TL;DR
- The chest in Mushroom Village is a bone chest sitting in the center of the village.
- To open it, you must light three candles (called offerings) scattered around the village.
- Candle 1: On the elevated wooden stage directly behind the chest.
- Candle 2: Behind the first house on the left, past a ladder — two enemies guard it.
- Candle 3: Just before an archway, near two dancing villagers.
- Reward: Auspicious Stone (melee crit chance Tarstone) and a Glimpse.
Mortal Shell 2 is packed with secrets. Most chests open with a simple button press. But some require you to do a little extra legwork first. The chest sitting in the middle of Mushroom Village is one of them. A lot of players walk right past it because it won’t budge. If you are wondering why it won’t open and what you need to do, this guide covers everything. If you are also new to the game, check out our Mortal Shell 2 beginners guide for a full breakdown of the basics.
The short answer is: you need to find and interact with three candles, known as offerings, spread across the village. Once all three are lit, the chest unlocks. It sounds simple but the candles are easy to miss if you don’t know where to look. You can also read our full Mortal Shell 2 review if you want to know what we think of the game overall before diving deeper.
How to Get to Mushroom Village
Mushroom Village sits southeast of the Widow’s Overlook Beacon. Most players stumble into it naturally while exploring. But if you have died and need to find your way back, just fast travel to the Widow’s Overlook Beacon and head east through the open gate. You will see the village ahead.
When you first arrive, there will be enemies in the square. Deal with them before you do anything else. Once the area is clear, you will spot the bone chest sitting in the center of the village. Do not try to open it yet. It is locked until you activate all three candles.
Before chasing the candles, it is worth cleansing the Mushroom Village Beacon at the top of the village. This gives you a fast travel point and makes navigation much easier as you hunt down the offerings.
How to Open the Mushroom Village Chest in Mortal Shell 2
The chest requires you to find three candle offerings placed on stone pillars around the village. Each one must be interacted with. The order does not matter, but here is the easiest route to follow them in sequence.
Candle Offering 1 — The Stage Behind the Chest
This one is the easiest to find. Face the chest and look directly behind it. There is an elevated wooden platform, essentially a small stage. Walk up onto it and you will see the first candle sitting on a stone pillar. Interact with it to light it.
Candle Offering 2 — Behind the First House on the Left
From the first candle, turn left and follow the upward path. Head to the first house on your left. Do not go inside. Instead, wrap around the outside of the house. There is a ladder here. Keep going past it and you will find the second candle on a stone pillar behind the house.
Important: Two enemies are guarding this area. Clear them before you interact with the candle. They are not particularly tough, but getting attacked mid-interaction is annoying.
Candle Offering 3 — Near the Archway by Two Dancing Villagers
From the second candle, continue around the house and walk straight ahead. You will pass through a small open area. Keep going until you see an archway with a roof overhead. The third candle is right before that archway. You will also notice two villagers dancing nearby around some Weltcaps. You can take them out or ignore them. The candle is right there. Interact with it.
Having the Tiel Shell makes dealing with these enemies much easier. If you haven’t found it yet, take a look at our guide on the Mortal Shell 2 first shell location.
Open the Chest and Claim Your Reward
With all three candles lit, go back to the bone chest in the center of Mushroom Village. It is now unlocked. Interact with it to open it.
Inside you will find:
- Auspicious Stone — A Support Tarstone that improves your melee Critical Chance. This is excellent early game, especially for crit-focused builds.
- +1 Glimpse — A resource used to upgrade your Shells and unlock new ones.
The Auspicious Stone is one of the best early Tarstones in the game. If you are running a melee build, equip it straight away. To get the most out of Tarstones and upgrades, you should also know about Mortal Shell 2 Tarforge and how the upgrade system works.
Tips for Exploring Mushroom Village
Mushroom Village has more to offer than just the chest. Here are a few things worth doing while you are in the area.
- Tiel’s Gravestone: Found on the east side of the village near a large tree by a wooden gate with two torches. There is also a bone chest nearby holding a Wounding Stone.
- Mushroom Village Beacon: Cleansing it opens the Passenger’s Shrine where you can get the Emberseed Stone Tarstone and a Laterite.
- Ritual Grounds Dungeon: There is an entrance near Tiel’s gravestone to the east if you want to explore it.
- The Cage and Hunter: Buy the Cage Key from the Grisha Hunter near the beacon to open a nearby cage and grab the Tooth of Nochte. Just don’t attack the Hunter or his allies or they turn hostile.
- Marksman’s Stone: Found in a chest northeast of the Mushroom Village Beacon, guarded by three enemies. Worth grabbing if you use ranged attacks.
If you are wondering about the Chapel Key which is also nearby, our Chapel Key in Mortal Shell 2 guide will point you in the right direction.
What Are Offering Chests in Mortal Shell 2?
The Mushroom Village chest is your first encounter with what are called offering chests. These are special locked chests that will not open until you find and activate a set number of candles or offerings in the surrounding area. Each candle sits on a stone pillar and glows slightly to help you spot it.
This mechanic shows up in other areas of the game too. For example, there is another offering chest in the Glutted Mire swamp area later on. So learning how these work here in Mushroom Village prepares you well for the rest of the game.
If you want to know which permanent items and upgrades are worth grabbing as you explore, see our guide on permanent items in Mortal Shell 2.
Can You Miss the Mushroom Village Chest?
Technically, yes. Some players have reported that the chest disappeared after they activated the Beacon before lighting the candles during the open beta. This appeared to be a bug. In the full release, the chest and its candles should remain accessible at all times without needing any key.
So do not panic if you hit the Beacon first. Just find all three candles and return to the chest. It should be there waiting for you.
If you are struggling with other parts of the game, check our guide on how to cleanse corruption in Mortal Shell 2 and also our Mortal Shell 2 all weapon and sidearm locations to make sure you are properly equipped as you move through the world.
Wrapping Up
The Mushroom Village chest is one of those rewards that is worth going out of your way to get early. The Auspicious Stone gives a solid melee crit bonus that stays useful for a long time, and the Glimpse helps with Shell upgrades. The three candles are not hidden far from the chest. It just takes a bit of deliberate searching to find them all.
Take your time in Mushroom Village. It is one of the more content-rich early zones in Mortal Shell 2 and there are multiple chests, dungeons, and items packed into a small space. Grab everything you can before moving on.
Mortal Shell 2 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. For more on the world and lore of the game, visit the official Mortal Shell website. And if you are just getting into the game, our guide on how to get a map in Mortal Shell 2 and the Mortal Shell 2 PC requirements are great places to start.
