The boss kills and story moments come with the campaign, so there's nothing to hunt for. The rest needs planning: the upgrade goals, the Amber hunt, a few side quests and some combat challenges. Plan your firearm and Transmutation upgrades early, because the top-tier materials for them are limited and never sold. And finish the earlier regions first, since the last regions of the story have no fast travel.
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Story and Bosses
Spoiler warning: these cards name the bosses and some late-story characters.
Side Quests
Spoiler warning: these cards name the quests behind the hidden achievements. We Wear the Same Colors also touches late-game enemies.
Collection and Upgrades
Combat and Challenges
Completion
Story and Boss Achievements Come With the Campaign
Spoiler warning: this section names bosses from Chapter 2 through Chapter 7.
Each main boss fight unlocks its own achievement once you win it. General Lothaire counts only at his Chapter 2 rematch, because the Chapter 1 fight is a scripted loss. The other main bosses follow in story order from Chapter 3 through Chapter 7, and each one has its own entry on the bosses page.
Claymore, Blunderbuss and Pistol Achievements
A few achievements ask one weapon to do something specific. Hoodsnatcher wants three decapitations from a single Claymore attack. The Claymore is a slow, two-handed blade, so line the enemies up before you commit to the swing. Scattershot wants five kills from one Blunderbuss shot, which means pulling a group tight and firing from short range. Windhover is three Pistol kills while you're aiming in mid-air.
Aerial Annihilation (a headshot after a wall jump) and Single Stroke (shooting the bucket off a Risen Grenadier) don't name a weapon, so use whatever you're comfortable with. Both reward patience over speed. Pick a target that isn't moving much and take the shot you want. Every weapon is on the weapons page.
Parry and Headshot Streaks: Symphony of Steel and God's Trigger
These two reward clean play over a stretch of fighting. Symphony of Steel wants 10 parries without taking damage in between, and God's Trigger wants 10 headshots or weak point hits in a row without a miss. One mistake starts the count over, so practice on enemies you already understand and save the boss fights for later.
Fire, Stasis and Shield Achievements Need a Setup
Several achievements ask you to use a Transmutation the right way. Flame Feast wants four enemies burning from one use of the Fire Transmutation's flamethrower, so wait for a group to bunch up. Fight Fire With Fire is about timing: you have to be on fire yourself when you ignite an enemy. Statue of Insanity needs a Remnant of the Iron Regiment enemy fully locked in Stasis, and the Stasis Transmutation is in the Caverns. Abyssal Eviction is a kill by shoving an enemy into the abyss with a Shield Bash, so find a ledge first.
Unlocks You Can Get on a Normal Run and the Jack-knife Plan
Rookie Mistake, Mind the Gap and In the Nick of Time can all happen on a normal run. If one is still missing, set it up on purpose. For Rookie Mistake, use up your last Ferrofluid Flask charge and press heal once more. For In the Nick of Time, get to a Lantern with your flasks gone and your health under 20%, then interact with it. Mind the Gap only needs a fall into the abyss, and Abyssal Eviction uses the same kind of drop.
Jack-knife takes a plan. You need to deal damage with every blade, firearm and Transmutation on a single life, so spend it on easy enemies and leave bosses out of it.
Upgrade and Collection Achievements to Plan Early
Bladesmith, Gun of Glory and Transmutation Artifex each want one weapon of a type taken to its top level: a blade to level 10, a firearm to level 10 and a Transmutation to level 5. Pick a favorite blade, firearm and Transmutation early and put your upgrades there. James's Iron Bench in the Abandoned Church upgrades blades and firearms, and Louis's Laboratoire upgrades Transmutations. The top-tier firearm and Transmutation materials are limited and never sold, so decide on your gun and your Transmutation before you spend them. The upgrade materials page shows what each level costs.
Ambersmith wants one copy of every Amber type, so repeat pickups don't help. Some Ambers come from side quests, and the Ambers page lists where to find each one. Arsenal Absolute follows from playing through, since every weapon and Transmutation sits at a fixed spot in the campaign.
Side Quest Achievements: Clear Each One in Its Own Region
Spoiler warning: this section names the quests behind the hidden achievements.
Each hidden quest achievement comes from a quest in a different region, so clear each one as you pass through its region. Aggressive Reconnaissance comes from An Unheard Farewell in Valley of Ashes. Hand in the Jar comes from The Deserter in Vale of Wrath. Blood and Wine comes from The Curious Case of Seamus Diggory in Cursed Hollow. The Bitter Cure comes from Laudanum in The Outskirts, and The Book of Beasts from Monster Hunt in City of Orphans.
Laudanum and The Curious Case of Seamus Diggory each end one of two ways. Either ending counts, so pick the one you want. Every quest has a card on the side quests page.
Late-Game Achievements and the Regions With No Fast Travel
Spoiler warning: this section names late-story bosses and places.
Napoleon's Prison and Entropy have no fast travel, so finish the earlier regions first. Collect the upgrade materials you still need before you head there. Frenzied Flame asks you to light the bonfire in the castle. We Wear the Same Colors is the Eternal Guard hunt. Kill every Eternal Guard you meet up to and including the Fortress, then finish The Oathbound quest there before you move on.
The late bosses unlock as you beat them: Coup de Grâce for The Orphan, Behemoth for Nephtis Superioris and In His Own Image for the Entity. Birdwatcher comes with the story when you meet the Shrike. Nephtis Superioris, the last achievement, unlocks on its own once everything else is done.
FAQ
Which Valor Mortis achievements are hidden on Steam?
Steam hides the boss kills, Birdwatcher and the side quest achievements, except We Wear the Same Colors, until you earn them. Everything else shows its condition from the start.
Where do I find the Claymore, Blunderbuss and Pistol for the weapon achievements?
The Claymore is in the Cursed Hollow church, on a corpse at the altar. The Blunderbuss is on a carriage in Fallen Village, after the large Volunteer. The Pistol is on a carriage past the Demolished Path Lantern in Valley of Ashes.
Does We Wear the Same Colors need every Eternal Guard or the Oathbound quest?
Spoiler warning: the achievement asks you to defeat all of the Eternal Guards. The Oathbound quest asks you to collect emblems from seven of them and open a hidden chamber in the Fortress. Both describe the same hunt, so kill every Eternal Guard you meet up to and including the Fortress, then finish the quest there before you move on.