Every level in Valor Mortis is bought with Catalysts. The same currency also pays for upgrade materials, consumables and respecs, and you drop it when you die. Leveling fast comes down to three things. You need a Lantern you can farm on repeat, a Surplus Amber in an open slot, and a habit of spending Catalysts before you lose them.
Quick answer: Rest at a Lantern next to respawning enemies, clear them, and rest again. Use the Marketplace barn in Chapter 3 and the Iron Regiment Remnant in Chapters 5 and 10. Equip Surplus once you reach level 5.
Valor Mortis level costs and Amber slot milestones
You level up at a Lantern. The level cap is 400, and the price of each level climbs steeply. Level 2 costs 400 Catalysts, while level 400 alone costs 1,696,004. The counter in the corner of the screen turns from white to yellow once you have enough for the next level.
| Level | Cost of that level | Total from level 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 400 | 400 |
| 5 | 691 | 2,147 |
| 10 | 2,566 | 10,273 |
| 15 | 5,366 | 31,728 |
| 20 | 8,100 | 67,015 |
| 25 | 10,338 | 114,010 |
| 30 | 13,194 | 173,989 |
| 40 | 21,491 | 348,236 |
| 50 | 28,883 | 602,002 |
| 100 | 85,707 | 3,334,480 |
| 200 | 231,821 | 18,091,983 |
| 300 | 627,032 | 58,008,288 |
| 400 | 1,696,004 | 165,974,460 |
Some levels are worth more than others. There are five Amber Slots, and the first three open at levels 5, 15 and 25. Reaching level 5 costs only 2,147 Catalysts in total. That is cheap enough to do in your first few farming runs, and it lets you equip Surplus as soon as you find it. Ambers are equipped from the Levelling menu at a Lantern, and any Amber fits in any slot.
Because the cost curve rises so quickly, the same farm loses value the longer you stay on it. Move to a better route as soon as one opens up.
Catalyst farming routes in Valor Mortis by chapter
Every route works the same way. Resting at a Lantern brings back every regular enemy, so a pack placed close to a Lantern becomes a repeatable farm. Elite enemies with red glowing eyes, which turn Enraged, do not come back. Bosses do not respawn either.
| Route | Chapter | Targets | Main tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenches Lantern | 1 | 3 Risen Soldiers | Fire Transmutation, Saber |
| Marketplace barn, Fallen Village | 3 | 5 Shambling Civilians |  Fire Transmutation |
| Under the Bridge Lantern | 5 | 1 Remnant of the Iron Regiment | Blunderbuss, deathblow |
| Chapel Lantern | 10 | 1 Remnant of the Iron Regiment | Blunderbuss, deathblow |
Chapter 1: Trenches Lantern
From the Onslaught Arch Lantern, follow the main battlefield path and keep to the right. Go through a broken crate-like structure, which has a fire on one side and a torn banner on the other. Three Risen Soldiers stand together just before the next Lantern. Activate that Lantern first. Then turn around, burn the group with Fire Transmutation, and finish off any survivors with the Saber. Rest and repeat. Risen Soldiers pay little, but early levels are cheap, and the soldiers sometimes drop Crude Blade Material and Whetstones.
Chapter 3: Marketplace barn in the Fallen Village
The Marketplace Lantern sits directly across from a barn holding five weak Shambling Civilians. The barn’s narrow doorway bunches the enemies together, which suits a fire attack well. Each reset only takes a few seconds.
Fire Transmutation goes up to level 5. Its fire damage rises from 4 to 6 per tick over that range. At weapon level 4 you must choose one of two upgrades, Fireworks (longer flame range) or Wildfire (wider flame spread). Wildfire’s wider spread matches packed groups like the barn crowd.
| Fire Transmutation level | Damage | Ignite damage | Upgrade cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | 4 | — |
| 2 | 17 | 4.5 | Crude Transmutation Material x2 |
| 3 | 18 | 5 | Pure Transmutation Material x2 |
| 4 | 19 | 5.5 | Distilled Transmutation Material x2 |
| 5 | 20 | 6 | Quintessential Transmutation Material x1 |
Chapter 5: Under the Bridge Lantern
This route uses a single enemy, a Remnant of the Iron Regiment. Each kill is worth 3,000 Catalysts. The Remnant takes 50% less damage from firearms, so the goal is not to shoot it down. You shoot it to open it up for a melee finish.
Chapter 10: Chapel Lantern
The Chapel Lantern has another Remnant of the Iron Regiment standing directly in front of it, with no ladder in the way. Use the same two Blunderbuss shots and frontal deathblow, then rest. Each cycle is shorter than the Chapter 5 route because there is almost no walking between kills.
Surplus Amber location and Catalyst bonus
Surplus is a passive Amber that adds Catalysts to every kill. Each extra copy you pick up raises its rank by one, up to rank III. Upgrading it costs no Catalysts.
| Surplus rank | Extra Catalysts per kill | Copy location |
|---|---|---|
| I | +10% | Valley of Ashes, near Military Camp Lantern |
| II | +12.5% | Caverns, near Old Mine Lantern |
| III | +15% | The Outskirts, near Market Square Lantern |
The Chapter 2 copy in the Valley of Ashes is hidden inside a cave.
Equip it in the Levelling menu at a Lantern. When it is active, the Amber list shows Surplus with its rank badge.
On a farm, Surplus complements Warrior’s Fury: each kill activates up to +30% damage and a speed boost lasting 8 seconds, helping you reach the following kill sooner.
Catalysts per kill for each enemy
Each enemy type has up to six placement levels. Later regions place the same enemy at a higher level, with more health and a bigger payout. The range below runs from the lowest placement to the highest.
| Enemy | Catalysts | Health |
|---|---|---|
 Abomination | 1,500 → 3,500 | 1,000 → 4,000 |
 Remnants of the Iron Regiment | 3,000 | 700 |
 Eternal Guardsman | 1,200 → 2,700 | 500 → 1,200 |
 Volunteers | 500 → 2,500 | 650 → 1,300 |
 Risen Grenadier | 150 → 525 | 500 → 1,500 |
 Swarm Mother | 150 → 350 | 120 → 360 |
 Risen Lancer | 150 → 275 | 170 → 680 |
 Risen Sapeur | 150 → 275 | 300 → 900 |
 Howler | 100 → 225 | 100 → 400 |
 Risen Duellist | 120 → 220 | 140 → 560 |
 Risen Musketeer | 50 → 200 | 70 → 210 |
 Risen Soldier | 50 → 200 | 100 → 400 |
 Spewer | 30 → 180 | 50 → 200 |
 Shambling Civilians | 120 → 170 | 80 → 320 |
 Carrion | 30 → 130 | 120 → 480 |
Eternal Guardsmen pay 1,200 Catalysts at their lowest placement, against 500 health. They appear in Entropy, Napoleon’s Prison, the City of Orphans, the Fortress and several other regions. They resist ranged, explosive and fire damage by 50%, so fight them up close.
Abominations are found in the Cursed Hollow, University, Fortress and Napoleon’s Prison. They pay well but carry up to 4,000 health. Fire hurts them a little more than normal, which makes Fire Transmutation a reasonable opener.
Howlers and Carrion are common, but a single kill pays little. Carrion take half damage from melee and ranged attacks, yet they burn very easily. If one is in your path, use fire on it.
Catalyst Clot values and locations
Catalyst Clots are consumables that give a fixed amount of Catalysts when you use them. You can carry up to 99 of each type. They lie around the world, sit in chests, and come as side quest rewards. The late regions hold the largest ones.
| Clot | Catalysts | Main locations |
|---|---|---|
 Common Catalyst Clot | 50 | The Battlefield |
 Uncommon Catalyst Clot | 100 | Valley of Ashes, The Battlefield, Abandoned Church |
 Rare Catalyst Clot | 400 | Fallen Village, Valley of Ashes, The Battlefield |
 Epic Catalyst Clot | 700 | Caverns, Vale of Wrath, Fallen Village |
 Legendary Catalyst Clot | 1,000 | Cursed Hollow, The Outskirts, Vale of Wrath, Caverns |
 Mythic Catalyst Clot | 2,000 | City of Orphans, Cursed Hollow, University |
 Imperial Catalyst Clot | 3,500 | Napoleon’s Prison, Fortress, University |
 Eternal Catalyst Clot | 5,000 | Fortress, University, Napoleon’s Prison |
 Commander’s Catalyst Clot | 10,000 | General Lothaire |
Napoleon’s Prison holds 10 Imperial Catalyst Clots. The Fortress has 8 Imperial and 8 Eternal, and the City of Orphans has 12 Mythic. The Mice storyline in the City of Orphans also hands out Whisker Gifts worth 3,000 and 30,000.
Lucjan sells the smaller clots once the church shop opens after you beat General Lothaire. Uncommon Catalyst Clots cost 200 each, and Legendary Catalyst Clots cost 2,000 each, with five in stock later in the story. Each one costs twice the Catalysts it gives back, so buying clots never speeds up leveling. Selling one returns half its price, which is exactly its Catalyst value.
A clot in your inventory is safe from death, but Catalysts in your pouch are not. Use clots while standing at a Lantern, right before you level, not the moment you pick them up.
Boss Catalyst rewards
Bosses pay out once and never respawn, but a single kill can be worth several levels.
| Boss | Region | Catalysts |
|---|---|---|
 General Lothaire, the Eagle-Bearer | The Battlefield | 10,000 |
| The Iron Marshall | Fallen Village | 7,000 |
 Sphinx, Devourer of the Unworthy | Caverns | 20,000 |
 Slaughtermill | Vale of Wrath | 30,000 |
 Anna, the Bride Drowned in Tears | Cursed Hollow | 14,000 |
 High Justicar Aurelius, Last of the Faithful | The Outskirts | 18,000 |
| Experiment 83 | The Outskirts | 20,000 |
 The Orphan | University | 40,000 |
 Captain Raphael of the Nephtis Superioris | Fortress | 50,000 |
General Lothaire is worth more if you beat him at the first encounter. He also drops a Commander’s Catalyst Clot, for 20,000 Catalysts in total. If you lose that fight, the story continues and you face him again later.
Keeping Catalysts after death
When you die, your Catalysts stay where you fell. If you die again before picking them up, they are gone for good. Deaths inside a boss arena are handled differently, and the Catalysts appear just outside the arena instead.
- Remnant’s Return automatically restores Catalysts you lose upon death. After Chapter 5, you can buy four from Louis’s Laboratoire for 1,000 each.
- Sands of Time returns you to the Lantern you last used and rests you there, without taking your Catalysts.
- Every few loops, level up or purchase materials; then a death can cost you no more than one run.
If you level into a build you don’t like, use Reset All Level Choices at a Lantern. It refunds the Catalysts spent on levels and clears your level-up board choices, for a fee that rises each time. The fee starts at 50, 60, 70 and 100 Catalysts and reaches 1,460 by the 20th reset.
The most reliable path in practice looks like this. Burn through the Chapter 1 soldiers until you hit level 5, then grab Surplus in the Valley of Ashes. Farm the Marketplace barn whenever a boss blocks you. From Chapter 5 on, switch to the Remnant routes, and save the big late-game clots for the steep levels past 50.
