How the world connects
Valor Mortis connects its campaign regions through the Abandoned Church hub, Lantern fast travel and return routes opened by story abilities. Fire clears gold vines, firearms destroy weak points, Grappling reaches grapple routes, Stasis stops mechanisms and Shield lets you cross poison.
Using Lanterns to get around
There are 49 named Lanterns including Church at the Abandoned Church hub. Fast travel unlocks after the boss in Chapter 2, but Prison and Burning City do not allow it. Resting restores Health and Nephtoglobin and brings back non-boss enemies, so expect cleared routes to become dangerous again.
Regions, Lanterns and the chapter guide to use
Story route spoilers below: the table includes later areas, the jail escape and access to the final boss.
| Region and Lanterns | Main route and chapter guide |
|---|---|
| Abandoned Church: Church. | Equipment hub. Take the village path for the Rapier; James supplies the keys for the Caverns and outward pass as those story routes open. |
| The Battlefield: Onslaught Arch, Trenches, Field Encampment. | Chapter 1: Revival covers Fire, gold vines and the opening Lothaire encounter before the journey continues into Valley of Ashes. |
| Valley of Ashes: Guidepost, Demolished Path, The Climb, The Other Side, Military Camp, Quarry. | Chapter 2: Regroup covers the bridge’s Pistol pickup and progression to Lothaire. Grappling opens a Quarry return; Shield opens the poisoned camp at The Other Side. |
| Fallen Village: Fields, Marketplace, Orchard, Path of Fire. | Chapter 3: Rendezvous covers the village and Iron Marshall. The Storage Key opens access to the weak point that clears the plague wall. |
| Caverns: Last Sunlight, Weeping Ledge, Old Mine, Mine Cart Route, Ancient Lair. | Chapter 4: Dark Descent covers Stasis at Weeping Ledge, Old Mine’s moving platforms and mine-cart routes, and the Sphinx. |
| Vale of Wrath: Wolfsbane Field, Under the Bridge, Poisoned Camp, Ship Graveyard, Old Windmill. | Chapter 5: Crime covers the Musket, the bridge gate held open with Stasis, and the route to Slaughtermill. |
| Cursed Hollow: Eerie View, Village Church, Deep Water, Silent Cannons. | Chapter 6: Punishment begins with the Bride. At the church, shooting the side weak points opens the entrance to the Claymore. |
| The Outskirts: Broken Bridge, Breach, Island of Whispers, Market Square, Lighthouse, Harbour. | Chapter 7: Witch Hunt covers the wall-jump and grapple routes, Aurelius and Experiment 83, before continuing into City of Orphans. |
| City of Orphans: Tribunal Square, Shamble Street, Sewers. | Stay with Chapter 7: Witch Hunt for the city and sewers. The Sewers Key opens the circular-room door; the Laboratory Key allows entry to University. |
| University: Main Hall, Lift Shaft, Laboratories, Sewage Drain. | Chapter 8: Blasphemy covers the Library Key and Shield. The Lift Shaft Key opens the lift gate in the room before its pickup. |
| Fortress: Main Gate, Traverse, Chapel, Ramparts, Courtyard, High Tower. | Chapter 9: In Ruins covers the converging Fortress paths. Light both signal fires to open the gates near Traverse and continue toward the boss. |
| Napoleon’s Prison: Prison, Burning City. Neither Lantern allows fast travel. | Chapter 10: Shackled covers the temporary jail escape. The Armoury Key opens the lower-floor equipment room; complete The Choir before leaving. |
| Entropy: no named Lantern. | Chapter 11: Reflection covers final-boss access: Lucjan can take you to Caverns’ Ancient Lair, where interacting with the stone door starts the fight. |
The doors branching from Abandoned Church
Use Abandoned Church to prepare equipment between journeys. The village path contains the Rapier in a body blocking your way. The route to the right heads toward Fortress, but you cannot progress there at that early stage.
After rescuing Louis, speak to James for the Cave Grotto Key. It opens the cliff door across the grapple point for the Caverns route. When Crime begins and you wake in the church, James provides the Outward Pass Key for the door to the right of the Caverns entrance.
Return paths to open with your abilities
- Burn the gold vines on the left after climbing back up the cliffs from Onslaught Arch; the chest behind them contains Bottomless Well.
- Shoot the wall’s weak point at the left fork beyond the camp above Onslaught Arch. This opens the branch to the Eternal Guardian for The Oathbound.
- Ride the elevator beside Quarry after unlocking Grappling. It takes you to the upper level, where grapple points open a route across the area.
- Stop the spinning platform in Old Mine’s left tunnel with Stasis, across the crane-box crossing. The chest beyond it holds an Empty Ferrofluid Flask.
- Freeze the gears inside the roof-access building above Under the Bridge with Stasis. This keeps the gate open for your passage.
- Follow the return path through the carriage behind Marketplace, then left at the intersection once you can use Nephto-structures. It leads to an Eternal Guardsman’s cave.
- Cross the poison at The Other Side with Shield to reach the hidden camp. This opens the later part of The Emissary and access to Perfect Copy.
- Cross the poison on the return route from Shamble Street with Shield. The route through the house and its weak point leads to Adrien Cassell’s Oathbound encounter.
Shield also opens the King of Smugglers route through the fog at Ship Graveyard. That quest continues at Harbour in The Outskirts. The Harbour Residence Key opens the house where reading Crusty Benek’s Journal completes it.
When a chapter ends before the region does
Witch Hunt covers both The Outskirts and City of Orphans. Its journal quest ends when you enter the sewer, but the next chapter starts later. Keep using the Witch Hunt guide for the remaining city and sewer routes, then switch to Blasphemy for University.
Before the jail escape and final route
After the Fortress boss, return to the prior Lantern and spend your Catalysts before continuing. The following section temporarily restricts Lantern access, and the jail cannot be revisited after you leave. Complete The Choir during the escape if you want its reward.
Returning for missed paths and chests
- Can I collect missed items after the ending?
- Yes. After the ending, you return to the game world and can revisit earlier locations for cleanup. The temporary jail remains an exception, so finish its optional quest while you are there.