- Valor Mortis time to beat is around 20 hours for the main story, per official announcements.
- Soulslike difficulty, exploration depth, and optional content can extend a playthrough significantly.
- The game launches October 13, 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S at $39.99.
- Completionist runs covering sidequests, shortcuts, and secrets will take well beyond the main story.
- Your personal skill with first-person parry timing is the single biggest variable in total playtime.
Valor Mortis Time to Beat: The Official Numbers
Valor Mortis is a first-person Soulslike action RPG set in a plague-ridden alternate Napoleonic Europe, developed by One More Level. According to official Steam announcements, the game offers roughly 20 hours of main story content. That figure is the anchor point for every estimate below, but your actual runtime will depend heavily on how you approach its combat, exploration, and optional paths.
Video Highlights:
- Official Gameplay Overview Trailer from the Steam announcements page
- Shows first-person sword combat, firearms, and supernatural abilities
- Highlights exploration of historical architecture and sidequest content
- Demonstrates the dual-wielding and magic systems that shape pacing
Because Valor Mortis blends Soulslike structure with Metroidvania-inspired level design, players who rush the critical path and players who explore thoroughly will have very different experiences. The tables below break down realistic expectations by playstyle.
Valor Mortis has not launched yet at the time of writing. The 20-hour figure comes from official announcements; community averages from sites like HowLongToBeat will only become reliable after release. Treat all completion estimates beyond the main story as informed projections, not confirmed data.
Playtime Breakdown by Playstyle
Different players extract very different amounts of content from the same Soulslike. Use this breakdown to calibrate your expectations before starting.
| Playstyle | Estimated Time | What It Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Main story only | ~20 hours | Critical path, required bosses, minimal exploration |
| Story + major sidequests | ~25-30 hours | Most optional NPC quests and weapon upgrades |
| Thorough exploration | ~30-35 hours | Shortcuts, hidden rooms, most secrets |
| Completionist | 35+ hours | All secrets, endings, collectibles, full arsenal |
| Factor | Effect on Playtime | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Soulslike difficulty | Adds time | Repeated boss attempts and death recovery loops |
| Exploration depth | Adds time | Metroidvania-style backtracking and shortcuts |
| Build familiarity | Saves time | Players fluent in parry timing progress faster |
| Sidequest engagement | Adds time | Optional NPC encounters are easy to miss |
Fast Run (~20h)
- Critical path focus
- Skip optional bosses
- Minimal backtracking
- Best for story-focused players
Standard Run (~25-30h)
- Balanced playthrough
- Most sidequests completed
- Moderate exploration
- Recommended for first-timers
Completionist (35h+)
- Every secret found
- All endings pursued
- Full weapon and ability upgrades
- Requires guides and revisit routes
If this is your first first-person Soulslike, budget closer to the thorough-exploration estimate. Learning enemy timing, stamina management, and perfect parries in a first-person view takes hours of practice that genre veterans skip.
Step-by-Step: How to Finish Valor Mortis Efficiently
Follow these steps to reach the credits close to the official 20-hour estimate without skipping the content that makes the game rewarding.
Learn the combat loop early
Spend the opening area practicing blocks, perfect parries, dodges, and stamina control. Two or three hours of deliberate practice here saves many hours of repeated boss attempts later. Approach encounters slowly and punish openings rather than attacking continuously.
Open shortcuts as you explore
The Metroidvania-inspired structure rewards unlocking shortcuts and interconnected routes. Every shortcut you open reduces backtracking after death, which is the biggest hidden time cost in a Soulslike run.
Track sidequests separately
Keep a personal note of optional NPCs and unfinished routes. Decide early whether a sidequest is worth the detour, and skip optional content that would derail your pace.
Choose one build and commit
Settle on a primary approach - melee, firearm-focused, ability-heavy, or dual-wield - and upgrade consistently. Respeccing or rebuilding mid-game is a common source of wasted hours.
Prepare before each boss
Check health items, ammunition, and ability resources before entering an arena. Enter fights with a plan: melee counters, ranged weak points, or ability openings. Unprepared attempts burn time without teaching you the fight.
After each failed boss attempt, change one decision at a time - your positioning, your defensive option, or your punish timing. Isolating variables turns deaths into progress instead of wasted attempts.
What Extends Your Playthrough
Several core systems in Valor Mortis naturally stretch playtime beyond the official story length. Understanding them in advance helps you decide where to invest your hours.
| System | Why It Adds Time | Typical Added Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Boss difficulty | Multi-phase fights, attack-pattern reading | 3-6 hours |
| Hidden areas and secrets | Off-path rooms, sealed passages, revisits | 3-6 hours |
| Sidequests | Trigger conditions, NPC conversations, rewards | 3-5 hours |
| Build variety | Multiple weapons, firearms, abilities, dual wielding | 2-5 hours |
| Death and recovery | Retrieval runs after failed encounters | Varies by skill |
Before You Call It Finished:
- Complete the main storyline and all required bosses
- Resolve major sidequest lines you encountered
- Unlock and confirm key shortcuts in every region
- Fully upgrade your primary weapon and core abilities
- Revisit earlier areas after gaining new traversal options
For the latest details on story length and post-launch content, follow the official Steam announcements page and the Valor Mortis Steam store page. The community at r/ValorMortis will also compile real player times after launch.
FAQ
Q: How long is Valor Mortis?
Official announcements indicate around 20 hours of main story content. A thorough playthrough with sidequests and exploration will realistically take 25-35 hours, and completionist runs can exceed 35 hours.
Q: When does Valor Mortis release and on what platforms?
Valor Mortis is planned for release on October 13, 2026, on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with a launch price of $39.99.
Q: Does Valor Mortis have difficulty options that affect playtime?
As a Soulslike, Valor Mortis is built around a fixed challenge rather than selectable difficulty. Your mastery of parry timing, stamina management, and boss patterns - not difficulty sliders - determines how long encounters take.
Q: Is Valor Mortis good for a first Soulslike?
It can be, but expect the upper end of the time-to-beat estimates. First-person Soulslike combat has a learning curve, and budgeting extra hours for practice and exploration will make the experience far less frustrating.