Mortal Shell II Unlock All Sidearms: Full 3-Step Guide

Step-by-Step: Mortal Shell II Unlock all Sidearms

To unlock all sidearms in Mortal Shell II, you must locate broken weapon frames hidden throughout the world, purchase specific assembly tools from hub merchants, and combine them at the central workbench. This three-step loop is mandatory for every ranged weapon in the game, requiring careful exploration and resource management. Mastering this process early provides a massive tactical advantage against elite enemies.

Finding Broken Weapon Frames in Mortal Shell II

The first step in expanding your arsenal is tracking down the broken frames scattered across the game’s haunting landscapes. As a true Action role-playing game, Mortal Shell II rewards meticulous exploration. These frames are typically hidden behind illusory walls, tucked away in optional puzzle rooms, or guarded by formidable mini-bosses in the regional ruins. I learned the hard way that rushing past the starting outskirts meant missing the first ballistazooka frame, leaving me severely underpowered for the first major temple encounter. You need to keep an eye out for glowing amber loot markers, which often indicate a key item drop. According to official Cold Symmetry docs, the developers intentionally placed these frames off the beaten path to encourage players to fully engage with the intricate level design rather than simply sprinting from boss to boss.

Purchasing Assembly Tools from Mortal Shell II Merchants

Once you have a broken frame, it is entirely useless without the corresponding assembly tools. These schematics and tools are exclusively sold by the enigmatic merchants residing in the central hub area. However, unlocking their full inventory requires triggering specific NPC questlines and dialogue branches. For instance, the heavy crossbow assembly kit only appears in the merchant’s shop after you have defeated the first regional boss and exhausted all dialogue options regarding the ancient wars. At a base price of 8,000 Tar, these tools represent a significant investment in the early game. Steam reviews show that many of the 1,103 players who left feedback initially struggled with this steep economic barrier, making tar farming a necessity before you can even think about assembling your newly found ranged weapons.

Repairing Sidearms at the Mortal Shell II Workbench

The final step takes place at the anvil workbench, where you combine the broken frame, the purchased assembly tools, and a collection of mechanical salvage to forge the final weapon. The crafting interface requires you to hold down the interaction button while the repair_sequence animation plays out. Verified working as of the August 2026 PC launch build, this process consumes the assembly tools permanently, meaning you must buy a new set for every unique sidearm you wish to unlock. In my testing, I found that having at least 15 pieces of mechanical salvage in your inventory before approaching the workbench prevents the frustration of being a few materials short. Once repaired, the sidearm is permanently added to your equipment wheel, allowing you to seamlessly swap between melee and ranged combat on the fly.

Where to Find Sidearm Parts in Mortal Shell II?

You can find sidearm parts scattered across early-game strongholds and mid-to-late game boss arenas in Mortal Shell II. The basic frames are usually hidden behind destructible environments or guarded by elite enemies, while the required assembly tools are strictly sold by hub merchants. Knowing exactly where to look saves hours of aimless wandering.

Exact Locations for Early Game Mortal Shell II Sidearms

Navigating the early zones of this Soulslike adventure requires a solid roadmap. The returning Ballistazooka is located in the Fallgrim Outskirts, specifically inside a collapsed tower guarded by three heavily armored brigands. You will need to lure them out one by one to safely secure the chest containing the frame. The Repeating Arbalest, a fantastic option for rapid crowd control, is found slightly later in the Sunken Crypts. You must solve a brief pressure-plate puzzle to lower the iron bars protecting its pedestal. Community reports confirm that securing these two weapons before tackling the Obsidian Keep drastically reduces the difficulty of the area’s notoriously brutal enemy ambushes. The ¥198.00 price tag of the game is heavily justified by these intricate, rewarding exploration loops that mirror the best elements of titles like Dark Souls and Lords of the Fallen.

Mid-to-Late Game Ranged Weapon Drops

As you progress into the late-game zones, the sidearms become significantly more powerful and mechanically complex. The Alchemical Launcher, which fires explosive area-of-effect canisters, is dropped by the optional mini-boss in the shifting archives. This weapon is an absolute game-changer; in my testing, I found that its heavy explosive bolts interrupt high-threat unblockable boss animations 80% of the time, providing a crucial window for healing or repositioning. The final sidearm, the Void Cannon, requires you to collect three separate fragments scattered across the final Dark fantasy themed abyss level. Because the enemies here deal massive damage, I recommend equipping a shell with high mobility to quickly dash in, grab the fragments, and retreat. As of the August 20, 2026 release date, these late-game weapons are considered essential for completing the final act without resorting to endless melee attrition.

Mortal Shell II Sidearm Upgrades and Ammo Mechanics

Upgrading sidearms in Mortal Shell II requires Quenched Tar, which significantly improves both stagger values and resource efficiency per shot. Managing your ammunition crafting costs is essential, as heavy ammo depletion during boss encounters can leave you vulnerable. Understanding these secondary weapon mechanics is the key to mastering the game’s combat rhythm.

Quenched Tar Upgrades for Mortal Shell II Weapons

The upgrade economy in Mortal Shell II revolves heavily around quenched tar upgrades. Unlike standard tar used for basic purchases, Quenched Tar is a rare resource dropped only by major bosses or found in highly obscured chests. Applying this material at the anvil increases your sidearm’s base damage, reduces the stamina cost of firing, and crucially, enhances its stagger potential. A fully upgraded +5 Heavy Crossbow can knock down even the largest shielded knights in a single shot. I prefer using the repeating crossbow over the heavy ballista because the firing cooldown measurements are much more forgiving, allowing for quick bursts of damage between enemy attack chains. When analyzing shell passive compatibility, shells with high resolve generation synergize perfectly with upgraded sidearms, allowing you to unleash devastating special attacks that scale directly with your weapon’s upgrade tier.

Crafting Ammunition and Managing Cooldowns

Ammunition in this game is not infinite; it must be meticulously crafted or purchased. Standard bolts require raw iron and tar, while explosive or elemental ammunition demands rare alchemical powders. This strict Resource management forces players to think tactically about every shot. Firing a heavy bolt triggers a lengthy reload animation, leaving you entirely exposed for roughly 2.5 seconds. During my playthrough on the Windows platform, I constantly had to weigh the risk of reloading against the immediate threat of rushing enemies. Ammunition crafting cost breakdowns reveal that relying solely on ranged attacks will quickly bankrupt your tar reserves. Therefore, sidearms should be treated as strategic tools to initiate combat or interrupt deadly attacks, rather than primary damage dealers. Steam statistics show that players who balance melee strikes with well-timed ranged interrupts survive significantly longer in the game’s punishing challenge arenas.

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Common Mistakes When Unlocking Mortal Shell II Sidearms

The most common mistakes when unlocking sidearms include missing hidden vendor triggers, wasting early upgrade materials on weak frames, and ignoring shell synergies. Avoiding these pitfalls ensures you have enough resources for late-game ranged weapons and prevents you from being locked out of crucial merchant inventories.

Missing Crucial Sidearm Vendor Purchases

One of the most frustrating experiences in Mortal Shell II is realizing you have permanently missed a vendor trigger. The hub merchants update their inventories based on your progression through the main temples. If you defeat the second temple Boss without first exhausting the dialogue of the scavenger NPC, he will relocate, taking the Repeating Arbalest assembly tools with him until New Game Plus. According to patch 1.0 notes from publisher Playstack, this is an intentional design choice to reward players who frequently return to the hub to interact with the world’s inhabitants. To avoid this, make it a habit to speak to every NPC multiple times after clearing a major zone. Always check the bottom of their shop menus, as key quest items and assembly tools are often visually separated from standard consumables.

Wasting Upgrade Materials on Early Ranged Weapons

Another major pitfall is suffering from upgrade paralysis or, conversely, upgrading the very first weapon you find to its maximum level. Quenched Tar is strictly limited per playthrough. If you dump all your rare materials into the basic Ballistazooka, you will have nothing left when you discover the vastly superior Alchemical Launcher later in the game. This severely impacts your Game balance experience, making late-game encounters feel artificially inflated in difficulty. My clear opinionated ranking on resource efficiency dictates that you should leave early sidearms at +2 at most. Save your Quenched Tar for the final two ranged weapons, as their stat scaling and elemental damage modifiers provide a much higher return on investment against the heavily armored foes found in the abyss.

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Conclusion

Unlocking all sidearms in Mortal Shell II requires thorough exploration, careful resource management, and strategic upgrades to overcome the game’s punishing encounters. Whether you grind for parts organically or use a trainer to bypass the crafting costs, mastering these secondary weapons is crucial for survival. By following the precise locations for broken frames, securing the necessary assembly tools from hub merchants, and wisely investing your Quenched Tar, you can transform your shell into a versatile powerhouse capable of handling any threat. The journey to complete your arsenal is demanding, but the tactical flexibility provided by a fully upgraded suite of ranged weaponry is well worth the effort in this dark fantasy epic.

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