Found those weird little flashing silver targets around Nochtean Gate and wondering what the hell they’re for?
You’re definitely not the only one.
Players have started noticing several small targets that can be shot around the fortress outside Nochtean Gate, including another one inside the gate near the sewage/drain area. The obvious question is: are these part of a hidden puzzle, or are they just environmental objects?
Here’s what we currently know.
What Are the Silver Targets at Nochtean Gate?
The objects are small, metallic-looking shootable targets or switches that make a sound when hit.
A recent player found two of them in the small fortress immediately outside Nochtean Gate, then discovered another inside the gate near the sewage/drain area. Other players responding to the thread also reported searching for the source and purpose without finding an obvious connection.
So far, there is no confirmed guide explaining a completed puzzle involving all three targets.
That’s important.
There are plenty of shootable switches in Mortal Shell II, but that doesn’t mean every silver target in the world belongs to one giant puzzle.
Is There a Hidden Nochtean Gate Puzzle?
Possibly, but it has not been confirmed yet.
The current community evidence doesn’t establish what the two exterior targets activate.
The original player who discovered them specifically said they hadn’t found a video showing their purpose. A follow-up response wondered whether the target inside Nochtean Gate might open the entrance to Thieves Retreat, but also admitted that the two exterior targets remained unexplained.
So right now there are two separate questions:
The inside target: potentially connected to a nearby route or dungeon mechanism.
The two outside targets: purpose currently unknown.
Don’t turn that uncertainty into a fake “secret puzzle” solution.
The Target Inside Nochtean Gate
This is the most interesting one because it sits close to a part of the fortress where several progression mechanisms already exist.
Current dungeon guides confirm that Thieves Retreat is accessed from the Nochtean Gate area. From the Nochtean Gate Beacon, you go north, drop down one level and activate a switch that opens a metal gate leading toward the dungeon.
That means there absolutely are switches in this immediate area that affect progression.
However, the documented Thieves Retreat route describes a switch-operated metal gate, not a confirmed silver shootable target.
So it would be premature to say:
“Shoot the silver target to unlock Thieves Retreat.”
The current evidence doesn’t support that exact claim.
What About Ravaged Tomb?
Ravaged Tomb is another dungeon beneath the Nochtean Gate area.
Its documented puzzle involves:
- taking the elevator down,
- pulling the entrance lever,
- entering the silver fog,
- pressing a wall switch,
- releasing a movable stone pillar,
- and pushing that pillar onto a pressure plate.
Again, there is no documented connection between that puzzle and the mysterious exterior silver targets.
That’s useful because it rules out one tempting theory.
If you’ve been shooting those targets and wondering whether you’re supposed to somehow use them to solve the Ravaged Tomb pillar puzzle, there isn’t currently evidence for that.
Why Do the Targets Make a Sound?
This is actually one of the strongest clues that they aren’t completely decorative.
The Reddit player specifically noticed that the targets make a sound when shot, which strongly suggests they’re interactive.
But “interactive” doesn’t necessarily mean:
“This opens a secret room.”
Games sometimes use environmental switches for doors, traps, distant mechanisms, shortcuts or events that are difficult to notice from the switch itself.
So the fact that you’re hearing a confirmation sound means:
You’re probably meant to interact with them.
It just doesn’t tell us what each one does.
Why Can’t Anyone Find the Result?
This may be because the mechanism is designed to be deliberately hard to trace.
Mortal Shell II already uses several environmental puzzles where the thing you interact with and the thing that changes aren’t necessarily next to each other.
For example, the Axe & Dagger route uses pressure buttons and movable pedestals rather than putting an obvious “OPEN” door directly beside every switch.
Other dungeons also use shootable targets to open gates. A current upgrade guide, for example, describes shooting a target above a metal gate to unlock an exit in another dungeon.
So the Nochtean targets are completely consistent with the game’s puzzle language.
The problem is simply that their endpoint hasn’t been reliably mapped yet.
Are the Two Exterior Targets Part of One Puzzle?
At the moment:
Unconfirmed.
This is where you should be skeptical of any guide claiming to know exactly what happens.
The fresh Reddit discussion contains no confirmed solution from another player. The person who started the thread has found three targets, and commenters are still asking questions about whether they open a gate.
The current launch guides covering Nochtean Gate, Thieves Retreat, Ravaged Tomb and the surrounding collectibles also don’t document a three-target sequence.
That makes the safest conclusion:
The targets are real interactive objects, but their complete purpose has not yet been established by the community.
What You Should Do If You Find Them
Don’t ignore them completely.
Instead, keep track of where you shoot them.
A good approach is:
Shoot Target #1 → check nearby doors/gates.
Shoot Target #2 → check again.
Shoot the interior target → revisit the nearby dungeon entrances and gates.
Pay special attention to anything that changes after interacting with them:
- a metal gate,
- a bridge,
- a lift,
- a shortcut,
- a previously closed room,
- a hidden chest,
- or a change in a nearby mechanism.
The important thing is to check the surrounding area immediately afterward rather than assuming the reward must be somewhere directly beside the target.
Don’t Confuse These With the Nochtean Gate Beacon Mechanism
Nochtean Gate itself has a very clearly documented progression function.
You activate and cleanse the Nochtean Gate Beacon, which is tied to access toward the Prisoners’ Domain Corrupted Gate.
The Beacon route is separate from the unidentified silver targets.
So if you’ve already:
- revitalized the Beacon,
- cleansed it,
- and progressed through its associated content,
that doesn’t necessarily mean the silver targets have been “solved.”
There Are Several Different Switch Types in Mortal Shell II
This may be why these objects are causing so much confusion.
Mortal Shell II uses several different environmental interactions:
Floor buttons
These can be activated by standing on them or pushing objects onto them. The Axe & Dagger puzzle is a good example.
Wall switches
These can release gates or mechanisms. Ravaged Tomb uses this type.
Shootable targets
These can activate mechanisms from a distance. Other dungeon guides explicitly use this mechanic to open gates.
Levers
These are used for larger gates and dungeon entrances, including the Ravaged Tomb entrance.
So when you see a strange silver target, shooting it is definitely worth trying.
What remains unclear at Nochtean is what it actually controls.
Could the Targets Be Connected to a Secret Chest?
That’s possible, but there’s currently no verified evidence.
The Nochtean region contains several worthwhile hidden items and dungeons. For example, Duality Stone is in Ravaged Tomb, while other Tarstones and healing upgrades are scattered around Nochtean Gate and its surrounding areas.
Because the area already contains hidden loot, it’s reasonable for players to suspect the targets lead to something similar.
But until someone demonstrates the exact chain:
shoot target → mechanism moves → hidden area opens → reward appears
that remains speculation.
Does Shooting All Three Do Anything?
There is currently no confirmed answer.
This is the most important part of the article because it’s where misinformation could easily creep in.
As of the latest community discussion, nobody in the thread has demonstrated that shooting all three targets produces a known reward. The original poster explicitly says they don’t know what the exterior two do, while another commenter only speculates about the interior one.
So there isn’t a legitimate “three silver targets unlock X” solution to report yet.
What We Know for Certain
Here’s the useful part boiled down:
The targets are shootable.
They make a sound when hit.
At least three have been spotted around Nochtean Gate.
There are confirmed dungeons and mechanisms in the same area.
Thieves Retreat uses a switch-operated gate.
Ravaged Tomb uses a separate wall-switch/pressure-plate puzzle.
The community has not yet verified what the two exterior targets activate.
That’s the evidence-based answer right now.
Could This Be a Secret That the Community Hasn’t Solved Yet?
Absolutely.
The game has been out for only a short time, and new secrets are still being documented.
That’s particularly believable here because players are still publishing new maps, collectible lists and dungeon discoveries. For example, current launch guides continue to update their Nochtean routes and identify additional Tarstones and other hidden content.
So there’s a decent chance somebody will eventually figure out exactly what those exterior targets do.
Nochtean Gate Target FAQ
What are the flashing silver targets outside Nochtean Gate?
They are interactive shootable targets. Players have confirmed that they react when hit, but their exact purpose in the Nochtean Gate fortress has not yet been reliably identified.
How many targets have players found?
The current Reddit discussion identifies two outside the fortress and another inside Nochtean Gate near the sewage/drain area.
Do the targets open Thieves Retreat?
The connection has been suggested by players, but there is no confirmed evidence that the silver target itself is what opens Thieves Retreat. Current guides instead describe a normal switch below the Nochtean Gate Beacon that opens the metal gate leading to the dungeon.
Are the targets part of the Ravaged Tomb puzzle?
No confirmed connection has been found. Ravaged Tomb has its own documented wall-switch and stone-pillar pressure-plate mechanism.
Should I keep shooting them?
Yes. They clearly respond to being shot, so they’re almost certainly worth remembering. But don’t assume you need to find a secret reward immediately after hitting one.
Bottom Line
Those weird silver shootable targets at Nochtean Gate are not confirmed to be useless, but there also isn’t enough evidence yet to claim that they’ve been solved.
The inside target near the sewage/drain area is the most promising lead because Nochtean Gate contains several nearby dungeon mechanisms. However, the currently documented Thieves Retreat switch and Ravaged Tomb puzzle use separate mechanisms, so neither provides a confirmed explanation for the mysterious exterior targets.
For now, the honest answer is:
Yes, the targets are interactive.
Yes, they probably do something.
No, the community has not yet conclusively figured out what the two exterior targets do.
So don’t waste an hour shooting every wall in Nochtean Gate trying to force a solution that may not even be discovered yet.
This one looks like it may be a new Mortal Shell II secret waiting for someone to crack it.