Mortal Shell 2: How to Get Clockwork Shardstone in the Alchemist’s Workshop

Clockwork Shardstone is one of the few Tarstones in Mortal Shell 2 that you cannot stumble into. The dungeon holding it, the Alchemist’s Workshop, is physically sealed until you solve a small siege-weapon puzzle in a completely different part of the map. No quest marker points at it, and no boss hands it over at the end.

Quick answer: Loot the Makeshift Projectile from the chest at the cliff edge in the Outskirts of Mammon, fire it from the catapult near that beacon to blast open the Alchemist’s Workshop, then head in from the Castigator’s Keep beacon, break the wooden bookshelf, take the lever-powered lift down, and open the chest in the final room.

Mortal Shell 2 gameplay along the route to the Clockwork Shardstone

Fire the catapult to open the Alchemist’s Workshop

The Makeshift Projectile is ammunition, not loot. Until you load it into the catapult, the dungeon entrance simply does not exist, so there is nothing to find by wandering around Castigator’s Keep early.

Fast travel to the Outskirts of Mammon beacon. Everything in this half of the run is a short trip from that spawn point, so there is no reason to approach from anywhere else.

Run past the enemies near the beacon, cross the wooden bridge, and climb the grassy hill toward the cliff edge. An armored enemy patrols this stretch, and there is a corpse nearby carrying a Scribe’s Note about a “sealed wall” built for someone named Sariel — a hint at what you are about to blow open.

Open the chest at the cliff edge to take the Makeshift Projectile. It sits in plain sight once you reach the top, and it is the only item you need from this area.

Backtrack through the same route to the large wooden catapult near the beacon statue. Interact with it, confirm the “Place ammo?” prompt, and fire. The shot smashes a rock formation elsewhere in the region, exposing the Alchemist’s Workshop entrance near Castigator’s Keep.

Running back through the grassy ruins of the Outskirts of Mammon toward the catapult — Retracing the path through the ruins to reach the catapult with the Makeshift Projectile in hand. Image: Cold Symmetry

Reach the dungeon entrance from Castigator’s Keep

The Workshop sits in the western stretch that links the Lonesome Spire with the main Castigator’s Keep building, below the beacon rather than level with it.

Spawn at the Castigator’s Keep beacon and drop down to the lower area instead of following the main path through the Hall of Murmurs.

Follow the wooden scaffolding bridges southwest. Flying enemies harass you along the way, and a sidearm handles them faster than trying to swing at them mid-crossing.

Aiming a sidearm down the path leading toward the Alchemist's Workshop — Lining up a sidearm shot on the scaffolding route between Castigator’s Keep and the Workshop. Image: Cold Symmetry

Continue into the dark cave system until the Alchemist’s Workshop dungeon name appears on screen. If you reach the end of the platforms and find solid rock, you have not fired the catapult yet.

Inside the Workshop: the bookshelf, the lever, and the chest

The opening rooms look like a dead end on purpose. Alchemical notes scattered through them describe a Stellarium, a fungal extract that dissolves solid Thoracium, and a subject with grafted limbs, but the actual route forward is hidden behind furniture.

Attack the wooden bookshelf against the wall. It breaks apart and reveals a doorway into a secret room rather than acting as scenery.

Swinging a long weapon into the wooden bookshelf blocking the hidden passage — Smashing the wooden bookshelf opens the hidden doorway deeper into the Alchemist’s Workshop. Image: Cold Symmetry

Push through the secret room and past the spectral enemies until you find the lever. Pulling it powers the lift, which is the only way down to the final chamber.

Ride the lift down. The room at the bottom has a central pedestal wrapped in glowing white roots, a couple of Gloombound trees for minor gloom, and the dungeon exit. A Shell Thief can be waiting here as the last enemy of the area.

Aiming a glowing weapon at an enemy in the final chamber of the dungeon — Clearing the last enemies before the pedestal room where the Shardstone chest is buried under roots. Image: Cold Symmetry

Destroy the glowing roots around the pedestal. They hide the chest completely, so keep hitting them until the container is exposed, then open it to claim the Clockwork Shardstone.

You will know it worked when the pickup banner reads CLOCKWORK SHARDSTONE and the Tarstone appears in your inventory under Ability stones. Nothing drops automatically here — killing the Shell Thief gives you nothing, so the chest has to be opened by hand.

Why players miss the Clockwork Shardstone

Skipping the Makeshift Projectile entirely, which leaves the dungeon sealed with no visible reason why.
Treating the projectile as ordinary loot and never connecting it to the catapult that opens a door in a different area.
Walking past the bookshelf inside the Workshop and assuming the opening rooms are the whole dungeon.
Missing the lever, which leaves the lift unpowered and the final room unreachable.
Leaving the glowing roots intact and never spotting the chest behind them.

Clockwork Shardstone effects and weapon compatibility

Clockwork Shardstone is an Ability Tarstone, and it slots into the Clockwork Scythe only — no other weapon accepts it. Once equipped, it drains Resolve continuously to hold the weapon out with its chainsaw spinning, so every attack lands with the teeth already running. That drain rewards constant pressure rather than patient counter play.

Level	Effect
1	Consume Resolve over time to hold your weapon before you with its chainsaw spinning at full speed
2	Each chainsaw spin deals 12% of the weapon base damage
3	Each chainsaw spin deals 15 Stagger Damage
4	Each chainsaw spin deals 20% of the weapon base damage

Note: the in-game description text for the first rank can list a slightly different damage percentage, stagger value, and a small heal per spin than the level list above. The upgrade path itself is the same four ranks.

How to upgrade Clockwork Shardstone at the Tarforge

Upgrades run through Franz at the Tarforge in Marrow Keep, and he needs the Etching Needle before the full set of options unlocks. That quest item sits in a bone chest just before the fight with Magdalena, the Lady of the Woods. When you spot Ruk past the bridge, drop through the opening and turn right before the tunnel to find the small alcove holding it.

After handing the needle over, keep the Shardstone equipped and kill enemies to fill its experience bar. Once the bar is full, return to Franz and pay Coin to push it to the next level. Scholar’s Wormstone also works on the Clockwork Scythe and further boosts chainsaw spin damage, so the two stack into a single specialised setup for that weapon.

Worth remembering: the catapult step is a one-time world change. Once the rock formation is gone, the Workshop stays open, so you can leave the dungeon at any point and come back for the chest later without repeating the projectile run.