All Melee Ability Tarstones in Mortal Shell 2, Ranked

Mortal Shell 2 gives you plenty of ways to spend Resolve, but Ability Tarstones are arguably the most fun of the bunch. They add entirely new attacks to your weapons, ranging from charged swings and aerial strikes to weapon-throwing nonsense and some seriously nasty chainsaw tricks.

The catch is that not every Ability Tarstone is equally useful. Some are solid general-purpose options, while others become exceptional when paired with the right build and, of course, weapon. Here are all 12 ranked from worst to best.

12 Acolyte’s Stone

The Acolyte’s Stone is the most straightforward Ability Tarstone in the game. It costs 40 Resolve for a charged Light Attack, with upgrades eventually improving its critical-hit potential before reducing the cost to 30 Resolve.

That is perfectly usable, but “usable” is about where the praise ends. It gives every melee weapon a decent extra attack, yet, as one of the game’s beginner items, it does not bring enough damage, utility, or defensive value to compete with the more specialized options further up this list.

11 Infused Stone (Black Needle)

The Black Needle gets one of the game’s most fun attacks with the Infused Stone. Spend 70 Resolve, and you can throw the weapon through enemies, which then finds its own path through multiple targets before it circles back to you. Upgrades increase its damage and let it hit up to four targets.

It is excellent for clearing groups and looks fantastic while doing it, but that is also its problem. The ability is much harder to justify against bosses, where your regular Black Needle attacks and other options offer considerably more value.

10 Unwieldy Stone

The Unwieldy Stone gives any compatible melee weapon a charged Heavy Attack for 35 Resolve. Upgrading it adds Leech stacks when the attack kills an enemy, with the final upgrade also restoring 25 Health.

That makes it a surprisingly useful sustain tool, especially if you are struggling with a difficult boss and want to farm some extra Leech beforehand. Still, the attack itself does not offer enough to make this a top-tier choice.

9 Conqueror’s Reward (Black Needle)

Conqueror’s Reward turns the Black Needle into a rapid thrusting machine, sending it forward in a series of piercing strikes. At higher levels, it gets additional strikes and drops from 100 to 75 Resolve.

The attack has good reach, respectable damage, and some useful invulnerability frames during its animation. Unfortunately, the Black Needle has better tricks available, and this one loses some appeal when you consider how much more other Ability Tarstones can do for their weapons.

8 Lost Clotstone (Obsidian Hammer/Veteran’s Battle Axe)

The Lost Clotstone is where things start getting properly interesting. It lets you spin the Obsidian Hammer or Veteran’s Battle Axe in place before throwing the weapon forward, dealing heavy damage and splash damage on impact.

Its cost eventually drops to just 40 Resolve, which is excellent for an attack with this much range and utility. Knocking enemies around, hitting groups, and even applying your weapon’s status effects make it incredibly satisfying. It is not the best boss-killer, but it is far too useful and fun to rank any lower.

7 Colossus Stone (Obsidian Hammer)

The Obsidian Hammer’s Colossus Stone has you slam the weapon into the ground and send shockwaves across the surrounding area. It costs 80 Resolve, but the attack gives you a large window of protection while it plays out.

The Hammer also benefits from Cold Symmetry’s recent balance changes, making this attack much more useful than it used to be. You can clear groups, stagger enemies, and ride out incoming attacks while the slam is active. It still lacks the flexibility of the higher-ranked stones, but for the Hammer, this is a very solid option.

6 Clockwork Shardstone (Clockwork Scythe)

The Clockwork Shardstone turns the Clockwork Scythe’s chainsaw into a sustained damage tool. Hold the weapon forward, and the saw keeps spinning while consuming Resolve, with each rotation eventually dealing 20% of the weapon’s base damage when fully upgraded.

It also adds stagger pressure, which makes it much more than a flashy way to wave a giant mechanical blade around. The problem is that the Scythe has an even better Ability Tarstone, and once that enters the picture, this one starts looking like the second-best chainsaw option.

5 Captive’s Scabstone (Great Martyr’s Blade)

The Great Martyr’s Blade gets a brutal, wide-sweeping attack from the Captive’s Scabstone. It costs 100 Resolve initially, a cost that drops to 75 at level 3, and the attack can deal huge damage while also piling on Stagger Damage.

The long animation comes with a generous defensive window, making this particularly useful when you need to commit to a big punish without simply volunteering to get hit. It becomes even nastier when paired with Frost infusion on the greatsword, giving an already powerful weapon another way to control a fight.

4 Magdalena’s Memento (Axe & Dagger)

Magdalena’s Memento is exclusive to the Axe & Dagger, and it makes one of the game’s best weapons even more ridiculous. Spend 100 Resolve to launch into the air and unleash a flurry of attacks, with each strike inflicting two Weak stacks right from level 1.

Those Weak stacks make enemies deal less damage, while later upgrades add substantial Critical Hit and Critical Damage bonuses. The aerial animation also gives you useful invulnerability, turning the ability into both an offensive burst and an emergency escape. Its only real drawback is the hefty Resolve cost.

3 Scholar’s Wormstone (Clockwork Scythe)

The Clockwork Scythe’s Scholar’s Wormstone is where the weapon starts looking downright unfair in Mortal Shell 2. Instead of replacing your normal attack, it keeps the chainsaw spinning alongside it, consuming Resolve over time and adding another source of damage to every swing.

At maximum upgrade, each chainsaw spin deals 35% of the weapon’s base damage. That gets particularly silly with status effects. Bloodcurse can trigger repeatedly during attacks, while Lightning can turn ordinary swings into repeated bursts of extra damage. It is hard to argue against that kind of output.

2 Shrike Stone (Axatana/Iconoclast)

The Shrike Stone might be the most useful Ability Tarstone in the entire game for simply keeping you alive. For 70 Resolve, it launches you into the air before you crash down with your weapon, giving you a huge defensive window while dealing damage around the landing point.

It also works with both the Axatana and Iconoclast, giving two very different weapons access to the same incredibly useful tool. The cost falls to 50 Resolve at level 2, while the last upgrade adds 25 Break Damage to nearby enemies upon landing. Against bosses, that combination of damage, mobility, safety, and Break pressure is absurdly valuable.

1 Hexapod Core (Axatana)

The Hexapod Core takes the top spot because it gives the Axatana an absurdly effective combination of offense and defense. Its rapid barrage builds Warp stacks that increase your attack speed, letting you hit faster and keep the pressure on.

The recent buff pushed it even further, adding Fragile stacks and giving the attack an invulnerability window. More attack speed also means faster Resolve generation from your regular attacks, so you can get back to another barrage sooner. It is simply too much value to pass up.

Between this and the Shrike Stone, the latter may be the safer all-rounder, but the Hexapod Core is the better Ability Tarstone option when you want to stay aggressive. It hits hard, makes the Axatana faster, weakens targets, and gives you room to keep attacking.

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Which Ability Tarstone has been your favorite so far, and is there one you would rank higher or lower? Let us know in the comments below!