Mortal Shell 2‘s open beta is officially live, and myself and many others have happened upon a curious item that could, if you really think about it, require players to beat the game 1,000 times just to benefit from its effects. That item is none other than Trollweed, an item that can be gained within Mortal Shell 2‘s first 30 seconds and isn’t gate-kept by a boss or even a rank-and-file enemy. It’s simply lying there on the ground, waiting for players who don’t leave the opening area without first scouring it for items like this one, and it seems to come with an effect that, should players have 1,000 of them in their inventory at one time, will make them immune to all forms of damage. Essentially, if players manage to achieve such a ridiculous feat as this, they will have reached god tier in Mortal Shell 2 and effectively conquered the game.
The problem, though, is that there is currently no indication that there is more than one Trollweed in the game, as you’re only able to find one of the item during the Mortal Shell 2 open beta’s few hours of gameplay. And really, there’s no reason to suspect that there would be more than one Trollweed in the sequel due to its predecessor’s length, and if there truly is more than one Trollweed, it’s highly doubtful there are anywhere near 1,000. So, assuming players can really only find one Trollweed throughout the entirety of a Mortal Shell 2 playthrough, and trusting that the item’s effect is, in fact, real, then there is reason to believe players would need to beat the game 1,000 times in order to even see that effect triggered. However, there’s quite a bit more to it than that, so let’s break it down.
Firstly, Trollweed Could Lean Hard Into Its Name and Mean Absolutely Nothing At All
The first thing we need to consider is that the item is called “Trollweed,” which could be the most telling sign of what it is. If the item leans fully into its name, then it is little more than an item put in the game by the devs to troll players, as its name suggests. After all, if only one Trollweed exists in an entire playthrough, and its bonus requires players to collect 1,000 of them, then the devs must be saluted, because what a fantastic bit of trolling that is.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
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The reason this is such a hilarious bit isn’t just because of what Trollweed requires, though. This ultimately boils down to the item-hoarding habits of most soulslike players because of how challenging these games are. Generally, a lot of players will find a limited consumable, decide it might be invaluable against a later boss, and then consequently never use it at all. In many soulslike games, using a consumable, regardless of how powerful it is, could end up being a waste if players use it and then die in a challenging boss encounter. As such, the habit is to hoard that item instead.
Trollweed’s Full Item Description
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“A rare plant of dubious use. It’s often confused for a far more potent variety.” |
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“It does nothing?” |
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“At 1000 in inventory grants total immunity from all damage sources.” |
So, by putting Trollweed into Mortal Shell 2, it’s almost like the devs are acknowledging that all-too-familiar behavior among soulslike vets and making light of it along with them. If it is truly just an item put there to troll the players, then the devs are essentially saying, “We know you’re going to hold onto this item for the entire game, even if it ends up being useless. Plus, even if it wasn’t useless, we know you’d hold onto it anyway, because that’s what you do in a soulslike game.” It’s the perfect joke because it works, and the devs know players will laugh right along with them.
Trollweed’s Effects Could Be Real, But It Would Likely Require 1,000 Playthroughs to Matter
Now, assuming Trollweed’s effects are real, and upon collecting 1,000 of them, players will be completely immune to all damage, it would likely take them just as many playthroughs to see those effects triggered. However, that would also require Mortal Shell 2 to have New Game Plus, which has been confirmed on FextraLife’s page for the game but hasn’t been confirmed by the devs themselves. If Mortal Shell 2 does have a New Game Plus mode, and it allows players to carry their Trollweed between playthroughs, then players would essentially need to beat the game 999 times before becoming invulnerable. At that point, their 1,000th playthrough would be a cakewalk.
What would be hilarious, though, is if a player forgot to pick up a Trollweed during one playthrough and thus had to complete the game more than 1,000 times. Of course, it wouldn’t be funny to them, but the devs would be laughing without a doubt.
The reason I’m so quick to say that players would probably need to complete the game 1,000 times in order to see the effect triggered is because there is very little reason to believe there is more than one Trollweed per playthrough. Firstly, again, “troll” is the heart of the item’s name, so there’s unlikely to be an abundance throughout the world for players to collect. But second of all, the first Mortal Shell only took 8–12 hours to complete. While the completion time for Mortal Shell 2 hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s unlikely to be too much more than that, and if it is, it might only be somewhere between 30 and 40 hours long.
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Image via Playstack -
Image via Playstack -
Image via Playstack
If that’s the case, with Mortal Shell 2‘s open beta already being a few hours long and only one Trollweed is available in it, it’s improbable that there are 999 more to be collected in the game, given its presumably average length for a soulslike. If more than one Trollweed is obtainable in a playthrough, I’d say it’s no more than 50, but I feel like that’s pretty generous. Say there are 50 out there though. That’s still 19 New Game Plus playthroughs, which is more than most players are likely to complete. I’m digressing at this point.
Ultimately, Trollweed is either one of the funniest jokes in Mortal Shell 2 or one of the most absurd challenges a soulslike has ever put in front of its players. Maybe there are hundreds of them hidden throughout the game, maybe New Game Plus makes collecting 1,000 possible over time, or maybe the item really does nothing and Cold Symmetry is simply waiting to see how many players take the bait. Either way, the fact that we are even considering the possibility of beating Mortal Shell 2 hundreds of times for total damage immunity proves the item has already done its job. Trollweed has turned one harmless plant sitting in the opening area into a mystery players are going to be talking about long after the beta ends.
- Released
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August 20, 2026
- Publisher(s)
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Playstack
- Franchise
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Mortal Shell
- PC Release Date
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August 20, 2026
