Overview
Sidearms are Mortal Shell 2's ranged secondaries — medieval firearms and gadgetry that slot into the melee flow rather than replacing it. There are eight to collect, covered by the "Guns, Lots of Guns" trophy. Sidearms don't use ammo: firing costs Resolve, the same resource as shell abilities, so every shot is a trade against your specials. Resolve comes back from landing melee hits and perfect blocks — sidearm hits do not refund it — which keeps the loop melee-first.
You can equip only one sidearm per shell and swap it at Beacons. Most sidearms deal more damage at close range, the starting one is effectively a melee-range blaster, and Tarstones can add raw damage, damage-over-time and elemental effects. Six sidearm names are confirmed across guides and the launch trophy list (Game8, GamesHub, Whisper of the House, AllThings.How); two more are tracked by the trophy list but not yet named by coverage. Early previews listed Caged Hystrix and Salvaged Trebuchaxe as sidearms, but the launch trophy list places both among the main weapons — see the weapons guide.
All 8 Sidearms
| Sidearm | Type | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Naylshotte | Explosive sidearm | Starting sidearm (automatic) |
| Troubadour's Lute | Instrument sidearm | One-Legged Wolf tavern stage |
| Forgotten Crossbow | Ranged sidearm | Flooded Village, after finding a key |
| Cursed Child | Cursed sidearm | Revered Beacon dungeon — stay clear of the central tower's light |
| Triarch Repeater | Repeater sidearm | Beacon dungeon — exact dungeon name varies by source; verify on the full-release map |
| Ballistazooka | Ballista sidearm | End of Sentry's Grave — kill Subjugated Guardian |
| (unnamed) | — | Two further sidearms are in the trophy list ("Guns, Lots of Guns" = all 8) but haven't been named in post-launch coverage yet |
Note the spelling: it's Naylshotte, not "Nayleshotte." The full set is covered by the "Guns, Lots of Guns" silver trophy, with individual bronze trophies for each sidearm.
Sidearm Locations
The good news is that nothing here is missable. According to AllThings.How, every sidearm can be picked up in free-roam after the story before starting New Game+, so you can clean up anything you skipped.
The hardest to reach is Cursed Child, which sits in the Revered Beacon dungeon, where you need to stay out of the golden light from the central tower to reach it. One route note: the Triarch Repeater's dungeon name differs between sources — some place it in the Blackwell Cavern area, others in Sentry's Grave — so treat that table cell as approximate until the full-release map is confirmed. The weapon itself and its name are consistent across all sources. Sidearm upgrades happen at the Obsidian Lathe, reached via Widow's Overlook toward Martyr's Tomb, using the same Tarforge materials as main weapons (Ventrium, Dorsalite, Laterite, Thoracium).
Best Early Picks
If you're asking which sidearm to get first, start with what the game gives you. Naylshotte is your opening sidearm, acquired near the prologue and tutorial area, and it's the perfect baseline: short range, huge burst, one-shots weak fodder. Use it to learn the rhythm — every shot costs Resolve, so positioning matters more than trigger discipline.
For your first real pick-up, prioritize the Troubadour's Lute at the One-Legged Wolf — it's early and free — or the Forgotten Crossbow in the Flooded Village once you find its key, which gives you precision at range for a change of pace. Whisper of the House's advice holds: collect, test the feel, then invest. Since sidearms share the Resolve pool with shell abilities, a sidearm that demands frequent firing can crowd out your specials — the best early choice is the one whose cost feels comfortable next to your shell's kit.