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To rank up a Tarstone in Mortal Shell II, equip it and use it in combat to earn Tarstone XP. When its rank bar is full, take it to Franz at the Marrowkeep Tarforge and pay the upgrade cost. You must first find the Etching Needles and deliver them to Franz to unlock Tarstone tempering. The XP cap and costs below come from launch-version fan guides, so a later game patch may change them.
What “level up” means for Tarstones
Tarstone XP is separate from other progression systems. A guide distinguishes it from Gloom, Glimpses, and Shell points, so these steps apply specifically to a Tarstone—not to a Shell or weapon upgrade.
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Tarstones are equipment with effects that may be passive, affect a weapon, or enable a specific attack. PowerPyx reports 75 obtainable Tarstones, with 73 required for the Stoned achievement; these are that guide’s counts, not independently verified official figures.
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Find the Etching Needles to unlock tempering
The Etching Needles are the Tarforge component that unlocks Tarstone upgrades. A route guide places them in a chest in the Glutted Mire, after the Sunken Village Beacon and the Wandering Shepard encounter. Cross the bridge and search the route before the area’s last boss. The guides use somewhat different local labels, but both associate the needles with Glutted Mire progression after the Sunken Village route.
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- Possess Lost Warriors
- Face Formidable Foes
- Iron Sharpens Iron
- Reach the Sunken Village Beacon in the Glutted Mire.
- Continue to the Wandering Shepard encounter.
- Cross the bridge and search the chest along the route before the area’s last boss.
- Take the Etching Needles to Franz at the Marrowkeep Tarforge.
Rank up a Tarstone
- Equip the stone you want to improve. It gains experience while equipped and used in combat.
- Fill its current-rank bar. The guide reports a cap of 10,000 XP per rank. Once the bar reaches its cap, it stops growing until you buy the next rank.
- Visit Franz. Go to the Marrowkeep Tarforge after delivering the Etching Needles.
- Pay to increase the rank. The guide says the first upgrade, from rank 1 to rank 2, costs gold. Later rank-ups require Tar cores as well as a full XP bar.
- Use the stone again. After ranking it up, equip and use it to earn experience toward the next rank.
The cited guide describes three tiers of progression, but does not give a complete rank-by-rank cost table. It also does not establish the exact gold price or number of Tar cores, so those quantities should not be assumed.
If Tarstone XP stops increasing
- Check the current-rank bar. A full bar may mean the stone has reached its reported 10,000 XP cap for that rank and needs a paid upgrade before it can gain more.
- Confirm the unlock. Find the Etching Needles and deliver them to Franz; a full bar and access to tempering are separate requirements.
- Make sure you are tracking Tarstone XP. Shell, weapon, and other progression systems are distinct from Tarstone rank.
- Keep the stone equipped during combat. The guide describes experience accumulating while the Tarstone is equipped and used; it does not establish a more efficient farming method.
Do not confuse the Etching Needles with other Tarforge components: the guide identifies the needles as the unlock for Tarstone tempering, while other parts serve different upgrade functions.
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The upgrade loop, 10,000 XP cap, and rank-up payment details are reported by a third-party guide that describes launch-version mechanics. The Glutted Mire route is from another gameplay guide. No official developer or publisher source establishing the XP cap, costs, or needle location was identified, and exact costs or changes in later patches are not established here.
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