Mortal Shell 2 Weapons Guide
You always carry one melee weapon and one sidearm. There are eight of each. Pickup locations, Tarforge materials, and the player-consensus ranking below are walkthrough notes for this wiki — damage numbers on the HUD are not a published stat sheet.
How the loadout works
Combat is Resolve and posture, not a stamina bar. Weapons stay unlocked once found and can move between Shells. Tarstones are infusions, not smithing stones. Merrick in Marrow Keep sells maps that mark weapon pins if you would rather spend Coins than explore.
Melee weapons
| Look | Weapon | Feel | Where to get it | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Iconoclast | Light greatsword, all-rounder. Prologue starter. | Prologue. Talk to the Undermether, inhabit Harros — it is already in the inventory. | Counts toward Lord of War |
 | Axe and Dagger | Fast dual-wield. Dagger lights into an axe heavy. | South of Mushroom Village Beacon. Illusion stone arch, Chapel Key off the statue rope, then Shrine of Trials (NW Grisha Hunter camp). Pressure plates, loot the Knight room. | Deep Cuts · Lord of War |
 | Veteran's Battle Axe | Two-handed heavy axe. High stagger. | Near Shattered Beacon / Blackridge Pass. Drop into The King's Crypt. Long hole, body or sarcophagus near an enemy. | Cut You Down to Size · Lord of War |
 | Great Martyr's Blade | Colossal greatsword with freeze. | NE from Gloomshade Grove Beacon, outside Citadel of Penance walls: Martyr's Prison. Pouch on the stone counter teleports you in. Needs the Citadel key from Bloodcursed Lithopod. | Big Boi · Lord of War |
 | Obsidian Hammer | Blunt hammer. Shield-break. | SW from Outskirts of Mammon, Abandoned Slums pit, Obsidianite Mines. Drops from Prophet of Profane Infinities. | Stop - Hammer Time · Lord of War |
 | Black Needle | Long spear. Fast pokes. | Sester's Gate (SE Corrupt Gate). Cleanse the Beacon, twin Sesters then Stray Sester. Drops on the kill. | Point Taken · Lord of War |
 | Axatana | Axe that switches into dual katanas. | NE from The Silent Steps / Sester's Gate. Bone Gate to the tower near the SE Corrupt Gate. Button behind the tower, Dagger Sester, alcove loot. | Dual Wielding · Lord of War |
 | Clockwork Scythe | Wide mechanical scythe. Crowd control. | SE from The Silent Steps. Beat Sariel on the platform to open Chamber of Becoming. Smash four glowing tombstones so he stays dead. Drops with the Sariel Shell. | Like Clockwork · Lord of War |
Sidearms
| Look | Sidearm | Feel | Where to get it | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Naylshotte | Close shotgun interrupt. | Prologue with Harros and the Untarnished Seal. Automatic. | Guns. Lots of Guns |
 | Forgotten Crossbow | Single-target pull shot. | NW of Blackridge Pass Beacon, Flooded Village. Break the boarded arch, second elevator, Damp Key off a crate by the wrecked boat, central building table. | Old School · Guns. Lots of Guns |
 | Troubador's Lute | Confusion. Enemies fight each other. Cannot be upgraded. | One-Legged Wolf Tavern. Needs Mother's Breath (siphon 8 Ova) to clear the growths from Mushroom Village toward Hilga's house. Stage left of the lute player. | Guns. Lots of Guns |
 | Salvaged Trebuchaxe | Arcing explosive axes. Slow reload. | South of Gloomshade Grove. Beat Bloodcursed Lithopod for the Citadel lever, then Ravaged Hideout next door. Loot the body at the end. | Chop Chop · Guns. Lots of Guns |
 | Ballistazooka | Shoulder ballista. Pins and knocks down. | NW of Gate of Mammon Beacon, Sentry's Grave. Beat Subjugated Guardian at the bottom. | Speared · Guns. Lots of Guns |
 | Triarch Repeater | Three-barrel pressure. Resolve-gated fire. | Blackwell Cavern north of Castigator's Keep. Wooden elevator, cliff edge, lift, break the barricade. On the ground in the first lit fog room. No boss. | Old Painless · Guns. Lots of Guns |
 | Cursed Child | Lifedrain channel. Execution heals a little. | Revered Beacon from Sester's Gate. NW stairs, western platform, Bone Gate, north past the hammer enemy. Destroy the central light pillar, then loot. | Beautiful Baby · Guns. Lots of Guns |
 | Caged Hystrix | Tracking poison spikes. | Chamber of Becoming after Sariel. Do not fast-travel out — back stairs near the exit. | Spiked · Guns. Lots of Guns |
Tarforge levels
Upgrade at the Tarforge in Marrow Keep. Cap for a first playthrough is +16. Materials climb Ventrium (+1 to +6), Laterite (+7 to +11), then Dorsalite (+12 to +16), plus Coins. Each step is about +5% damage (105% at +1, 180% at +16 on the Iconoclast table). Troubador's Lute cannot be upgraded. Smelting later refunds spent stones. Players also report a late-game item that goes past +16 — treat +16 as the advertised cap until you find that chest.
| Level | Damage | Material | Coins |
|---|---|---|---|
| +1 | 105% | Ventrium x2 | 100 |
| +2 | 110% | Ventrium x2 | 100 |
| +3 | 115% | Ventrium x4 | 300 |
| +4 | 120% | Ventrium x9 | 500 |
| +5 | 125% | Ventrium x13 | 1,000 |
| +6 | 130% | Ventrium x18 | 1,250 |
| +7 | 135% | Laterite x2 | 2,750 |
| +8 | 140% | Laterite x4 | 2,750 |
| +9 | 145% | Laterite x9 | 3,500 |
| +10 | 150% | Laterite x13 | 4,250 |
| +11 | 155% | Laterite x18 | 5,000 |
| +12 | 160% | Dorsalite x2 | 5,750 |
| +13 | 165% | Dorsalite x4 | 6,500 |
| +14 | 170% | Dorsalite x9 | 7,250 |
| +15 | 175% | Dorsalite x13 | 8,000 |
| +16 | 180% | Dorsalite x18 | 8,750 |
Iconoclast ladder as measured in play. Other melee weapons match through at least +9. Sidearm stone counts are not fully mapped.
Player ranking
Not a developer list. Axatana and Black Needle sit at the top of most player write-ups. Obsidian Hammer sits at the bottom because it is slow. Patches and Shells will move this around.
Melee
- S — Axatana. Fast dual-wield plus a heavy axe. Most lists put it here.
- S — Black Needle. Long, safe pokes. Consistent in boss fights.
- A — Axe and Dagger. Early fast weapon. Same niche as Axatana, weaker later.
- A — Veteran's Battle Axe. Best heavy for stagger. Some runs find it already +4.
- A — The Iconoclast. Safest first playthrough sword. No peak, no hole.
- B — Clockwork Scythe. Group sweeps. Recovery is long against fast bosses.
- B — Great Martyr's Blade. Reach and freeze. Slow startups.
- C — Obsidian Hammer. Huge blunt hits, slowest moveset. Veteran's Axe is the friendlier heavy.
Sidearms
- S — Triarch Repeater. Sustained fire. High ceiling with a DoT Tarstone.
- S — Troubador's Lute. Confusion is unique. Cannot be upgraded.
- S — Ballistazooka. Highest single-shot burst. Long recovery.
- A — Forgotten Crossbow. Early precise pull. Cheap power spike.
- A — Cursed Child. Sustain and execution heal.
- A — Caged Hystrix. Tracking poison. Needs the right Tarstone.
- B — Naylshotte. Starter shotgun. Replaced once you have a specialist.
- B — Salvaged Trebuchaxe. Splash throw. Reload is too slow in melee.