The Blackmarrow Key is a key item used to unlock new skins in Mortal Shell 2, but the game does not tell players how or where they can use it, leading to some confusion.

This guide covers all locations where you can find the Blackmarrow Key, and exactly how to use it. Here’s the breakdown.

How to Use Blackmarrow Keys in Mortal Shell 2

In Mortal Shell 2, Blackmarrow Keys are used to open the Shade/Skin chests in the Marrow Keep elevator room. There are 8 chests in this room, and each chest corresponds to one of the 8 Shells in the game. Inside each of them, you’ll find a unique Shade for the respective Shells.

You can only open these chests after you’ve unlocked the corresponding Shell during your playthrough. So, if you want to unlock Eredrim’s new Shade, you’ll need to first unlock Eredrim.

Upon unlocking a chest, the Blackmarrow Key will be consumed. To open the remaining chests, you’ll need to get more Blackmarrow Keys.

Once you unlock a Shade using the Blackmarrow Key, you can switch to it by selecting the “Change Shade” option when resting at a Beacon.

The Blackmarrow Key is not the only way to unlock Shades. Unique Shades are offered as rewards to players who pre-order or buy the Devout Edition upgrade.

All Blackmarrow Key Locations in Mortal Shell 2

blackmarrow key mortal shell 2 Image via GameRant; Source: Cold Symmetry

There are a total of 8 Blackmarrow Keys that you can find during a single playthrough, enough to unlock every single Shade chest in the Marrow Keep. However, they are scattered across the map and very well hidden in most cases. We’ve only managed to find five of them during our playthrough, even after extensive searching.

  1. Abandoned Outpost Night Merchant (Night Mode only)
  2. Shrine of Sorrows Dungeon (Night Mode only)
  3. Desolate Keep (Secret Dungeon underneath Marrow Keep)
  4. Near Abbey Entrance Beacon
  5. Child’s Feeding Ground Beacon
  6. TBA
  7. TBA
  8. TBA

This section is currently a work in progress. We’ll update it as we discover more Blackmarrow Keys.

Blackmarrow Key #1: Abandoned Outpost Night Merchant

Turn on Night Mode, and fast travel to the Abandoned Outpost Beacon in Mammon. It is located northeast of the Highlord’s Courtyard Beacon, near where you unlock Lazlo. Directly south of the Beacon, there is a small clearing where you’ll find the Night Merchant named “The Collector.”

Select “Buy,” and you’ll be able to purchase the Blackmarrow Key from him for 1500 Gold. The Collector also sells 4 exclusive Tarstones, a Glimpse, and some Thoracium.

Blackmarrow Key #2: Shrine of Sorrows

The Shrine of Sorrows is a first-person Night Mode exclusive dungeon located southwest of the Mushroom Village beacon. Clearing this dungeon rewards you with a Blackmarrow Key.

Check out our Shrine of Sorrows guide to find out how to unlock and complete this dungeon.

Blackmarrow Key #3: Desolate Keep

The Desolate Keep is a secret dungeon found underneath the Marrow Keep. To access it, first pick up the Slayer Seal from the chair that’s in the chamber next to the Marrow Keep Beacon (you don’t need to have it equipped).

Then, head to the training area where Genessa teaches you guard/parry tutorials. In this chamber, look for a wall with an arrow symbol on it. Once you find it, attack the wall to reveal a hidden room with a chalice bound by chains. Destroy the chains with your weapons and interact with the chalice using the “Commune with Chaos” interaction prompt.

Now, you’ll find yourself inside the Desolate Keep. Clear the dungeon, and at the end, you’ll find another Blackmarrow Key.

Desolate Keep is a difficult dungeon that’s meant to be cleared when you’re level 20-25. It is not easy to clear at low levels, but it is possible.

Blackmarrow Key #4: Near Abbey Entrance Beacon

From the Abbey Entrance Beacon in Mammon, take the southeast stairs to head into the castle. Turn right, and go down the stairs in Sester’s Refuge. Once you come out on the other side, turn right and defeat the three Sester enemies near the bridge.

After they’re dealt with, take the bridge to reach the tower on the other side. Here, you can pick up the Map of Mammon 1 from the statue.

Now, turn left from the statue and walk onto wooden scaffolding along the outer walls of the tower. Walk up to the edge of the scaffolding and look down. You’ll see a place on the ground where you can jump down and an updraft that lets you go back up to the bridge.

Follow the winding path around the tower downward, and you’ll eventually reach a chest containing another Blackmarrow Key.

Blackmarrow Key #5: Child’s Feeding Ground Beacon

After you defeat the Lost Child boss in the Sanguine Caverns Corrupted Gate (located at the northernmost part of the map), you’ll unlock the “Child’s Feeding Ground” Beacon in the boss arena.

First, enter the “Cleanse Beacon” dungeon and cleanse the corruption inside to claim +26 Ova. You’ll automatically be transported back to Marrow Keep when you do this.

Fast travel back to the Child’s Feeding Ground Beacon, and select “Enter Dungeon.” Go down to where you cleansed the corruption previously, and you’ll see a new secret room behind where the Ova used to be. Enter the room and open the chest to get a Blackmarrow Key.

Mortal Shell II Tag Page Cover Art
9/10

Mortal Shell II
Soulslike
Action RPG
Fantasy
Systems
PC-1 Playstation Logo Xbox-1
Top Critic Avg: 85/100 Critics Rec: 90%
Released
August 20, 2026
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
Developer(s)
Cold Symmetry
Publisher(s)
Playstack
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Genre(s)
Soulslike, Action RPG, Fantasy