If you’re exploring Mortal Shell 2 and have reached Mushroom Village, there’s a good chance you’ve walked straight past the Chapel Key without realizing it. This key is hidden behind an environmental illusion near the village, and finding it is the first step toward unlocking the Shrine of Trials.

The good news is that the route becomes much easier once you understand what the game is actually asking you to look for. The Chapel Key isn’t sitting inside an obvious chest or waiting in plain sight. Instead, a magical Arch Gateway changes the surrounding scenery and reveals a large statue holding the key.

In this guide, I’ll take you from Widow Overlook to the Chapel Key, through the locked Chapel entrance, and all the way through the Shrine of Trials. Along the way, we’ll deal with Babkas, solve the king statue illusion, move the stone pedestals onto their pressure plates, defeat the Spear Knight, and finally claim the Axe & Dagger.

Build Check: Before you go chasing hidden statues and illusory walls, it’s worth knowing which Shell will actually get you through the fights along the way. For more, check out our Mortal Shell 2 Shells tier list, ranking every Shell from S-Tier to B-Tier.

The Chapel Key Route Starts at Mushroom Village

Start at Widow Overlook and head east until you reach the Mushroom Village Beacon.

Before doing anything else, I strongly recommend cleansing the beacon. There are several enemies in the area ahead, and getting killed while searching for the Chapel Key would otherwise mean repeating the approach. With the beacon cleansed, you have a convenient respawn point and a reliable landmark for navigating the area.

Once the Mushroom Village Beacon is active, stand with your back toward the beacon and head left. Follow the path until you spot a bridge on your right, then cross it.

Your route at this stage is:

Widow Overlook → east to Mushroom Village Beacon → cleanse the beacon → back to the beacon → head left → bridge on the right → cross the bridge

After crossing the bridge, continue forward until you reach an Arch Gateway.

Don’t dismiss this arch as random scenery. It’s the key to the entire puzzle.

Clear the Babkas Before Solving the Arch Puzzle

Several Babkas are guarding the area around the Arch Gateway. Take them out before trying to figure out what is happening with the environment.

Once the enemies are dealt with, clear the debris around the arch as well. Having the area cleared gives you a much better view and makes it easier to move around the gateway without getting interrupted.

At first, you might look around and wonder where the statue and Chapel Key are supposed to be. That’s because the statue isn’t visible in the initial version of the environment.

The Arch Gateway is a magical object that changes the surrounding scenery when you pass through it. The statue containing the Chapel Key exists in the altered version of the environment.

So, don’t waste time searching for a hidden chest. The arch itself is the puzzle.

How to Make the Chapel Key Statue Appear

Walk around to the back side of the Arch Gateway.

Once you’re behind it, face north.

Keep your character positioned at the rear of the arch and look north until the scenery changes. You should then see a large statue that wasn’t visible before.

That’s the statue you’re looking for.

Once the scenery has changed and the statue is visible, move inside the arch. The statue should now be part of the altered scenery.

Walk toward it and look carefully at the statue’s rope. The Chapel Key isn’t lying on the floor. It’s hanging from the rope held by the statue.

Interact with the rope to collect the key.

Chapel Key obtained.

That’s the first major hurdle cleared.

Take the Chapel Key Back to Mushroom Village

Now head back to the Mushroom Village Beacon.

This time, you’ll be approaching the relevant area from the opposite side. From the beacon, follow the route toward the western area.

Eventually, you’ll encounter a group of Grisha Hunters. You’ll also find a baby Grisha trapped inside a cage.

The caged baby Grisha is optional to the Chapel Key objective. Don’t mistake the cage for the locked entrance you’re supposed to open.

Near the Grisha Hunter area, look for the entrance to the Chapel.

This is the locked gate that the Chapel Key is meant to open.

Use the Chapel Key on the locked Chapel entrance, then continue downward through the newly accessible area. Keep progressing until you reach an elevator.

Take the elevator down.

At the bottom, you’ll finally arrive at the Shrine of Trials.

Illusion Files: Statues that only reveal their secrets once you approach them the right way turn up in more than one game’s puzzle design. For more, check out our guide on tracking down the Starmie Doll in Pokémon Pokopia, including the Frillish quest and Phione’s location.

Mortal Shell 2 Shrine of Trials Walkthrough: Solve the Puzzles and Claim the Axe & Dagger

The Shrine of Trials is built around a handful of environmental puzzles and a final combat encounter. Once you understand what each room is trying to tell you, the dungeon’s progression is pretty straightforward.

The major steps are:

1. Solve the King Statue puzzle.
2. Pass through the illusory wall.
3. Move the two stone pedestals onto the pressure plates.
4. Defeat the Spear Knight.
5. Collect the Axe & Dagger.

And yes, the first puzzle is exactly as strange as it sounds.

Face the King and Walk Backward

In the first room of the Shrine of Trials, you’ll encounter a statue of a king.

The clue associated with the statue says:

“Gaze upon your king so true, back and back you shall pass through.”

The game is basically handing you the answer, but it’s easy to overthink it.

Stand in front of the king statue and make sure your character is facing the king.

Now, instead of turning around, walk backward.

Keep looking directly at the king while moving backward.

The wall behind your character is an illusory wall, and walking backward through it is how you progress.

If the wall doesn’t disappear or you don’t pass through it, stop and reposition yourself. Make sure you’re facing the king and actually moving backward rather than turning around and walking toward the wall normally.

Both parts of the trick matter.

Once you pass through the illusion, continue into the next room.

Roadmap Ready: Nailing down the exact tricks you need for one dungeon is a great warm-up for tackling a full completionist checklist. For more, check out our guide to Beast of Reincarnation’s endgame Platinum roadmap, covering the Level 100 farm and final trophy cleanup.

Move Both Stone Pedestals Onto the Pressure Plates

The next room introduces another environmental puzzle.

You’ll find two stone pedestals and pressure plates on the floor. Your objective is simple: get each pedestal onto one of the pressure plates.

There’s no second key or secret passage you need to search for here. The pedestals themselves are the mechanism that opens the route forward.

Approach the first stone pedestal and attack it to move it.

Keep repositioning the pedestal until it sits correctly on one of the pressure plates. Once it’s in place, leave it there. There’s no reason to keep attacking it after you’ve positioned it correctly because you’ll only move it away from the position you’ve established.

Then move to the second stone pedestal.

Attack it to move it into position and continue adjusting it until it sits on the remaining pressure plate.

You should end up with:

First pedestal → first pressure plate

Second pedestal → second pressure plate

Once both pedestals are correctly positioned, the mechanism allows you to proceed into the final room.

The Spear Knight Is Waiting in the Final Room

With the pressure-plate puzzle solved, continue through the newly opened route.

The final room contains a Spear Knight.

There isn’t another environmental puzzle you need to solve before progressing. The Knight is the final obstacle standing between you and the Shrine of Trials reward.

Engage the Spear Knight and defeat it.

Once the Knight goes down, the reward for completing the Shrine of Trials becomes available.

Shrine of Trials Reward: Axe & Dagger

After defeating the Spear Knight, collect the weapon reward:

Axe & Dagger

That completes the entire Chapel Key → Shrine of Trials sequence.

From starting at Widow Overlook, you’ve crossed Mushroom Village, uncovered an invisible statue through the Arch Gateway, retrieved the Chapel Key from its rope, unlocked the Chapel, descended by elevator, solved the Shrine of Trials puzzles, defeated the Spear Knight, and claimed the Axe & Dagger.

Weirdest Quest Award: If illusions and backward-walking statues weren’t strange enough for you, one Mortal Shell 2 NPC takes puzzle logic to another level entirely. For more, dive into our guide on completing Baghead’s Nothing Test and unlocking his secret ending.

Mortal Shell 2 Chapel Key and Shrine of Trials: Quick Route

If you just want the complete route without the extra explanation, follow this sequence:

Widow Overlook
↓
Head east
↓
Reach Mushroom Village Beacon
↓
Cleanse the beacon
↓
Stand with your back to the beacon and head left
↓
Find the bridge on the right
↓
Cross the bridge
↓
Reach the Arch Gateway
↓
Defeat the Babkas
↓
Clear the debris around the arch
↓
Move behind the arch
↓
Face north
↓
Wait for the scenery to change
↓
Enter the arch
↓
Find the large statue
↓
Take the Chapel Key from the rope
↓
Return to Mushroom Village
↓
Head toward the Grisha Hunter area
↓
Find the locked Chapel entrance
↓
Use the Chapel Key
↓
Continue downward
↓
Take the elevator
↓
Enter the Shrine of Trials
↓
Face the king
↓
Walk backward through the illusory wall
↓
Move both stone pedestals onto the pressure plates
↓
Enter the final room
↓
Defeat the Spear Knight
↓
Collect the Axe & Dagger

Bond Building: Not every reward in a game comes from solving a puzzle, sometimes it’s built up over time through a companion relationship instead. For more, check out our guide on maxing your Koo Rapport in Beast of Reincarnation to unlock the Closest Companion trophy.

The Four Tricks You Really Need to Remember

The whole section looks more complicated than it actually is. If you’re stuck, remember these four things.

For the Chapel Key: the statue isn’t visible in the normal version of the environment. You need to use the Arch Gateway.

For the Arch Gateway: move behind it, face north, wait for the scenery to change, then enter the arch to reach the statue.

For the first Shrine of Trials puzzle: face the king and walk backward through the illusory wall.

For the second Shrine puzzle: move both stone pedestals onto the pressure plates.

Once those four mechanics click, the rest of the route is much more straightforward. Defeat the Spear Knight at the end, grab the Axe & Dagger, and you’ve officially cleared the Chapel Key and Shrine of Trials sequence.

---

Image Credit: Esoterickk (YouTube) / Cold Symmetry