Mortal Shell 2 Best Weapons Tier List: Post-Week 1 Update

How this tier list is built

This is a player-report tier list, not an official ranking. It starts from launch-week testing (Rock Paper Shotgun, Destructoid, community breakdowns), then applies the two patches:

• Balance Patch 1 (2026-08-20): Great Martyr’s Blade +20% damage, Troubadour’s Lute +100%, Resolve minimums removed, light-attack tracking buffs.
• Week 1 Update (2026-08-29): Obsidian Hammer full balance pass, Great Martyr’s Blade stronger again, heavy weapons poise/damage pass, Axatana ability invulnerability frames + Fragile stacks, Trebuchaxe Tiltshot redesigned, Weltcap boosted.

Where the official notes say “substantially harder” or “stronger” without a number, this list treats the ranking direction as authoritative but does not invent exact percentages.

Primary weapon tiers

S tier breakdown

Axatana

The returning fan favorite is both an axe and a katana — fast mobile light attacks plus heavier axe swings. Balance Patch 1 improved its tracking; the Week 1 Update gave its weapon ability invulnerability frames and Fragile stacks, and fixed its combat Tarstone active so it triggers correctly. That removes the main “why would I risk the heavy form” objection.

• Pair it with Fragile Tarstone setups — the ability now feeds that loop directly.
• Location: Forgotten Tower in Mammon.

Great Martyr’s Blade

The slow, heavy blade rewards patient timing. It gained +20% damage in Balance Patch 1, and the Week 1 Update buffed it again (“even stronger now” — it also missed the last patch). For players who can handle the commitment, it is the strongest heavy option.

• Best paired with Eredrim or any Shell with a large health pool.
• Location: Martyr’s Prison in Fainweald.

Obsidian Hammer

Previously the C-tier “highest single-hit damage, slowest moveset” pick. The Week 1 Update gave it a full balance pass — it now hits substantially harder, and heavy weapons generally received a poise/damage pass. The slow weapon’s biggest weakness was never damage; it was mid-combo reliability, which is exactly what poise addresses.

• Location: Obsidianite Mines in Fainweald.
• Value depends less on raw DPS than on landing charged heavies — riposte scaling also helps builds that use it as a stagger tool.

A tier breakdown

Black Needle

A fast spear with excellent reach and safe pokes. Still a top pick for Genessa’s Phantom-stacking builds, and the tracking buff keeps it clean. It falls just below the S trio because it lacks the ex-Balance-Patch-1 scaling of the big three.

• Best paired with Genessa or any Shell that wants safe, fast hits.
• Location: Sester’s Gate route in Mammon.

Iconoclast

The starting weapon carries a full playthrough with upgrades. Nothing changed for it across patches; its tier is durability, not dominance.

Veteran’s Battle Axe

Heavy and hard-hitting, but slower than the S-tier heavies. The heavy-weapon poise pass helped it, and it pairs naturally with Eredrim — a comfortable A-tier keeper.

Caged Hystrix

Rapid-fire sidearm-style primary; the Resolve minimum removal (Balance Patch 1) still applies, so it remains a strong pressure option.

B tier breakdown

Clockwork Scythe

Tied to Sariel in the Chamber of Becoming. Tracking buff helped; still needs a build that exploits its moveset. The heavy-weapon pass was modest for it.

Troubadour’s Lute

The +100% damage buff made it strong — but it still depends on the Confusion mechanic and setup. Deliberate-use weapon, not an all-rounder.

C tier breakdown

Cursed Child

Close-range sound-wave weapon that does not stand out even after two patches. Replace it when a better option appears.

Sidearms at a glance

The game has eight sidearms: Ballistazooka, Caged Hystrix, Naylshotte, Salvaged Trebuchaxe, Triarch Repeater, Troubadour’s Lute, Forgotten Crossbow and one more tied to later exploration.

Important — Week 1 Update: the Salvaged Trebuchaxe’s Tiltshot was redesigned, because it was “simultaneously overpowered and broken.” Any sidearm ranking written before this patch that lists the Trebuchaxe as OP is stale; the new version is a different weapon.

Sidearms build Resolve through primary-weapon attacks and are best treated as part of a build, not a separate weapon slot.

Which weapon should you rush first?

Methodology note

Tier lists change as patches land and community tech develops. This page reflects Balance Patch 1 + Week 1 Update and will be updated if a later patch moves weapons significantly. Exact hit-frame and damage numbers are not published for most Week 1 Update changes, so tier placement reflects direction, not fabricated math.

Last verified: 2026-08-30.