Valor Mortis Releases Today on Xbox and PC Game Pass for $40

Developer One More Level and publisher Lyrical Games released Valor Mortis on October 13, 2026, on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass, priced at $39.99. The game casts players as William, a resurrected English soldier navigating a plague-ravaged, alternate-history 19th-century Europe in service of Napoleon Bonaparte.

"We can’t wait to see the builds you create and the secrets you uncover," Lyrical Games marketing director Connor Bridgeman wrote in a post accompanying the launch. Dying for the French Emperor was apparently only step one; surviving what comes next requires navigating a combat system where defensive actions double as resource generation.

The details

• Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
• Price: $39.99, according to publisher Lyrical Games
• Developer / Publisher: One More Level / Lyrical Games
• Release date: October 13, 2026

How combat and posture work

Valor Mortis treats its combat loop as a self-sustaining engine. Melee combat hinges on a posture meter similar to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, where landing hits and timing parries breaks enemy posture to set up heavy attacks or execution finishers. Defense carries an offensive upside: counter-attacking immediately after blocking restores health lost during the block, making defensive timing a secondary healing mechanic.

Animation cancels are off the table, meaning an attack swing is a binding contract that cannot be aborted mid-motion to parry. Perfect dodges grant a brief moment of slow motion, while timing a weapon parry produces a metallic clang that opens enemies to counter-attacks. Firearm precision plays an equally central role; aiming down sights at glowing weak points, known as lambent blisters, detonates target areas and refills William's nephtoglobin supply.

How Ambers alter builds

Character progression relies on Ambers, equipment items modified at lanterns that alter core gameplay rules rather than offering passive statistical increases. Players unlock additional Amber slots by leveling William with catalyst clots collected throughout the world.

• Marksman’s Bane: Grants the ability to parry incoming bullets, converting successfully parried enemy gunfire directly into pistol ammunition.
• Volatile End: Causes firearm hits on weak points to trigger localized explosions.
• Butcher’s Carnage: Grants health restoration on melee strikes, but completely disables healing via Ferrofluid Flasks.

Beyond basic combat encounters, the game incorporates Metroidvania-style level design across multi-tiered battlefields and plague-stricken villages. Unlocking new abilities grants access to previously blocked paths, hidden mini-bosses, and collectible journal pages that detail the Crimson Plague. Players tracking launch coverage can review our Valor Mortis launch guide or read critical responses in our Valor Mortis review roundup.

Why it matters

Valor Mortis adds another day-one title to the Game Pass library at a $39.99 standalone price tag, bringing a rare Napoleonic military setting to the soulslike subgenre.