Like most Souls-like, grimdark games, Mortal Shell is a heavy and often unforgiving RPG that tests a player's combat skill and resilience at every turn. Players take on the role of The Foundling in the shattered remains of reality and must find, upgrade, and fight using shells, the corpses of four warriors. As players travel through the labyrinthine Fallgrim and enter various zones where they fight some grisly and difficult bosses, they may start to wonder what the point of it all might be and if it wouldn't just be better to succumb to the dark forces that surround them.
This at least in part appears to be the inspiration for the secret hidden ending to Mortal Shell. This ending introduces a little dark humor into the game by letting the player explore a brief scenario where the hero of the game completely gives up in the middle of his quest to enjoy the rest of his short life in peace until the world burns. While the ending is not considered canon and has no lasting consequences, and while players can simply start again exactly where they were prior to the cutscene, it is a fun find for anyone looking for a break from the constant challenge of the game. Here's how to access the secret ending to Mortal Shell.
Access the Secret Ending in Mortal Shell
To get the secret ending, players will need to find a brigand named Baghead who will not attack the player character. To do this, players will need to travel around the swamplike overworld of Fallgrim and fight brigands until they come upon a tree with giant, terrifying bats hanging from branches on one side. On the other side, they should see a campfire and a frog statue chest. This is where Baghead spends his time.
Once players interact with Baghead, he will ask them for a bite of roasted rat. If the player has this on hand, they can choose to give it to Baghead. If they don't, they can easily find some in the swamp nearby. They typically spend time near brigand campfires.
Once players give Baghead the roasted rat, they will want to interact with him again. This time, he will ask for Superior Moonshine. Again, if players already have some, they can easily share it. If not, however, the player will want to find some. Moonshine comes in two varieties in the game: Inferior and Superior. Players can loot both from the enemies they defeat as random drops.
Once they share their Superior Moonshine with Baghead, he will thank them and invite them to drop-by any time. Interacting with him once more will prompt an invitation: Baghead asks the player to join him under the tree to eat, drink, and be merry in the little time they have left.
If players agree to the suggestion of becoming best friends forever and hanging out with Baghead for the rest of the time, it will trigger a cutscene. The player character, The Foundling, plays an electric rendition of the main theme on his lute with Baghead. The camera pans out to show the Nocteserpers that appear each time the player recovers a sacred gland slowly emerging from the fog to attack other brigand campsites and eventually, presumably, the players.
Thankfully, this ending is of no consequence, and the world will not really fall if the player wants to pause a moment and experience this cutscene prior to continuing their quest.
Mortal Shell is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.