- Chapters
- 11 story chapters — linear, no optional bosses
- Point of No Return
- The lantern outside the Captain Raphael arena (end of Ch9)
- First-Run Length
- 15–25 hours (PowerPyx estimate)
- Post-Game
- Free roam after the Chapter 11 finale
All 11 Chapters in Order — Progress Tracker
Tick chapters off as you clear them; the progress saves in your browser. Each row lists the region, the mandatory boss, the weapon and transmutation spawns on the way, and the side content that opens in that window. Boss counters are summarized here and covered in full on the Bosses page.
| Chapter | Area | Boss | Key Unlocks & Route Notes | Side Content Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Revival | The Battlefield (Valley of Ashes) | General Lothaire — scripted loss | You start with the Saber and take Fire Transmutation from the tumor-held corpse at the very beginning; both are unmissable. The opening duel with Lothaire cannot be won, so do not spend heals on it — the loss is the story. | None — tutorial chapter |
| 2. Regroup | Valley of Ashes | General Lothaire, The Eagle Bearer (the real fight) | Chain-parry his mutated-arm strings with the Saber to fill posture and execute. The Pistol sits on the desk inside the Fancy Carriage past the Demolished Path lantern — cross the bridge and loot it. | An Unheard Farewell — the surviving soldier hiding in the carriage |
| 3. Rendezvous | Fallen Village | The Iron Marshall | Keep your distance, ignite him with Fire and focus shots on his back weak spot. The Rapier lies with the corpse in the Abandoned Church courtyard; the Blunderbuss is in a carriage guarded by a tall two-handed Volunteer, late in the village before the Marketplace lantern. | The Fallen Village > Marketplace barn — the game's combat-trophy farm |
| 4. Dark Descent | Caverns (the boss arena shifts to the Pyramids) | Sphinx, Devourer of the Unworthy | Grab Stasis Transmutation in the Caverns before the Old Mine lantern — pull the lever to rotate the huge central platform, then take the right-side path. Freezing the Sphinx is close to mandatory: she is extremely fast and carries two health bars. | — |
| 5. Crime | Vale of Wrath | Slaughtermill | Phase 1: shoot the bulbous weak-sac clusters. Phase 2: ride the grapple course underground, pull the blue Nepthoglobin nodes when prompted and dodge tentacles plus corpse mobs. The Musket waits at the military camp past the Under the Bridge lantern — kill the Volunteer for the Wagon Key. | The Deserter — follow the clues to the Beehives; the Oct 16 patch also names a Chapter 5 side quest, In the Name of Art |
| 6. Punishment | Cursed Hollow | Anna, The Bride Drowned in Tears (chapter opener) | Clear her shambling civilian packs with Hand Grenades, then loop Fire Transmutation and heavy attacks for near-permanent stagger. The Claymore rests on the church altar — mobs spawn the moment you take it. | The Curious Case of Seamus Diggory — the log cabin |
| 7. Witch Hunt | The Outskirts, then the City of Orphans | High Justicar Aurelius (opener), Experiment 83 / Experiment 33 (chapter end) | The longest chapter. Trade parries with Aurelius until he drinks his flask — then stop trading and wait out the mutated arm. Experiment 83 waits in the lighthouse basement while you chase Shrike and is firmly fire-weak, so bank Nepthoglobin Vials for it. | Laudanum — the woman sheltering with the orphans; Monster Hunt — all 17 drawings across the City of Orphans |
| 8. Blasphemy | University (rotting laboratory) | The Orphan | Take the Shield Transmutation spawn before the fight — upstairs from the Main Hall lantern, through the far-left shortcut door and the left elevator. Shield fully blocks the arena's poison vents and the boss's wide sweeps; bring Oil Grenades for phase two. | — |
| 9. In Ruins | University | Captain Raphael of the Nephtis Superioris | Never play passive: keep Shield up, reflect his bullets and interrupt the healing flask the instant he reaches for it. The lantern outside this arena is the point of no return — finish anything from Chapters 1–8 before resting there. | Last call for Chapters 1–8: side quests, Ambers and drawings |
| 10. Shackled | Napoleon's Prison | No boss — the prison escape | Entered directly after Chapter 9. Lantern fast travel stays locked until you beat the Entity, so treat this as a one-way stretch. Help you lined up earlier pays off here: see the Endings page for what dialogue and the Mice actually change. | Community reporting flags some Chapter 10 side content as possibly locked after the ending — clear it before the finale |
| 11. Reflection | Caverns > Ancient Lair / Entropy | Entity, Voice of the Void (final boss) | A mirror-match finale that summons phantom versions of past enemies — every phantom dies in one hit, so clear them on sight and keep Shield Transmutation active. Winning unlocks In His Own Image, rolls the single ending and hands you back to the last lantern. | Free roam: every region reopens for quests, Ambers, drawings and the castle bonfire |
Route Tips for a Clean First Run
- Play the chapters in order — the story is linear and no boss is optional, so the only route decisions are pickup order and when you do side content.
- Collect every weapon and transmutation as you pass it: all 9 are fixed world spawns (exact routes on the Weapons page), and Arsenal Absolute and Jackknife want all of them.
- Hold one of the game's two Quintessential Transmutation Materials so Shield can reach Lv5 — Abyssal Eviction is the only missable trophy in the game.
- Level the counter, not the favourite: Fire for the Iron Marshall, Anna and Experiment 83; Stasis for the Sphinx; Shield for the Orphan, Captain Raphael and the Entity.
- Finish anything you care about before resting at the lantern outside the Captain Raphael arena — past it, fast travel stays locked until the Entity is dead.
- After the credits, talk to Lucjan first, then fast-travel anywhere: nothing in Chapters 1–9 stays locked in post-game free roam.
Room-by-Room Puzzle & Collectible Steps: Where to Get Them
This page is a structural route — chapter order, boss order, unlock order and the windows where side content opens. It deliberately stops short of re-listing every lever, Amber, monster drawing and room-by-room puzzle solution. Those are per-chapter, screenshot-heavy directions, and copying them second-hand is exactly how wrong directions end up on a guide site.
For step-by-step per-chapter routes, use PowerPyx's chapter collectible guides, registered in the sources below: their Chapter 1 Revival page and the 100% collectible walkthrough list every pickup in clearing order. Cross-check anything patch-sensitive against the Patch Notes page — the October 16 First Update touched a Chapter 4 save point, a progression blocker the notes word as Chapter 12, and a Chapter 5 side quest.
- Chapter structure, boss order and unlock order — this page.
- Per-room puzzle steps, Ambers, drawings and screenshots — the PowerPyx chapter guides in the sources below.
- Phase-by-phase boss counters — the Bosses page.
- Side-quest objectives and the 28 Ambers — the Side Quests page.
Walkthrough FAQ
How long is Valor Mortis?
Roughly 15–25 hours for a first story run per PowerPyx's roadmap. Going for all 39 trophies, 28 Ambers and 17 drawings pushes you toward the top of that range and a little beyond.
What exactly is the point of no return?
The lantern outside the Captain Raphael arena at the end of Chapter 9. Beyond it you enter Chapter 10's prison, where lantern fast travel stays locked until you defeat the Entity in Chapter 11. Nothing before that lantern can be permanently missed.
Can I finish side quests after beating the game?
Yes — after the Chapter 11 finale you return to the last lantern and every region reopens; talk to Lucjan first (details on the Endings page). One caveat from community reporting: some Chapter 10 prison side content may not stay accessible after the ending, so clear that stretch before the final boss if you are chasing 100%.
Does the story branch or hide optional bosses?
No. All 10 bosses are story-mandatory, the 11 chapters run in a fixed order, and the launch build has a single ending — your choices change rewards and shortcuts, not the route.
Is there New Game+ or a way to replay chapters?
New Game+ is not in the launch build — it is planned as a free update later in 2026, and that patch is the only currently announced way to replay the story on a finished save.
Sources & Verification
- PowerPyx — Valor Mortis Trophy Guide & RoadmapCommunity Guide · 2026-10-13
- PowerPyx — Valor Mortis All Collectible Locations Guide (100% Walkthrough)Community Guide · 2026-10-20
- Eurogamer — All Valor Mortis BossesCommunity Guide · 2026-10-13
- TPOSE Gaming — Valor Mortis Ending: Entity Final Boss & What Comes AfterCommunity Guide · 2026-10-20