Mortal Shell 2: How to Upgrade Shell Bonds and Abilities

Players in Mortal Shell 2 raise a Shell’s Bond Tier with Glimpse at Zhirelle in Marrow Keep or by selecting the Level Up option at any Beacon. Raising Bond Tier runs from I to IV and makes additional ability tiers available for that Shell.

Genessa is an exception. Her Bond Tier advances by speaking with Genessa, also called the Stray Sester, in Marrow Keep rather than through Zhirelle or Beacons.

Raising a Shell’s Bond Tier increases the Shell’s health on revive and its Shell Revive Efficiency. Higher Bond Tiers reveal more of a Shell’s Memories, the story fragments tied to that Shell, and unlock access to higher tiers of Abilities for use while inhabiting the Shell.

Abilities are acquired and upgraded with Shell Points, which players earn by leveling their character using Gloom. Shell Points form a single shared pool that can be spent on the currently inhabited Shell’s talent tree. Each Shell has a Shell Points Capacity that limits how many Abilities can be active at once.

Shell Points can be refunded and reassigned freely, allowing players to change builds between runs or experiments. Glimpse spent to raise a Bond Tier is not refundable. A single playthrough yields a limited amount of Glimpse, so players can choose to spend it on fully upgrading a few Shells or spread it across several. Unlocking every Shell’s Memories will require carrying progress into additional playthroughs to gather enough Glimpse.

The game separates long-term and short-term progression. Glimpse drives permanent Bond Tier advancement and story unlocks for each Shell, while Gloom and Shell Points provide flexible, short-term access to Abilities and build adjustments for the current run.