Monarch’s Vestige is a Tarstone dropped by Bor, the Deluded Monarch beneath the Abbey Entrance village in the Ruins of Mammon; it spends Resolve to infuse your Sidearm with Phantom, and upgrading it through Franz can eventually make that infusion permanent.
Monarch’s Vestige is one of the 73 Tarstones scattered across Mortal Shell 2, and it’s an easy one to walk right past — the miniboss that drops it sits behind a locked gate you can only open with a key hidden in the same village. Below is the exact route to claim it, a full breakdown of what the infusion does at each level, and the two things you need before you can upgrade it at all.
Where to find Monarch’s Vestige and how to claim it
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Reward | Monarch’s Vestige |
| Region | Ruins of Mammon |
| Nearest beacon | Abbey Entrance |
| Dropped by | Bor, the Deluded Monarch |
Enter the Abbey Entrance Beacon
Rest at the Abbey Entrance Beacon in the Ruins of Mammon, then follow the path into the Kingdom of Fools village.
Push to the coffin behind the houses
Work through the village to the small path behind the houses, heading for the coffin at the back where the enemy waits.
Kill the coffin enemy for the Strange Village Key
Defeat the enemy that bursts from the coffin, then grab the Strange Village Key it leaves behind on a rope — skip this and the gate to Bor stays shut for good.
Open the central gate
Return to the middle of the village and use the Strange Village Key on the locked door in the center.
Drop down and beat Bor
Drop through the hole beyond the gate and fight Bor, the Deluded Monarch; zap him with the Troubadour’s Lute and let his own subjects turn on him, then claim Monarch’s Vestige on the win.
On your way through the village, open the chest behind the Wretches in the darker section for a free 1,000 Coins — you’ll want that stack for upgrading the stone later.
What Monarch’s Vestige does and how it scales
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Consume 20 Resolve to infuse your Sidearm with Phantom |
| Level 2 | Infusion lasts for 4 shots |
| Level 3 | Infusion lasts for 8 shots |
| Level 4 | Infusion is permanent |
Once you slot it, Monarch’s Vestige lives on your Sidearm and turns 20 Resolve into a Phantom infusion — your shots start carrying Phantom damage the moment you spend the meter. At its base level that’s a one-and-done cost you pay each time you want the buff.
Key The part players misread most: at Levels 2 and 3 the infusion is measured in shots, not seconds. Four shots means the next four rounds carry Phantom no matter how long you take between them — there’s no timer ticking down, so you don’t lose the buff by holding fire. Push it to Level 4 and the infusion simply stays on, which is where this stone becomes a permanent Sidearm upgrade rather than a Resolve tax you pay per fight. One caveat worth flagging once: a stray listing pins the effect to the Salvaged Trebuchaxe instead, but every detailed effect description points at the Sidearm, so that’s the one to build around.
How to upgrade Monarch’s Vestige at the Tarforge
Loot the Etching Needle before Magdalena
On the way to the Magdalena, the Lady of the Woods arena, when you spot Ruk past the bridge, jump down the opening and turn right before the tunnel to reach a bone chest holding the Etching Needle.
Hand the Etching Needle to Franz
Bring it to Franz at the Tarforge in Marrow Keep to unlock Tarstone upgrades — reaching the Tarforge alone does nothing without him.
Equip the stone and farm its XP
Slot Monarch’s Vestige and kill enemies while it’s equipped to fill its Tarstone XP bar; it earns nothing sitting unslotted in your inventory.
Spend Coins to raise a level
With the bar full, return to Franz and spend Coins at the Tarforge to push Monarch’s Vestige up one level.
If you’re playing on a current build, the climb is gentler than it used to be — the August 22 balance patch cut Tarforge costs and bumped enemy gold drops, so leveling a stone all the way up is far cheaper now than it was at launch.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Monarch’s Vestige missable, and how early can you grab it?
It isn’t tied to the main story, so you can leave the Abbey Entrance and return through the beacon whenever you like — the stone waits for you. You can claim it as soon as you reach the Ruins of Mammon and cleanse the Abbey Entrance Beacon. That matters because the game has 73 Tarstones total and the Stoned trophy pops once you collect all 73 of them — the in-game menu shows 75 slots, but the extra two stay empty, so this is one stone you’ll want to come back for rather than leave behind.
Is it worth pouring upgrades into Monarch’s Vestige?
If you actually use the Sidearm, yes — reaching Level 4 for a permanent Phantom infusion is a real weapon upgrade rather than a situational buff. The broader rule for spending Coins is to commit to one stone rather than spread thin: feeding a single Tarstone up to Level 4 outperforms hauling five stones stuck at Level 1, so pick the weapon you main and pour upgrades there before touching the rest of your collection.
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