Each Shell in Mortal Shell 2 functions as a wholly unique character, packaged with all new passives, special moves, and skill trees to further differentiate them. Dual Symmetry clearly took plenty of time to ensure each Shell has a niche, and Tiel was a quick personal favorite.
I’ve been geeking out over how to make him as effective as possible, so let me walk you through the best Mortal Shell 2 Tiel Build I’ve managed to put together! We’ll be going over his best Shell Ability upgrades, weapons, and Tarstones.
The world of Mortal Shell 2 is a mean one, and there’s no harm in using every underhanded tactic to make sure you keep breathing. If you’re up for sneaking, stabbing, and poisoning, Tiel is the Shell for you!
Tiel’s Best Abilities
The best place to start is with Zhrielle, the Shellkeeper. Once you’ve spent the Glimpse to bond with Tiel, you’ll be able spend Shell Points in any of his trees, unlocking any upgrading his trees freely. Shell Points are earned by leveling up your Harbinger, with every few levels adding an extra Point.
It takes time to gather Shell Points so selecting the best early as possible is paramount to ensure effectiveness. Don’t forget to refund all your Shell Points once you swap Shells, as each Shell uses the same pool of Points.
I focused on the Shell Abilities that enhanced Tiel’s effectiveness with Poison, his Shadow Strike, Shadow Dash, and with backstabs. Tiel really rewards positioning, gaining extra base damage, crit chance, and crit damage.
Here are how I distributed my Shell Points on Tiel.
| Shell Upgrade | Shell Points Spent | Effect |
| Escalation | 6 Points | Shadow Strike deals 140% damage, and inflicts 10 stacks of Poison on hit. |
| Poison Burst | 6 Points | Shadow Strike detonates each stack of Poison on the effected enemy for 6 damage a piece. The effected enemy explodes into a Poison Cloud. |
| Ambush | 6 Points | When striking from behind, Tiel deals 150% base damage, gains +25% Crit chance, and deals 120% Crit damage. |
| Nightstride | 10 Points | Shadow Dash has a 45% wider activation window, deals 50 damage, and is 300% efficient at staggering dodged enemies. |
| Seal Affinity | 6 Points | Failed Guards, Parries, and Hardens grant 3 stacks of Shadow, while Perfect Guarding, Parrying, or Hardening deals 120% Break Damage. Consecutive Perfects increase this Break Damage by 5, up to 25. |
| Shadow Clone | 6 Points | Shadow Dash leaves behind a clone that inflicts 2 Poison stacks to any enemy who hits it, withstanding up to 5 attacks. When it dies, the clone explodes into a Poison Cloud. |
With these Shell Abilities, Tiel becomes an boss shredding and crowd controlling monster, stacking and popping Poison left and right. With proper positioning, you can be dealing upwards of 50% extra damage at all times, and that’s not counting Crits! With all this damage, and the slightly more forgiving Shadow Dash, this is Mortal Shell 2’s best Tiel build by far.
Tiel’s Best Gear
Now we move on to the hardware, the universal tools that every Shell can take a spin with. With my setup, all Tiel needs is a fast weapon that can allow him to stack Poison quick, while increasing his crit damage and chance any way possible.
For his Weapon, the Axe and Dagger is an easy pick, with plenty of multi hits, shocking AOE, and the speed to keep up with enemies and afflict them quickly. The Axe and Dagger is also one of the first weapons you’re likely to find, and it’s flexibility and great damage make it easy to utilize throughout the entire game.
For Tiel’s Sidearm, I flitted between a few options, mainly tools to give him effective damage from an extended range. Overtime, the Ballistazooka pulled ahead, thanks to it’s superior range and outstanding damage. While it may be unwieldly, it’s a fantastic tool for both closing and opening fights. Whenever you need a gutpunch of damage, the Ballistazooka is the perfect pick.
Finally, for the Seal, Vatra’s Seal is genuinely stellar. The Axe and Dagger have plenty of committal animations, and the Vatra’s Seal’s ability to provide cover no matter how deep you are in an animation is a godsend. I started playing like a freak towards the midgame, opening fights with the sprinting light attack, stonewalling anyone who tried to retaliate without any worry in the world.
Tiel’s Best Tarstones
Tarstones are the final piece of the puzzle, providing strong passive and active effects to solidify a build direction. Finding the right picks is absolutely mandatory for Tiel, but once you’ve got them, you can claim the world. Here’s a quick list of his best Tarstones for each slot, with each’s maxed out effect. Don’t forget to return to the Marrow Keep in order keep your Tarstones up to date!.
Passive Tarstones
| Tarstone Name | Effect |
| Auspicious Stone | Melee attacks have +18% Crit Chance |
| Headsman’s Stone | Melee attacks deal +100% Crit Damage |
| Shattering Stone | Melee attacks deal 220% Stagger Damage |
| Siegebreaker’s Stone | Ranged attacks deal 150% Stagger Damage |
Combat Tarstones
| Tarstone Name | Effect |
| Duality Stone | Light melee attack combo hit twice |
| Corroded Stone | Projectiles deal 15% of their damage again over time |
Tarstone Infusions
| Tarstone Name | Effect |
| Serpent Stone | Consume 15 Resolve to allow your weapon to inflict Poison on hit |
| Weeping Stone | Consume 20 Resolve to allow your Ballistazooka to inflict Trauma on hit |
Tarstone Abilities
| Tarstone Name | Effect |
| Magdalena’s Memento | Consume 100 Resolve to perform a multi-hit spinning series of strikes that inflicts Weak. |
| Infested Stone | Consume 60 Resolve to fire a burrowing projectile that explodes after a delay, drawing enemy attention and dropping mini bombs. |
With this loadout, Tiel can easily stack massive amounts of Poison with the Axe and Dagger, each light attack proccing two with massive chances to crit. The Ballistazooka remains as a perfect middle finger attack to any single enemy that needs to go now.
Now that you’ve put together Mortal Shell 2’s best Tiel build, why not make a Gloom investment for your efforts? Keep an eye and ear out as you clear out Mammon, you never know where you’ll find a new friend in need.
