You’re here because you don’t know how to beat the Nameless Captive in Mortal Shell 2. There’s no shame in that. He’s one of the most unique bosses in the game, and thanks to his move-set, size, design, and all-around ability, he’s also one of the most difficult. By the end of this guide, though, you’ll know where he is, and more importantly, how to beat him easily.
Nameless Captive Location
Located in the Western-most Corrupted Gate, next to the Nochte Beacon, the Nameless Captive is the final boss of the whole area. Following on from the Gloombound Legion and Tishina’s Confessor, the Nameless Captive is right after the latter. After jumping across a traversal gate, you’ll encounter Ruk, who will have a quick discussion with you and then urge you down into the chasm below. You’ll be forgiven for thinking that the drop is too much and looking around for another way down. It’s not, and there isn’t. As soon as you drop down, a cinematic will begin, and your health will be spared, but now you’ll be facing the Nameless Captive, and oh boy are you in for a treat.
How to Beat the Nameless Captive in Mortal Shell 2
The Nameless Captive in Mortal Shell 2 is the closest you’ll get to a real Soulslike boss, in the sense that he’s actually quite difficult, with no clear cheese method, and you’ll need to know the game and be good at it to win. First, though, my build, to ensure you know how I did it:
- Eredrim Shell – Location here.
- Veteran’s Battle Axe – Location here.
- Troubadour Lute.
- Vatra Seal.
- Marksman’s Stone – Increases crit chance of ranged weapons.
- Retribution Stone – Increases Riposte damage.
- Deadeye Stone – Increases ranged crit damage.
- Berserker Stone – Increases damage output the lower your health is.
As good as Eredrim is, a faster Shell with light weapons would work far better when fighting the Nameless Captive. He himself is so quick and covers so much distance that you’ll want to have every advantage. That said, I’d heavily suggest having the Lute to hand, as it’ll help from a distance. As you know, the Lute instils Confusion on your enemies, and builds up break damage. Riposte attacks are the quickest and best way to damage the Nameless Captive quickly, hence my suggestion to use the Lute.
The Nameless Captive has a couple of combos (all of which look awesome), which you’ll want to keep an eye out for. In his first phase, he’ll approach you and rear his head, before plunging his head sword into the ground. He’ll attempt to follow you by repeating the process two or three times. Second to that, he’ll also spin himself in a circle, swinging his head from side to side, cutting you to shreds. I’d suggest dodging heavily in this fight, as one wrong or mistimed Parry/Harden will leave you open to a follow-up attack. Dodge well, and dodge in the opposite direction to his attacks; otherwise you could end up within striking distance as you come to a stop.
Once you’ve damaged him enough, you’ll notice he slumps to the ground, opening himself up to another type of Riposte Attack. This is the end of the first phase, and the second is beginning.
The second phase has the same attacks as above, but he also throws in another. He’ll spin himself in a circular motion; instead of the ground like above, though, he’ll be coming towards you as he spins, making it look like a circular shield of damage is coming towards you. I’d suggest moving away as quickly as possible, putting some distance between you and him, and taking the time to heal, infusing your weapon (he’s weak to fire), and so on.
After this attack comes to an end, repeat the process above, but be careful of the fact he’ll be slightly quicker, so your timings will need to adjust too. Once you’ve damaged him enough, be it via normal attacks, infused weapons, summons or more, you’ll see his health drop to zero, and there you have it, you’ll now have beaten the Nameless Captive in Mortal Shell 2.
For your trouble, you’ll receive the following rewards:
- Gloom
- Glimpse x 2
For your next read, go see our review of the game, or even better, don’t miss our tips and tricks you’ll need in Mortal Shell 2.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
