Ambers, Weapons & Upgrades
The gear trophies: collect every unique Amber, unlock all nine weapons and Transmutations, and take one Melee Weapon, one Firearm and one Transmutation to max level. The max-level materials are limited (one Masterwork Firearm Part, two Quintessential Transmutation Materials) and can't be farmed, and that's the one way to miss a trophy in this game.
All 29 Ambers and every location
Listed in the same order as the in-game Inventory > Ambers menu, so you can see what you're missing. You need one of each for Ambersmith; extra copies only upgrade the Amber.
| Amber | Effect | Locations (Lantern: where) |
|---|---|---|
| Wound that Heals | Slowly regenerates lost health. | • Vale of Wrath > Wolfsbane Field: cellar chest from The Lost Boy. • Vale of Wrath > Under the Bridge: miniboss up the hill right of the body-covered road. • Cursed Hollow > Deep Water: miniboss straight back along the path from the Lantern. |
| Tomorrow's Promise | Flasks also heal over time. | • Fallen Village > Marketplace: Lullaby reward. • Cursed Hollow > Village Church: Till Death reward. • Fortress > Chapel: underground, the ladder in the corner left of the stairs to a long room, chest on the right. |
| Dominatus | Critical attacks restore health. | • Valley of Ashes > Military Camp: tent chest left of the hill. • Caverns > Last Sunlight: campfire miniboss on the left of the big cavern. • The Outskirts > Broken Bridge: platforms left of the wall jumps. |
| Bountiful Harvest | Picking up Nephtoglobin remnants heals you. | • Fallen Village > Fields: The Scarecrow reward. • Vale of Wrath > Under the Bridge: The Deserter reward. • City of Orphans > Tribunal Square: miniboss at the top of the second ladder on the tower shortcut. |
| Limit Break | Overflow healing becomes temporary extra health. | • Caverns > Old Mine: bottom level opposite the rope bridge, past the grapple/wall-run, under the ramp. |
| Equivalent Exchange | Spend health when Nephtoglobin runs out. | • Vale of Wrath > Wolfsbane Field: miniboss up the grapple in the shortcut cave. |
| Butcher's Carnage | Melee hits heal, but flasks are disabled. | • Vale of Wrath > Under the Bridge: In the Name of Art reward. • Vale of Wrath > Ship Graveyard: balcony on the left of the poison field (needs Shield). • The Outskirts > Harbour: chest by the King of Smugglers journal. |
| Life Diverted | Flasks restore Nephtoglobin; Transmutation damage heals. | • Cursed Hollow > Deep Water: chest behind Oathbound Guardsman #5. • City of Orphans > Shamble Street: chest on the path out of a building. • Fortress > Traverse: burn the gold vines in the building left of the Lantern area, kill what comes out, back-wall chest. |
| Bottomless Well | Nephtoglobin regenerates over time. | • The Battlefield > Onslaught Arch: behind the gold vines back up the cliffs. • Caverns > Weeping Ledge: Homesick reward. • City of Orphans > Tribunal Square: courtyard miniboss round the house you shoot out of. |
| Potent Concoction | Flasks also restore Nephtoglobin. | • Valley of Ashes > Quarry: behind gold vines opposite the shortcut ladder. • The Outskirts > Island of Whispers: Laudanum reward. • Fortress > Ramparts: shoot the wall weak point for a ladder, chest along the path. |
| Transmuted Persistence | Transmutation damage restores recoverable health. | • The Battlefield > Onslaught Arch: keep left; vines before the metal carriage. |
| Lunatic's Grasp | Faster Ignite/Stasis buildup, lower resistance to both. | • Caverns > Weeping Ledge: left of the vines in the Carrion room. • The Outskirts > Market Square: round the barn, across the boats into the building. • University > Lift Shaft: left of the two exploding chests at the end of the poison hall. |
| Surplus | More Catalysts from kills. | • Valley of Ashes > Military Camp: poison cave behind the vines up the hill. • Caverns > Old Mine: up the platforms right of the freezable lift. • The Outskirts > Island of Whispers: halfway down the long road on the left. |
| Perfect Copy | Raises the rank of your other Tier 1–2 Ambers. | • Valley of Ashes > The Other Side: hidden poison camp (needs Shield), tent to the right after the train-car weak spot. |
| Fire Breathing | Attacking while dodging causes a fire explosion. | • Fortress > Main Gate: cannon miniboss at the entrance. |
| Payback | Getting hit at low health triggers a Stasis blast. | • University > Main Hall: cannon miniboss down the ladder from the circular room. |
| Iron Grip | Faster, uninterruptible flask use. | • The Battlefield > Trenches: right after the Plunge Attack tutorial, dead-end chest. |
| Sleight of Hand | Faster reloads and weapon switching. | • Valley of Ashes > Demolished Path: An Unheard Farewell reward. |
| Dilated Moment | Aiming slows time (costs Endurance, lowers gun damage). | • Vale of Wrath > Under the Bridge: river path right of the fishing village, under a grapple point. |
| Lucky Shot | Small chance a shot uses no ammo. | • Caverns > Last Sunlight: down the hole in the big cavern, chest by the Grenadier. • Vale of Wrath > Poisoned Camp: booby-trapped chest after the two flamethrower Volunteers. • Fortress > Traverse: back-left of the upper area, drop down a ledge. |
| Indestructible Shell | Less explosion damage. | • Valley of Ashes > Guidepost: after the first Grenadier. • Cursed Hollow > Silent Cannons: exploding chest past Seamus's shack. • Fortress > Traverse: small area left at the end of the cannon-fire path. |
| Sixth Sense | Gun damage up during Perfect Dodges; dodged bullets slow time. | • City of Orphans > Tribunal Square: climb the boxes left of the river burrow. |
| Silent Squeak | Makes you quieter and harder to detect. | • City of Orphans > Shamble Street: rooftop burrow after the courtyard grapple (gift from the children). |
| Duellist's Focus | Wider melee parry window. | • The Battlefield > Onslaught Arch: chest behind Oathbound Guardsman #2. |
| Volatile End | Weak-point shots cause an explosion. | • Fallen Village > Fields: back of the barn full of exploding bodies. |
| Marksman's Bane | Parry bullets; a parried shot refunds a Pistol round. | • Valley of Ashes > Quarry: after the first zipline go left, smash boxes, tower chest. |
| Perfectionism | More damage at full health. | • Valley of Ashes > Demolished Path: chest behind Oathbound Guardsman #1. • Caverns > Old Mine: chest behind Oathbound Guardsman #3. • Vale of Wrath > Under the Bridge: back of the Beekeeper's hut (The Deserter). |
| Glass Soldier | More melee damage dealt and taken. | • Fallen Village > Orchard: building right of the Iron Marshall arena, out the back. • Fortress > Courtyard: dropped by Oathbound Guardsman #7. |
| Warrior's Fury | Kills grant a short speed and damage boost. | • Fallen Village > Marketplace: balcony jump from the house under fire. • Cursed Hollow > Silent Cannons: dog miniboss behind the house with three notes. • University > Lift Shaft: dog miniboss in the room of square cages. |
The max-level materials (limited!)
They can't be farmed or bought. There's enough to max every melee weapon, but only one gun and two Transmutations.
| Material | Lantern | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Quintessential Blade Material | Outskirts > Lighthouse (Ch.7) | Side lab by the Experiment 83 arena, chest with two notes. |
| Quintessential Blade Material | Fortress > Chapel (Ch.9) | Underground, after the pole-jump door, right at the bottom of the stairs: locked in with enemies, exploding chest at the back. |
| Quintessential Blade Material | Fortress > Courtyard (after Oathbound) | Chest right of the table in the Oathbound secret room. |
| Masterwork Firearm Parts | University > Main Hall (Ch.8) | Lecture hall with hanging bodies behind the lower library, chest under the balcony. The only one. |
| Quintessential Transmutation Material | City of Orphans (Ch.7) | Monster Hunt reward. Save it for the Shield. |
| Quintessential Transmutation Material | Fortress > Traverse (Ch.9) | Chest immediately left through the gate opened by the two signal fires. |
Upgrade costs
| Level | Melee Weapon | Firearm | Transmutation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 Crude Blade | 1 Standard Parts | 2 Crude |
| 3 | 2 Crude Blade | 2 Standard Parts | 2 Pure |
| 4 | 3 Crude Blade | 3 Standard Parts | 2 Distilled |
| 5 | 1 Pure Blade | 1 Superior Parts | 1 Quintessential (max) |
| 6 | 2 Pure Blade | 2 Superior Parts | – |
| 7 | 3 Pure Blade | 3 Superior Parts | – |
| 8 | 1 Distilled Blade | 1 Exquisite Parts | – |
| 9 | 2 Distilled Blade | 2 Exquisite Parts | – |
| 10 | 1 Quintessential Blade (max) | 1 Masterwork Parts (max) | – |
Arsenal Absolute
SilverFull guideCollapse Unlock all Weapons and Transmutations.
Arsenal Absolute
SilverFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Story-related, so it can't be missed. There are nine in total: three of each type, and the game makes you pick up every one to progress. Melee: Saber (Ch.1), Rapier (Ch.3, in a body on the road from the Abandoned Church), Claymore (Ch.6, in the Cursed Hollow church after you shoot its two side weak spots). Firearms: Pistol (Ch.2, train car at the bridge), Blunderbuss (Ch.3, carriage behind a Volunteer in the Fallen Village), Musket (Ch.5, the Wagon Key from the dual-sword Volunteer in the Vale of Wrath fort). Transmutations: Fire (Ch.1), Stasis (Ch.4, Caverns > Weeping Ledge), Shield (Ch.8, top of the stairs after the chandelier jump in the University). Pops when the ninth, the Shield, is in your hands.
Tip
With the Shield unlocked you can also go for Jackknife: damage with all nine in one life.
Gun of Glory
SilverFull guideCollapse Upgrade a single Firearm to maximum.
Gun of Glory
SilverFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Upgrade one Firearm to level 10. There are enough Firearm Parts to bring all three guns to level 9, but there's only one Masterwork Firearm Part in the game, so only one gun can reach 10. Costs: Lv2–4 take 1/2/3 Standard, Lv5–7 take 1/2/3 Superior, Lv8–9 take 1/2 Exquisite, and Lv10 takes 1 Masterwork. Masterwork location: University > Main Hall (Ch.8). Go back to where you jumped across the chandelier toward the Shield and head the other way, through the poison corridor, down the next lift and through the lower library. Out the back is a lecture hall with hanging bodies: the chest is under the balcony at the far end.
Tip
Since you only get one, put it into the gun you actually use. The Pistol is the most useful for weak points and several trophies.
Ambersmith
GoldFull guideCollapse Gather all Ambers.
Ambersmith
GoldFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Pick up every unique Amber at least once. Ambers are this game's equipment: passive effects such as health regeneration, longer parry windows or damage boosts after dodges. There are 29 different Ambers in the Inventory > Ambers list, spread across more than 50 pickups. Fifteen of them can be found more than once, and duplicates upgrade the Amber to level 2 and 3. Duplicates aren't needed for the trophy. They come from chests, miniboss kills and side quest rewards, and none are missable, since every area stays open after the credits. The table on this page lists all 29 with every location.
Tip
The game doesn't track pickups, so use the Inventory > Ambers menu (same order as our table) to see which unique ones you're missing. Several come from side quests (Sleight of Hand, Bountiful Harvest, Tomorrow's Promise, Butcher's Carnage, Wound that Heals, Bottomless Well), so do every quest.
Transmutation Artifex
SilverFull guideCollapse Upgrade a single Transmutation to maximum.
Transmutation Artifex
SilverFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Upgrade one Transmutation to level 5. Costs: 2 Crude, 2 Pure, 2 Distilled, then 1 Quintessential Transmutation Material. There are only two Quintessential in the game: the reward for the Monster Hunt side quest (City of Orphans, Ch.7), and a chest immediately to the left through the gate you open by lighting both signal fires near Fortress > Traverse (Ch.9).
Tip
Put one into the Shield. Shield level 5 unlocks Shield Bash, which the missable Abyssal Eviction needs, and it pops this trophy at the same time. Spend the second wherever you like.
Bladesmith
SilverFull guideCollapse Upgrade a single Melee Weapon to maximum.
Bladesmith
SilverFull guideCollapseHow to earn it
Upgrade any one Melee Weapon (Saber, Rapier or Claymore) to level 10. You use Blade Materials found in chests and the world, or buy them from the Abandoned Church. There are enough to max all three, so this is the easy one. Costs: Lv2–4 take 1/2/3 Crude, Lv5–7 take 1/2/3 Pure, Lv8–9 take 1/2 Distilled, and Lv10 takes 1 Quintessential Blade Material. There are three Quintessential: in the side lab next to Experiment 83 (Outskirts > Lighthouse, Ch.7), in an exploding chest in the Fortress Chapel underground (Ch.9), and in the Oathbound secret room.
Tip
Upgrades can't be farmed, because enemies don't drop materials, so open every chest. The Claymore is a strong choice to max: its stagger carries the final bosses.
More Valor Mortis guides
Review & Platinum Roadmap
Our review, the roadmap and all 39 trophies on one page.
Chapter-by-Chapter Platinum Walkthrough
All 11 chapters in order: every Amber, Eternal Guardsman, side quest step and upgrade material, plus the one missable.
Bosses & Story
All 10 bosses with tactics for every phase, General Lothaire to the Entity, plus the Shrike and every weapon unlock.
Side Quests & the Oathbound
Every step of the Oathbound hunt (7 Eternal Guardsmen and the secret room) and the five trophy side quests, including all 17 Monster Hunt drawings.
Combat & Miscellaneous
Scattershot, Hood-Snatcher, Flaming Feast, God's Trigger, the bonfire, the missable Shield Bash kill and every other skill trophy.