Valor Mortis In the Name of Art Quest Guide – How to Complete It

TL;DR

• In the Name of Art is Side Quest #9 in Valor Mortis, found in Chapter 5: Crime in the Vale of Wrath region.
• Start near the Under the Bridge Lantern by shooting a glowing weak spot through a window to enter a locked house.
• Interact with a painting upstairs next to a hanging man to trigger the quest.
• Find the Basement Key beside a gravestone on the hill behind the house.
• Use the key to enter the basement, follow it through memories, and pick up the Painter’s Final Letter.
• Reward: Butcher’s Carnage Amber — melee hits restore health, but you lose access to healing flasks.
• The quest is not missable and can be completed at any time after the chapter.

In the Name of Art Quest Overview

In the Name of Art is one of the darker side quests in Valor Mortis. It centres around an abandoned house in the Vale of Wrath where a painter once lived — a man whose final days tell a grim and haunting story. William stumbles into it during Chapter 5 and has to do a bit of legwork to get inside, find the key, and piece together what happened. It is not a long quest, but it can be easy to miss the start if you rush through the area.

The reward, the Butcher’s Carnage Amber, is genuinely interesting. It changes how your healing works entirely and suits an aggressive, melee-focused playstyle. Worth picking up even if you do not end up using it right away.

Here is exactly how to complete every step.

Where to Find the In the Name of Art Quest in Valor Mortis

The quest is found in the Vale of Wrath area during Chapter 5: Crime. You need to reach the Under the Bridge Lantern first. From there, follow the main dirt path uphill. You will pass by the area where The Deserter quest is also available, so keep your eyes open as you go — there is a lot to pick up in this section.

Continue up the main path until you spot a house on the right side. It is the only house in the area, so it stands out. The front entrance is blocked by Nephtoglobin, so you cannot just walk in through the front door.

Valor Mortis In the Name of Art Quest

How to Enter the Painter’s House

Go around the right side of the house and look for a small window. Through the window, you will spot a glowing orange or red weak spot inside. Pull out your Pistol and shoot it. This clears the Nephtoglobin blocking the front entrance.

Watch out while you are circling the house — there is a Howler enemy near the doghouse around the side. Deal with it first or be ready for it to come at you while you are trying to line up the shot.

Once the weak spot is destroyed, go back around to the front door and enter the house. The blockage is now cleared and you can walk straight in.

In the Name of Art Quest Step by Step Walkthrough

Step 1 – Interact With the Painting Upstairs

Lantern Reference: Vale of Wrath > Under the Bridge

Once inside the house, head upstairs. At the top you will find the body of the painter — a hanging man. Next to him is a painting on an easel. Interact with it. The painting moves aside, revealing a view through the window of a platform area on the cliffside across the way.

This interaction is what officially triggers the In the Name of Art side quest. Before this point, the quest is not active. Make sure you interact with the painting, not just look at the scene.

You will also notice a glowing weak spot visible through the gap the painting revealed. Shoot it to open up a path on the hill beside the house — this is where you will go next.

Step 2 – Find the Basement Key on the Hill

Lantern Reference: Vale of Wrath > Under the Bridge

Go back downstairs and out of the house. Head to the right side of the building where the path now opens up after you shot the weak spot from the upstairs window. Follow it up the hill.

At the top of the hill, you will find a gravestone. Look just below or beside it — that is where the Basement Key is sitting on the ground. Pick it up. This updates the quest and gives you what you need to access the sealed basement door inside the house.

Step 3 – Unlock the Basement and Find the Painter’s Final Letter

Lantern Reference: Vale of Wrath > Under the Bridge

Go back inside the house and head to the back of the ground floor. You will find a locked door there. Use the Basement Key to open it, then head down into the basement.

The basement is linear — you are not going to get lost. Move through it, dealing with any enemies you encounter along the way. The area is dark and tight, so take your time and do not let enemies get behind you.

At some point you will come across a blue memory to interact with. Do that — it opens another door so you can continue deeper into the basement. Keep following the path until you reach a dead body on the ground with a note in front of it.

Pick up the Painter’s Final Letter. Reading it completes the In the Name of Art quest automatically. The letter reveals the tragic story of what happened to the painter and his family — a fitting, bleak end to a well-told short story within the larger world of Valor Mortis.

In the Name of Art Quest Reward – Butcher’s Carnage Amber

Finishing the quest rewards you with the Butcher’s Carnage Amber. This one changes your combat fundamentally when equipped: your melee hits restore health, but the trade-off is that you lose access to your Ferrofluid healing flasks entirely while it is active.

That is a big deal. It means you are committing to an aggressive, high-pressure playstyle — stay in melee range and keep swinging, or you will die without any healing fallback. In the right build, especially with fast weapons like the Saber or the Rapier, it can be very powerful. Against tougher enemies where staying in close range is risky, it becomes a liability.

Think of it as a high-risk, high-reward Amber best suited for players confident in their melee game. If you are comfortable parrying and landing consistent hits, Butcher’s Carnage opens up a very satisfying combat loop. For a complete list of all Ambers and where to find them, check our achievements and collectibles guide.

Tips for Completing In the Name of Art

• Shoot the window weak spot before anything else. If you try to enter through the front door first, nothing happens. You have to shoot the glowing spot through the side window to clear the blockage and unlock the front entrance.
• Watch for the Howler near the doghouse. It is easy to miss as you round the right side of the house. Deal with it before lining up your window shot so it does not interrupt you.
• Interact with the painting, not just look at it. The quest does not start just by entering the room upstairs. You need to actively interact with the painting on the easel beside the hanging man.
• Shoot the weak spot revealed through the upstairs window before coming back down. This opens the hill path where the Basement Key is. If you forget, you can always go back up and shoot it later, but it saves time to do it right away.
• The basement is linear but has enemies. Do not rush through it. Keep your stamina ready and clear enemies carefully before interacting with the blue memory or picking up the final letter.
• You can come back later. This quest is not missable. If you move past the area without starting it, you can use fast travel to return to the Under the Bridge Lantern any time and complete it.

Other Side Quests Near This Area

The Vale of Wrath area in Chapter 5 is packed with optional content. While you are here completing In the Name of Art, there are a couple of other quests worth doing in the same stretch:

• The Deserter – also starts near the Under the Bridge Lantern, right after you exit the basement from this quest. Turn right and look for grapple points to progress it.
• The Lost Boy – found further into the Vale of Wrath chapter, in the Wolfsbane Field area.

For a complete picture of all optional content in the game, check our full list of tips and tricks, and see the all chapters list for what to expect across every area. If you are still working through earlier parts of the game, our Iron Marshall boss guide and Homesick quest guide cover Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 respectively.

You can also check out other quest guides including The Oathbound, The Emissary, and Lullaby to work through the full side quest list.

Valor Mortis is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox. Visit the official site at valormortis.game for the latest updates.

Frequently Asked Questions – In the Name of Art Quest