Mortal Shell 2 Tarstones

Week 1 changed the upgrade economy

The Week 1 Update added Fragile Tarstones, which break after losing durability and yield a Tarcore. Glimpse Stone breaks into Glimpses as it wears down, while Egon's Stone can return you to a dungeon entrance and prevent Gloom loss on the death that breaks it. Justicar's Stone and Gloombound Stone are now fragile. ^[2]

Glimpses and Tarcores are no longer finite resources, and tempered Tarstones return more Tarcores. Merrick can restock Tarstones and related items as the game progresses. Older routes that treated every Tarcore as permanently missable need to be rechecked.

Four jobs, not one power ladder

The current references group Tarstones into Combat, Infusion, Support, and Ability roles. ^[1] Combat stones alter attacks or finishers, Infusions add status behavior, Support stones change passive utility, and Ability stones provide weapon-specific actions.

Choose in this order:

1. Confirm the stone is compatible with the equipped weapon.
2. Decide whether the build needs safer basic attacks, a status plan, passive sustain, or an active move.
3. Test the unupgraded effect on a repeatable enemy.
4. Spend upgrade materials only after the effect improves the intended loop.

Collectible tracking

The complete location guide documents 75 Tarstones. ^[3] A trophy route may require 73 rather than every visible slot, so distinguish “all locations in the world” from the exact platform achievement threshold. Keep a region-by-region checklist and record the nearest Beacon immediately.

The Duality Stone has its own page because its acquisition and dual-wield effect form a separate task. For broader loadout planning, pair this guide with the weapon roster.

Version warning

Do not copy a launch-day damage percentage without checking the live item description. Balance Patch 1 changed several stones, and the Week 1 Update changed both the item pool and the resource loop. This page records system-level guidance rather than freezing every mutable number.

Combat, Infusion, Support, and Ability roles

The four-role model is more useful than sorting Mortal Shell 2 Tarstones by rarity. Combat stones change ordinary attacks or finishers. Infusions support status behavior. Support stones alter passive utility or survival. Ability stones add or modify a weapon-specific active. ^[1]

An effect can be strong and still be wrong for the build. A heavy-attack stone adds little when the player uses only quick lights. A status effect is inefficient when ordinary enemies die before it triggers. A defensive support stone can outperform raw damage if it prevents repeated recovery runs.

Fragile Tarstones

The Week 1 Update introduced Fragile Tarstones that lose durability and break, then return a resource or produce another effect. Glimpse Stone yields Glimpses as it wears down. Egon's Stone can return the player to a dungeon entrance and prevent Gloom loss on the death that breaks it. The notes also make Justicar's Stone and Gloombound Stone fragile. ^[2]

Treat durability as part of the cost. Record the current durability before a dungeon, confirm what happens on break, and do not rely on the escape effect without first understanding the route and save state. A fragile item used for a planned recovery is different from one that breaks unexpectedly during a boss attempt.

Renewable resources and upgrading

Glimpses and Tarcores are no longer finite under the Week 1 economy. Tempered stones return more Tarcores, and Merrick can restock Tarstones and related items as progression advances. ^[2] That makes experimentation more forgiving, but it does not make every upgrade free.

Use an unupgraded test first. Pick one stable enemy, record the weapon, Shell, infusion, other stones, and patch, then compare the intended effect. Upgrade only when the stone improves a repeatable combat loop. If the result depends on a rare condition that seldom occurs, keep the materials for a more reliable slot.

Collecting all documented Tarstones

The current specialist location guide documents 75 Tarstone locations. ^[3] Its world count should not be confused with a platform trophy condition, an inventory-slot count, or a list that omits fragile variants. Use the live achievement description for the exact completion requirement.

Create a region checklist with these fields: Tarstone name, category, nearest Beacon, dungeon or landmark, pickup method, patch, and screenshot. Mark it found only after the inventory changes. A map pin alone can remain after completion or move in a patch.

Collect one category or region at a time. A full-world sweep with no record makes duplicate-looking icons and similarly named locations difficult to reconcile. The map workflow explains how to preserve the return route.

Duality Stone example

The Duality Stone shows why compatibility matters. Its documented second light hit applies to Axatana and Axe & Dagger rather than every weapon. A build using mostly heavy attacks may gain little even when the stone is rare or popular.

Test the second hit with and without the stone on the same enemy. Record damage, status buildup, stagger, and animation separately. Two visual effects do not automatically prove two full registered hits.

Build test sequence

1. Learn the weapon with no new stone.
2. Equip one Combat or Ability stone and reproduce one safe punish.
3. Add an Infusion only after measuring how many hits trigger it.
4. Use Support to address a documented survival or resource problem.
5. Test the full setup against a mobile enemy, a group, and a boss.
6. Change one component when the result is weak.

This order prevents a successful build from becoming impossible to explain. It also makes patch regression reports useful because the affected interaction can be isolated.

When a guide is outdated

Check the recording or publication date, then compare the live item text. The Week 1 Update changed item availability, fragility, returns, and the Axatana Combat Tarstone. ^[2] A location may remain correct while its effect or economy changes.

Do not copy a percentage from a thumbnail or a build summary. The source should show the current item, tested patch, weapon, Shell, and target. If those are missing, use the guide only as a lead for your own test.

Troubleshooting

If a Tarstone appears inactive, confirm weapon compatibility, input, Resolve or other resource, and any required condition. Remove the other stones, restart from a safe Beacon, and test one attack. If a fragile item breaks, verify the promised return or effect before reloading.

If a documented pickup is absent, check whether it was already collected, whether the source used Night Mode or a quest state, and whether the map objective was fixed by a later patch. Capture the location and inventory before reporting it.

This page was rechecked on September 3, 2026. It preserves the official Week 1 economy and the current 75-location specialist count while leaving mutable damage values to current-build testing.

Before filing a missing-item correction, attach the region, Beacon, pickup state, inventory before and after, Night or quest state, and patch. Do not submit a copied map pin without showing that the current build was checked; the location and the item effect can become outdated independently.