10 Valor Mortis beginner's tips to help you survive the Crimson Plague

Napoleon won't tell you this

These Valor Mortis beginner's tips boost William's chances of surviving the eastern battlefront in the Napoleonic Wars. It wasn't the safest place to begin with, and the Crimson Plague hasn't helped; instead of two warring armies, it's one lone man against a zombie horde now. A few pointers on parrying, finding shortcuts, and recovering HP may come in handy.

From resetting skill points to hitting weak spots, this Valor Mortis beginner's guide will prove more helpful than Napoleon.

Endurance is everything

High HP and nephtoglobin stats are helpful, but neither gets you closer to victory if you don't have enough endurance (stamina). If you run out of endurance, you won't be able to attack, block, or dodge, which will likely result in an untimely death.

So, when you allocate your first skill points, put them in Maximum Endurance. Later on, you can invest in skills like Blocking and Melee Endurance Cost to reduce your endurance consumption. During battle, always keep an eye on the green endurance bar that appears on the screen as you attack; be sure to reserve some endurance for dodging and blocking!

Got stuck? Respec!

It's fairly easy to respec your skill points in Valor Mortis, so if your current build isn't working, try something else. To respec, rest at any lantern and choose "level up." At the bottom of the screen, click "reset level." Resetting skill points requires catalysts, but the amount is reasonable and scales with your level. It's far cheaper than leveling up!

Don't try to parry every attack …

Not every attack in Valor Mortis can be parried. If an enemy glows red before landing a hit, the only way to avoid damage is to dodge.

But that doesn't mean you should parry every non-red attack, though. When facing an elite enemy or boss, it's usually easier to learn a few easily parriable attack moves and dodge the rest. Feel free to dodge twice, maybe even sprint a bit, to catch your breath during battle — most enemies in Valor Mortis have slow movement speed, so creating a bit of distance is a good way to avoid getting overwhelmed.

But don't be afraid of parrying, either

Don't try to rely on dodging alone. In Valor Mortis, parrying is quite daunting — parry too early, and you'll receive some damage; parry too late, and you'll receive full damage. Even so, parrying is worth the risk, as it negates all incoming damage and consumes no endurance.

On top of that, parrying deals amazing posture damage, which leaves the enemy vulnerable to a critical hit once the posture meter (the light yellow bar below the opponent's HP bar) is full. In other words, a few successful parries usually deal more damage than many successive melee hits.

Recover HP without ferrofluid flasks

If you miss the parry window but still manage to block an attack, you will lose some HP. However, you can recover the lost HP by landing a few melee hits immediately after you've blocked (wait a few seconds, and it'll be too late!). Recoverable HP appears as a muted, pale red color on your HP bar.

If you miss the recovery window, you can still replenish your HP by consuming ferrofluid flasks, but beware that they come with a limited number of charges. Rest at a lantern to reset the ferrofluid flasks.

Destroy weak spots

Many enemies in Valor Mortis are afflicted by large, tumor-like orange blisters; these are their weak spots. Hitting a weak spot deals more damage, while destroying a weak spot also drops a nephtoglobin orb — which, as the name suggests, replenishes nephtoglobin upon pickup.

Not every weak spot is destructible, but the most "bulging" ones usually are. To destroy weak spots, shoot them or stab them with the rapier weapon.

Don't fixate on one weapon

It's perfectly fine to pick a primary weapon or transmutation, but different situations require different strategies. If an enemy has weak spots, you may want to swap your sabre for a rapier to stab the weak spots. If a group of minor enemies comes toward you, burning them simultaneously (using your fire transmutation) is more efficient than fighting them one-on-one with your sword. If an enemy throws explosives, the best thing you can do is shoot it before it leaves the enemy's hand.

Always check for shortcuts

Although the main path in Valor Mortis is linear, it may loop back to a previous lantern. After completing such a loop, the path often splits in two; one creates a shortcut to the previous lantern, and the other leads to the next area. Always make sure to check for such a shortcut (and unlock it!) before you move on. Not only does it grant an opportunity to replenish your HP and nephtoglobin, but you won't have to travel as far to recover your catalysts if you die.

Return to previous areas

As you explore the world of Valor Mortis, you'll find many locked doors, indestructible walls, and unreachable ledges. Try to remember where you found them; once you've obtained a new item or exploration ability, such as a key or a grappling hook, you can return to that location. Optional areas that require backtracking are usually littered with valuable loot such as ambers and ferrofluid flask upgrades.

See any crates? Destroy them!

Valor Mortis contains a finite number of tools (such as weapon upgrade materials, ambers, and throwables), so it's important to search every nook and cranny before leaving an area. While they may be blocked from view by shrubbery, walls, or haystacks, most items are out in the open, so you're unlikely to miss them. However, some are placed inside old wooden crates or barrels. So, whenever you find some old crates, be sure to break them.

The most important loot is typically found in red, embellished chests. If you find red barrels, though, do not destroy them — wait for an enemy to get close, then shoot them from a distance. Red barrels are explosive.