While part of your character progression in Valor Mortis is tied to weapon upgrades and collecting Amber to unlock new abilities, the foundation of the upgrades in the game are tied to the XP-based Catalyst system that are temporarily lost upon death and need to be recovered to keep.
Your Catalysts in Valor Mortis will respawn outside of a boss arena, preventing you from getting stuck in a difficult encounter.
Acting as the primary currency of Valor Mortis, you’ll be able to earn a steady stream of Catalyst simply by playing through the game’s story, but there are still several ways to speed up the process.
Best Ways To Earn Catalysts
The number one way you’ll be earning Catalysts in Valor Mortis is simply by killing enemies, as each one slain will offer a number based on the enemy type, with bosses offering up to tens of thousands of Catalysts at a time, which can result in several levels at a time.
Given that enemies will respawn every time you visit a Lantern, you can use this to farm enemies for additional Cataylsts in higher level areas.
Your Catalyst counter will turn from white to yellow when you’re ready to level up, which is a good time to head to a Lantern and level up so you don’t lose them.
The second way you’ll be able to gain Catalysts in Valor Mortis is by collecting solidified clots throughout the game, which can be acquired from item pickups on the ground, found in chests, or often as rewards from side quests, all offered in the following amounts:
|
Item |
Amount |
|---|---|
|
Common Catalyst Clot |
50 Catalysts |
|
Uncommon Catalyst Clot |
100 Catalysts |
|
Rare Catalyst Clot |
400 Catalysts |
|
Epic Catalyst Clot |
700 Catalysts |
|
Legendary Catalyst Clot |
1000 Catalysts |
|
MythicCatalyst Clot |
2000 Catalysts |
|
Imperial Catalyst Clot |
35000 Catalysts |
|
Eternal Catalyst Clot |
5000 Catalysts |
While it’s tempting to hold onto Catalyst Clots until you get to a point where you need a boost, you’ll get so many that it’s well worth using to top of your levels before a challenging encounter, although it’s far from the only use for the clots.
All Uses For Catalysts
On top of being used to level up your character, Catalysts also act as the main currency of Valor Mortis, which can be used to purchase goods and upgrades on the item benches next to the two NPCs at the church, unlocked after beating General Lothaire.
Although most of these items are simple consumables, there are also several upgrade materials that are worth picking up when you have some extra resources to spare, like the Ferro Fluid flask upgrades from the Transmutation bench.
The final use for Catalysts in Valor Mortis is being able to respec your character skills, as in exchange for spending an increasing number of them per attempt, you’ll be able to re-allocate all of your skill points to help find a new build better suited to your tastes.
