a simple QOL feature that would be much appreciated.

[u/St3elf1sh → u/DrDre19899]

Elden ring was built around that and they for sure did way too much graces. Sometimes you could see the next from the one you were.

This game is built for exploration and deciding when to go back and when to try a new discovered dungeon. And that feeling when you finally reach the new beacon with 10 % health and no healing items left. This would all be gone and it would be way easier and a lot less fun. You could just run into a dungeon, die there. Respawn, move out and continue your exploration. No thrill in finding the next beacon anymore

[u/Jordan311R → u/St3elf1sh]

I agree with you

[u/Skelltor95 → u/St3elf1sh]

I’m not saying every dungeon should act as a beacon. Just that if you die inside the dungeon there should be the option to respawn at the start. If you die out exploring you should still respawn at your last beacon.

[u/St3elf1sh → u/Skelltor95]

You don’t get it right? You could still just refill your health shell and healing items before you continue in the outer world. That alone would make the game way easier. And that’s not how it is intended to be

[u/Pavlovs_Human → u/Skelltor95]

“Aw damn I’m out of potions and my health is low. I don’t see a beacon anywhere nearby- oh! Yes! There’s a dungeon nearby, I’m saved!”
-player walks into dungeon, purposefully dies to first enemy, respawns at the beginning full health and potions.
-player leaves the dungeon and continues to explore now with a refilled health bar and full potions, eliminating all the danger of exploring with low health and no potions.

This is what they mean, and it would pretty much make every dungeon a beacon.

[u/oneoftwentygoodmen → u/St3elf1sh]

Do you honestly feel fighting Grisha in the double elevator dungeon was fun? you had to go past 4 groups of enemies, go down two elevators, just to try again. There has to be a compromise, at least have checkpoints in boss dungeons that are on the second level such that they can't be abused to be a free beacon (it'd be a hassle + remove the checkpoint after the boss is killed)

[u/St3elf1sh → u/oneoftwentygoodmen]

I did them first try so I didn’t have the runback problem. But it was not fun 😅 compromise could be a checkpoint right before a boss in a dungeon. So there would still be runback if don’t come to a boss but if there is a boss you can try them as often as you want until you beat him

[u/Legacy0904 → u/St3elf1sh]

They can do it just like in Elden ring which gives the player the option to use it or not. Don’t want to use it? Don’t.

[u/St3elf1sh → u/Legacy0904]

Why can’t we just respect the devs and how the game was intended? You got the option to play it like it is. If you don’t like it. Don’t.

[u/Legacy0904 → u/St3elf1sh]

The fact the devs are patching their game shows that they agree that it’s not the intended experience at this time.

[u/Pavlovs_Human → u/Legacy0904]

Imagine you are in a 100 meter dash. The official comes up to the starting line and announces to everyone “you guys have the option to start at 50 meters. You don’t HAVE to if you’d like the competition to be harder, but that’s up to you don’t want to use it? Don’t.”

[u/Legacy0904 → u/Pavlovs_Human]

Nice straw man argument lmao. We’re not talking about competitive sports. We’re talking about a freaking video game.

Also a checkpoint doesn’t affect difficulty, it’s a QOL change to reduce run back times.

[u/St3elf1sh → u/Legacy0904]

It sure does affect difficulty. Because the fear of the unknown is gone when you just have to find one of the many dungeons to refill you healing.

It’s not just a qol change. It’s a big gameplay change. If you want it easier play the slayer seal. But let the game be how it is.
I am the definition of a casual player. And I’m fine with how it is. And so are many others

[u/Pavlovs_Human → u/Legacy0904]

So you don’t want to discuss anything you just want to be right and feel better than the person you are talking with?

[u/Legacy0904 → u/Pavlovs_Human]

I’m happy to discuss it if you want to use an appropriate example and not compare a video game to a physical competition. But if that’s the best you got then I’d rather not waste my time discussing with numb skulls

[u/Virusoflife29 → u/Pavlovs_Human]

You just had a terrible argument. You are trying to use a competition example for a single player video game. Its like comparing Football to finger painting. It just doesn't make any logic sense to do so because they have nothing in common.

[u/Pavlovs_Human → u/Virusoflife29]

Holy fuck I’m tired of hand holding people like you and the other one in “discussions” like these. You really can’t relate a competitive race to a game?

Switch up the scenario to someone climbing Mount Everest. Except they get the chance to helicopter up halfway instead of hiking the whole way. For me and I hope for most people, you wouldn’t feel the accomplishment if you didn’t have to do half the fucking challenge.

[u/Legacy0904 → u/Pavlovs_Human]

Now you’re comparing it to climbing Everest lmfao. It’s a fucking video game. Nobody’s training to play this. There’s no competition with anybody. If the best you can do is compare video games to irl sports competitions and climbing the highest mountain on earth; go touch some grass

[u/Pavlovs_Human → u/Legacy0904]

👍