TL;DR
- The Axe & Dagger is locked inside the Shrine of Trials dungeon near Mushroom Village.
- You need the Chapel Key first — hidden behind an illusory stone arch near a bonfire east of Mushroom Village.
- Use the Chapel Key on the locked tower door to the left of the Mushroom Village Beacon.
- Puzzle 1: Face the king statue and walk backwards to pass through an illusory wall.
- Puzzle 2: Hit the single stone block twice to land it on the pressure plate.
- Puzzle 3: Push two stone blocks onto two pressure plates using heavy attacks.
- Defeat the Spear Knight in the final room and interact with the slab to claim the Axe & Dagger.
- Unlocking it also awards the Axe & Dagger achievement.
The Axe & Dagger is one of the most popular weapons in Mortal Shell 2 and for good reason. It is fast, aggressive, and a massive upgrade over the slow Iconoclast greatsword you start with. Most players spot the locked chapel near Mushroom Village within the first hour and hit a wall — the door is chained shut with no key in sight. This guide covers exactly how to get the Axe and Dagger in Mortal Shell 2 from start to finish, including the Chapel Key location, every Shrine of Trials puzzle solution, and the final fight. If you want context on why this weapon is worth the effort before you start, our best weapons for beginners in Mortal Shell 2 guide covers how it compares to everything else available early on.
A quick note before you start: the Axe & Dagger works even better once you have the Tiel Shell and a few key Tarstones equipped. If you have not picked up Tiel yet, our Mortal Shell 2 first shell location guide will point you to his grave just southeast of the Widow’s Overlook Beacon. It is a very short detour and well worth making before attempting the Shrine of Trials.
Step 1: Get the Chapel Key
The Chapel Key is not found near the chapel. That is why so many players get stuck. You have to find it before you even approach the locked door, and the path to it is deliberately hidden behind an illusion.
From the Mushroom Village Beacon, turn right and head southeast. Follow the path toward the sound of a bonfire. You will arrive at a clearing with a burning pyre and a group of hag enemies dancing around the flames. Clear all of them first — do not try to explore while they are active. These witches can attack mid-exploration and interrupt you at the worst moment.
Once the area is clear, look around for a freestanding stone archway. It will appear misty or slightly distorted. This arch is an illusion. Walk through it. The world on the other side reveals a large stone statue with a rope hanging from it. Interact with the rope to collect the Chapel Key.
If you are struggling to find the exact archway, look for it near the edge of the clearing, slightly to the side of the main bonfire area. It does not look like a standard doorway — it is a freestanding stone frame sitting in open ground. Once you walk through it the statue appears immediately in front of you.
Step 2: Open the Shrine of Trials
With the Chapel Key in hand, return to the Mushroom Village Beacon and head left this time — the opposite direction from where you found the key. Follow the path until you see the locked tower door near the Grisha Hunter merchant. There is also a cage nearby holding a small Grisha pup.
Use the Chapel Key on the locked door to open it. This reveals the Shrine of Trials, a three-room dungeon with puzzles and a boss at the end. The Axe & Dagger is your reward for completing it.
Take the lift inside down to the lower section. This leads you into the main dungeon area.
Step 3: Solve the First Puzzle — The King Statue
The first room you enter contains four cultist enemies. These are trickier than regular mobs because they heal each other. When any of them raises their staff, it is casting a heal on their allies. Your priority is to interrupt or kill any cultist you see casting before dealing with the others. Focus fire on healers and clean up the rest. Do not rush this encounter.
Once the room is clear, walk forward to the large stone statue at the end of the corridor. It appears to be a dead end. Look at the base of the statue for an interactable inscription. It reads:
“Gaze upon your king so true, back and back shall pass you through.”
The solution is exactly what it says. Face the statue directly, then walk backwards toward the wall behind you while keeping your gaze on it. Do not turn around. Do not look for a hidden switch. On console, press your dodge button while pulling down on the left stick to move backward. The illusory wall behind you will dissolve, opening the path to the next room.
Step 4: Solve the Second Puzzle — Single Stone Block
The second room has a wraith enemy and a single stone block. Deal with the wraith first — it will disrupt your concentration while you are trying to move the block.
One important warning here: there is an iron maiden device against the wall in this room. Do not walk up to it. Getting too close triggers another wraith to burst out of it, adding an unnecessary second enemy to the fight. Give it a wide berth.
With the room clear, look for the single stone block and the pressure plate on the floor. Hit the stone block twice — once to move it forward, and once to position it directly onto the pressure plate. Use a heavy attack rather than a light attack to push it reliably. Light attacks may not move the block consistently. Once the block lands on the plate, the door to the next room opens.
Step 5: Solve the Third Puzzle — Two Stone Blocks
The third room is the trickiest of the three. It contains two stone blocks and two pressure plates. Both blocks must land on their respective plates to open the final door. The blocks can only be pushed in one direction with each hit, so positioning matters.
Here is the cleanest solution:
- Start with the left block. Hit it to move it left, then forward, then right to position it near the first pressure plate. Land it on the plate.
- Move to the right block. Hit it once to push it forward onto the second pressure plate.
- If either block overshoots, use the other block as a stopper — one block can brace against the other to control positioning.
As with the previous room, use heavy attacks to push the blocks. They give you more control over the distance moved per hit. Once both plates are active, the final door opens.
Step 6: Defeat the Spear Knight
The final room has one enemy standing between you and the Axe & Dagger: a Spear Knight. This is not a true boss fight — it is a standard elite enemy — but it is tough enough to punish careless play.
The Spear Knight uses thrusting attacks with significant range. The key is not to stand directly in front of it. Dodge to the side of its thrusts rather than backwards, then counterattack from the flank. The Knight has moderate Break health, so a few well-timed deflects or parries will stagger it for a free riposte.
If you are struggling, switch to the Tiel Shell before entering this room. Go invisible with Lingering Shadow, land a Shadow Strike for the bonus stagger damage, then continue from an advantageous position. The Knight has no counter to invisibility and the stagger window gives you a free follow-up combo.
Once the Spear Knight is down, walk to the slab at the end of the room. Interact with it to claim the Axe & Dagger. You can equip it immediately. Completing this also unlocks the Axe & Dagger achievement.
What Makes the Axe & Dagger Worth Getting
The Axe & Dagger is a dual-wield weapon — you hold the axe in your right hand and the dagger in your left. The key things that make it stand out as an early weapon:
- Fast light attack chain: The combo is quick with almost no wind-up. You dart in, land several hits, and pull back before most enemies can punish you.
- Running light attack: This is arguably its best move. Sprinting into an attack closes distance instantly and can one-shot basic enemies in Fainweald outright.
- High Resolve generation: Fast hits fill your Resolve bar quickly. More Resolve means more sidearm uses, more Arbiter’s Prize activations, and faster access to ability Tarstones that cost Resolve to trigger.
- Tiel synergy: Tiel’s Shadow Strike rewards fast follow-up attacks after going invisible. The Axe & Dagger’s speed makes this loop feel seamless — go invisible, Shadow Strike, continue the light combo, dodge out.
The weapon is a fan favourite from the original Mortal Shell and it holds up just as well in the sequel. Its moveset lets you weave in and out of combat, overwhelming most opponents with a flurry of strikes.
Best Tarstones to Use with the Axe & Dagger
The Axe & Dagger becomes significantly stronger once you pair it with the right Tarstones. These are the top three to prioritise:
- Duality Stone — When fully upgraded, every light attack combo hits twice instead of once. This effectively doubles your damage output on the standing light combo. See our Tarstones guide for its exact location in the Ravaged Tomb dungeon.
- Arbiter’s Prize — Infuses your weapon with Bloodcurse for bonus damage over time. Fast hits apply the effect more frequently, making the Axe & Dagger the ideal carrier for this Tarstone.
- Auspicious Stone — Boosts melee crit chance. Combined with Tiel’s crit-focused Shadow Strike, this turns every burst window into a high-damage opportunity. It is free from the Mushroom Village offering chest — grab it before you attempt the Shrine of Trials.
The Grudge Stone (a guaranteed crit every 5 hits when upgraded) also pairs exceptionally well here given how many hits the Axe & Dagger lands per second. You can find it in a chest south of the Citadel of Penance Beacon.
What to Do After Getting the Axe & Dagger
Once you have the weapon, there are a few things worth doing in the immediate area before moving on.
- Free the Grisha Pup: The cage next to the chapel entrance holds a small Grisha pup. You can buy a Cage Key from the Grisha Hunter merchant nearby to free it. This leads to additional interactions and rewards later in the game.
- Open the Mushroom Village offering chest: If you have not done this already, light the three candles around Mushroom Village to unlock the bone chest in the center. It holds the Auspicious Stone Tarstone and a Glimpse — both useful immediately. Our full guide on how to open the chest in Mushroom Village has every candle location.
- Head to the Forgotten Crossbow: The Flooded Village dungeon northwest of the Blackridge Pass Beacon holds the Forgotten Crossbow sidearm. It is the first major sidearm upgrade and also essential for certain puzzles. Check our all weapon and sidearm locations guide for directions.
- Upgrade at Marrow Keep: Take the Axe & Dagger to the Tarforge and start equipping Tarstones. Even a Level 1 Arbiter’s Prize on this weapon changes fights noticeably.
If you are dealing with the corruption system that blocks paths in this region, our guide on how to cleanse corruption in Mortal Shell 2 walks you through it step by step. And for a broader look at the Chapel Key and the Shrine of Trials in more detail, including tips on the Grisha Pup reward, our dedicated Chapel Key in Mortal Shell 2 guide covers everything.
Final Note
The Axe & Dagger is the best first weapon upgrade in Mortal Shell 2 for most beginners. The process to get it takes under thirty minutes once you know the steps — find the illusory arch near the bonfire, grab the Chapel Key, open the tower door, solve three puzzles, and take down one elite enemy. None of the steps are particularly hard once you know what to look for. The weapon you earn is worth every step of the effort.
Get Tiel first if you can, equip the Auspicious Stone from the Mushroom Village chest before you enter, and use heavy attacks on the stone block puzzles. Follow those three tips and you will have the Axe & Dagger equipped within the first couple of hours. From there, pair it with the Duality Stone and Arbiter’s Prize and you have one of the strongest early-game loadouts in the game.
For more help getting started, read our full Mortal Shell 2 beginners guide and our Mortal Shell 2 review. Mortal Shell 2 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Visit the official Mortal Shell website for more.
