How to Farm Catalysts and Level Up Fast Early in Valor Mortis

TL;DR – Quick Summary

• Catalysts are the main upgrade currency in Valor Mortis — you earn them by killing enemies and spend them at Lanterns.
• If you die with unspent Catalysts, they drop at your death location. Die again before recovering them and they’re gone permanently.
• The best early farm spot is the barn next to the Marketplace Lantern in the Fallen Village (Chapter 3).
• Use Fire Transmutation to kill the barn group in seconds — around 600 Catalysts per run, or 6,000–8,000 per minute.
• The Surplus Amber increases Catalysts from each kill — equip it to boost every farm run.
• Pick up Catalyst Clots from chests and enemies — they give a direct Catalyst bonus when consumed.
• Always spend Catalysts before entering new areas or boss fights. Never carry them into unknown danger.

Catalysts in Valor Mortis work like Souls in Dark Souls or Echoes in Lies of P. You earn them by killing enemies, carry them to a Lantern, and spend them to level up. The difference is that a bad death can wipe everything you’ve collected since your last bank.

This guide covers how to build up Catalysts efficiently early on, the best farming loop in the game’s opening chapters, and how to spend them without wasting levels.

For what to actually spend Catalysts on, see our Valor Mortis best stats to level first guide.

How Catalysts Work in Valor Mortis

Every enemy you kill in Valor Mortis drops Catalysts. Bosses, mini-bosses, and tougher enemies drop more. Standard enemies drop less, but they respawn every time you rest at a Lantern, which is what makes farming loops possible.

You spend Catalysts at any Lantern to raise your character level and unlock nodes on the upgrade tree. Each level costs slightly more than the last — so the further you go, the more you need per level.

There are also Catalyst Clots — items you find in chests, on enemy drops, and in the open world. Consuming a Catalyst Clot gives you a direct lump of Catalysts on top of what you earn through combat. These are essentially bonus injections — always pick them up and consume them when you need a boost.

Leveling up also scales with your Amber loadout. The Surplus Amber increases the number of Catalysts you receive from every kill, which makes every farm loop more efficient. More on that below.

The Catalyst Death Rule – Never Forget This

When you die, every Catalyst you’re currently carrying drops at the spot where you fell. You can see the glow of your dropped Catalysts as a marker on the ground.

If you die again before recovering them, they’re gone permanently. You don’t get a second chance.

This is the most punishing mechanic for new players and the single biggest source of wasted progress. The rule to live by is simple: spend your Catalysts at a Lantern before doing anything risky. Before a boss. Before an unfamiliar area. Before a fight you’re not sure you’ll survive. Every time.

If you’re just one or two kills short of a level, it’s better to quickly clear the safe enemies near the Lantern and top up than to carry a large stack into unknown territory.

Best Early Farming Spot – Marketplace Lantern Barn (Chapter 3)

The best early Catalyst farming loop in Valor Mortis is at the Marketplace Lantern in the Fallen Village, during Chapter 3.

Right beside the Lantern is a barn. Inside, a group of standard enemies will charge out at you every single time you approach the entrance. The loop works like this:

How to Farm Catalysts and Level Up Fast Early in Valor Mortis 1

1. Fast travel to the Marketplace Lantern.
2. Approach the barn doorway until the enemies start running out at you.
3. Use Fire Transmutation and burn them as they funnel through the doorway.
4. The fire spreads between them — they’ll all ignite and die within seconds.
5. Walk back to the Lantern and rest to respawn the enemies.
6. Repeat.

Each run takes around five to ten seconds and nets approximately 600 Catalysts. With the Surplus Amber equipped, that number goes up. At optimal pace you can earn 6,000 to 8,000 Catalysts per minute — enough for several levels in a short session.

The reason this spot works so well is the combination of factors: the barn is literally next to the Lantern (no travel time), the enemies are dense enough to chain-kill with fire, and the route is completely safe. You’re never more than a few steps from banking your Catalysts.

This farming loop becomes available as soon as you reach Chapter 3 and unlock Fire Transmutation. For more on getting the Fire ability, check our Valor Mortis all transmutation abilities location guide.

How to Get the Surplus Amber and What It Does

The Surplus Amber is a passive Amber that directly increases the number of Catalysts you earn from each enemy kill. Equipping it before any farming session means every single run produces more.

Even a modest percentage boost compounded over dozens of runs adds up significantly — especially when you’re running tight loops like the barn farm.

Ambers are found in chests throughout the world and as quest rewards. Keep an eye out for it as you progress through the early chapters and equip it the moment you find it. For a full rundown of the amber system, check our Valor Mortis tips and tricks getting started guide.

Other Ways to Get Catalysts Fast

The barn farm is the most efficient early loop, but there are several other reliable ways to build up Catalysts quickly:

Pick Up Every Catalyst Clot You Find

Catalyst Clots are consumable items that give a direct Catalyst bonus when used. You find them in chests, on certain enemy drops, and scattered through the environment. Don’t leave them sitting there — consume them whenever you need a quick top-up before leveling. Keep an eye out for them in every chest you open.

Clear Safe Enemies Near Lanterns Repeatedly

Any group of enemies near a Lantern can be farmed. The rule is simple: rest at the Lantern to respawn enemies, clear them, return and rest again. The closer the enemies are to the Lantern, the more efficient the loop. This works anywhere in the game, not just at the barn — but the barn is the tightest, most consistent early loop.

Focus on Safe Fights Over High-Risk Encounters Early On

In the early game, it’s tempting to rush harder enemies for bigger drops. Resist this. A tough fight that kills you and costs you your Catalyst stack is a massive net loss compared to safely farming the same easy group ten times. High-risk fights pay off more once you’re stronger and less likely to die mid-run.

Use Finishers to End Fights Faster

Finishers — triggered when an enemy’s posture bar fills — end fights instantly with a critical hit. Faster kills mean faster clears, which means more Catalysts per minute when farming. Learning to fill posture bars quickly through parries and consistent pressure speeds up any farming loop. For weapon specifics, see our Valor Mortis Saber sword guide or Valor Mortis Rapier sword guide.

Complete Side Quests

Side quests reward Ambers, consumable items, and a good chunk of Catalysts on completion. Several of them — like the An Unheard Farewell quest and the Lullaby quest — are available early in the game and are quick to complete. Treat them as efficient bonus Catalyst injections rather than optional extras.

How to Spend Catalysts Efficiently

Earning Catalysts fast is only half the equation. Spending them well matters just as much.

Never Hoard – Bank Early and Often

The worst thing you can do is stack up a large amount of unspent Catalysts and carry them toward a dangerous area. Spend at every Lantern you reach. Even if you don’t have enough for a full level, note your balance and clear the nearest safe enemies to top up. The cost of losing a big stack to a careless death is far worse than any slight inefficiency from spending incrementally.

Prioritise Endurance First

Your first several levels should go into Maximum Endurance. Stamina controls everything in combat — how long you can attack, dodge, block, and parry. Starting Endurance is very low, and the early game feels noticeably harder without it upgraded. This is the investment that pays off across every single fight.

After that, grow Maximum Health steadily. Don’t neglect it too long — as enemies hit harder in later chapters, the extra HP starts mattering more. For the full breakdown, see our Valor Mortis best stats to level first guide.

You Can Respec

If you’ve spent levels in the wrong direction, you can reset your skills by paying Catalysts at the Lantern upgrade screen. It costs Catalysts to respec, but it’s not a permanent lock-in. That said, knowing the right priority from the start means fewer wasted Catalysts on a respec later.

Unlock the Second Tier Quickly

You need four points in any first-tier node to unlock the second row of upgrades. Getting to that second row fast — especially Melee Damage — pays off more than spreading points thin across the first row. Put your early levels into Endurance, unlock tier two, then grab Melee Damage to speed up every fight from there on.

The Catalyst Farm Timing – When to Do It

The best time to run the Marketplace Lantern barn farm is right before Chapter 3’s difficulty spike. The game notably becomes harder from Chapter 3 onward, and going in a few extra levels ahead makes a real difference — tougher enemies, denser groups, and a boss waiting at the end of the chapter.

Spend 10–15 minutes at the barn before pushing deeper into Chapter 3. A handful of extra levels in Endurance, Health, and Melee Damage will make the whole chapter feel more manageable.

The same principle applies to any chapter transition. Use fast travel to farm a safe earlier area, bank the levels, then push forward. Check our Valor Mortis fast travel guide for how the fast travel system works.

Catalyst Farming and the Oathbound Quest

Worth noting — every Eternal Guardsman you fight for the Oathbound quest drops a chest nearby. Those chests contain upgrade materials and sometimes Ambers. The Guardsmen themselves also give a solid Catalyst yield since they’re tough enemies. If you’re working through the Valor Mortis Oathbound quest, treat each fight as a bonus Catalyst bonus on top of the quest reward.

Valor Mortis is available on PC via Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Frequently Asked Questions – Valor Mortis Catalyst Farming