Valor Mortis Side Quests: All 24 Rewards & Choices

Valor Mortis has 24 side quests next to its 11 main chapters. Most are short, story-driven detours started by a letter, a body or a stranger, and they pay out in Ambers, Catalysts, upgrade materials and consumables. Six of them are tied to achievements, and several end differently depending on what you choose.

This guide lists every side quest region by region, with what starts it, exactly what it rewards, and which ones have a decision that changes the outcome. Descriptions stay spoiler-light; the full step-by-step for each quest (endings collapsed) is on its own page in the side quests database.

All side quests at a glance

Quests with no recorded reward still matter: many give notes, characters and lore pages, and several are needed for achievements or lead into other quests. Guard Eternal on the Battlefield, for example, starts the Eternal Guard story that The Deserter and The Oathbound continue.

Side quests by region

The Battlefield (Act I): 1 side quest

• [Guard Eternal](/valor-mortis/side-quests/guard-eternal): A letter shows how far the Eternal Guard was ordered to go to protect a mysterious cargo. Follow the trail it starts. Reward: —.

Valley of Ashes (Act II): 2 side quests

• [An Unheard Farewell](/valor-mortis/side-quests/an-unheard-farewell): An adjudant hiding in a wagon wants to know what happened to the unit that went into the cave. Your report decides the reward. Reward: Lucky Shot (Amber) OR Sleight of Hand (Amber). Achievement: Aggressive Reconnaissance (44.2%).
• [The Emissary](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-emissary): An Emissary's seal lies in an abandoned camp by the bridge Nephtoglobin destroyed. The path beyond is blocked by infestation at first. Reward: —.

Fallen Village (Act III): 2 side quests

• [Lullaby](/valor-mortis/side-quests/lullaby): A cradle in one of the huts echoes with a baby's cry. Find a way to quiet the spirit; you will need the Weathered Key and a Toy. Reward: Tomorrow's Promise (Amber) + 1,500 Catalysts.
• [The Scarecrow](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-scarecrow): A body has been strung up as a scarecrow, missing a medallion and a pocket. Recover both items. Reward: —.

Caverns (Act IV): 1 side quest

• [Homesick](/valor-mortis/side-quests/homesick): In the caves, the remains of a family wait for a father who never came back. His fate is somewhere in the tunnels. Reward: Bottomless Well (Amber) + 2,000 Catalysts.

Vale of Wrath (Act V): 4 side quests

• [In the Name of Art](/valor-mortis/side-quests/in-the-name-of-art): A painter's last canvas points towards a small grave on a nearby cliff. Reward: —.
• [The Deserter](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-deserter): Private Henri Dufour of the Eternal Guard is wanted for desertion and theft. Track what he took (an Anubis figurine, in pieces). Reward: —. Achievement: Hand in the Jar (1.1%).
• [The King of Smugglers](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-king-of-smugglers): A cargo manifest at the village port shows Napoleon's chest was loaded onto a smuggler's ship. Reward: —.
• [The Lost Boy](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-lost-boy): A young man left a note promising to return from the resistance the next day. Find out whether he did. Reward: —.

Cursed Hollow (Act VI): 3 side quests

• [Sleeping Beauty](/valor-mortis/side-quests/sleeping-beauty): The headman's daughter fell into an unnatural sleep after pricking herself on a spinning needle. You will need the headman's key. Reward: Distilled Transmutation Material + 2,000 Catalysts OR Distilled Transmutation Material + 3,000 Catalysts.
• [The Curious Case of Seamus Diggory](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-curious-case-of-seamus-diggory): Seamus, a sun-allergic man hiding in a shed, wants untainted blood samples from the nearby grove. Reward: Ferrofluid Flask Power Upgrade ×2 + 4,000 Catalysts (recorded across both outcomes). Achievement: Blood and Wine (1.3%).
• [Till Death](/valor-mortis/side-quests/till-death): The drowned bride's wreath is missing a ribbon. This quest opens after you defeat Anna, the Bride Drowned in Tears. Reward: Tomorrow's Promise (Amber) + 3,000 Catalysts.

The Outskirts (Act VII): 2 side quests

• [Laudanum](/valor-mortis/side-quests/laudanum): An old lady running a sick house needs laudanum for children with typhus. A drunk named Barnaby has some. Reward: Mythic Catalyst Clot. Achievement: A Bitter Cure (1%).
• [The Shrike's Anthem](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-shrikes-anthem): A torn song in honour of the Shrike is missing four verses. Find them as you explore. Reward: Tiny Whisker Gift + 3,000 Catalysts.

City of Orphans (Act VIII): 5 side quests

• [Afraid of the Dark](/valor-mortis/side-quests/afraid-of-the-dark): The Mice fear the dark sewers. Light the torches for them. Reward: —.
• [Bedtime Stories](/valor-mortis/side-quests/bedtime-stories): Two Mice cannot sleep without their storybook, left in a wine cellar marked with a shrike symbol. Reward: Tiny Whisker Gift ×2 (recorded across both outcomes).
• [Misericorde](/valor-mortis/side-quests/misericorde): A soldier lies crying in agony. Decide whether to end his suffering. Reward: Remnant's Return ×2 + 3,000 Catalysts (recorded across both outcomes).
• [Monster Hunt](/valor-mortis/side-quests/monster-hunt): An eerie drawing of a monster is the first of 17 drawings by the Mice. Collect them all. Reward: —. Achievement: The Book of Beasts (0.2%).
• [Mummy and Daddy](/valor-mortis/side-quests/mummy-and-daddy): The Mice ask you to bring cheese to their parents. The parents are not what they expect. Reward: Tiny Whisker Gift + 3,000 Catalysts.

Fortress (Act X): 1 side quest

• [Two Towers](/valor-mortis/side-quests/two-towers): A soldiers' note explains that lighting the pyres opens the gate. Reward: —.

Napoleon's Prison: 2 side quests

• [The Choir](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-choir): The prison warden dreamt of composing a symphony for Napoleon. His quarters start the trail. Reward: Remnant's Return + 6,000 Catalysts.
• [The Forgotten Fortune](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-forgotten-fortune): Something valuable sits in a locked cell. A Silver Lockpick from another cell opens it. Reward: —.

Across several regions: 1 side quest

• [The Oathbound](/valor-mortis/side-quests/the-oathbound): An emblem hidden under a defeated Eternal Guard's shirt is the first of seven, one for each of the Oathbound. This quest runs across many regions. Reward: —. Achievement: We Wear the Same Colours (0.2%).

Choices that change the outcome

7 side quests have more than one ending or reward set. Our data does not mark any quest as officially missable, but these are the decisions worth thinking about before you commit:

• An Unheard Farewell (Valley of Ashes): one outcome rewards Lucky Shot, the other Sleight of Hand. Lucky Shot also sits in three chests, but our data shows no other source of Sleight of Hand, which matters for the Ambersmith achievement (gather all Ambers).
• Sleeping Beauty (Cursed Hollow): both outcomes give a Distilled Transmutation Material; one pays 2,000 Catalysts and the other 3,000.
• The Curious Case of Seamus Diggory (Cursed Hollow): has two endings. The recorded rewards are Ferrofluid Flask Power Upgrades and Catalysts, and completing it unlocks Blood and Wine.
• Misericorde (City of Orphans): whether you grant the soldier mercy. Rewards include Remnant's Return vials and 3,000 Catalysts.
• Bedtime Stories (City of Orphans): read the Mice their story or not. The rewards are Tiny Whisker Gifts (3,000 Catalysts each).
• Mummy and Daddy (City of Orphans): if you slay the Mice's parents instead of calming them, the journal says the Mice "have sworn never to aid me again". Several City of Orphans quests and the 17-drawing Monster Hunt run through the Mice, so this is the choice we would be most careful with.
• Laudanum (The Outskirts): two endings; the recorded reward is a Mythic Catalyst Clot, and completing it unlocks A Bitter Cure.

Side quest achievements

Aggressive Reconnaissance (An Unheard Farewell) is the common one, at 44.2% of players on launch day. The others are rare because they come later or take more work. The Book of Beasts needs all 17 of the Mice's monster drawings for Monster Hunt, and We Wear the Same Colours needs every Oathbound emblem from Eternal Guards across the campaign. The trophy guide covers all 39.

Monster Hunt: the 17 drawings

The drawings show the game's bestiary: a Volunteer, the Sphinx, a Remnant of the Iron Regiment, a Howler, an Eternal Guard, a Swarm Mother, a Grenadier, a Lancer, a Sapeur, a Carrion, a Risen Soldier, Shambling Civilians, General Lothaire, the Slaughtermill, an Abomination, an unknown figure and an unknown monstrosity. The quest is logged in the City of Orphans; pick up every drawing you come across.

The Oathbound: seven emblems

The Codex of the Oathbound names seven Eternal Guards who swore to protect the cargo, and each carries an emblem: Bastien Beaufort, Severin Susse, Adrien Casell, Jean Pierre Polnaire, Étienne Vauclair, Lucien Lafontaine and Valen Duroc. Eternal Guardsmen are placed in ten regions, from the Battlefield to Napoleon's Prison (nine spawns there alone), so check every one you defeat. The final step leads to a chamber in the castle.

• Read every letter: most side quests start from one
• Decide An Unheard Farewell with Ambersmith in mind
• Return to Cursed Hollow after Anna for Till Death
• Calm the parents in Mummy and Daddy
• Collect all 17 Monster Hunt drawings
• Search every Eternal Guard for an Oathbound emblem