The current demo contains Chapter I: Revival, a mostly linear battlefield tutorial ending with General Lothaire, and Chapter VII: Witch Hunt, a later-game slice built around the rapier, musket, Shield Transmutation, grappling, wall-running, and swinging. Treat each as a separate test of the game rather than expecting normal chapter-to-chapter story flow.
This route is intentionally milestone-based. It does not invent exact pickup coordinates or pretend that the June 2026 demo is identical to the 2025 pre-alpha build.
Before you start
- Update the demo and your GPU driver. Official patches 1.01–1.03 fixed multiple crashes, progression blockers, GPU detection, and performance problems.
- If you use Nvidia, do not begin with FSR. The developer’s pinned issue thread recommends TSR or DLSS while it investigates FSR-related GPU crashes.
- Read tutorial panels once. Chapter I introduces light and charged attacks, stamina, parries, dodges, finishers, ranged fire, transmutation, Lantern checkpoints, and leveling in a short stretch.
- Spend Catalyst before a risky push. Lanterns are rest and upgrade points; resting or dying resets regular enemies.
Chapter I: Revival route
Wake on the battlefield and secure the sabre
Follow the opening path and use the first enemies as the tutorial intends: learn how much stamina a short attack string leaves for a dodge. Avoid emptying the bar just because an enemy is staggered.
Practice the parry on single soldiers
A successful defensive rhythm is more useful than rushing. Let one basic attacker commit, parry the readable swing, and take the finisher when the game presents it. This is preparation for the boss, not optional style.
Take the pistol and use environmental weak points
The pistol is both a combat tool and a route tool. Orange growths can mark shootable weak points; developer-backed previews show the pistol being used to drop a tree and open the path forward.
Light every Lantern you pass
A lit Lantern becomes your restart point and lets you spend Catalyst. If your next path looks dangerous, bank progress first. Patch 1.01 specifically improved Lantern interaction consistency across both levels.
Acquire Fire Transmutation and back-check blocked growths
The fire ability removes organic barriers and gives you a reason to revisit an obstruction you could not clear earlier. If a route appears sealed by corruption, test fire before assuming the demo is broken.
Cross the battlefield without over-pulling
Use the pistol for exposed ranged threats and fight melee enemies in small groups. Backstabs, parries, and finishers reduce the time you stay surrounded. Preserve healing for the boss gate.
Prepare at the final Lantern
Spend Catalyst, refill, and confirm that FSR is not selected if an Nvidia crash has followed you into loading screens. General Lothaire is a two-phase fight, so entering with one heal and no ammunition is a false economy.
Defeat General Lothaire
Shoot the visible growths for bonus damage, punish the recovery after committed slams or charges, and save enough healing and ammunition for phase two. Use the full General Lothaire boss guide before the next attempt.
Chapter VII: Witch Hunt route
This is a later-game slice with a specialized loadout. The official demo announcement confirms a destroyed bridge to the Lighthouse, traversal powered by transmutation, and a rapier, musket, and Shield Transmutation.
Read the supplied build before moving
The rapier favors faster, precision-focused combat; the musket hits harder but is slower than the starting pistol. Shield Transmutation can absorb incoming damage and release a shockwave when it ends. Do not play this kit exactly like Chapter I.
Read traversal anchors, not the empty horizon
The critical route language is grapple, wall-run, swing, and altered terrain. When the bridge is broken, scan the near walls and reachable anchors in sequence. Commit to one movement input at a time instead of correcting wildly in midair.
Use the shield for forced exposure
When a crossing or narrow entry leaves you open to ranged pressure, Shield Transmutation is safer than trying to trade. Release it near a threat only when the shockwave will create space.
Let the musket solve distance, then close with the rapier
Remove or stagger the clearest ranged threat before entering a mixed group. In close quarters, prioritize clean parries and weak-point thrusts rather than long stamina-draining strings.
Use Lanterns as route confirmation
If you have not seen a Lantern for a long stretch, stop and check the last traversal fork. The level is less linear than Revival, so a reachable side surface can be the main route.
If progression looks stuck
| What you see | What to check first |
|---|---|
| Organic growth blocks the path | Use Fire Transmutation; also scan for an orange shootable node tied to nearby terrain. |
| A gap looks impossible | Look for a grapple point, wall-run surface, swing anchor, or transmutation target before trying a longer jump. |
| Witch Hunt crashes on load | Install the current demo update. Patch 1.03 specifically fixed a Witch Hunt loading crash. |
| You respawn but cannot progress | Patch 1.02 fixed a stuck-after-respawn issue. Update, restart the game, and retry from the last Lantern. |
| The UI disappears in HDR | The official workaround is to turn HDR off and on. See the known issues guide. |
Sources and verification
- Official Valor Mortis Steam news — demo structure, Chapter VII gear and traversal, patches 1.01–1.03.
- Developer-pinned Known Issues [Demo] — current technical warnings and workarounds.
- Official Steam store page — current demo availability, platform, combat overview, and release date.
- PCGamesN hands-on preview — observed growth weak points, traversal interactions, and Lothaire’s two-phase encounter. Older build details were used only where they match current official material.