Valor Mortis Blunderbuss Gun Guide – How to Get, Use, Upgrade, and Build

TL;DR

• The Blunderbuss is found in Chapter 3: Rendezvous inside a carriage in the Fallen Village Fields area.
• You must defeat a Volunteer enemy wielding a large sword to access the carriage and pick it up.
• It starts with just two bullets, but one shot removes a serious chunk of enemy health.
• Best used at close range — it’s essentially a shotgun. Useless at distance.
• It can shoot down thrown bombs from bosses, opening up extra counterplay options.
• Best upgrade branch: Collateral Damage over Iron Shower for most builds.
• Best Ambers for Blunderbuss builds: Lucky Shot, Volatile End, Warrior’s Fury.
• Pairs best with aggressive melee styles — Saber, Claymore, or any build that keeps you close.

What Is the Blunderbuss in Valor Mortis?

The Blunderbuss is the second firearm you unlock in Valor Mortis. It sits in your left hand alongside your melee weapon, the same slot used by the Pistol and Transmutations. While the Pistol is your versatile all-rounder, the Blunderbuss is a completely different tool — it’s a muzzle-loaded shotgun built for short, violent bursts of damage.

It starts with only two bullets. That might sound like a limitation, and honestly it is — but the trade-off is that each shot hits harder than anything else you’ll carry in the early-to-mid game. One well-placed Blunderbuss shot into a boss’s exposed weak point deals massive burst damage. That’s its whole identity: not a weapon you shoot often, but one you shoot at exactly the right moment.

The Blunderbuss also has a somewhat unexpected use. It can shoot down bombs thrown by bosses mid-air, which opens up an extra layer of counterplay during some of the tougher encounters in the game. It’s a small detail, but it makes a real difference when you know it’s there.

Where to Find the Blunderbuss in Valor Mortis

The Blunderbuss becomes available in Chapter 3: Rendezvous, set in the Fallen Village region. Specifically, you’ll find it in the Fallen Village Fields area.

As you progress through the fields on the story route, you’ll come across a Volunteer enemy carrying an oversized sword. This is a heavy, slower enemy — take your time, read the parry windows, and take him down. Once he’s dead, enter the carriage behind him.

Inside the carriage, read the Quartermaster Letter at the desk, then unlock the cushioned display case. The Blunderbuss is sitting inside it. Pick it up, and the passage at the far end of the carriage opens, letting you continue on with the story. It’s a required pickup — you cannot miss it.

For the full weapon list and every location across the game, see our Valor Mortis all swords and guns weapons list.

How to Use the Blunderbuss in Valor Mortis

The Blunderbuss works like a shotgun — wide spread, massive close-range damage, essentially useless at distance. Understanding that range limitation is the entire key to using it well.

Here are the situations where the Blunderbuss earns its place:

• Boss weak point bursts — When a boss staggers, opens up, or exposes a glowing lambent blister, that’s your window. Fire the Blunderbuss directly into the weak point for huge burst damage. This is where it truly shines.
• Close-range mob clearing — In tight corridors or when a group of weaker enemies clusters together, the Blunderbuss’s wide spread can hit multiple targets at once. Pre-damage enemies with the Pistol or Fire Transmutation, then finish the group with a single Blunderbuss shot.
• Shooting down thrown bombs — Some bosses throw explosive projectiles. The Blunderbuss can intercept these mid-air, removing a mechanic that would otherwise force you to dodge. It gives you more breathing room in those encounters.
• Aggressive close-range builds — If you’re running a melee build that keeps you inside an enemy’s reach, the Blunderbuss becomes your natural secondary. You’re already close enough. Use it between parries and heavy attacks.

The biggest mistake new players make is trying to use the Blunderbuss like the Pistol — taking shots from medium range and expecting consistent results. It doesn’t work that way. Get close, time your shot, then reload. Think of every bullet as a small investment you’re cashing in at exactly the right moment.

blunderbuss in valor mortis

Blunderbuss Stats in Valor Mortis

When you first pick up the Blunderbuss, it holds two bullets. That capacity is low, but it reflects the gun’s design philosophy — it’s a burst weapon, not a sustained-fire tool.

One shot is enough to remove a significant portion of a standard enemy’s health bar. Against elites and bosses, point-blank shots into weak points do disproportionate damage compared to the Pistol’s more measured output.

The key stats to focus on if you’re building around the Blunderbuss are:

• Headshot Damage — Applies to weak point hits too, amplifying the Blunderbuss’s already high burst.
• Ammo Restock — Critical for a two-bullet weapon. The more you can top up between fights, the less you’ll feel starved of shots when it matters.
• Ammunition Drop Chance — Worth investing in at higher levels, especially in the late-game build, to keep your Blunderbuss loaded through longer areas.

All Blunderbuss Upgrades in Valor Mortis

Weapon upgrades in Valor Mortis are done at the Abandoned Church, your main hub. You’ll need firearm upgrade materials of varying quality — picked up while exploring or purchased from the shop inside the Church. Higher-quality materials unlock the deeper branches of the upgrade tree.

Here are the key choices for the Blunderbuss:

Collateral Damage vs. Iron Shower (Level 5 Branch)

Collateral Damage is the recommended pick for most players. It increases the Blunderbuss’s effectiveness against groups by extending the damage radius or ricochet effect of each shot — essentially rewarding you for firing into clusters of enemies, which is exactly the situation you want to be in.

Iron Shower leans into a different playstyle, increasing raw pellet output or coverage area. It’s not a bad pick, but Collateral Damage’s group-damage utility makes it more broadly useful across both combat and boss scenarios.

Recommendation: Go Collateral Damage for general play. Both are viable end-game choices depending on your preferred style.

The Blunderbuss upgrade tree is consistent across beginner and end-game builds — Collateral Damage over Iron Shower is recommended at every stage of the game, from your first clear of Chapter 3 right through to the final boss.

Best Ambers for the Blunderbuss in Valor Mortis

Ambers are the passive talisman accessories you slot in at a Lantern. You start with only two slots and unlock more as you level William up. Here’s what works well with a Blunderbuss-focused loadout:

Lucky Shot

Gives you a chance to not consume a bullet when firing. For a weapon with only two bullets in its base capacity, this is enormous. Every time Lucky Shot procs, you’re effectively getting a free shot. This is the most important Amber to have on any firearm-heavy build, and it works just as well for the Blunderbuss as it does for the Pistol.

Volatile End

Volatile End makes your firearms more powerful when hitting enemy weak points, adding a damaging explosion on impact. For the Blunderbuss, which you’ll typically fire directly into exposed weak points anyway, this Amber turns every well-timed close-range shot into something that hits much harder. Essential for boss encounters.

Warrior’s Fury

Boosts your damage and attack speed with each kill. If you’re running an aggressive melee build that uses the Blunderbuss as a finisher or punctuation mark between sword swings, Warrior’s Fury stacks well. The more enemies you’re tearing through, the more damage you’re building up for the next Blunderbuss burst.

Tomorrow’s Promise

Makes each Ferrofluid Flask heal more health. Not Blunderbuss-specific, but recommended for any general or beginner build. Combined with Lucky Shot, this is a strong early-game duo that keeps you alive while you learn the Blunderbuss’s timing.

Glass Soldier

A higher-risk amber that increases your damage output while reducing your health or defenses. It suits aggressive close-range builds well — the kind of player who is already deep inside enemy reach using the Blunderbuss and relying on skill over survivability. Not for beginners.

Best Blunderbuss Builds in Valor Mortis

The Blunderbuss isn’t a build-defining weapon on its own. It’s a support tool for aggressive close-range playstyles. The builds below use it to amplify what a melee weapon is already doing.

Blunderbuss and Saber Build (Aggressive Melee)

This is the most natural pairing for the Blunderbuss. The Saber is a fast, well-rounded melee weapon that works at exactly the range where the Blunderbuss is deadliest. The rhythm looks like this: use the Saber to break enemy posture through quick attacks and parries, then fire the Blunderbuss into the resulting critical window or exposed weak point for a burst of damage that far exceeds what a follow-up sword hit would do.

• Blunderbuss upgrade: Collateral Damage
• Ambers: Lucky Shot, Warrior’s Fury
• Items: Pistol Cartridges (backup ammo when the Blunderbuss is dry)

For boss fights specifically, swap to Volatile End and Dominatus. The Blunderbuss into a boss weak point with Volatile End active is one of the highest single-hit damage options available in the game. See our Valor Mortis Saber guide for how to build the melee side of this.

Blunderbuss and Claymore Build (Heavy Burst)

The Claymore is a two-handed, slow-swinging melee weapon built around posture breaking and heavy impact. It suits the Blunderbuss well because both weapons share the same core role: fewer, heavier hits that matter more than a flurry of light attacks.

The Claymore handles posture damage through its slow, punishing swings. Once posture breaks, instead of chasing a light critical hit, fire the Blunderbuss point-blank into the staggered enemy for a devastating burst. The combined posture break plus Blunderbuss shot into a weak point is one of the cleanest burst combos in the game.

• Blunderbuss upgrade: Collateral Damage
• Ambers: Volatile End, Lucky Shot

Read our Valor Mortis Claymore guide for the full picture on this heavy build.

Blunderbuss Beginner Build

If you’re still getting to grips with the game and have just unlocked the Blunderbuss in Chapter 3, keep things simple. Pair it with the Saber, take Lucky Shot and Tomorrow’s Promise as your two Ambers, and upgrade the Blunderbuss with Collateral Damage as soon as you have the materials.

Don’t try to use the Blunderbuss as your main damage source early on. Let the Saber do the work, and save the Blunderbuss for the moments that actually need it — a group of weakened enemies, a boss opening, or a bomb that’s about to land in your face.

Blunderbuss Tips and Tricks in Valor Mortis

• Pre-damage groups before firing. The Scattershot achievement requires killing five enemies with a single Blunderbuss shot. The trick is to weaken them first with the Pistol or Fire Transmutation, then clean up the whole group in one blast. The area right after you unlock the Blunderbuss has a cluster of weaker enemies — that’s your best chance to snag this early.
• Use it to intercept boss bombs. If a boss throws a projectile and you’re carrying the Blunderbuss, you can shoot it out of the air. This becomes almost essential in certain encounters and frees you from spending stamina on an emergency dodge.
• Save it for key moments, not general combat. Two bullets feel generous until you’ve wasted them both on regular mobs and walked into a mini-boss with nothing left. Keep a mental habit of reserving at least one Blunderbuss shot for anything that might catch you off guard.
• Volatile End is worth hunting for before bosses. If you know a major fight is coming, seek out the Volatile End Amber if you don’t already have it. The explosion proc on a Blunderbuss weak-point hit during a boss fight is a notable damage spike.
• Fully upgrade it for the Gun of Glory trophy. The Blunderbuss works as a candidate for full weapon upgrades if you prefer to invest there over the Pistol. Check our Valor Mortis achievements and trophy list for guidance on what’s needed.
• Ammo drops from enemies. Ammo is scarce, but enemies do drop it on death. Combine natural drops with Lucky Shot and the Ammo Restock stat upgrade at higher levels to keep the Blunderbuss stocked without constantly feeling dry.

Blunderbuss Achievements and Trophies in Valor Mortis

Two specific trophies are directly tied to the Blunderbuss. Plan for both early rather than grinding for them later.

Scattershot

Kill five enemies with a single Blunderbuss shot. This sounds impossible until you know the trick. Right after you unlock the Blunderbuss for the first time, there’s a horde of weaker Villager-type enemies nearby. Use the Pistol or Fire Transmutation to bring their health down low, cluster them together as much as possible, then fire one Blunderbuss shot into the group to finish them all off at once. Don’t leave this area without getting it — it’s the perfect setup and won’t come around again as cleanly.

Not a Cat Person

Defeat the Sphinx boss, which is confirmed to be weakest against the Blunderbuss and parrying during the first phase. This is a story-required fight so you won’t miss it, but knowing the Blunderbuss is the preferred firearm for this encounter makes preparation much easier. Make sure you’re stocked on ammo and have Volatile End equipped if possible.

Blunderbuss vs. Pistol vs. Musket — Which Should You Use?

All three firearms fill different roles, and none of them replaces the others entirely. Here’s the honest breakdown:

• Pistol — The most versatile option. Works at multiple ranges, unlocks barriers in the world, and builds well into posture-breaking or fire builds. Best all-rounder, especially early game. Read our full Valor Mortis Pistol guide for everything on this weapon.
• Blunderbuss — The highest close-range burst. Best for boss weak points and mob clusters. Very limited range. Not a replacement for the Pistol, but a powerful complement when you know you’ll be fighting up close.
• Musket — Long-range, high damage, two-handed. Strongest in sustained or long-distance fights, but occupies both hands. Found later in Chapter 5.

Most players carry the Pistol as their default firearm and swap in the Blunderbuss specifically for boss encounters or tight mob situations. The Musket is a specialist tool for range-focused builds. None of the three is strictly better — they’re situational, and getting comfortable with all of them is part of what makes the firearm system in Valor Mortis work.

You can explore all six weapons across melee and ranged in our complete Valor Mortis weapons list. The game is available on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Other Valor Mortis Guides You Might Need

• Valor Mortis Pistol Gun Guide
• Valor Mortis Claymore Sword Guide
• Valor Mortis Rapier Sword Guide
• Valor Mortis Saber Sword Guide
• Valor Mortis Tips and Tricks for New Players
• Valor Mortis Fast Travel Guide
• Valor Mortis All Chapters List
• Valor Mortis PC System Requirements
• Valor Mortis Review
• Valor Mortis Release Date Guide

Valor Mortis Blunderbuss FAQs