Spending Catalysts wisely on Skills in Valor Mortis can significantly improve William's capabilities, especially in the early stages of the game, and lay the groundwork for powerful late-game builds. Conversely, investing in underperforming Skills can prove to be a wasted effort. This guide outlines the most beneficial Skills to focus on, ensuring your progression is supported by effective upgrades.
It is important to note that some Skills, including Melee Damage, Status Buildup, Critical Damage, and Maximum Endurance & Firearm Damage, are not functioning as intended as of October 14th, 2026, according to testing by IGN. While Skills can be reset, this process incurs a Catalyst cost.
Core Survival and Resource Skills
Maximum Health is one of the earliest Skills available, and increasing your health pool can be the difference between surviving unexpected attacks or missed parries. Further upgrades to this Skill become available midway through the Skill Tree.
Similarly, Maximum Endurance is also available early on and is highly recommended for immediate maxing. Endurance is a crucial resource in Valor Mortis, particularly for players who favor dodging over parrying.
Nephtoglobin Sufferance increases your maximum Nephtoglobin, another early-game Skill worth prioritizing. While you may initially focus on Health and Endurance, maxing Nephtoglobin Sufferance is essential as you will likely rely on Transmutations frequently for boss encounters and clearing groups of enemies.
Nephtoglobin Extraction, an early unlock, enhances Nephtoglobin gained from melee attacks. Efficiently managing resources is key during challenging fights where players often switch between melee, firearms, and Transmutations. Gaining extra Nephtoglobin through melee allows for quicker access to Transmutations during combat rotations.
Damage and Combat Effectiveness
Transmutation Damage boosts the effectiveness of all Transmutations, which play a significant role in combat. While this Skill requires a substantial level-up to unlock, investing in it will increase the damage output of these powerful abilities.
For players who master the parry system, Parrying Impact is a valuable Skill that increases Posture damage from successful parries, leading to quicker enemy staggers and critical attacks. However, for those who find parrying less reliable, focusing on damage-oriented Skills like Headshot Damage or Transmutation Damage may be more beneficial, especially given the current issues with Melee Damage and Critical Damage Skills.
Ammunition Management
While ammunition is generally plentiful, Ammunition Drop Chance can be a lifesaver when engaging in extended firearm combat. This Skill increases the likelihood of enemies dropping ammo upon defeat, ensuring you remain equipped for ranged engagements.
Accessible later in the Skill Tree, Ammo Restock allows you to replenish more ammunition whenever you rest at a Lantern. This is particularly useful for players who frequently rely on their firearms.
Defensive and Utility Skills
Melee Endurance Cost reduces the Endurance cost associated with melee attacks, which are fundamental to William's combat repertoire, especially when resources like ammunition or Nephtoglobin are low. This Skill is particularly beneficial for players utilizing heavy melee attacks.
Physical Resistance increases your defense against physical attacks, a common damage type in Valor Mortis. While helpful for survivability, it is generally recommended to prioritize other Skills before investing heavily in this one, as late-game defensive Transmutations can offer significant protection.
Healing Effectiveness enhances the potency of your Ferrofluid Flasks, making them more efficient. This is considered a late-game Skill and should be considered after exhausting other upgrade paths, as standard flask usage is usually sufficient throughout most of the game, especially with flask upgrades.