After rescuing Louis in Chapter 3 and speaking with James, he then instructs you to follow the path that Louis was planning to research, and hands you the Cave Grotto key to then be able to access the next area in Valor Mortis. And so begins Chapter 4.
This one has us going through the Caverns area, and is choke full of collectibles, Ambers, upgrades to your Flask, a side quest, and also gets you a couple of neat abilities. In this guide, I have put up the full walkthrough for Chapter 4: Dark Descent in Valor Mortis.
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Chapter 4 Begins
Take the left path like you did for Chapter 3, but this time, with the grappling ability unlocked, you can cut through the broken bridge straight ahead. Once you land on the other side, the gate straight ahead is locked. There is one on the left, which you will be able to unlock with the Cave Grotto Key.
Entering the Caverns area | Last Sunlight Lantern
Entering the gate teleports you to the Caverns. Use the Grapple, and follow the linear path to unlock our first Lantern here.
From here, the path on the left is locked by a blue node on the other side – so yes, this is a shortcut that we will unlock eventually. For now, proceed on the only route available to us.
Beginning the Homesick Side Quest
This takes us into an area which looks like a camp or a temporary residence set up by someone. There will be a blue Echo, and once that is complete, pick up the letter on the desk just ahead to start the side quest for this area – Homesick.
Go ahead, and you will come across a shiny, with, predictably, an enemy waiting to ambush you on the right. Pick up the Epic Catalyst Clot after defeating the Shambling Civilian. From here, you will see a climbable ledge on the right, and a path that leads straight on. Both lead to the same open area, the one on the right will help take care of a couple of enemies stealthily.
Before taking the ledge, if you turn around from there, you will see a narrow crawl space, but that just takes us back to the Homesick side quest area, so ignore that.
Use the ledge and do the Plunge attack on the enemy straight ahead. Collect the Epic Catalyst Clot from the right. Here, there are broadly two sets of enemies. One on the right side of the area, which we will take out shortly, and then ones on the left. The left side also has a red-eye enemy, so save that for the last after clearing out others.
Before we engage with the set here, though, let’s open that shortcut first. Climb to the platform next to the set of crates (sticking on the right side of the arena), and you will come across a Shambling Civilian with a rake. Right next to him are Vines, so burn them. Straight ahead with a pretty welcoming waterfall and an inviting ledge is the next area that we will tackle, but just not yet.
Focus on the right, where you have the blue node to pull and open the shortcut. With that out of the way, retrace your steps to the arena, and continue clearing the right side first.
So, sticking to the right (and being watchful of the hole on the ground), climb over the ledge to collect Crude Blade Material, and kill the Shambling Civilian who will alert everyone if not disposed quickly.
Even if he does sound the alert, the mob should be manageable, and will consist of the usual rake and scythe wielding villagers, along with one who hurls axes from a distance. Just ensure that you bait them to the right side of the area, and don’t alert the other group on the left side.
You will also get introduced here to a new enemy type – the Spewer. It is essentially a Carrion that is wedged onto ceilings and other difficult to reach areas, and will spit at you – this can do serious harm, so taking them out first before engaging other enemy in areas should be your strategy going ahead.
Dominatus Amber
It is now time to take care of the last enemy group which is huddled around the fire, but more importantly, there is a Spewer above. After killing it, try and take out clear out one enemy from a distance with your Pistol, and then unload either the Fire Transmutation or the Blunderbuss when they are within range.
Defeating the red eye Shambling Civilian will get you Pure Blade Material and Dominatus Amber. Any Amber that you collect, which you already have will upgrade that Amber. If you go to your inventory, you will now see Dominatus with (2/3).
Collect a Whetstone from the area around the fire, but not before taking out another Spewer just above the fire.
In this area, you will spot a hole from through which you can safely land below. This will open up into an area with boats that you can jump across.
Listen to the blue Echo, and take the right path first. This leads to a Sapeur keeping a watch. Take him out, as the next section has three enemies, two of which are with a Rapier and can be dangerous if you are not very careful.
Lucky Shot Amber | Bottomless Well Amber | Closing the Homesick quest
Straight ahead, you will see a Grapple point, a Grenadier, and a chest. We can take him out this way, but let’s do it sneakily. Stick to the right, climb the ledge, and you will see an enemy straight ahead with an explosive barrel next to him.
Shoot it, and then take out the enemy below on your left from a safe distance using your Pistol. Jump down, and use the boat to get across. From here, if you look up, you will see a Nephtoglobin that you can shoot to land the rock on the Grenadier.
Now, you can easily go across and loot the chest to get the Lucky Shot Amber. This one when equipped gives you a small chance of not consuming ammo when shooting. Also collect the Legendary Catalyst Clot on your right, after disposing the enemy with the Rifle.
Go further ahead, and pick the note that progresses the Homesick quest. Return with this to the area where you first picked up the note to begin this quest, and you will get rewarded with the Bottomless Well Amber. This should be your second one, if you collected the first from Chapter 1 in Valor Mortis.
Pull open the blue node, which takes you into the area that we glimpsed before … the open area with a waterfall. Before we tackle this area, let’s make our way back to the Lantern, and trace our path from there.
Open Area with Waterfall
Now, it is time to tackle the waterfall area. Start from the Lantern, and make your way through the open shortcut and take the right. Swing across the ledge.
Interact with the Echo to further get context to the Homesick side quest, and move ahead. Take the narrow winding path downwards, jump across the ledges and use the Grapple to swing across. At this point, you now get the ability to run across (specific) walls by jumping towards them.
Weeping Ledge Lantern
The next area is a platforming challenge, where you have to jump onto the rocks before they give way, and make it to the Lantern visible at the very edge on the right. From the last rock, there will be a Nephtowall (it is hidden from view in the image above, but will be visible when you make it to the last rock) to run across and make it and rekindle the second Lantern of Chapter 4: Dark Descent in Valor Mortis.
Lunatic’s Grasp Amber
From the Lantern, there are 2 paths. On the left – Vines that you can burn. There, you will soon arrive at another branching path. Take the left, and you will have a Spewer.
Burn the 2nd set of Vines, and you will arrive onto a ledge that has a path below it.
On the left, is a Carrion enemy, and a Crude Transmutation Material. Grab it, and now take the right.
This opens up into an area with a chest on your far left, and Vines on your far right, with several Carrion enemies in between. Dispose off the enemies, and loot the chest to get the Lunatic’s Grasp Amber. The Lunatic’s Grasp Amber speeds up status buildup on enemies, but also lowering your resistances.
With that, take the path unlocked by burning the Vines, and carefully drop down the hole.
The next section is a frantic run, as you try and avoid the falling rocks from the ceiling, a Spewer trying its best to take you down with a couple of Carrions. Kill the Spewer first, and ensure that you are at full health. One of those rocks hitting you can wipe out almost half your health.
Once a rock has fallen in an area, you can stand there to heal yourself to the full, and then push ahead. Don’t worry about health potions, we will be unlocking a shortcut back to the Lantern immediately after this section.
Midway, there is a safe spot on the right with an Epic Catalyst Clot, use that if needed, but be careful of the Carrions. It is best to ignore them and just work on getting through this area. Once you are safe, you can then unleash the Fire Transmutation to dispose them.
Shoot the Nephtoglobin to open up a shortcut back to the Lantern. Collect the Standard Firearm Parts, and rest at the save point.
The next section is a platforming challenge, with no enemies. You will have alternating Nephtoglobin walls, and Grapple points for you to time properly, and a final Grapple that will land you on solid ground.
You then have a branching path, the right of which has a blue node to pull, which leads you back to the Last Sunlight Lantern.
The next section is again a platforming challenge, where you have to make it across rocks before they give way, and time the last jump to the Nephtoglobin wall before you make it across. The one thing to remember here, is that you have to compulsorily alternate between rocks on the left and the right. The last one, for example, if you try to jump straight ahead (which seems nearer than the one on the right), a rock from the ceiling will take it down.
Once that is done, continue ahead till you see a Volunteer burning off a pile straight ahead. Before going ahead, turn right and grab Deadly Rounds.
Now, make your way across the bridge. This one is new variant who is armed with a Musket and a Flamethrower. The Musket thrust is an easier one to parry, and it significantly builds up the stun meter. A Rapier with its quick stabs, or a Blunderbuss with its high stagger are your best bets for the close quarters fight here.
On the other side, take care of the soldier coming in from the left. and use the lever to bring down the platform on the left. Use that to jump over to the other side, kill the lone soldier, and grab the Salt Mine Note. Then, take the two ladders.
You will now see a lever on the right, use it to bring the platform up to help you use it and cross over to the next section. There, you will see a blue Echo on the right and an Epic Catalyst Clot further ahead.
With that done, now use the ladder to climb up, and use the lever on the left again to align the platform for you to be able to jump. However, it does not lead you to the Lantern straight ahead, but to your right. That will have to do for now.
Take the linear path, and you will see the familiar figure, indicating time for a new weapon or a Transmutation. This one is a pretty strong one – a Stasis Transmutation that is helpful both in combat and traversal.
Old Mine Lantern
The game immediately gives you an opportunity to try it out. The next set of rotating dials need to be put in Stasis as soon as they align so that you can use the ledge to swing over.
Make your way across the Nephtoglobin Wall, the Grapple node, and the enemies (on which you can use Stasis now). Grab the Hand Grenade from the right. Use the lever to open the gate, and then Stasis to then stop it from closing down, sort of the Axe in God of War Ragnarok.
Now, use the same strategy on the lever which had aligned the platform to force you to go right, to now cross over to the third Lantern – Old Mine in Chapter 4 of Valor Mortis. Lucjan pops up here, complete the interaction with him to then progress to the next section.
The door in front of the Lantern is locked, so proceed left. Here, you will see a similar design. A platform that is the only way of getting across, and levers on different levels. So, you have to move the platform to the level that you want, and use Stasis to freeze it in place. Then progress, use the lever to move the platform again, apply Stasis, and so on.
First, descend to the lowest level, and go the end to collect Standard Firearm Parts. The platform here is at your level, but you have nowhere to jump across to. Come back to the level where you have the Lantern. Take the stairs up. Collect the Epic Catalyst Clot after defeating the enemy next to it. Move to the top, and you will finally see a lever.
Now, move the platform so that you can jump across from where you are. Look in the image above to get a clear idea. The other way to look at this is, align it so that you land on the other side where the shiny is.
Empty Ferrofluid Flask
Collect the Nephtoglobin Vial, and proceed ahead on the right towards the mine shaft.
Continue along the path, and on the left, you will see rotating dials, that you can use Stasis on, and jump over to the other side to loot a chest containing Empty Ferrofluid Flask.
The OathBreaker side quest progress | Perfectionism Amber
Now return back, use the (Lever + Stasis) combo to freeze the platform one level above you. Take the ladder, and jump over to the other side. This route leads to a pretty tough opponent – the Eternal Guardian, as part of The OathBreaker side quest. Defeating him gets you Mysterious Stone Pyramid, Jean Pierre Polnaire’s Emblem, and the Perfectionism Amber from the chest that he was guarding.
This is a pretty tough fight, so I would suggest to come back later when you are stronger. For now, retrace your steps back to where we had looted the Empty Ferrofluid Flask by taking a left, and let’s continue straight ahead this time.
Now there are three branching paths here. The one on the right has 2 Carrion enemies and an Oil Grenade + Crude Transmutation Material. The ladder, and the third path both lead to the same spot eventually.
The path on the left has a Sapeur, a Soldier who comes running at you, and when you keep moving ahead, a Legendary Catalyst Clot behind a dead soldier with a spear through him.
Grab the Refreshing Vial behind the ladder when you climb down, and ready yourself for the next section.
The next section is a mine cart section where you have to avoid it’s paths by timing your moves to the next safe spot in between the mine runs. These will lead you into different areas, and while the route may become confusing, it is essentially linear – there is no wrong or alternate way to move, since all other doors except the correct ones are locked at this point.
You will be dropping down ladders, and crossing across different mine tracks, but the game essentially leads you in that one direction only here. Of course, what would such a section be without enemy placements at the worst possible spots. So, go slowly and don’t rush in anywhere.
Eventually, when you come to this part where you have a Sapeur, with burnable Vines to his left, that means you are on the right track. Dispose of him and the Vines, watch out for the Spewer on the other side of the Vines.
You now need to find a way to change this track alignment, so that the mine cart crashes into the gate on the left, instead of going to the right, and opens it up for you.
That lever is right there on top, but you have to go through a few hoops to go there. Go through the crawl space on your right. Don’t rush to the ladder you see on your left, first take care of the several Carrion as they rush at you.
Once that is done, climb up, use the lever, and then make your way through the now-open gate, and take the elevator to the Lantern to get the shortcut in place.
Jump across the Nephtoglobin Wall after applying Stasis on the dials in front. Collect the Nephtoglobin Vial on your way down.
Don’t take the bridge across yet, take a right through the crawl space. We will first explore this side of the area. Take the Nephtoglobin Wall, and backstab the Volunteer, and immediately get the Blunderbuss out to to blow up the gas tank on his back.
Get the Standard Firearm Parts, and let’s clear out the enemies on the other side from here, so that we don’t have to worry about them when we make our way across. Lower the platform to the lower section with multiple enemies, and then shoot the explosive barrels.
Mine Cart Route Lantern
With that done, take the two ladders down, and use the Explosive Barrel / Backstab to dispose the Volunteer. Hug the wall on the right, and watch out for the ambush. Then, from the gap in the rock, pull the blue node to open up a path.
Retrace your steps, enter the now open area to get Distilled Transmutation Material. We are now done with this side of the area. Out of the two bridges, take the one on your right, the one with a gap in the middle. This leads us to a new Lantern – Mine Cart Route.
Limit Break Amber
With this save point now secured, it is time to take the other bridge, to lead us to the side from where we cleared out most enemies using the Explosive Barrels. Except for the lone Sapeur, who now marches slowly towards you. Take him out, and loot the Legendary Catalyst Clot on your right.
Go straight, take the ladder up, and use the Nephtoglobin wall to cross to the other side. Loot the Oil Grenade, and make your way down. Kill the enemy there, and continue ahead to come across a chest with the Limit Break Amber; and Superior Firearm Parts.
Use the Nephtoglobin Wall to go back, and this time take the ladder to go up. Grab the Epic Catalyst Clot, and follow the ledge on the right to enter into a sort of a storage area. There will be an enemy resting ahead. Loot the Crude Blade Material from the adjoining room.
With this, we are finally done with all collectibles in the area, and we can make our way back to the Lantern (across the broken bridge on the right).
Minecart Ride Sequence
And finally, we are ready to face the boss … after completing what is, in my opinion, one of the best sequences in this game. You land on a minecart, as it rolls and swerves at impossible angles and speeds across a route filled with obstacles that you need to take care of for the ride to continue, and land at the next Lantern.
We have put up a detailed step-by-step walkthrough for getting through the minecart sequence in Chapter 4.
Ancient Lair Lantern
Once you are done with this, you will arrive at your next and final Lantern here as the path to the boss, and conclusion of Chapter 4 lies in front of you.
Now would be a good time to go back to the Abandoned Church, and get all your Upgrades and Purchases done in preparation for the boss fight.
Sphinx, Devourer of the Unworthy Boss Fight
The Sphinx, Devourer of the Unworthy is your final obstacle in completing Chapter 4. This is a 2-phase fight, but the moves in the second phase don’t change much from the first one. The boss moves across the big arena pretty swiftly, but the attacks are generally avoidable.
An upgraded Blunderbuss, and the Fire Transmutation are your best friends to get this boss down. Check out our detailed guide here on how to defeat the Sphinx in Valor Mortis.
Once defeated, you get 20,000 Catalysts, and get transported to an intimidating structure, and then, once you try to touch it, the screen fades out. You next find yourself back at the Abandoned Church. Complete the discussion with Louis and then James, to finish Chapter 4 in Valor Mortis.
