Valor Mortis The Choir Quest Guide – The Only Missable Side Quest

Q: Is The Choir quest missable in Valor Mortis?

Yes. The Choir is the only permanently missable side quest in Valor Mortis. It takes place entirely within Napoleon's Prison during Chapter 10 – Shackled. Once you escape through the sewers, the prison is sealed off and you cannot return. Complete all steps before dropping into the sewer exit.

Q: Where does The Choir quest start in Valor Mortis?

It starts when you pick up the Prison Warden's Journal – Part One from a desk in a small office on the left side of your escape route, shortly after crawling through the broken wall from your starting cell. Look for the room with a horn in it.

Q: What is the reward for completing The Choir quest?

You receive a Remnant's Return consumable and 6,000 Catalysts . There is no achievement or trophy tied to this quest, but the Catalyst payout is one of the highest from any single side quest in the game.

TL;DR – The Choir Quick Summary

This is Side Quest #19 and the only permanently missable quest in Valor Mortis.
Found in Chapter 10 – Shackled, inside Napoleon’s Prison. You cannot return once you escape.
Start it by picking up Prison Warden’s Journal – Part One from a desk in a small office early in the prison.
Collect Prison Warden’s Journal – Part Two near the Armoury Key on the upper floor.
Find the Key to the Chapel in a side room with a blue memory on the opposite side of the upper floor.
Enter the chapel and pick up the Letter to Headquarters – A List of Deceased Prisoners.
Escape prison and post the letter on the board near the Burning City lantern to complete the quest.
Reward: Remnant’s Return consumable + 6,000 Catalysts.
No trophy or achievement is tied to this quest, but it is worth doing for the lore and Catalyst reward.

Most side quests in Valor Mortis are patient. You can finish the main story and come back for them without any issue. The Choir is not like that. It lives entirely inside Napoleon’s Prison during Chapter 10, and once you escape through the sewers, the door behind you locks forever.

The good news is that it is not complicated. You are already moving through the prison – these items are right there on your path. You just need to know what to look for and where, so you do not leave anything behind. This guide covers every step in order, including the one that most players miss.

Table of Contents

Why The Choir Quest Matters – And Why You Must Not Skip It

The Choir is the only permanently missable side quest in the entire game. Every other quest in Valor Mortis can be completed after the credits roll, because almost every region keeps fast travel available. Napoleon’s Prison does not. The moment you drop through the sewers and reach the Burning City lantern, you are out. The prison is sealed. The quest is gone for that playthrough.

There is no trophy or achievement tied to The Choir, so missing it will not block 100% completion on the achievement list. But it gives you 6,000 Catalysts plus a Remnant’s Return consumable, which is one of the highest single-quest Catalyst payouts in the game. The lore it uncovers is also genuinely unsettling – one of the darker backstories the game has to tell.

Do it while you are in the prison. It takes no more than five minutes on top of your normal escape route.

When Does Chapter 10 – Shackled Begin?

Chapter 10 kicks in after William is captured and imprisoned. He wakes up in a cell inside Napoleon’s Prison with all his weapons and items confiscated. The chapter is called Shackled for a reason – your first task is just to survive and navigate the prison without your gear.

You can start The Choir quest very early in this chapter, even before you recover your weapons. The note that starts it is near the beginning of the escape route. If you find the early steps too difficult without gear, you can collect them after you have the Armoury Key and your weapons back. Dying in this area respawns you at the cell, not at a lost lantern, so it is lower stakes than it might feel.

For the full prison escape walkthrough including how to find the Armoury Key and recover your gear, see our dedicated Valor Mortis prison escape guide for Chapter 10.

Step 1 – Find Prison Warden’s Journal Part One

From your starting cell, climb the stairs and find the section of broken wall you can crawl through to enter the safe passage. Come out the other side and turn left to enter the room ahead.

Ignore the door that the Mice may or may not have opened for you depending on your friendship score, and instead go through the other door on the left. This leads you into a small office. There is a horn visible in the room.

On the desk inside the office you will find the note “Prison Warden’s Journal – Part One”. Pick it up. Reading this note starts The Choir side quest.

The journal entry reveals that the Prison Warden was a man of unusual musical obsession. He wanted to compose a great symphony in honour of Napoleon. What that symphony involved becomes clear as you collect more of his notes. It is not pleasant.

Step 2 – Interact with the Chapel Door

Continue progressing upstairs into the large room where multiple soldiers are patrolling. This room has rafters running overhead – you can use them to move around without engaging every enemy directly if you prefer to stay stealthy at this point.

At the end of the long hallway on this upper floor, you will find a door. Interact with it. This is the chapel door, and it is locked for now. Interacting with it registers as Step 2 of the quest and signals to William that he needs to find a way inside.

You will be back for this door once you have the Key to the Chapel.

Step 3 – Find Prison Warden’s Journal Part Two

Still on the upper floor, you need to find the Armoury Key, which is sitting on a kitchen table in this same area. Drop down from the rafters into the kitchen section and pick it up from the table.

Right beside the area where you find the Armoury Key, there is a small adjoining room. Go inside and check the table. You will find the note “Prison Warden’s Journal – Part Two”.

This second entry is where things turn dark. The Warden’s disturbing plans become clear. He was not composing a symphony with instruments. He was using the cries and suffering of the prisoners themselves as his music – torture carried out in the name of art, framed as a gift to the Emperor. The chapel was where this all came to its grim conclusion.

Step 4 – Find the Key to the Chapel

On the opposite side of the upper floor from where you found Journal Part Two, there is a side room. You will notice it contains a blue memory – one of the ambient remnant-type interactions the game uses to show echoes of the past.

On the table in this same room, you will find the Key to the Chapel. Pick it up.

Now you have everything you need to open the chapel door.

Step 5 – Enter the Chapel and Pick Up the Letter

Go back to the chapel door at the end of the long hallway and interact with it to use the Key to the Chapel. The door opens.

Head inside. The chapel is not a safe space – there are bodies here, and the atmosphere reflects exactly what the Warden’s journals described. Move to the counter at the back of the chapel, behind the bodies.

On the counter you will find the note “Letter to Headquarters – A List of Deceased Prisoners”. Pick it up. This is the document that lists all the prisoners who died inside the prison under the Warden’s watch – the people whose suffering formed his twisted symphony.

Picking up this letter is the final thing you need to do inside the prison. Everything that follows happens after you escape.

Step 6 – Escape Prison and Complete the Quest

Continue through the prison escape sequence as normal. Follow the passages through the sewers beneath the prison until you exit and find yourself back in the burning city. You will reach the Burning City lantern – rest here and resupply.

Directly beside this lantern you will find a notice board. Interact with it and post the Letter to Headquarters – A List of Deceased Prisoners onto the board.

This act makes the names of the Warden’s victims public. The quest completes the moment you pin the letter. You receive your reward and The Choir is done.

The Choir Quest Rewards

Remnant’s Return – a consumable item that revives you in place when you die, letting you keep your Catalysts
6,000 Catalysts – one of the highest single-quest Catalyst rewards in the entire game

There is no dedicated achievement or trophy for completing The Choir. It does not contribute to the Mice friendship system either. The value here is entirely the Catalyst income and the lore. Given how late in the game Chapter 10 hits, 6,000 Catalysts is still a meaningful boost toward your final few upgrades.

For tips on spending Catalysts wisely, check out our guide on the best stats to level first in Valor Mortis.

What Happens If You Miss The Choir?

If you escape the prison without completing The Choir’s steps, the quest is gone permanently for that save file. You cannot reload a checkpoint to re-enter the prison once the sewer exit is taken, and there is no fast travel back to Napoleon’s Prison at any point in the game.

The missing reward will not stop you from earning any achievements, since The Choir has no trophy tied to it. But the 6,000 Catalysts and the Remnant’s Return are genuinely useful, so it is worth the five minutes to grab everything before you leave.

If you are doing a completionist run and want a checklist of everything missable in the game, our full achievements and trophy list lays out what is needed for 100%.

Tips for Completing The Choir Without Any Stress

Collect Journal Part One first, even before getting your weapons back. The office is right at the start of the escape route and you cannot miss it if you check rooms to the left.
Get your weapons before the upper floor sections. The Armoury Key, Journal Part Two, and the Chapel Key are all on the upper floor. Having your gear makes moving around there much cleaner.
Use backstabs on Eternal Guardsmen. Once you have your weapons, backstabbing these enemies deals heavy damage and lets you clear the upper floor much more comfortably.
The rafters are your friend. In the large upper-floor room with patrolling soldiers, moving along the rafters lets you stay above the action and reach different parts of the floor without engaging every enemy.
Do a mental checklist before you drop into the sewers. You need Journal Part One, Journal Part Two, the Chapel Key, and the Letter. If any of those are missing from your inventory when you reach the sewer exit, go back.

More Valor Mortis Quest Guides

Here are the other side quest guides to help you clear everything across the game:

You can find a full picture of everything across the game in our Valor Mortis all chapters list, and the fast travel guide will help you get around efficiently once you are back in the open world.

Valor Mortis is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Choir quest missable in Valor Mortis?

Yes. The Choir is the only permanently missable side quest in Valor Mortis. It takes place entirely within Napoleon’s Prison during Chapter 10 – Shackled. Once you escape through the sewers, the prison is sealed off and you cannot return. Complete all steps before dropping into the sewer exit.

Where does The Choir quest start in Valor Mortis?

It starts when you pick up the Prison Warden’s Journal – Part One from a desk in a small office on the left side of your escape route, shortly after crawling through the broken wall from your starting cell. Look for the room with a horn in it.

Where is the Key to the Chapel in Valor Mortis?

The Key to the Chapel is on a table in a side room on the upper floor of the prison. This room is on the opposite side of the floor from where you find the Armoury Key. There is a blue memory inside the room – look for that as a landmark.

What is the reward for completing The Choir quest?

You receive a Remnant’s Return consumable and 6,000 Catalysts. There is no achievement or trophy tied to this quest, but the Catalyst payout is one of the highest from any single side quest in the game.

Can I do The Choir quest before getting my weapons back?

You can pick up Prison Warden’s Journal – Part One before recovering your weapons, as it is early in the escape route. However, Journal Part Two, the Key to the Chapel, and the chapel itself are all on the upper floor where enemies patrol. Most players find it easier to grab the Armoury Key and recover their gear first, then sweep up the remaining quest steps.

What does The Choir quest reveal about the Prison Warden?

The two journal entries reveal that the Prison Warden was obsessed with creating a great symphony for Napoleon. His method was deeply disturbing – he used the suffering and cries of his prisoners as the music itself. The chapel is where the culmination of this took place, and the letter you recover inside lists the prisoners who died as a result of his obsession.

Does The Choir quest affect the Mice friendship score?

No. The Choir has no connection to the Mice friendship system. It is a standalone investigation with a fixed reward and no relationship consequences either way.

What happens if I leave the prison without completing The Choir?

The quest becomes permanently unavailable for that playthrough. There is no way back into Napoleon’s Prison once you escape. Since The Choir carries no trophy, missing it will not block any achievement, but you will forfeit the 6,000 Catalysts and the Remnant’s Return.