Mortal Shell 2: Find Magdalena, Win the Fight, Upgrade Her Memento

To find Magdalena in Mortal Shell 2, win her boss fight, and upgrade her memento, you must first reach the Sunken Temple area, defeat her in the arena located at its lowest level, then bring the Memento of the Lost to the Eternal Narthex. The upgrade is not automatic—you need to interact with the Altar of Echoes after the fight and spend Tar and a specific resource to unlock her enhanced form. This guide covers the full questline, the fight strategy, and the upgrade mechanics.

Background: Who Is Magdalena?

Magdalena is a non-playable boss character introduced in Mortal Shell 2, the sequel to the 2020 souls-like action RPG by Cold Symmetry. She is a former companion of the player character, now corrupted by the game’s central affliction—the “Hollowing.� She appears as a humanoid figure wreathed in blue flame, wielding a twin-bladed spear. Her lore ties into the game’s main theme: the struggle between mortality and the eternal cycle of rebirth. Players encounter her after clearing the Crypt of the First Pilgrim, and her defeat is required to progress to the final act.

How to Find Magdalena

Magdalena is located in the Sunken Temple, a mid-to-late game area accessible after obtaining the Sunken Key from the boss of the Ash Gorge. The path to her arena is linear once you enter the temple:

• Head to the eastern wing of the Sunken Temple, past the flooded corridors.
• Defeat the two Grave Warden mini-bosses guarding the spiral staircase.
• Descend to the lowest floor, where you’ll find a large circular chamber with a glowing blue sigil on the floor.
• Approach the sigil to trigger the cutscene and start the fight.

If you miss her, you can return later; the game does not lock you out of the area until the final boss is defeated.

How to Win the Fight Against Magdalena

Magdalena’s fight is a two-phase battle. In phase one, she uses fast thrust attacks and a homing projectile. In phase two (below 50% health), she gains a flame aura that damages you on contact and adds an area-of-effect explosion attack. Recommended strategy:

1. Equip a fast weapon like the Hammer and Chisel; heavy weapons are too slow for her recovery windows.
2. Dodge into her thrusts—her hitbox extends forward, and rolling diagonally left avoids most damage.
3. When she glows blue, she’s about to use the projectile; sprint sideways until it passes.
4. In phase two, keep your distance until she performs the ground slam, then attack once or twice before retreating.
5. Use a Hardening ability (if unlocked) to tank one hit and counterattack.

Her health pool is roughly 1,800 HP on a standard playthrough, so expect the fight to last 5–10 minutes. She is resistant to poison but weak to fire damage.

Upgrading Her Memento

After defeating Magdalena, she drops the Memento of the Lost, a key item that allows you to summon her as a temporary ally. To upgrade it, you must travel to the Eternal Narthex, a hub area accessible via the central teleport in Fallgrim. There, find the Altar of Echoes (a stone pedestal with a blue flame). Interact with it while holding the Memento, and you’ll see an upgrade prompt.

The upgrade costs:

• 1,500 Tar (the game’s currency)
• 2 Glowing Shards (rare drops from the “Glimmeringâ€� enemies in the Ash Gorge)

Once upgraded, the Memento becomes the Memento of the Redeemed, which increases the summon’s duration from 30 seconds to 60 seconds and grants it a heal-over-time effect. The upgrade is permanent and carries over to New Game+.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

Players often report three issues:

• Can’t find the Altar of Echoes: It’s not in the main hall; it’s behind a breakable wall to the left of the central teleport. Use a heavy attack on the cracked section.
• Memento not appearing in inventory: Ensure you actually picked it up from the arena floor—it’s a small glowing item, easy to miss if you looted the boss corpse too quickly.
• Upgrade option greyed out: You need to have the Memento equipped (not just in inventory). Equip it in one of your quick-use slots, then approach the altar.

A common misconception is that you must upgrade the Memento before the final boss to get the best ending. That’s false—the upgrade only affects the summon’s power, not the story ending.

Comparison to Other Summons

Magdalena’s upgraded Memento is one of three summonable allies in the game. Compared to the other two:

• Bast’s Charm (from the tutorial) summons a small creature that distracts enemies but deals no damage.
• Horned Husk (from the Crypt) summons a tanky minion that draws aggro but has a short duration.
• Magdalena’s Memento offers the best balance: decent damage, a heal-over-time, and a longer duration after upgrade.

If you prefer a defensive playstyle, the Horned Husk is better; if you want offense, Magdalena’s is superior.

Costs and Resource Management

The upgrade costs are modest, but Glowing Shards can be scarce. On a first playthrough, you’ll find about 5–6 Glowing Shards total, so spending two on this upgrade is reasonable. Tar is plentiful if you farm the Fallgrim outskirts. If you’re short, prioritize the Glowing Shards over Tar, as they’re rarer.

Note: The upgrade does not require any boss souls or rare crafting materials, so you won’t lock yourself out of other upgrades by doing this.

Safety and Fair Play Notes

There are no real-world safety concerns, but in-game, be aware that using the upgraded Memento in the final boss fight will not prevent you from taking damage—it only heals you over time. Also, the summon cannot be used in PvP invasions (if you play online), so don’t rely on it there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to defeat Magdalena to finish the game?

Yes, she is a required boss. There is no way to skip her fight; she guards the exit to the final area.

Can I upgrade the Memento before fighting her?

No, you only get the Memento after her defeat. The upgrade is post-fight only.

What happens if I die during the fight?

You respawn at the nearest checkpoint (the bonfire-like “Sister’s Shrine� just outside the temple). The boss retains the health she had when you died, so you can retry without restarting from full.

Is the upgraded Memento worth it?

Yes, especially for players who struggle with the final boss. The heal-over-time can save you from using precious healing items.

Does the upgrade affect the game’s ending?

No, the ending is determined by your choices during the final cutscene, not by the Memento upgrade.

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in t | Fight Duration (minutes) | min | 8 | 0
in d | Damage Taken per Hit | HP | 25 | 0
out dmg | Total Damage Taken | HP | d * 40 | 0
out heal | Heals Needed | - | ceil(dmg / 50) | 0