Mortal Shell is a Soulslike game, with a gimmick involving different playable characters. The main character can inhabit four different "Shells", which are the corpses of warriors. Each Shell has its own strengths and weaknesses, which is why Screen Rant has created this guide to help players choose between them in Mortal Shell.
The player unlocks Harros at the start of the game, and both Solomon and Tiel are found in the starting hub. Eredrim is found near the entrance of the Temple dungeon. In order to switch Shells, the player can either visit the crypt in the tower in the hub world, or they can use finite items they find in the game world to transform into them anywhere. In order to level up the abilities of each Shell, the player needs to talk to one of the Sisters in the game world and provide them with tar and Glimpses.
All four of the Shells share three moves (but the player still needs to spend tar/Glimpses to unlock them with each character). These moves are Recollection of Death (lets the player win back their second chance after killing enough foes), Recollection of Knowledge (lets the player harden in mid-air to perform a slam attack on the ground), and Recollection of Strength (spend Resolve to kick the enemy).
Mortal Shell: Harros, The Vassal
Attributes - Harros is the all-rounder, with equal focus on Durability, Resolve, and Stamina.
Powers - Harros' skill tree is focused on two things - Glimpses and hardening. Glimpses are one of the two currencies in the game, but the player is given lots of them throughout the story, so don't worry about unlocking the Glimpse powers straight away. There isn't a great need for Glimpses until after the skill tree is completed, as the player can trade Glimpses with the Sisters for items.
The hardening abilities are far more useful, as Harros can make hardening last longer, reset its cooldown, and increase Stamina while it's active. Hardening is one of the main gameplay gimmicks in Mortal Shell and players who love to use its defensive skills in battle should use Harros.
Mortal Shell: Solomon, The Scholar
Attributes - Solomon focuses on Resolve, which means that he has the highest maximum Resolve meter of all of the characters. Resolve is used for the special attacks linked to each weapon. Solomon is best used with the starter sword and its spike ability, which costs two bars of Resolve to activate, but it deals a ton of damage, gives the player frames of invulnerability (though some enemies can kick them out of this), and can stunlock some bosses.
Powers - The bulk of Solomon's powers are based around gaining Resolve, which means that he's the character of choice for those who like using the weapon abilities. The weapon abilities are the closest thing Mortal Shell has to a magic system and they offer some of the most exciting moments in battle. Solomon also has a useful ability called Accretion of Dominance, which keeps enemies in their hardened state after the player has reunited with their Shell, giving them more time to position themselves or to use an item before combat resumes.
Mortal Shell: Eredrim, The Venerable
Attributes - Eredrim focuses on Durability, which means that he has the highest HP score in the game. He is all about tanking hits and dealing damage back to the enemy. He can't store much resolve and he has little stamina, but he can take and dish a lot of hits.
Powers - Eredrim is a no-frills character whose abilities are about buffing his basic attacks. Eredrim can't dodge to save his life, but he can tank far more blows than the other Shells, especially after purchasing some abilities. The risky part of playing Eredrim is the scarcity of healing items in the game, which means that he's best saved for boss encounters, rather than the lengthy process of finishing a dungeon, as he works way better against solo foes than groups of enemies.
Mortal Shell: Tiel, The Acolyte
Attributes - Tiel focuses on Stamina, which means that he can perform more actions before needing to stop than the other characters. This means that Tiel can dodge lots of hits (which is the most effective way of avoiding damage) and can perform lots of hits before needing to back off. Tiel is a high-risk/high-reward character, as he can't tank many hits, but his agility means that he has a better shot of avoiding damage in the first place.
Powers - Tiel's skill tree is all about abilities that preserve Stamina or using the Stamina meter in other ways, such as depleting it instead of health. Tiel also has a number of abilities related to poison, allowing him to inflict status effects upon his enemies. Tiel is the most unique of the Shells, but his risky style means that players should probably master one of the other characters first before trying him out.
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Mortal Shell will be released for PC (through the Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 18, 2020.