The Valor Mortis Pistol is inside a wrecked train carriage below the destroyed bridge near the Demolished Path Lantern in chapter 2. Descend across the bridge platforms until you land in the carriage, then collect the firearm inside. To escape the lower area, shoot the glowing orange growths attached to the nearby purple corruption; destroying them clears the obstruction and makes the lift usable.
The Pistol is more than an early ranged weapon. It destroys Nephtoglobin weak points, opens corruption-blocked routes, attacks exposed enemy weak spots, and can support either an Ignite-focused setup or a posture-and-critical setup. Its ammunition is limited, so the most useful upgrades are often those that recover bullets, reward reloading, or make individual shots accomplish more.
Where to Find the Pistol
Reach the Demolished Path Lantern in Chapter 2 after the opening battlefield section. The pickup route overlaps the opening of An Unheard Farewell; the weapon itself is in the carriage below the bridge.
Follow the descending route from the destroyed bridge to reach the carriage below.
Use the following route to reach the weapon:
- Continue beyond the initial battlefield section until you reach the area around the Demolished Path Lantern.
- Approach the destroyed bridge rather than searching the upper road for a normal crossing.
- Look down for the surviving platforms and pieces of the collapsed structure below the bridge.
- Descend across those platforms. The route is intended to take you beneath the original crossing rather than directly to the opposite side.
- Continue downward until William lands inside a wrecked train carriage held amid purple growths or spikes.
- Search the carriage and collect the Pistol inside.
The Pistol is resting inside the wrecked carriage.
How to Open the Exit After Picking It Up
Shoot the glowing weak point to clear the corrupted lift exit.
- Leave the immediate pickup position and inspect the purple corruption near the lift.
- Find the orange or red glowing, bulbous growths attached to it.
- Aim the Pistol directly at those growths and shoot them.
- Once the weak points are destroyed, the purple obstruction clears and the lift becomes available.
- Use the lift to continue through the area.
A webbed blockage farther along the connected route requires fire rather than ordinary gunfire. This is a separate obstacle, so repeatedly shooting the web with standard Pistol rounds is not the solution. Beyond it, the route passes through a cave and toward a cliffside occupied by rifle enemies. The ground can collapse near that encounter, so be ready to move or jump instead of settling into a stationary ranged exchange.
What the Pistol Is Used For
| Use | What to target | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing corruption | Glowing red or orange Nephtoglobin growths | Removes barriers, frees mechanisms, and opens routes or shortcuts. |
| Hitting enemy weak points | Clearly exposed weak areas | Lets you exploit openings without committing to immediate melee range. |
| Applying ranged pressure | Enemies that are dangerous to approach directly | Gives William a way to act while controlling distance. |
| Supporting posture damage | Nephtoglobin-infused rounds or Mighty Rounds | Helps prepare an enemy for a posture break and a critical attack. |
| Triggering an Ignite payoff | An enemy already affected by Ignite | An upgraded fire-oriented setup can consume Ignite with an explosive shot. |
Posture-focused ammunition also needs a resource distinction. Nephtoglobin can be consumed to infuse the Pistol with posture-breaking rounds. Mighty Rounds provides another route to posture-breaking ammunition. The infused option does not consume ordinary bullets in the same way, but it is not free: it spends Nephtoglobin.
How to Manage Pistol Ammunition
Recover bullets through melee follow-ups
Resourcefulness supports a mixed Pistol-and-Saber rhythm. Fire a shot at an enemy, then follow it with a Saber attack to recover that bullet. The effect can occur only once per enemy, so it supports recovery while moving between targets rather than an unlimited refill loop against one target.
Reduce consumption and improve resupply
Lucky Shot gives a chance for a Pistol shot not to consume its bullet. The effect becomes especially relevant in a reload-focused setup because preserving the amplified first shot from Tactical Reload can allow another high-value shot before the weapon must cycle normally.
Ammunition Drop Chance and Ammo Restock are also relevant statistical priorities for a firearm-heavy approach. They do not replace careful aiming, but they reduce the pressure created by frequent Pistol use. Headshot Damage and Firearms Damage improve the value of successful shots, while Status Buildup matters more when the weapon is helping apply or consume Ignite.
Pistol Upgrade Tradeoffs
The available recommendations divide into three clear functions: ammunition recovery, reload amplification, and critical damage. They do not all demand the same playstyle.
The Pistol upgrade tree includes Tactical Reload and branching upgrade choices.
Tactical Reload for amplified opening shots
Tactical Reload greatly amplifies the first shot after a full reload. It rewards finishing the reload cycle and then placing the next shot carefully. A missed first shot wastes more of the upgrade's value than an ordinary miss, so weak points and controlled openings are the natural targets.
Sleight of Hand supports this style by shortening its frequent reloads.
Ingenious Engineering for more frequent reload cycles
Ingenious Engineering significantly reduces the Pistol's capacity. That sounds like a pure penalty, but it shortens the route back to a full reload and therefore creates more Tactical Reload openings. The tradeoff is straightforward:
- A smaller capacity means fewer ordinary shots before reloading.
- Faster cycling means more opportunities to obtain Tactical Reload's amplified first shot.
- The setup rewards deliberate burst damage rather than sustained firing.
- Resourcefulness or ammunition-supporting stats can soften the pressure created by the reduced capacity.
Choose Ingenious Engineering when frequent reloads are part of the damage plan; Robust Chamber is the alternative at this branch. Resourcefulness and Ruthlessness are also mutually exclusive, as are Tactical Reload and Automatic Mayhem.
Ruthlessness for critical follow-through
Ruthlessness supports a posture-oriented route by increasing the payoff from critical attacks. The Pistol helps create the posture break through special ammunition, while the critical strike delivers the main reward. This option is therefore less about continuous firearm damage and more about using the Pistol to prepare a decisive opening.
Choosing a complete build
For an Ignite build, combine the reload upgrades with fire-infused weapons and Unstable Blaze; apply Ignite before firing the payoff shot. A posture build instead uses special rounds and Ruthlessness to support the critical attack after a posture break. The full skill, Amber, infusion, and branch combinations are covered in the best-build guide.