The Saber is your starter weapon; find the Rapier in the main hub graveyard. Your other pickups are the Pistol near Demolished Path, the Blunderbuss in Fallen Village, the Musket in the Vale of Wrath, and the Claymore in Cursed Hollow. Grab the Rapier before you spend any materials on Valor Mortis weapons. It's a short walk from the Abandoned Church hub, which you reach after beating General Lothaire.
Where do you find all weapons in Valor Mortis?
You start with the Saber and collect the other weapons from corpses, carriages, and a guarded wagon along your route.
| Weapon | Where to find it | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Saber | Starting area | William already holds it when he wakes up. |
| Pistol | Carriage beyond the Demolished Path Lantern in the Valley of Ashes | Cross the destroyed bridge using its platforms, then take the gun from the desk inside the carriage. Full route: where to get the pistol. |
| Rapier | Abandoned Church courtyard, beside the main hub | Leave through the opening left of the workbench, turn right through the graveyard, and pull it from the corpse at the end. |
| Blunderbuss | Carriage in the second half of Fallen Village, before the Marketplace Lantern | Defeat the tall Volunteer with the large sword to open the carriage behind him, then take it from the table. |
| Musket | Guarded wagon in the camp in the Vale of Wrath | Defeat the Volunteer for the Wagon Key, open the wagon, and collect the Musket. |
| Claymore | Church altar in Cursed Hollow | Pull it from the corpse at the altar and be ready to fight the enemies that follow. |
The Volunteer guarding a carriage or wagon is part of the pickup route: beat him before trying to claim the weapon behind him.
Where is the Rapier near the main hub?
The Rapier is in a corpse held by growths at the end of the graveyard path outside the Abandoned Church.
Reach the Abandoned Church hub
Defeat General Lothaire, the Eagle-Bearer, then enter the church and meet James. Stuck on Lothaire? See the boss guide. Inside the hub, look for the weapon workbench with tools spread across its wooden surface.
Take the opening left of the workbench
Pass through the opening to the left of the workbench into the church courtyard. Outside, you'll see a stone path running between trees and iron fences.
Follow the graveyard on the right
Turn right and continue through the graveyard to the end of the path. Follow the route between the fenced graves; the Rapier is outside the church, beyond the workbench room.
Pull the Rapier from the corpse
The blockage at the end looks like tangled growths, but the pickup is the weapon lodged in the corpse they hold. Approach the body and pull out the Rapier to unlock it.
Which Valor Mortis sword should you upgrade first?
Pick up the Rapier before committing your materials, then choose between its parries and the Saber's blocking.
Upgrade materials cannot be reset or refunded. One player upgraded the Saber at the hub before discovering the nearby Rapier, spending materials they could have saved. Collect the Rapier first so you can compare them; how weapon upgrades work covers the workbench.
Rapier: recommended for parries and weak points
Choose the Rapier if you want fast thrusts aimed directly at enemy weak points. Its parries deal more posture damage, and its upgrades can restore endurance on successful parries, then health later. The catch: it can't block, so your parry timing has to be solid.
Saber: choose it if you rely on blocking
The Saber lets you both block and parry. If blocking is how you survive, it's a fine sword to stick with. Just grab the Rapier first so you're choosing with both in hand.
Claymore: choose heavy attacks at a stamina cost
The Claymore delivers heavy damage but consumes more stamina. It is two-handed, so you fight with melee attacks rather than pairing it with a gun. Its special attacks include a fire shot and a Stasis area attack that can freeze weaker enemies. Claim it at the Cursed Hollow church altar with a fight immediately afterwards in mind.
What are the Valor Mortis guns best used for?
Use the Pistol for precise weak-point shots, the Blunderbuss at close range, and the Musket against distant enemies.
Pistol: precision and red-orb barriers
The Pistol gives you precise shots at enemy weak points when a Rapier thrust won't reach. It also opens Nephtoglobin barriers: aim at their glowing red orbs to destroy them and open shortcuts.
Blunderbuss: nearby enemies and bosses
The Blunderbuss suits enemies crowded close to you, including tough elites and bosses. It initially holds two bullets, so make those close-range shots count. Pick it up from the carriage table after defeating the Volunteer in Fallen Village.
Musket: distant targets
The Musket suits long-range enemies such as Risen Musketeers, and a later scope upgrade improves accuracy. It occupies both hands, so you cannot use a melee weapon alongside it.
From the Under the Bridge Lantern, cross the bridge, go right into the small shack, and continue through the forest. At the split, take the left route toward the wooden building rather than the right route with the deer carcass and white gravel road. Stay left past the building to reach the camp and its guarded wagon.
Watch the wooden planks on the dirt path: falling through drops you into a tunnel with more enemies. The tunnel still leads to the destination, but staying on the surface is the steadier route. At the camp, defeat the Volunteer, take the Wagon Key, and open the wagon for your Musket.
What is the best weapon in Valor Mortis for weak points?
The Rapier for melee, since its thrusts go straight at weak points; the Pistol when you can't get close. If you need to block, stay on the Saber.
With the Rapier in hand, head back to the workbench, then on toward Fallen Village with the walkthrough.