Valor Mortis How to Upgrade Weapons
Valor Mortis starts handing you weapon upgrade materials before it actually gives you somewhere to spend them. Weapon upgrading becomes available shortly after one of the game's early major fights, opening a permanent way to improve both melee weapons and firearms while also unlocking additional passive effects at certain weapon levels.
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How to Upgrade Weapons
When Weapon Upgrades Unlock
Where to Find James's Iron Bench
Blade Materials & Firearm Parts
What Weapon Upgrades Do
Weapon Upgrade Achievements
How to Upgrade Weapons in Valor Mortis
To upgrade weapons in Valor Mortis, use James's Iron Bench inside the Abandoned Church. Melee weapons require Blade Materials, while firearms use Firearm Parts. Once you have the necessary material, interact with the bench, select the weapon you want to improve, and purchase its next upgrade.
Both weapon types are handled at the same bench, so there is no separate upgrade location for swords and firearms. The material you need simply changes depending on the weapon category.
Weapon upgrade requirements:
Melee Weapons — Blade Materials
Firearms — Firearm Parts
Upgrade Location — James's Iron Bench in the Abandoned Church
When Can You Upgrade Weapons in Valor Mortis?
Weapon upgrades unlock after defeating General Lothaire, the Eagle-Bearer outside the entrance to the Abandoned Church.
This is why Blade Materials and Firearm Parts can appear before you have any visible way to use them. You have not missed an upgrade menu or hidden NPC during the opening hours. Keep the materials you collect, defeat General Lothaire, and continue into the Abandoned Church.
After entering the church and meeting James, his Iron Bench becomes available and you can start improving the weapons you have collected.
Where to Find James's Iron Bench
James's Iron Bench is inside the Abandoned Church beside James. You gain access to the area immediately after the General Lothaire fight outside the church.
The bench becomes the main location for upgrading both melee weapons and firearms, so any weapon materials you have been collecting can finally be put to use once you reach this point.
If you are still carrying several upgrade materials with no apparent way to spend them, the important prerequisite is the General Lothaire encounter rather than finding a different workbench somewhere earlier in the game.
Blade Materials and Firearm Parts Explained
Valor Mortis separates its weapon upgrade resources into two categories. Blade Materials are used exclusively for melee weapons, while Firearm Parts are used for guns.
Both types of material are found while exploring, and higher-rarity upgrade materials begin appearing as you move further through the game. Early resources therefore cover the first stages of weapon improvement, while later upgrades depend on stronger versions found in more advanced areas.
There is no reason to avoid picking up upgrade materials before the Iron Bench unlocks. Anything collected beforehand can be saved and used once James's workshop becomes available.
What Do Weapon Upgrades Do in Valor Mortis?
Upgrading a weapon improves its offensive strength. Melee weapons gain additional damage, while firearms gain more firepower, making upgrades one of the most direct ways to increase the effectiveness of weapons you already like using.
Weapon levels also do more than raise raw damage. Reaching certain upgrade milestones lets you choose between additional passive effects for that weapon.
Those passives can change how the weapon fits into your playstyle. Confirmed examples include increased damage after reloading and reduced Endurance cost while blocking, so higher weapon levels can improve both basic performance and the way a weapon functions within a build.
Because later upgrades require increasingly valuable materials, it generally makes more sense to commit your strongest resources to weapons you are actually using rather than upgrading everything evenly just because it is available.
Valor Mortis Weapon Upgrade Achievements
Fully upgrading weapons is also required for two Valor Mortis achievements. Gun of Glory requires you to upgrade one Firearm to maximum, while Bladesmith requires one Melee Weapon to reach maximum level.
Gun of Glory: Upgrade a single Firearm to maximum.
Bladesmith: Upgrade a single Melee Weapon to maximum.
You only need one fully upgraded weapon from each category for these achievements, not every gun and blade in the game. If full completion is the goal, concentrating late-game materials into one preferred firearm and one preferred melee weapon is the most efficient approach.
There are additional achievements tied to unlocking Weapons and Transmutations and fully upgrading a Transmutation. Our Valor Mortis Achievement Guide covers the complete list and every unlock requirement.
