All 15 sidearms (sub-weapons) in Mina the Hollower — effects, Joule costs, where to find them, and which ones are best for beginners. Plus how the Joule system works and every upgrade explained.
Joules are the resource used to activate sidearms. Each sidearm use deducts Joules from your bar. Run out and you can't use sidearms until you refill.
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Starting capacity | 10 Joules |
| How to refill | Break lanterns, candles, and crates throughout the world — they drop purple Joule Jars |
| Capacity upgrades | 8 Joule Box upgrades total. Three buyable from the Ossex Emporium (500 / 2,000 / 4,000 Bones). Five hidden in the world: Southern Outskirts Cave Network, Backwater Pinky's Parlor, Sandfalls Sifting Sands, Eastern Heath Buckler's Bluff, Western Wilds Secret Passage |
| Sidearm damage | Level your Sidearm Damage stat (max level 10) at Bone Up stations to increase all sidearm damage permanently |
| Death penalty | Sidearms are lost on death by default. Buy the Sidearm Recoverer from Drillhardt in Follower HQ for 2,000 Bones to keep them |
| Dual sidearms | Buy the Dual Sidearm Permit from Brandish in Ossex for 2,000 Bones after Sidearm Level 5. Swap between two sidearms with RB (controller) or E (keyboard) |
| Joule loop trinket | Windfall Charm: enemies drop Joules when hit by sidearms, creating a self-sustaining loop |
| Shop restock | Joule Alembic (from Drillhardt, 1,000 Bones): refill Joules at your Underlab checkpoint |
Joule farming tip: Equip Windfall Charm and use any low-cost sidearm (Volt Hatchet or Hollower's Rocks) in enemy-dense rooms to generate more Joules than you spend. Sustainable in most mid-game areas.
| Sidearm | Joule Cost | Why It's Great Early |
|---|---|---|
| Deflector Parasol | 3 | Blocks projectiles, floats over pits, reflects attacks — one sidearm replaces three defensive options. Found early in the Southern Outskirts. |
| Drill Driver | ~3 | Powerful dash with knockback that shoves enemies into pits for instant kills. Found in Eastern Heath, the first eastern region. |
| Recall Disc | 3 | Place a portal anywhere, teleport back with an explosion. Reliable escape button in boss fights. Found in Sandfalls. |
| Volt Hatchet | 1 | Cheapest effective sidearm. Lobs an arc that explodes in four directions on impact — great for flying enemies or targets behind cover. |
| Beckoning Collar | Passive drain | Passive imp companion that auto-attacks nearby enemies — handles flying pests while you focus on platforming. Found in Queensbury Crypts. |
| Name | Type | Joule Cost | Effect | How to Obtain | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volt Hatchet | Thrown / electric | 1 | Lobs in an arc; explodes in four directions on impact, dealing electric damage during flight and detonation. Can be thrown over walls. | Common in early-game lanterns; Southern Outskirts and Ossex area | Best against stationary or slow enemies. Cheap ammo cost makes it safe to use often. |
| Gyro Dagger | Boomerang | ~2 | Thrown forward, damages on contact, spins back toward Mina. Hit it with your weapon as it returns to send it forward again — combo can be sustained for continuous damage. | Fixed drop near the first boss; common in Ossex | Highest skill ceiling sidearm. Practiced juggling deals massive sustained damage against any target. |
| Drill Driver | Dash / knockback | ~3 | Launches Mina forward with powerful knockback, shoving enemies into pits or walls. Deals extra damage on wall collision. | Eastern Heath (Buckler's Bluff) — first eastern region from Ossex | Environmental kills in pit-heavy areas. Combine with burrow-jump to cross large gaps. |
| Deflector Parasol | Shield / traversal | 3 | Tap to throw forward, blocking projectiles and reflecting charges. Hold overhead and hold Jump to float over large gaps. Tap again to throw while floating. | Southern Outskirts (cave east of Ossex, near Queensbury entrance) | Best all-around beginner sidearm. Does offense, defense, and traversal in one slot. |
| Mist Jar | Dash / heal | ~4 | Mina dashes forward a long distance on ground or in air. Passing through enemies during the dash: no damage taken, small HP and Plasma restored. | Nox's Bayou swamp (hidden in the back area) | Only sidearm that restores health. Essential for aggressive players who burn through Plasma Vials. |
| Dynamo Lantern | Thrown / electric burst | ~5 | Mina winds up then throws a lantern on a chain. On impact, delivers several large electric bursts in a cone. Requires brief windup before throwing. | Rare drop in the Septemburg region | Boss killer. Slow enemies and large bosses take massive sustained damage from the cone. Poor against fast or small foes. |
| Iron Steed | Mount / crowd control | ~4 | Summons a bicycle. Ride in any direction faster than walking. Jump while mounted to clear large gaps. Press bell button to agitate and group enemies toward Mina. | Bowery merchant in Ossex (purchasable) | Corralling enemies into clusters, then dashing through them. Good for backtracking through cleared areas quickly. |
| Beckoning Collar | Summon / passive drain | Continuous passive drain while active | Summons a friendly imp that orbits Mina and auto-attacks nearby enemies, including flying ones. Explodes when Joules run out; can be detonated early to conserve Joules. | Queensbury Crypts | Fending off flying pests during platforming sections. The detonation deals extra damage against bosses. |
| Fishing Rod | Utility / resource | ~2 | Fish shadows appear in all water bodies. Catching fish yields trophies for the fishing shop, and generic fish that drop Joule Jars and Plasma Roses when killed. Can grab distant items. | Unique unlock: borrowed from an alligator NPC in Nox's Bayou, then appears in the world | Emergency Joule and Plasma replenishment. Pairs with aggressive builds that burn resources quickly. |
| Recall Disc | Teleport / trap | 3 | First use places a portal disc in front of Mina. Second use teleports her instantly back to it with an explosion at the arrival point. | Sandfalls region | Boss fights: place a portal at a safe spot, fight aggressively, teleport back when cornered. Also escapes pits. |
| Bounding Bombs | Explosive | ~4 (high cost) | Throws two bombs that bounce; maximum damage only when both bombs collide with each other. | Western Wilds / Foundry area | Highest explosion damage of any sidearm when both bombs meet. Hard to aim — rewards practice in open rooms. |
| Hollower's Rocks | Bouncing projectile | 1 | Throws rocks that bounce off walls, gaining speed with each bounce. Very situational — only two areas allow throws at maximum range. | Common in early caves | Tight corridors: bouncing in narrow spaces creates a pinball trap that hits enemies multiple times. |
| Angler's Raft | Water traversal | Unconfirmed | Deploys a raft for crossing large ponds and rivers. Must be hit to propel across water. | World drop | Crossing large water bodies in swamp and bayou regions. Situational but required for certain areas. |
| Fog Thrower | Spray / cloud | Continuous drain while held | Releases a continuous spray that hits all enemies caught in the cloud. Rewards poor enemy spacing in your favor. | World drop | Groups of clustered enemies. Less effective against spread-out or fast-moving single targets. |
| Gnawing Ghosts | Long-range projectile | Unconfirmed | Releases a long-range projectile capable of reaching targets up to 25 tiles away. | World drop (late-game area) | Sniping distant or elevated enemies that main weapons cannot reach. Unique niche for ranged play. |
Note on Joule costs: Exact numeric Joule costs per use are not documented in any published community source (meowdb, Fandom, GameFAQs). Confirmed costs where documented: Deflector Parasol = 3, Recall Disc = 3, Volt Hatchet = 1, Hollower's Rocks = 1. Values shown as "~" are community estimates. Beckoning Collar and Fog Thrower drain Joules continuously rather than per activation. All 15 sidearms listed are confirmed for the launch version.
Sidearms themselves do not level up individually — they are temporary items lost on death. Instead, upgrade Mina's sidearm capabilities permanently:
| Upgrade | Effect | How to Get | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidearm Damage (Stat) | Increases all sidearm damage. Levels 1–10. | Spend Bone Stone at any Bone Up station | Bone Stone (varies per level) |
| Sidearm Recoverer | Keep your equipped sidearms after dying — removes the death penalty entirely | Buy from Drillhardt in Follower HQ after rescuing Rhene from Rebel Barracks (Southern Outskirts) | 2,000 Bones |
| Dual Sidearm Permit | Equip two sidearms at once; swap with RB / E | Buy from Brandish in Ossex after reaching Sidearm Level 5 | 2,000 Bones |
| Joule Alembic | Refill Joules at Underlab checkpoints | Buy from Drillhardt in Follower HQ | 1,000 Bones |
| Joule Box Upgrades (x8) | Increase maximum Joule capacity | 3 from Ossex Emporium; 5 hidden in world (see Joule System table above) | 500 / 2,000 / 4,000 Bones (Emporium); free (world) |
Priority order: Get Sidearm Recoverer first if you find a rare sidearm you want to keep (Mist Jar, Dynamo Lantern). Get Dual Sidearm Permit once you have two sidearms with complementary uses — for example, Deflector Parasol for platforming sections + Recall Disc for boss fights.
| Sidearm | Trinket Pairing | Synergy Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Any sidearm | Windfall Charm | Enemies drop Joules when hit by sidearms — creates a self-sustaining Joule loop in enemy-dense rooms |
| Any sidearm | Joule Syringe | Recover HP when spending Joules — makes aggressive sidearm use double as a healing strategy |
| Beckoning Collar | Draining Beastium | Imp continuously drains enemies while Draining Beastium returns that damage as Plasma — strong passive sustain loop |
| Mist Jar | Vascular Syrup | Mist Jar restores HP; Vascular Syrup boosts HP recovery effects — stacks for significant mid-fight healing |
| Recall Disc | Reckless Beastium | Place portal, fight aggressively with bonus damage, teleport out before taking retaliation damage |
| Gyro Dagger | Uranium Bracelet | Juggling the Gyro Dagger builds combos; Uranium Bracelet boosts damage based on combo count — extremely high DPS |
The best sidearm pairings for each weapon build — S-tier sidearm combos and boss-specific loadouts.
All 5 weapons ranked with the sidearms that complement each weapon’s attack rhythm.
Which sidearms are most effective in each boss encounter, with full attack pattern breakdowns.
Trinkets that boost sidearm Joule efficiency, damage, and the Dual Sidearm build synergies.
Where to buy sidearms in Ossex and which vendor sells the Dual Sidearm Permit.
The best starter sidearms, Joule system basics, and early loadout priorities.
There are 15 sidearms (also called sub-weapons). They are found inside destructible lanterns and candles throughout Tenebrous Isle, or purchased from specific shops in Ossex.
Joules power your sidearms. You start with a maximum of 10 Joules and refill them by breaking lanterns, candles, and crates that drop purple Joule Jars. There are 8 Joule Box upgrades in the world that increase your maximum capacity.
Yes, by default. Sidearms are lost on death. Buy the Sidearm Recoverer upgrade from Drillhardt in Follower HQ for 2,000 Bones after rescuing Rhene to keep your equipped sidearms after dying.
Deflector Parasol. It costs 3 Joules, found early in the Southern Outskirts, and does three things at once: blocks projectiles, reflects attacks, and floats you across large gaps. It is the most versatile early sidearm with no learning curve.
Yes. Buy the Dual Sidearm Permit from Brandish in Ossex for 2,000 Bones after reaching Sidearm Level 5. You can then equip two sidearms and swap between them with RB on controller or E on keyboard.