10 Valor Mortis Beginner Tips to Help You Survive the Crimson Plague

These essential Valor Mortis beginner tips will vastly improve William’s survival odds across the brutal eastern battlefront of the Napoleonic Wars. This historical theater was already perilous enough before the outbreak of the Crimson Plague transformed a clash of two great empires into a desperate one-man war against a relentless undead horde. Mastering fundamental techniques like parrying, uncovering hidden shortcuts, and effectively managing health recovery will make all the difference between life and a gruesome demise.

From reallocating skill points to exploiting critical enemy weaknesses, this comprehensive Valor Mortis starter guide will offer far more practical survival advice than Napoleon ever could.

Endurance is everything

While substantial health pools and high nephtoglobin stats are undeniably helpful, they won’t secure a victory if you completely exhaust your endurance (stamina). Depleting your endurance bar strips away your ability to attack, block, or evade, almost invariably leading to a swift and brutal death.

Consequently, your very first skill points should be directly invested into Maximum Endurance. As you progress, you can branch out into passive upgrades like Blocking and Melee Endurance Cost to minimize stamina drain. During active combat, constantly monitor the green endurance meter displayed on your HUD, and always reserve a portion of your stamina to safely execute crucial dodges and blocks.

Hit a wall? Just respec!

Experimenting with different character builds is remarkably straightforward in Valor Mortis, so if your current setup feels underwhelming, don’t hesitate to pivot. To reallocate your points, simply rest at any lantern and select the “level up” prompt. From there, click “reset level” located at the bottom of your interface. While resetting your skill tree does cost catalysts, the fee is entirely fair and scales gracefully with your current level—making it significantly cheaper than grinding out raw levels.

Don’t attempt to parry every incoming strike…

Keep in mind that certain assaults in Valor Mortis are entirely unparriable. Whenever an adversary flashes a distinct red hue right before executing a blow, your only reliable option to escape damage is to perform a timely dodge.

That being said, you shouldn’t blindly try to parry every standard attack either. When going toe-to-toe with elite foes or towering bosses, it is usually far wiser to memorize just a couple of predictable parry windows and comfortably evade the rest. Feel free to execute a double-dodge or even break into a short sprint to regain your composure—since the majority of creatures in Valor Mortis possess sluggish mobility, creating temporary breathing room is an exceptional tactic to prevent yourself from getting cornered.

Embrace the power of the parry

Never rely exclusively on evasive maneuvers. The parry mechanic in Valor Mortis can admittedly feel punishing—miss the narrow timing window slightly early and you will still absorb chip damage, miss it late and you’ll take the full brunt of the assault. Even so, the high risk is entirely justified because a successful deflection nullifies all incoming damage and costs zero endurance.

Furthermore, precise parries deal massive posture damage, leaving enemies wide open for a devastating critical strike the moment their posture gauge (the pale yellow bar situated directly beneath their health bar) shatters. In short, mastering a few timely parries will consistently outpace the damage output of standard, consecutive melee strings.

Reclaim lost health without wasting ferrofluid

If you mistime a parry but manage to catch an incoming blow on your guard, you will suffer reduced vitality loss. However, you have the opportunity to regain this lost HP by immediately launching a flurry of counter-attacks (hesitate for even a few seconds, and the window closes permanently!). This recoverable health is clearly indicated by a muted, desaturated shade of red on your health bar.

Should you miss this rally window, you can always fall back on consuming ferrofluid flasks to restore your health pool. Keep in mind, though, that these flasks carry a strictly finite number of charges, which can only be replenished by resting at a lantern.

Target and shatter weak points

Numerous adversaries throughout Valor Mortis are disfigured by massive, bulbous orange pustules that function as critical weak points. Landing strikes on these areas inflicts amplified damage, and entirely destroying a weak spot will drop a nephtoglobin orb—which, true to its name, instantly restores your nephtoglobin reserves upon collection.

While not every single growth is vulnerable to destruction, the most prominently protruding sacs certainly are. The most efficient methods for popping these weak points are ranged gunfire or precise thrusts delivered with your rapier.

Avoid tunneling on a single weapon

It is completely fine to develop a preference for a primary armament or transmutation, but different tactical scenarios demand versatile loadouts. If you encounter a heavily mutated enemy littered with blisters, quickly swapping your standard sabre for a rapier allows you to effectively puncture those weak zones. Conversely, when swarmed by groups of lesser ghouls, blanketing the area in flames using a fire transmutation is far more efficient than picking them off individually with swordplay. Furthermore, if an opponent winds up to hurl an explosive, your absolute best course of action is to shoot it directly out of their hand before they can release it.

Keep a sharp eye out for shortcuts

Although the primary route through Valor Mortis is largely linear, the level design frequently loops back toward previously visited lanterns. Upon completing these loops, paths routinely fork: one branch establishes a permanent shortcut to an earlier checkpoint, while the other drives deeper into uncharted territory. Always take the time to verify and unlock these shortcuts before pressing onward. Doing so not only gives you a safe station to top off your health and resources, but it also drastically reduces your running distance should you fall in battle and need to retrieve your dropped catalysts.

Revisit earlier regions

As you traverse the bleak world of Valor Mortis, you will inevitably encounter securely locked gates, impassable barriers, and high ledges just out of reach. Make a mental note of their locations; once you acquire specialized exploration gear or key items later on—such as a grappling hook or a master key—you can retrace your steps. Delving back into these optional zones almost always rewards thorough explorers with rare loot, ambers, and ferrofluid upgrade components.

Smash every crate in sight

Resources in Valor Mortis (including weapon upgrade components, ambers, and throwable items) are strictly finite, making thorough reconnaissance vital before abandoning any sector. While many supplies rest openly in plain view—though occasionally obscured by tall grass, rubble, or haystacks—a substantial portion are tucked away inside weathered wooden crates and barrels. Therefore, whenever you stumble upon old storage containers, make it a habit to shatter them.

The game’s most valuable treasures are typically housed within ornate red chests. However, if you come across red explosive barrels, exercise extreme caution and do not smash them prematurely—instead, wait for wandering enemies to wander close by, and detonate them safely from a distance.

Source: Polygon