The core systems

Shells are playable warriors with different abilities and memories. Melee weapons and ranged sidearms form your equipment, while upgrades let you develop that equipment.

Combat has no stamina meter. Enemy posture and critical strikes are central parts of the official description. Different systems should not be collapsed into a single character level or a cosmetic-only choice.

Reading exploration terms

Beacons are useful navigation and fast-travel reference points. PowerPyx distinguishes 49 locations from the 46 that can be cleansed, because three begin already cleansed.

Merrick’s weapon maps provide approximate search areas, not a requirement to unlock the weapons. Named dungeons and Beacons help match a written route to the in-game map.

Product names at a glance

Standard is the base game. Devout is the digital edition associated with eight Obsidian Shell skins. Revered is the physical PS5 collector’s package.

The digital release announcement covers Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Use the platform-specific guides for languages, requirements and purchasing details rather than assuming the same storefront features everywhere.

World structure and progression

The world is deliberately compact and interconnected rather than a single linear corridor. Official platform descriptions say more than 80 dungeons lie between its landmarks, while exploration can reveal Shells, story material, weapons, upgrades, and curiosities.

Some main bosses can be encountered in different orders depending on the area visited first. If a route is too difficult, explore elsewhere and return after finding another Shell, weapon, or upgrade instead of assuming you missed a mandatory sequence.

Shells and early acquisition routes

There are eight playable warrior Shells, each with innate abilities and its own story. A practical wiki should index every Shell by location, active and passive abilities, memories, and upgrade requirements.

PowerPyx routes Tiel southeast from Widow’s Overlook to his grave and Proxima into Shattered Beacon northeast of Blackridge Pass. The first two Shell search areas are marked at the beginning, and none of the eight Shells becomes permanently missable before choosing New Game+.

Week 1 made Glimpses and Tarcores non-finite, allowing all Shells and Tarstones to be upgraded in one playthrough. Mether’s Severance also lets Zhirelle reset a Shell and refund all spent Glimpses, replacing the earlier test-build advice to develop only one or two.

Weapons and sidearms

PowerPyx lists eight melee weapons, beginning with The Iconoclast in the Prologue and ending with Clockwork Scythe in Chamber of Becoming. The roster also includes Axe and Dagger, Veteran’s Battle Axe, Great Martyr’s Blade, Obsidian Hammer, Black Needle, and Axatana.

There are also eight sidearms: the Prologue provides Naylshotte, while Destructoid places three of the remaining seven in Fainweald and four in Ruins of Mammon. Their upgrade path opens after taking the Obsidian Lathe from Martyr’s Tomb to Franz in Marrow Keep.

For the Forgotten Crossbow, enter the Flooded Village’s closed chapel through its illusory gate, find the Damp Key by heading north and navigating the rooftops, and then use it to open the chapel.

Boss routing and the tutorial warning

One progression guide counts 11 main bosses tied to story advancement and trophies or achievements, while also distinguishing numerous minibosses. Use that main-boss list for critical-path tracking rather than assuming every named encounter is mandatory.

Tar Golem is fought at the end of the tutorial and is designed as a losing encounter, but reducing its health to zero awards “No, You Still Can’t Win.” The guide says this opportunity occurs only once per playthrough and does not return in New Game+, making it an important early trophy warning.

If attempting that trophy on PlayStation, the guide recommends preparing a PS Plus cloud backup. It also says quitting to the main menu during a poor attempt reloads the game before the Bone Gate.