Mortal Shell 2: Citadel Of Penance walkthrough (Part 9)

1. Activate the Citadel Beacon.

Start from the Gloomshade Grove Beacon, and head through the adjacent cave to the Citadel Gate. If you haven't already, place the Citadel Gate Lever which you obtained from the Bloodcursed Lithopod on the side of the wall by the gate, and then use it to open the gate.

Through the gate, immediately turn right and kill off the 5 Wretches stumbling about. Then continue past them, through the archways under the bridge. Open up the chest in front of you for a new Tarstone - the Grudge Stone. It's a pretty nice one, especially if you use a fast weapon like the Axe and Dagger.

Collect the 250x Coin Pouch on the cart down the steps, and collect another 250x Coin Pouch behind the Beacon in front of you. Then activate the Citadel Of Penance Beacon.

Like the Gloomshade Grove Beacon, this one doesn't need cleansing, so it'll give you a Glimpse automatically.

2. Obtain the Map Of Fainweald [2].

Rest at the Beacon if you need to, then head back the way you came (killing the Wretches again if you respawned them). This time, head around to the left from the Citadel Gate.

Just past the first archway you'll need to kill an Armed Knave and two Brigands. Just beyond them, to the right, you'll find Ruk atop another of his map statues. Take the Map Of Fainweald [2] from the base of the statue to reveal the map of the Citadel.

3. Acquire the Bulwark Stone.

Turn around. Opposite the map statue, you'll see a closed gate. Use the lever next to the gate to open it. Collect the 350x Coin Pouch on your left, and then head onto the bridge ahead of you.

Along the way, you'll need to defeat two Armed Knaves and two Stoners. All together they look intimidating at first, but it's actually quite fun because you can bait the Stoners into throwing rocks directly into the backs of the Knaves, sending them flying.

Once the four foes are dealt with, head to the end of the bridge and open the chest there for another Tarstone - the Bulwark Stone.

4. Clear the upper levels.

Now head back through the gate and continue along the path to the left of Ruk's map statue. There's a 350x Coin Pouch immediately to the left of the statue to pick up before continuing on. Don't drop down any of the holes towards the centre - we'll tackle them later.

Just ahead there'll be two paths to take. The right-hand path simply leads back to the Wretches at the start, so take the left-hand path through the archway and towards the stairs.

At the top of the stairs there are two Knaves and a Brigand, with two more Brigands waiting to join them from further to the left. You should also bear in mind that there's a Crossbowman behind you, atop the bridge whose archway you just wandered under. You can just ignore him or take him out with your own Sidearm if need be.

Kill them all and turn the corner. A Headsman will be in your way up the next set of stairs. Kill him too, and the Brigand behind him. Look to your right before you head up those stairs. Around the stalls there's a small passageway blocked by crates. Destroy the crates and loot the Ventrium behind them.

Ascend the steps and head straight forward. Kill the two Brigands in your way, and then attack the wooden wall on your right, behind the boxes. Behind the wall you'll find a Revered Gland.

Turn around and head down the stairs opposite you, killing the Brigands and Knaves on your way as you follow the path around. Once you kill the Knave at the bottom of the steps, head right first for another Ventrium, before turning around and taking the left route through more Knaves and Brigands until you find your way back to the Citadel Of Penance Beacon.

5. Clear the lower levels.

Rest again at the Beacon if you need to, then head to the front of the Citadel Gate (killing the Wretches in your way once again).

Head partially down the slope that's right in front of the gate, but don't drop down the gap below quite yet. Instead, turn left and start heading around the circular path here.

At each archway, look to your right, because there'll be a Brigand waiting to ambush you. Behind the first Brigand you'll find a Ventrium. You'll also find a second Ventrium further along the path, on a wooden platform by some boxes.

Kill the Knave at the end of the path, and then drop down the hole behind him. Now you're on the bottom layer. Do another cycle around the circular pathway, killing all enemies in your way (including another Stoner). There are elevators on the north and south sides, but don't use them yet.

Check every other side path as you go round the circular path - you'll find a 250x Coin Pouch along the way.

6. Defeat The Warden.

Once you've fully explored the area, ride either of the two elevators to the top. You'll come to a stone circular platform, at the centre of which is a fake coin pouch. Approach it to trigger the crumbling of the whole floor beneath you, bringing you down into the arena of The Warden boss fight.

The Warden is essentially a supercharged Headsman, and with his flaming executioner's axe and aggressive combos, he's a pretty scary foe at first glance. But really, his danger simply comes from trying to overwhelm you with his combo of unblockable jumping strikes. You can find the rhythm of this one very quickly, and simply dodge to the side of each jump attack.

Otherwise, The Warden has similar timings to any Headsman. He's built to be parried, and it works as well as you'd expect. After each Riposte, pepper him with ranged shots from your Sidearm. As long as you stay on your toes and watch for that red unblockable icon, it shouldn't be too tricky a fight.

7. Unlock the Eredrim Shell.

When you successfully slay The Warden, you'll earn around 6,500x Gloom, and you'll instantly see the true reward is at hand: the screen will turn red as you approach the centre of the arena, where a new Shell awaits you.

Interact with the Shell to unlock Eredrim - a strong contender for the best Shell in the game, in my opinion. As with all Shells, you'll automatically enter Eredrim's first Memory - The Choice. This one's extremely simple - just follow the couple of prompts, and listen to the conversation that follows.

Once it's done, you'll be able to switch to Eredrim and learn about your new abilities with this Shell! Unlike Tiel and Proxima, Eredrim has two active abilities, both of which are capable of dealing strong Break damage to your foes to create more opportunities for Ripostes. His Slaughterer effect also makes him excellent for dealing with groups of smaller foes with very high efficiency.

That's everything to be found within the Citadel Of Penance, so you can leave via either elevator now and make your way back through the Citadel Gate, ready for the next stage of your playthrough.