To upgrade ranged sidearms early in Mortal Shell 2, get the Obsidian Lathe from Martyr’s Tomb near Widow’s Overlook, then give it to Franz at the Tarforge in Marrow Keep to unlock Enhance Sidearms.
Sidearms are your ranged option in Mortal Shell 2, but leveling them is locked behind a single key item that’s easy to walk past. The good news is that the Obsidian Lathe sits in an early-game dungeon right next to the Widow’s Overlook beacon, so you can open up ranged upgrades well before the fights that make you want them. Here’s exactly where it is and what to do with it.
What the Obsidian Lathe unlocks at the Tarforge
| Item | Use |
|---|---|
| Obsidian Lathe | Key item that unlocks ranged sidearm upgrades |
| Martyr’s Tomb (SE of Widow’s Overlook) | Fainweald dungeon where the Lathe is looted |
| Franz, Tarforge in Marrow Keep | Hand him the Lathe to install it |
| Enhance Sidearms | The menu it opens for leveling sidearms |
Key Repairing the Tarforge earlier in the game with the Muradean Actuator only switches on upgrades for your main melee weapons. Sidearm upgrades are a completely separate unlock, and the item that opens them is the Obsidian Lathe — until you hand it to Franz, the Enhance Sidearms menu simply isn’t there. Once it’s installed, every sidearm level still costs Ventrium and Coins, so bring materials before you start leveling.
Detour to Martyr’s Tomb as soon as you can reach Widow’s Overlook — it’s an early-game dungeon, so you can unlock ranged upgrades long before the fights where you’ll lean on them.
How to get the Obsidian Lathe in Mortal Shell 2
Here’s the full run from Widow’s Overlook to Franz, so you walk out of Martyr’s Tomb with the Obsidian Lathe and Enhance Sidearms unlocked.
STEP 1/9
Start at Widow’s Overlook
From the Widow’s Overlook beacon, turn toward the large church-like building to the southeast — the entrance to Martyr’s Tomb is just inside.
STEP 2/9
Deal with the guarding mini-boss
An enemy blocks the approach to the dungeon; fight it for the extra reward or simply run past it if you’d rather skip the scrap.
STEP 3/9
Enter Martyr’s Tomb
Step inside the dungeon — some in-game text calls it the Tomb of the Grand Martyr, but it’s the same Fainweald tomb — to begin the short loop to the Lathe.
STEP 4/9
Clear the room of enemies
Take out everything inside; it’s worth cleaning the room out fully before you go hunting for the switch.
STEP 5/9
Press the hidden switch
In a glowing side room, break the wooden boxes to reach the wall switch and press it to raise the gate into the back room.
STEP 6/9
Loot the chest for the Obsidian Lathe
Inside you’ll find a note plus two items — the Obsidian Lathe and a Parasitic Stone, a leech Tarstone.
STEP 7/9
Shoot the target to open the exit
Draw a sidearm and shoot the target above the metal gate to unlock the way out — plenty of players get stuck here.
STEP 8/9
Return to Franz at the Tarforge
Head back to Marrow Keep, go through the Gloom Siphon room, and take the upward path to the Tarforge where Franz works.
STEP 9/9
Select Enhance Sidearms
Give Franz the Obsidian Lathe, then open Enhance Sidearms on the right to start leveling your ranged weapons.
Video help
Which sidearm to upgrade first
Once Enhance Sidearms is live, pour your resources into the ranged weapon you’re actually carrying rather than spreading them thin across the roster. In the early game that’s often the crossbow — the Forgotten Crossbow can be picked up from a dungeon well before you reach the Tarforge, which makes it a natural first pick. Leveling a sidearm raises its damage and lowers its Resolve consumption, so you can fire it more times before your Resolve runs dry, and some weapons gain extra ammo capacity along the way. There are eight sidearms to find in total, but there’s no sense bankrolling one you never draw — post-launch hotfixes have also nudged upgrade costs, so treat any fixed figure as subject to change and just enhance what you use.
Related Mortal Shell 2 guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you upgrade sidearms before getting the Obsidian Lathe?
No. Ranged sidearm upgrades stay fully locked until you install the Lathe — there’s no coin or material shortcut, and no other item stands in for it. Grab the Lathe first, and only then do the sidearm nodes open up.
Do you have to beat the Great Arbiter of Flesh to reach Martyr’s Tomb?
No. The dungeon sits right by the Great Arbiter of Flesh’s arena, but you don’t have to kill the world boss to get inside. You can slip past the enemy guarding the approach and head straight for the Lathe.
Why is Enhance Sidearms missing at the Tarforge?
If it isn’t showing, opening the forge interface alone won’t install the Lathe. Talk to Franz directly and choose the Give Obsidian Lathe option at the top of his interaction list — that’s what actually adds the sidearm upgrade nodes.
Leave a Reply