Mortal Shell 2: Best Sidearms to Get First

Sidearms are how you deal ranged damage in Mortal Shell 2, and the starting Naylshotte shotgun only takes you so far. Two early pickups outclass it for very different jobs. The Forgotten Crossbow handles distant, precise kills, and the Salvaged Trebuchaxe delivers the hardest single-target hit you can find in the opening hours.

Quick answer: Grab the Forgotten Crossbow from the Flooded Village dungeon northwest of the Blackridge Pass beacon, then take the Salvaged Trebuchaxe from the Ravaged Hideout dungeon southeast of the Gloomshade Grove beacon after killing the Bloodcursed Lithopod boss.

Which sidearm to get first

Pick based on how you like to fight. The Forgotten Crossbow rewards steady aim and headshots from a distance, while the Salvaged Trebuchaxe trades range for raw punch and can one-shot most standard enemies. Both are worth owning, but the crossbow is the safer first grab since its dungeon has no world boss gating it.

Sidearm	Role	Where
Forgotten Crossbow	Long-range sniping, headshot builds	Flooded Village, northwest of Blackridge Pass beacon
Salvaged Trebuchaxe	Mid-range, high single-target burst	Ravaged Hideout, southeast of Gloomshade Grove beacon

Forgotten Crossbow: long-range damage

The Forgotten Crossbow snipes enemies from far away, which makes it ideal if you can line up headshots across a distance. It fits a patient, positional playstyle where you thin out groups before they close in.

If you plan to invest resources, it scales well with the right Tarstones. The Splitting Stone lets it fire four shots in a single instance when fully upgraded. The Deadeye Stone raises the critical hit chance of sidearms, and the Marksman Stone adds critical damage if you want to commit fully to a critical hit build.

How to get the Forgotten Crossbow

Travel to the Blackridge Pass beacon and head northwest to reach the Flooded Village dungeon. The entrance sits behind a stone arch covered by wooden boards, which you can smash to open the way through.

Go through the archway and down the stone steps into the tower interior. Fight past the hostiles inside as you work toward the wooden house at the back of the pools.

Hooded player character climbing a stone staircase toward an arched doorway

Find the Damp Key on a crate next to the wooden house and pick it up. You need this key to reach the crossbow.

New Item Acquired prompt showing the Damp Key with OK and inspect options

Return to the locked door in the middle of the village and use the Damp Key to open it. The Forgotten Crossbow is waiting just inside, and grabbing it spawns an orb that teleports you back to the entrance.

Salvaged Trebuchaxe: strongest early single-target hit

The Salvaged Trebuchaxe is one of the strongest mid-range sidearms in the opening hours. Instead of arrows or bullets, it launches axes, and holding the fire button charges a shot for even more damage. A well-aimed charged throw can one-shot most regular enemies, which puts its single-target damage ahead of anything else you can grab early.

Inventory screen highlighting the Salvaged Trebuchaxe with its details

Two Tarstones stand out for it. The Devout Stone restores 28 Resolve on a kill, so a charged shot that one-shots an enemy refunds its full cost, effectively giving you infinite shots as long as you keep landing them. The Charged Stone increases charge speed by 50% at max level, which roughly doubles how fast you can throw.

How to get the Salvaged Trebuchaxe

From the Gloomshade Grove beacon, head southeast to the Ravaged Hideout dungeon at the base of the hilly area outside the Citadel of Penance.

Defeat the Bloodcursed Lithopod world boss that emerges at the hideout. The same creature drops the Citadel Gate Lever, which permanently opens the Citadel’s gates.

Combat inside the Ravaged Hideout dungeon before claiming the sidearm

With the boss gone, enter the lair and claim the Salvaged Trebuchaxe. The item prompt confirms the pickup once you press to acquire it.

Salvaged Trebuchaxe acquired notification with a prompt to confirm

Unlock sidearm upgrades before you invest

Fitting Tarstones and improving these sidearms happens at the Tarforge in Marrow Keep, but you must unlock sidearm enhancements first. That requires the Obsidian Lathe, found inside the Martyr’s Tomb dungeon southeast of the Widow’s Overlook beacon. Break the wooden boxes near the Gloom plant to reveal a wall switch, raise the gate, and open the chest for the Lathe along with the Parasitic Stone Tarstone.

Once you hand the Obsidian Lathe to Franz at the Tarforge, sidearm upgrades open up. From there you can spend coins and crafting materials to push the Forgotten Crossbow toward a critical hit build or the Salvaged Trebuchaxe toward faster, self-sustaining charged shots.