Valor Mortis Guide: Find the Perfectionism II Amber

Perfectionism is an amber in Valor Mortis that raises your melee damage as long as your Health bar is full. It has three ranks. Each copy you pick up moves it one rank higher, so reaching Perfectionism II means finding a second copy. The second copy sits in a guarded chest deep in the Old Mine, at the end of a route that runs through the officers of The Oathbound side quest.

Quick answer: Rest at Chapter 4’s third Lantern in The Old Mine. Raise and stop the hanging lift, jump to the upper walkway, kill the officer in the rune-marked corridor and open the red chest.

Perfectionism amber ranks and bonus

The bonus only applies while you are at full Health. Take one hit and it switches off until you heal back to the top. That suits players who dodge and parry cleanly, and it makes little difference if you trade blows. The game places three copies of the amber, in chests in Valley of Ashes, Caverns and Vale of Wrath. Collecting all three takes it to its maximum rank.

Rank	Melee damage at full Health	Copies collected
Perfectionism I	+10%	1
Perfectionism II	+15%	2
Perfectionism III	+20%	3

You equip ambers by interacting with a Lantern. Picking one up does not activate it, so you have to slot it at a Lantern before the bonus applies.

Inventory menu on the Ambers tab with Duellist's Focus selected, an orange pyramid amber, and its description panel. — The Inventory screen’s Ambers tab shows the Duellist’s Focus amber, which increases the Parry window for Melee Weapons.

First Perfectionism copy: the officer behind the marked rock

The route starts on a broken path through a canyon guarded by riflemen. Instead of following the main path, drop down the ledges onto a lower trail under the wooden beams. Then hop across the rock gaps along the cliff until you reach a boulder carved with a triangular rune.

Route to First Elite — The rune on this boulder marks the clearing where the first Oathbound officer waits. Shown at 00:35 in NewDengs’s video. Image: One More Level

A masked officer in a red cape is waiting in the clearing behind the rock. Killing him starts The Oathbound side quest and drops Lucien Lafontaine’s Emblem along with a Mysterious Stone Pyramid. A red strongbox at the campsite next to the tent and campfire holds a copy of Perfectionism. If this is your first copy, it gives you rank I.

First Elite Battle — Executing the first masked officer starts The Oathbound side quest. Shown at 00:50 in NewDengs’s video. Image: One More Level

Second Oathbound officer behind the red growth

A second officer is close by. Go back over the wooden bridge, cross the gaps along the cliffs and follow the dirt road, clearing the patrols as you go. A red, pulsing growth blocks a side passage off the road. Shoot it to clear the way.

Route to Second Elite — Head back across the wooden bridge to reach the road that leads to the second officer. Shown at 00:56 in NewDengs’s video. Image: One More Level

Another masked officer guards the passage. Beat him to collect Valen Duroc’s Emblem and a second Mysterious Stone Pyramid. This fight moves The Oathbound forward but does not reward an amber.

Destroying Barrier u0026 Second Elite Battle — The second Oathbound officer fights behind the blocked side passage and drops an emblem. Shown at 02:08 in NewDengs’s video. Image: One More Level

Perfectionism II: Old Mine lift and chest

The copy that takes the amber to rank II is in Chapter 4. Use The Old Mine Lantern, which is the chapter’s third Lantern, as your starting point.

Rest at The Old Mine Lantern. Lugian stands in the mine passage next to it, so he is a useful landmark.

Old Mine Lantern Starting Point — The Old Mine Lantern, with Lugian beside it, is where the route to the second Perfectionism copy starts. Shown at 02:20 in NewDengs’s video. Image: One More Level

Walk down the stairs past Lugian, then turn right and climb the wooden steps. Kill the guard at the top.

Use the winch lever to start raising the hanging lift container. The container falls back down if you leave it, so your timing matters for the next step.

Stop the container about halfway up and jump onto it. From there, jump across to the upper walkway before the container drops.

Mine Lift Puzzle — Jump from the stopped lift to the upper landing before it starts falling again. Shown at 03:06 in NewDengs’s video. Image: One More Level

Find the wooden pillar carved with the same triangular rune and go down the corridor beside it. The third masked officer is waiting there. Beating him gives you Jean Pierre Polnaire’s Emblem.

Keep going to the end of the tunnel and hold the open prompt on the ornate red chest. It contains Perfectionism.

To confirm the upgrade, open Inventory and go to the Ambers tab. Perfectionism should now show UPGRADE LEVEL: 2 / 3. Equip it at the next Lantern you rest at so the 15 percent bonus applies.

The Oathbound emblems you collect along the way

All three officers on this route belong to The Oathbound, a side quest tied to the achievement We Wear the Same Colors. The quest log records each emblem you pick up. There are seven in total, so this route accounts for three of them.

Emblem owner	Collected on this route
Lucien Lafontaine	Yes (first officer)
Valen Duroc	Yes (second officer)
Jean Pierre Polnaire	Yes (Old Mine officer)
Étienne Vauclair	No
Severin Susse	No
Adrien Casell	No
Bastien Beaufort	No

The quest finishes in a hidden chamber in the castle once the full set of emblems has been found. None of the remaining emblems are needed for Perfectionism II.