Mortal Shell 2 – Best Sidearm Tier List

Mortal Shell 2 has eight Sidearms, ranging from rapid-fire projectile weapons to heavy launchers and unusual utility tools such as the Troubadour’s Lute. Sidearms consume Resolve, the same resource used by Shell abilities, so the strongest options are not simply the ones that hit hardest.

A good Sidearm needs to provide enough damage, stagger, or control to justify spending Resolve on it. For general PvE, the Caged Hystrix is the best overall Sidearm because its rapid projectiles work against both single targets and groups while supporting several powerful Tarstone setups.

The Salvaged Trebuchaxe is the better option when you want heavy single-target burst, while the Forgotten Crossbow remains one of the safest and most practical choices for early progression.

1. Mortal Shell 2 Best Sidearm Tier List

Troubadour’s Lute

This ranking assumes the Sidearms are at comparable upgrade levels and focuses on general PvE usefulness, Resolve efficiency, ranged safety, damage potential, crowd control, stagger, and Tarstone flexibility.

2. S Tier Sidearms

The S Tier contains the two Sidearms that provide the strongest overall combat value. Caged Hystrix wins through rapid fire and build flexibility, while Salvaged Trebuchaxe trades speed for extremely useful burst damage against tougher targets.

Caged Hystrix – Best Sidearm in Mortal Shell 2

Caged Hystrix

The Caged Hystrix is the best overall Sidearm for a complete build. Instead of firing one slow projectile, it launches a rapid barrage, making it effective for damaging exposed bosses, staggering enemies, and thinning groups before they reach melee range.

Its biggest advantage is how much its behavior can be changed through compatible Tarstones.

• Rapid projectile attacks
• Effective against single targets and groups
• Strong sustained ranged pressure
• Good stagger potential
• Excellent Tarstone selection
• Can apply status effects
• Can be converted into stronger AoE or multishot setups

Several notable Tarstones can modify it. Splitting Stone increases the number of projectiles without increasing the Resolve cost of each shot, while Hag Stone can add Poison and Accursed Stone can add Curse.

Salvaged Trebuchaxe – Best Sidearm for Boss Damage

Salvaged Trebuchaxe

The Salvaged Trebuchaxe is the strongest option when you want to spend Resolve on a large burst of single-target damage rather than sustained fire. It launches heavy axe projectiles that can quickly remove health from normal enemies and provide a strong ranged punish against elites or bosses.

• Very high impact per shot
• Excellent single-target burst
• Strong against elites
• Useful during boss openings
• Good fit for ranged Critical builds
• Lets melee builds punish safely from distance

3. A Tier Sidearms

A Tier Sidearms are highly reliable but lack either the flexibility of Caged Hystrix or the burst potential of Salvaged Trebuchaxe. Both are particularly useful during early and mid-game progression.

Forgotten Crossbow – Best Early Sidearm

Forgotten Crossbow

The Forgotten Crossbow is one of the safest Sidearms to build around early. It uses accurate, controlled bolts, allowing you to weaken enemies from range or pull a single target away from a larger group before committing to melee.

• Accurate ranged attacks
• Good effective range
• Easy to understand
• Useful for pulling individual enemies
• Safe against dangerous melee targets
• Available relatively early
• Fits most Shells without requiring a specialized setup

Unlike heavy Sidearms, the Crossbow does not demand a large combat opening every time you want to fire.

Naylshotte – Best Close-Range Sidearm

Naylshotte

The Naylshotte is the first Sidearm you receive and functions like an explosive shotgun-style weapon. It performs best when an enemy is already close and you want to unload a quick burst before returning to your melee weapon.

• Strong close-range burst
• Explosive attack
• Quick to incorporate into melee combat
• Available from the beginning
• Useful for finishing weakened enemies
• Good against enemies that aggressively close distance

4. B Tier Sidearms

The B Tier Sidearms are useful but more situational. Troubadour’s Lute excels against groups, Triarch Repeater needs time to build its firing rate, and Ballistazooka needs a safe opening for its slow heavy shots.

Troubadour’s Lute – Best Crowd-Control Sidearm

Troubadour’s Lute Sidearm

The Troubadour’s Lute is completely different from conventional ranged weapons. Playing it applies Confusion, which can cause affected enemies to attack one another rather than concentrating on you.

• Excellent against groups
• Applies Confusion
• Can redirect enemy aggression
• Creates safe melee openings
• Useful when surrounded
• Does not rely on direct damage

Triarch Repeater – Best for Sustained Fire

Triarch Repeater

The Triarch Repeater provides rapid sustained fire once it gets going, making it useful when an enemy remains exposed long enough for you to maintain pressure.

• Rapid sustained damage
• Good ranged pressure
• Useful against large or slow targets
• Can suppress groups
• Strong when given a long attack window

The drawback is its wind-up and Resolve requirement. The Repeater needs at least 50 stored Sidearm ammo/Resolve charge before it can begin firing, with its reserve reaching 100.

Ballistazooka – Best Heavy Ranged Sidearm

Ballistazooka

The Ballistazooka provides heavy ranged damage but is deliberately slow and unwieldy. It is strongest when an enemy has entered a long recovery animation and gives you time to line up the shot.

• Strong heavy projectile
• Good ranged burst
• Useful against predictable bosses
• Can punish enemies from a safe distance
• Works well with ranged stagger setups

Its problems are the slow aim, slower firing rhythm, and fewer available shots. These weaknesses become especially noticeable when fast enemies are already pressuring you.

5. C Tier – Cursed Child

C Tier does not mean the Cursed Child is useless. Its problem is that its main function is much narrower than the seven other Sidearms, making it harder to justify as your single equipped Sidearm for general exploration.

Cursed Child

Cursed Child

The Cursed Child is primarily a short-range knockback tool rather than a conventional damage Sidearm. Activating it pushes a nearby enemy away, allowing you to interrupt pressure and create enough space to attack or reposition.

• Strong knockback utility
• Can interrupt close-range pressure
• Creates breathing room
• Useful with slow melee weapons
• Very short effective range
• Does not provide normal ranged damage
• Less useful when enemies are already far away

It pairs particularly well with weapons such as the Great Martyr’s Blade or Obsidian Hammer, where pushing an enemy away can give you time to commit to a slower heavy attack.

6. Best Tarstones for Sidearm Builds

Marksman’s Stone

Sidearm-focused builds benefit most from Tarstones that improve Critical Chance, Stagger Damage, projectile behavior, or Sidearm damage. Several of these bonuses can turn an otherwise standard ranged attack into an important part of your build.

1. Marksman’s Stone – Improves ranged Critical Chance.
2. Siegebreaker’s Stone – Improves ranged Stagger Damage.
3. Rupturing Stone – Critical projectiles can deal additional Break Damage.
4. Volatile Fragment – Sidearm kills can trigger explosions.
5. Wounding Stone – Melee-applied Perforation increases subsequent Sidearm damage.
6. Myriad/Splitting-style effects – Add additional projectiles to compatible Sidearms.

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