Mina the Hollower Guide: All Weapon Upgrade Locations

Mina the Hollower gives you five weapons to master across Tenebrous Isle, and each one comes with two upgrades that meaningfully change how it plays. You can finish the game without tracking all of them down, but you'd be leaving a lot of combat potential on the table. This guide covers every weapon location and both upgrades for each, so you know exactly what to buy, where to explore, and which spots require a bit of extra legwork.

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Each weapon has exactly two upgrades. Some are purchased from shops, others are tucked inside chests in specific areas. A handful require you to reach late-game zones before they become accessible.

What weapons are in Mina the Hollower?

There are five weapons total: Blaststrike Maul, Nightstar, Whisper and Vesper, Battery Buster, and Guardian Casket. Three of them (Blaststrike Maul, Nightstar, and Whisper and Vesper) are available as starting choices. The other two must be purchased or found later. If you want advice on which starter to pick, the best starting weapons guide breaks down each option in detail.

Any weapon you didn't choose at the start can be bought from Legovich's Arms in Ossex for 2000 Bones each, so nothing is permanently missable.

Legovich Arms weapon shop

Blaststrike Maul: locations and upgrades

The Blaststrike Maul is one of the three starting picks. If you passed on it, grab it at Legovich's Arms for 2000 Bones, or find it for free inside the Swamp Shack at Big Lagoon in Nox's Bayou.

Boom Charge upgrade

Hold the attack button longer to charge up an explosive strike. This upgrade is a straight shop purchase: pay Legovich 2500 Bones at the Arms store in Ossex.

Spin Rush upgrade

After attacking, press the attack button when Mina flashes to dash forward, hammer first. The Spin Rush upgrade is found at Loner's Landing: Belowdecks, the same location as the Throwing Dagger upgrade for Whisper and Vesper. See the full route in the Whisper and Vesper section below.

Nightstar: locations and upgrades

Nightstar is another starting weapon option, or available at Legovich's Arms for 2000 Bones.

Dread Mace upgrade

Deals extra damage when striking enemies with the tip of the weapon. Buy it directly from Legovich for 2000 Bones.

Afterstrike upgrade

Hold the attack button for an extra pulse of damage, and keep holding to flail. This one can't be bought. You'll need to open a chest in the Ossex Courtyard, which is accessed through a secret tunnel in Station Underside.

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The Station Underside tunnel is easy to miss on a first pass. If you've already cleared Ossex but haven't found the courtyard chest, go back and look for a hidden passage in the lower section of the station.

Afterstrike chest in Ossex Courtyard

Whisper and Vesper: locations and upgrades

Whisper and Vesper rounds out the three starting options. If you skipped it, Legovich sells it for 2000 Bones, or you can pick it up for free at the Queensbury Crypt Foyer.

Lunging Cut upgrade

Press the jump and attack buttons together to perform an advancing slash. This is a shop buy: 2000 Bones at Legovich's Arms.

Throwing Dagger upgrade (and Spin Rush for Blaststrike Maul)

Hold the attack button to charge, then toss. You move faster but fight slower while holding one dagger. Getting this upgrade (and the Blaststrike Maul's Spin Rush) requires navigating back to the starting ship. Here's the full route from Nox's Bayou, and make sure you have a couple of Kears before heading out:

Find Pinky's Parlor in Nox's Bayou and take the ladder from inside.
Exit through the back of the shop, go down one screen, then one screen left past the shop entrance.
From that left screen, head down into the next area.
Take the southeast exit.
At the train station, go south down the stairs.
Place the ladder in front of the rope on the left to reach the higher platform. Break the wooden stump and move right.
You'll reach Loner's Landing. Hop across the barrels and burrow into the ship's side.
Two upgrade chests sit behind two locks. Use two Kears to open them, but slash through the seaweed on the other side first to get access.

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Don't head to Loner's Landing without Kears. Both upgrades here are locked, and there's no workaround. Stock up before making the trip.

Battery Buster: locations and upgrades

The Battery Buster isn't a starting option. Buy it from Legovich's Arms in Ossex for 2000 Bones.

Burst Shot upgrade

Hold the attack button to charge up a stronger shot. You have two ways to get it: pay 3500 Bones at Panino's in Ossex (Station Underside), or find it in a chest inside the Astral Orrery: Stellarium (the final area of the game).

Charge Swing upgrade

Hold the attack button to charge up a stronger swing. This chest sits in a tricky spot at Bone Beach's Worm's Back area. The fastest route uses the mirror system: enter the mirror from the Astral Orrery that transports you to the Infested Tent at Bone Beach. Once there, look for a spot in the upper-right corner of the tent room. Jump off it to land on one of the purple bouncy platforms, then keep bouncing across and over the tent to move one screen left. The Charge Swing chest is waiting there.

Burst Shot chest in Stellarium

Guardian Casket: locations and upgrades

The Guardian Casket has no free alternative. Buy it from Legovich's Arms for 2000 Bones.

Coffin Toss upgrade

Double-tap the attack button to toss the shield, tap again to recall it. You can also hop onto it for a blast jump. Find this upgrade inside a house in Septemburg: Crow Town.

Grave Counter upgrade

Parry with good timing to unleash a stronger attack. Buy it from Panino's in Ossex Station Underside for 3500 Bones.

Panino's in Station Underside is worth keeping in mind throughout your run. It stocks the Burst Shot and Grave Counter upgrades, plus a solid selection of trinkets. If you want to know what those trinkets do for your build, the all trinket locations guide has every one of the 60 mapped out.

For everything else across Tenebrous Isle, the full Mina the Hollower guide collection covers bosses, mirrors, maps, and more.