Mortal Shell 2 Difficulty Settings: Easy & Hard Modes

Mortal Shell 2 does not have a traditional difficulty menu. The game runs on a single default challenge level and gives you two optional items that raise or lower the difficulty: the Slayer Seal makes the campaign easier, while the Gloombound Flame activates Night Mode for a harder experience with extra rewards.

How Difficulty Works in Mortal Shell 2

The game ships with one baseline difficulty and two gameplay modifiers. You do not pick Easy, Normal, or Hard from a menu when you start a new save. The standard experience is active by default, and you can choose to equip the Slayer Seal or light the Gloombound Flame whenever you meet the requirements.

Both modifiers are tied to key items rather than menu toggles. This means your decision has concrete trade-offs: the easier mode locks you out of achievements, and the harder mode changes enemy placement, loot, and access to some optional content. You can also ignore both items and play the base experience from start to finish.

Normal Difficulty by Default

Mortal Shell 2’s default difficulty is best described as a standard Soulslike experience. You explore Fallgrim, fight enemies and bosses, upgrade your Harbinger, and build out your shell and weapon loadout as you progress through the story.

The main difference from other games in the genre is that Mortal Shell 2 removes stamina management entirely. Because you do not have to monitor a stamina bar during combat, the base game is considered significantly easier than a typical Soulslike. This makes Normal the recommended starting point for first-time players and for anyone chasing the full achievement list.

Slayer Seal — Easy Mode

The Slayer Seal is the game’s easy-mode item. You can pick it up from the Magnificent Seat as soon as you reach Marrow Keep, which serves as the main hub throughout the campaign. Once equipped, it dramatically lowers the difficulty of combat.

While the seal is active, your sidearms deal Break Damage and every riposte restores your HP and Resolve. The seal also unlocks the Slayer Punch ability, which lets you charge up, become invulnerable, and dash forward to deliver a heavy blow. If the target’s break meter fills from the punch, you automatically perform a riposte.

The downside is that equipping the Slayer Seal disables achievements for your current save file. If you want to unlock every trophy, you must play without it. You also lose the ability to parry while the seal is equipped, so you trade defensive precision for raw power and self-healing.

How to Get the Slayer Seal

After you unlock Marrow Keep, head to the beacon or fast-travel point in the hallway. Look for a tunnel that leads to an outer area with a throne by the cliffside. The glowing item on the throne is the Slayer Seal.

You can keep the seal in your inventory without penalty. The game shows a warning prompt before you equip it, so you will not accidentally lock yourself out of achievements. If you change your mind later, unequip the seal to restore achievement progress on that save.

Gloombound Flame and Night Mode — Hard Mode

Night Mode is Mortal Shell 2’s hard-mode modifier. It is activated by bringing the Gloombound Flame to Thestus at the top of Marrow Keep. Once lit, you can talk to Thestus at any time to toggle Night Mode on or off.

You can collect the Gloombound Flame very early in the campaign. Travel to the Fainweald region’s starting area near the Widow’s Overlook beacon, locate the Great Arbiter of Flesh mini-boss, and grab the glowing item near him. If you do not want to fight the mini-boss, you can grab the flame and retreat.

What Changes in Night Mode

Night Mode makes the world noticeably harder. Enemies deal more damage, have more health, and sometimes move faster. Enemy density also increases in some areas, and additional hazards such as exploding mushrooms appear in locations that are safe during the day.

The higher risk comes with better rewards. Enemies drop more Gloom, which makes Night Mode useful for leveling and farming resources. You will also find more mini-bosses roaming the world, each dropping extra materials such as Glimpses. The exact increase in Gloom drops has not been officially published, but community observations show a clear boost.

Night Mode Exclusive Content

Beyond difficulty, Night Mode unlocks content that is not available during the day. Certain NPCs, merchants, dungeons, and quests only appear while Night Mode is active. Some areas contain a message that reads, “By the light of day, the truth remains sealed. And yet in darkness all shall be revealed,” signaling that a nearby secret is only visible at night.

Sources confirm at least one Night Mode-only merchant and at least one unique dungeon. There is also a quest involving offerings to a long-dead monstrosity that requires Night Mode. None of the shells, weapons, or sidearms are locked behind these optional fights, so they are rewards rather than requirements for character progression.

Which Difficulty Should You Choose

If you are new to the game or want to unlock every achievement, stay on Normal difficulty. It gives the intended experience, does not disable trophies, and lets you learn enemy patterns and boss mechanics without the extra damage and density of Night Mode.

After you are comfortable with combat and have a solid build, activate Night Mode to experience the extra content and higher Gloom drops. You can always return to Thestus and switch back to daytime if a specific encounter becomes too difficult.

Can You Switch Difficulty at Any Time

Yes, both modifiers can be toggled freely once unlocked. You can equip or unequip the Slayer Seal from your inventory, and you can ask Thestus to switch between day and night. There is no penalty for changing your mind, and you cannot permanently miss content by playing at the wrong difficulty.

The only permanent restriction is that a save file with the Slayer Seal equipped cannot earn new achievements. If you want the achievement list, simply remove the seal and continue on Normal difficulty. You can also create a separate save file if you want to experiment with the seal without affecting your main run.

Does Night Mode Change the Story or Endings

Night Mode is fully optional and does not change the main story or the game’s endings. You can complete the entire campaign in Night Mode, ignore it completely, or toggle it on only when you want to farm Gloom or access a specific secret.

Because the endings remain the same, the decision to use Night Mode is purely about challenge and optional rewards. If you prefer the base experience, you will not miss any critical story beats by staying in the daytime. You only miss the extra combat encounters, merchants, and dungeons tied to the harder modifier.

Watch: Mortal Shell 2 Difficulty & Optimization Videos

If you want to see Night Mode and the Slayer Seal in action rather than reading about them, the first video below covers everything about Night Mode, including what changes and what content is exclusive to it. The second is an optimization guide that tests every graphics setting, which pairs well with the performance notes on this page if you are playing on PC.

TL;DR

• Mortal Shell 2 has no menu difficulty options.
• Normal difficulty is the default Soulslike experience without stamina.
• The Slayer Seal makes combat easier but disables achievements and parrying.
• The Gloombound Flame enables Night Mode, raising enemy damage and adding exclusive content.
• Night Mode can be toggled on and off by speaking to Thestus at Marrow Keep.
• None of the shells, weapons, or sidearms are locked behind Night Mode content.