Coward’s Retreat is one of the smallest dungeons in Mortal Shell 2, but it has a trap that can make your first visit considerably more complicated. The brigand hideout is located near the Blackridge Pass Beacon and contains a pitfall designed to capture unsuspecting players and temporarily take away their weapons.
The dungeon itself is extremely short once you understand the trick. You can even avoid the trap entirely and head almost directly to its main reward: a piece of Laterite used for weapon upgrades.
Where to Find Coward’s Retreat in Mortal Shell 2
Coward’s Retreat is located close to the Blackridge Pass Beacon. Unlike some of Mortal Shell 2’s larger dungeons, this location is essentially a small hideout occupied by a group of brigands.
After entering and taking the elevator, you’ll reach a wooden floor near the dungeon’s main entrance. This is where the trap is waiting.
Walking across the wrong section causes the floor to collapse beneath you. You’ll fall into the brigands’ trap, wake up imprisoned, and discover that your weapons have been taken.
Fortunately, getting everything back doesn’t take long.
How to Avoid the Coward’s Retreat Trap
You don’t actually have to trigger the trap to complete Coward’s Retreat.
After getting off the elevator, stay along the sides of the wooden floor instead of walking across the center. Doing so allows you to bypass the pitfall and continue directly toward the dungeon’s main loot area.
Avoiding the trap makes Coward’s Retreat exceptionally short. You won’t need to escape the cell or retrieve your equipment, leaving only the brigands and reward chest to deal with.
If you’ve already fallen through the floor, however, you can still escape easily.
How to Escape Coward’s Retreat
Falling into the trap causes the brigands to imprison you in a cell and confiscate your weapons. Don’t worry—you haven’t permanently lost any equipment.
First, look to the left side of your cell and pick up the Hideout Cage Key. Use it to unlock the cell door.
Once you’re outside, turn left and follow the tunnel. You’ll eventually find a Chest Key sitting on top of a stack of small cages.
Take the key and return to the locked chest near the campfire. Open it to recover all the weapons the brigands took from you.
With your equipment restored, you can start making your way back toward the upper section of the hideout.
How to Lower the Wooden Bridge
Continue through the tunnels until you’re heading back toward the dungeon entrance. You’ll eventually reach a chasm with a raised wooden bridge blocking your path.
Equip your Sidearm and shoot the ropes supporting the bridge. Once the ropes are broken, the bridge will drop and give you a way across.
If you don’t have enough Resolve to use your Sidearm, look for the nearby root with an orange bulb. Hit the bulb to gain the Resolve you need.
Cross the bridge and continue climbing the path.
Coward’s Retreat Reward
At the top, you’ll find the brigands responsible for the trap gathered around a fire. Defeat the entire group and search the nearby chest.
The main reward for completing Coward’s Retreat is:
1x Laterite
Laterite is used for upgrading weapons, making it worth grabbing even though the dungeon doesn’t contain a major boss or unique piece of equipment.
The brigands themselves also drop the usual Coins and Gloom, but there are no particularly valuable or unique enemy drops associated with the location.
Are There Any Secrets in Coward’s Retreat?
There don’t appear to be any significant hidden rewards or secret areas inside Coward’s Retreat.
The Laterite chest is the dungeon’s primary piece of worthwhile loot. Triggering the entrance trap doesn’t unlock an additional reward, secret encounter, or special item.
In fact, avoiding the pitfall simply makes the dungeon faster. You can walk around the dangerous section of floor, deal with the brigands, grab the Laterite, and leave without going through the imprisonment sequence at all.
If you do fall into the trap, remember the escape route: grab the Hideout Cage Key, find the Chest Key, recover your weapons, shoot down the bridge, and defeat the brigands. Once you know those steps, Coward’s Retreat becomes one of the quickest dungeons to clear in Mortal Shell 2.
