Mortal Shell 2 Endgame Push: Endless Core, Tarforge Cap Removal, and the Maxed Cornerstone Loadout
Stuck at weapon level 16 before the Zmey fight? The Endless Core removes the Tarforge cap so your favorite armaments hit +20. Here is the verified pickup route, the real upgrade-material tiers, and a maxed endgame loadout plan.
Mortal Shell 2 Endgame Push: Endless Core and the Tarforge Cap
The endgame of Mortal Shell 2 is a resource problem, not a skill problem. Once you can explore freely, the bottleneck is the Tarforge: weapons freeze at level 16, Tarstones need a separate XP loop, and your Shell perks are gated behind finite Glimpses. The Endless Core is the linchpin. Install it before Zmey and your best armaments finally reach +20. This guide documents the verified pickup route, the actual upgrade-material tiers (which differ from some early summaries), and a maxed loadout plan.
Table of Contents
- Prerequisites and Tarforge Unlock Order Before the Endgame
- Step-by-Step Route to the Endless Core in the Hidden Nave
- Cap Mechanics, Material Conflicts, and Glimpse Limits
- Maxed Loadout Payoffs and the Pre-Zmey Checklist
Prerequisites and Tarforge Unlock Order Before the Endgame
- Required items: Muradean Actuator, Obsidian Lathe, Etching Needles, Foundry Stone, Endless Core (the five Tarforge items).
- Prerequisites: Reach the Unfound Path, the final major dungeon, which opens after defeating at least 5 of the 6 Corrupted Gate bosses. The Hidden Nave beacon appears only after you clear the corrupted tendrils in that zone.
- Recommended level/gear: This is a true endgame step. Collect the first four Tarforge items during normal exploration; save the Endless Core run for right before Zmey.
The Tarforge in Marrow Keep is operated by Franz. Deliver items to him to unlock functions. Kill Franz instead and all four main functions unlock instantly, with the items then paying out bonus smithing stones (reported with no downsides in testing). [Unverified: the kill-Franz trade-off is undocumented by most guides and should be treated as optional]
| Tarforge item | Unlocks | Verified location |
|---|---|---|
| Muradean Actuator | Enhance Weapons | Fainweald / handed to Franz |
| Obsidian Lathe | Enhance Sidearms | Mine dungeon; shoot device above gate to exit |
| Etching Needles | Temper Tarstones + Tarcore | Glutted Mire dungeon, SE Fainweald, chest past Ruk before Magdalena boss |
| Foundry Stone | Smelt Equipment (refunds materials) | Ruins of Mammon, near Outskirts of Mammon beacon, chest by the wall |
| Endless Core | Removes all upgrade level caps | Hidden Nave beacon, Unfound Path (final dungeon) |
Step-by-Step Route to the Endless Core in the Hidden Nave
1 Progress through the Unfound Path
Location: Unfound Path, final major dungeon. Action: Clear all corrupted tendrils blocking the route. This reveals the Hidden Nave beacon in the middle of the zone, just before the final boss. Outcome: The beacon becomes enterable.
2 Enter the Hidden Nave and trigger the torch
Location: Hidden Nave beacon interior. Action: Find the first bonfire in the tunnel. Run to the far side to a second bonfire, then return to the first. A torch will have appeared there. Pick it up. Outcome: The torch reveals a hidden path through the fog.
3 Descend to the Endless Core altar
Location: Red-lit caves beyond the fog. Action: Carry the torch through the fog, follow the sloping path downward, and drop off the ledges to the bottom. Loot the chest at the stone altar. Outcome: You obtain the Endless Core.
4 Handle the Gloom doorway first
Location: Nearby chests in the descent. Action: Before looting the surrounding Gloom chests, interact with the doorway that demands you offer all carried Gloom. Do it first, then collect the resources. Outcome: You keep the Gloom instead of losing it to the doorway’s tax.
5 Install at the Tarforge
Location: Tarforge in Marrow Keep. Action: Open the Tarforge menu and choose Install Endless Core. This is a Tarforge option, not an item you hand to Franz. Then open Enhance Weapons on any +16 armament. Outcome: The +16 to +17 (and beyond, to +20) upgrade path unlocks. The Core only needs installing once.
Note: The beacon is named “Hidden Nave” by Gaming ProMax, All Things How, and Sports Rant, but “Hidden Knave” by GameRant and a second All Things How article. Treat the exact spelling as unresolved.
Cap Mechanics, Material Conflicts, and Glimpse Limits
The weapon upgrade ladder uses specific stones per tier band. Early community summaries that list Laterite as the +1 to +5 stone and mention a “Quenching Acid” for max level do not match the sourced tier table below, so use this verified version:
| Tier band | Material | Verified use |
|---|---|---|
| +1 to +5 | Ventrium | Lower-tier upgrades (most common, early game) |
| +6 to +10 | Laterite | Mid-tier upgrades |
| +11 to +15 | Dorsalite | Higher-tier upgrades |
| +16 to +20 | Thoracium / Ossinite | Near-cap and final levels; Ossinite unlocked with the Endless Core |
| Any tier | Coins | Paid alongside stones for every upgrade |
Upgrades are permanent unless you use the Foundry Stone’s Smelt function, which reverts a weapon to base and refunds all spent materials.
Tarstones run on a separate system. They gain XP only while slotted in an equipped weapon or sidearm as you kill enemies. Once a stone hits its threshold, level it at the Tarforge, spending Coins and earning Tarcore that higher tiers then consume. Arbiter’s Prize is the headline example: its Bloodcurse infusion goes from 4 strikes (L1) to 8 strikes (L2) to permanent (L3), a scaling worth building toward for any Shell.
Glimpses are the Shell-side currency. They raise Bond Tier (I to IV), which unlocks higher perk bands and improves revive efficiency. They come from chests, cleansing Corrupted Beacons, and certain NPC interactions (such as the Grisha Pup in Mushroom Village). They are finite and non-refundable, so a single run supports bonding about two Shells; everything else waits for NG+.
Maxed Loadout Payoffs and the Pre-Zmey Checklist
| Source | Reward |
|---|---|
| Hidden Nave (Endless Core) | Weapon/sidearm cap removed; push to +20 with Ossinite |
| Etching Needles | Tarstone Tempering + Tarcore for maxed stones |
| Foundry Stone | Smelt to refund and reassign materials freely |
| Maxed Arbiter’s Prize | Permanent Bloodcurse on your main weapon |
| Zmey, the dragon | Final boss; clear after full endgame prep |
Recommended maxed endgame combination, synthesized from the verified Shell builds: take your preferred main weapon (Axatana for Lazlo, Iconoclast for Eredrim, or Axe and Dagger for Tiel) to +20 via Ossinite, slot a maxed Arbiter’s Prize for permanent Bloodcurse plus Duality Stone for doubled hits, and keep Retribution Stone or Deadeye Stone in support depending on melee versus ranged focus. The exact “best” combo is build-dependent, so treat this as a framework rather than a single mandated set. [Unverified: optimal endgame combo ranking is synthesized, not source-listed]
Pre-Zmey checklist: (1) all five Tarforge items delivered or Franz killed, (2) Endless Core installed, (3) main weapon at +20, (4) core Tarstones tempered to L3 with Tarcore banked, (5) target Shell at Bond Tier IV via Glimpses, (6) spare Ossinite and Coins stocked for the fight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my weapon stuck at level 16 in Mortal Shell 2?
Weapons and sidearms hit a hard ceiling at level 16 until you install the Endless Core at the Tarforge. Multiple outlets confirm the cap lifts only after that late-game item is installed, letting you push to +20 with Ossinite.
Can you beat Zmey without the Endless Core?
You can, but the recommended path is to grab the Endless Core first so your main weapon is at +20 going into the dragon. Zmey is the final boss, and the Core sits in the Hidden Nave beacon just before that fight.
Do Tarstones use upgrade materials like weapons?
No. Tarstones gain XP only while slotted in an equipped weapon or sidearm as you kill enemies. You then level them at the Tarforge, spending Coins and Tarcore, which higher tiers consume.
Are Glimpses refundable if I bond the wrong Shell?
No. Glimpses are finite and cannot be refunded once spent on a Bond Tier. A single run supports bonding roughly two Shells, so plan before raising tiers.
About the author
Editor-in-Chief
Jack Cao is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of GameGuidesBox. He has been writing practical game guides for over a decade, specializing in action RPGs, extraction shooters, and competitive FPS. Every guide he signs is playtested first-hand: his logged test time includes 47 hours across two Crimson Desert playthroughs with DPS verification, 180 hours building a full Windrose settlement, and 45 hours across six Yunyun Syndrome endings runs. Favorite games include Titanfall 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Metro, PUBG, and CS2.
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