Shell II Guide
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Mortal Shell II Tarstones

Tarstones are build items that add passive bonuses, weapon effects, or new attacks when fitted into a compatible slot. You improve them with Tarcores, and each stone belongs to a compatibility group such as Combat, Infusion, or Ability. Check the stone's requirement before spending resources: owning a Tarstone does not guarantee that every weapon or slot can use it.

How Tarstones and Tarcores work

Treat a Tarstone as one part of a build, not as a permanent stat increase applied to the entire save. Its effect matters only when it is equipped in a compatible place. Read the effect text, the compatibility label, and any trigger condition together; a strong-looking bonus can be useless if your current weapon cannot activate it consistently.

Tarcores are the upgrade resource for this system. The location guide documents two upgrade stages for regular Tarstones, so the safe spending rule is to test the base effect before committing further. Upgrade a stone because it supports a build you actually use, not merely because it was the latest pickup.

Compatibility is the most common source of confusion. Combat, Infusion, and Ability stones do not represent three tiers of quality; they describe different roles or sockets. If the game refuses an installation, compare the required category with the available slot before assuming the item is bugged.

Fragile Tarstones after the Week 1 Update

The official Week 1 update added Fragile Tarstones. These variants have durability, break after use, and yield a Tarcore when they break. That changes the value calculation: a fragile stone can provide a strong temporary effect while also feeding later upgrades, but it is not a permanent collectible in the same sense as a regular stone.

The update converted the Justicar's Stone and Gloombound Stone into fragile forms and adjusted their effects. It also expanded access through enemy or dungeon drops and Merrick's inventory as progression advances. This is why launch-day lists and videos may not match the current version exactly.

Do not hoard every fragile stone automatically. Use one when its effect solves a specific encounter or supports the route you are about to run. If you need it for testing or collection records, note the name and effect before durability reaches zero.

Choosing which Tarstone to upgrade

Begin with your most-used weapon and identify its actual combat problem. If stamina, spacing, status application, or an ability trigger is limiting the build, choose a compatible stone that directly addresses that problem. A smaller effect that triggers in every fight is usually more useful than a dramatic effect that your moveset rarely activates.

Test the stone against ordinary enemies before a boss attempt. Confirm that the effect triggers, that its timing works with Harden and dodging, and that the new move does not leave you exposed. Only then invest additional Tarcores.

Keep at least one alternative for a different encounter type. A stone suited to crowd control may not be the best answer for a single aggressive boss. The database's weapon guide can help you separate a weapon problem from a Tarstone problem before spending more resources.

Collection count and achievement planning

The release-era location checklist records 75 obtainable Tarstones and reports that 73 of 75 were required for the Stoned trophy at that time. Because the Week 1 update added and converted fragile variants, regard those numbers as versioned checklist evidence rather than a promise that every later build presents the collection in exactly the same way.

For a completion run, keep a simple region checklist and compare it with the achievement counter in your current build. Collect permanent stones before relying on consumable fragile variants to resolve a missing count. If the total disagrees with an older video, check the official patch history before repeating the entire route.

The launch guide also warned that Berserker's Stone could be missable. Preserve a save before major progression and verify the current route before passing its relevant sequence. This page does not claim that every launch-state missable remains unchanged after later patches.

Respec limits and a common misconception

The Week 1 update says Mether's Severance can be given to Zhirelle to reset a Shell and refund the Glimpses spent on it. That is a Shell respec. It is not evidence that the same item removes upgrades from a Tarstone or refunds Tarcores spent on a stone.

Plan Tarstone upgrades accordingly. Test first, upgrade second, and do not spend on the assumption that a Shell-reset item reverses every build decision. If a later patch adds a dedicated Tarstone refund, the official patch notes should be the authority.

September 24 hotfix status

The September 24 hotfix addresses two problems that matter to stone-based progression. It fixes dungeons failing to load correctly after using Egon's Stone, and it stops that stone from removing Gloom dropped in the open world. The same update fixes a gamepad soft lock when cancelling Mether's Severance and restores interaction with Stray Genessa after the item is used.

These fixes do not turn Mether's Severance into a Tarstone refund. It remains a Shell respec item in the documented system. If an Egon's Stone problem persists, confirm the current platform update, restart the game, and reproduce the exact listed trigger before assuming every dungeon or Gloom-loss issue shares the same cause.

How to audit a Tarstone build

Use a repeatable enemy near a safe return point and make one change at a time. Run the weapon without the stone, note the number and type of safe openings, then equip the stone and repeat. You do not need a perfect damage spreadsheet; you need to know whether the effect changes the decisions you make in real combat.

Watch for hidden costs. A new attack can extend an animation, move you out of position, or compete with a defensive input even when its damage is attractive. An Infusion can be powerful against one target and irrelevant against another. Keep the stone only if the benefit appears often enough to justify the slot and the Tarcores.

For boss preparation, test the trigger under pressure before entering the arena. If the build depends on a long combo that ordinary enemies rarely let you finish, it is unlikely to become more reliable against a faster boss. Choose consistency first and specialize once the encounter is understood.

Patch-aware collection planning

Write down the game version beside any checklist you use. Release guides are excellent for geography, but a later update can add drops, change a permanent stone into a fragile one, or alter a merchant's stock. Version labels stop a genuine patch difference from looking like a missing collectible.

Divide the checklist by region and source: fixed pickup, enemy or dungeon drop, merchant stock, and progression reward. Fixed locations are the easiest to verify first. Random or restocking sources should be checked only after permanent pickups, because repeated farming can waste time when the missing entry was actually on an unexplored route.

Use the current in-game achievement counter as the final check, not a screenshot from another player's build. If the counter advances after a new type of pickup, record that result. If it does not, avoid making a universal claim from one attempt; patches and platform achievement behavior can differ.

Efficient Tarstone workflow

  1. Read the effect, trigger, and compatibility category.
  2. Equip the base stone on a weapon you already know.
  3. Test it in repeatable combat before upgrading.
  4. Spend Tarcores only after the effect proves useful.
  5. Record fragile variants before using their final durability.
  6. Compare collection totals with your current achievement counter and patch version.

Sources

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