Mortal Shell 2: How to Refund Weapon and Sidearm Upgrades via the Tarforge

Sinking gold and smithing stones into a weapon in Mortal Shell 2 is a one-way trip only if you let it be. The Tarforge in Marrow Keep can strip every level off an armament and hand back everything you spent, which lets you funnel those resources into a different weapon or sidearm without starting from scratch. There simply aren’t enough materials in a single playthrough to max out everything, so smelting is the practical way to switch builds.

Quick answer: Unlock the Tarforge’s Smelt Equipment function (bring the Foundry Stone to Franz, or kill Franz), then select Smelt Equipment, pick an upgraded weapon or sidearm, and hold Confirm to spend Gloom. All coins and materials return to your inventory and the item drops back to its unleveled state.

What smelting returns

Smelting reverts a weapon or sidearm all the way back to an unleveled state. In exchange, every coin and smithing stone you spent on that piece is refunded to your inventory. That includes upgrade materials such as Ventrium, Laterite, Dorsalite, Thoracium, and Ossinite, so nothing you invested is lost.

The one cost you don’t get back is Gloom. Refunding an upgrade requires you to spend Gloom, and the amount climbs the higher the item’s upgrade level. A weapon sitting at +10 or beyond will cost far more Gloom to smelt than one at a low level.

Unlock the Tarforge’s Smelt Equipment function

The Smelt Equipment option lives inside the Tarforge, the upgrade machine tended by Franz in Marrow Keep. It stays locked until you either deliver the Foundry Stone or remove Franz. Both routes end with the same result, so pick whichever fits your run.

Method 1: Bring the Foundry Stone to Franz

Fast travel to the Outskirts of Mammon beacon in the Ruins of Mammon. The Foundry Stone sits in a chest directly south of that beacon, next to the castle walls that lead onto the long stone bridge spanning the chasm.

Foundry Stone chest location near the castle walls in the Ruins of Mammon — Image credit: Cold Symmetry

A large group of soldiers guards the chest, but you don’t have to fight them. Run straight to the chest, open it to grab the Foundry Stone, and retreat back to the beacon.

Soldier enemies surrounding the Foundry Stone chest that you can grab and run from — Image credit: Cold Symmetry

Return to the Tarforge Chamber in Marrow Keep and hand the Foundry Stone to Franz. This activates the Smelt Equipment feature.

Method 2: Kill Franz

Killing Franz in the Tarforge Chamber instantly unlocks every Tarforge function, including Smelt Equipment. This skips the trip to Mammon entirely and also grants extra crafting resources you wouldn’t get by leaving him alive. The trade-off is that Franz is gone for the rest of your playthrough.

Refund an upgrade at the Tarforge

Walk up to the Tarforge and choose the Smelt Equipment option from its menu.

Tarforge Upgrade Equipment menu with the Smelt Equipment option highlighted — Image credit: Cold Symmetry

Select the upgraded weapon or sidearm you want to reset. The screen shows the piece and its current upgrade level.

Smelt Equipment menu with the Axe and Dagger selected at level +3 ready to smelt — Image credit: Cold Symmetry

Press and hold Confirm to spend the required Gloom. The weapon or sidearm drops back to its unleveled state and every coin and material you invested returns to your inventory, ready to pour into a different piece.

If the smelt won’t go through

The only thing that blocks a refund is Gloom. If you don’t have enough, the Tarforge will refuse to complete the smelt. Because the cost scales with the item’s upgrade level, high-level gear such as a weapon at +13 can demand a large Gloom reserve.

Smelt screen showing the Great Martyr's Blade at +13 blocked by insufficient Gloom — Image credit: Cold Symmetry

If you hit that wall, farm Gloom by defeating enemies and bosses or by destroying effigies scattered across the map, then return and hold Confirm again. Once the smelt succeeds, you’ll see the weapon reset to level one and your refunded coins and smithing stones appear back in your inventory, confirming the swap is safe to reinvest.