This Guide Explains How to Upgrade Transmutations in Valor Mortis

Background: The Missing Upgrade Path in Early Valor Mortis

When players begin Valor Mortis, they can collect upgrade materials, but the game does not immediately show where to use Transmutation Materials. That gap can make William’s journey feel confusing, because useful abilities remain unboosted while the upgrade station is still hidden. The key is not to search blindly, but to follow the story until the correct NPC and location unlock the upgrade option.

First Unlock Point: The Rendezvous Main Quest

Spoiler notice: this section describes main quest progression.

The ability to upgrade Transmutations becomes available after the Rendezvous main quest. That quest concludes when William finds Louis at James’s request and returns to the Abandoned Church with him. The Church is the first place where the upgrade path becomes visible rather than merely suggested by item descriptions.

Second Unlock Point: James, Louis, and the Upgrading Transmutations Tooltip

After returning to the Abandoned Church, the next step is to speak with James, then speak with Louis. That second conversation triggers the Upgrading Transmutations Tooltip. The Tooltip explains that Transmutations can be upgraded through Louis’s Laboratoire, which is placed on the workbench beside Louis. This turns a separate upgrade concept into an accessible station tied to one NPC and one workbench.

Ongoing Upgrade Stage: Transmutation Materials, Rarity, and Passive Effects

Transmutation upgrades require Transmutation Materials found while exploring. As players progress through Valor Mortis, these materials increase in rarity. Upgrading is not only a stat change: actively improving a Transmutation increases its power. At specific upgrade levels, players can choose new passive effects. The example given in the guide is Fire Transmutation, where Ignited enemies take more damage from melee attacks. That shows how upgrades can change combat behavior, not just raw ability strength.

Related Progression Stage: Amber, Empty Ferrofluid Flasks, and Bosses

For more help with William’s journey, the guide also points players to Valor Mortis walkthrough, guides, and tips. Useful follow-up references include all bosses, all Amber locations, and where to find all Empty Ferrofluid Flasks. The guide’s image credit is One More Level/Eurogamer. These items and encounters fit naturally around the same upgrade loop: explore, gather materials, return to Louis’s Laboratoire, and test new passive effects.

Current Stage: What the Upgrade System Means Now

Once the Rendezvous main quest is complete and the Abandoned Church conversations with James and Louis are finished, Transmutation upgrades become a repeatable progression system. The player’s task shifts from finding the upgrade station to collecting Transmutation Materials, raising Transmutation levels, and choosing passive effects that reshape combat for William.