General Lothaire, also known as The Eagle-Bearer, serves as the initial boss encounter in Valor Mortis. This fight is designed as a classic soulslike challenge, where players are generally not expected to succeed on their first attempt.
Should you manage to defeat General Lothaire on your first try, you will be rewarded with 10,000 catalysts, an item called the General's Catalyst Clot which grants an additional 10,000 catalysts, and the Torn-Banner achievement. Catalysts function similarly to souls in other games, and this significant early boost can aid in initial character leveling. Valor Mortis does not feature boss-specific weapons, so using the Catalyst Clot does not mean missing out on unique gear.
Normally, if a player dies to Lothaire, a cutscene triggers where a character named Lucjan intervenes, offering a brief exposition about the game's world, and the boss disappears, preventing further attempts. However, a discovered method allows players to circumvent this. By pressing ALT + F4 the moment of death, players can then reload their game. This often places them back just outside the boss arena, enabling another attempt at the encounter.
While the rewards are substantial, the value of repeatedly retrying the fight using the ALT + F4 exploit is debatable. Valor Mortis is considered to be on the easier side for its genre, making a significant early leveling advantage less critical for progression.
For players determined to overcome Lothaire, the following strategies are recommended:
Use fire-based attacks to ignite the boss, applying damage-over-time effects whenever your Nephtoglobin meter is full. During the first phase, focus on parrying enemy attacks to create openings for critical hits. In the second phase, prioritize dodging Lothaire's more predictable attack patterns and capitalize on defensive opportunities to deal damage.