General Lothaire, the Eagle-Bearer, is the first boss in Valor Mortis. One More Level puts him in your path twice, first in the Valley of Ashes and then near the Abandoned Church in Chapter II. He fights in two phases, hits hard and mixes swings you can parry with attacks you can only dodge. The second phase is a lot harder, so the whole fight hinges on reaching it with your healing flasks still full.
At a glance
Reach level 8 in Valor Mortis before the rematch, ideally with the Dominatus amber equipped.
Parry his sword and spear combos to fill his posture bar, and dodge anything glowing red.
Shoot the red growths on his body to refill the Nephtoglobin that powers your fire.
Lothaire turns up twice in Valor Mortis
Your first meeting with the general comes early in the Valor Mortis campaign, in the Valley of Ashes, and you only get one attempt there. If you fall, a cutscene plays in which Lucjan comes to your rescue, and Lothaire leaves the battlefield. On PC, pressing Alt+F4 at that exact moment reloads you just outside the arena for another go. It’s rarely worth the trouble, since the fight that pays out is waiting for you further on.
That fight comes in Chapter II. Clear the stone quarry first, then take the lift up to the cliffs where the arena sits. Rest at the last lantern before heading up: each rest refills your flasks, but it also brings the ordinary enemies back along the way. Losing the opening encounter costs you nothing, as the story carries on and the general waits for you near the church.
Level 8 and the right amber before the rematch
Hold off until level 8 before taking him on. A solid spread is four levels in maximum health, two in endurance and two in block, which makes blocking cheaper and returns some health on a successful block.
Two ambers in Valor Mortis stand out here. Iron Grip gives you a brief window of immunity while you heal, and Dominatus hands back health whenever you land a critical hit. Since this fight is all about breaking his posture, Dominatus is the stronger pick. If your first slot isn’t open yet, our tips for the first hours of Valor Mortis explain when slots unlock.
The Ferrofluid Flask starts with three charges, and both its charges and its strength can be upgraded at lanterns. Leave Tomorrow’s Promise unequipped if you rely on an instant heal, because that amber turns the flask into healing over time.
Parried combos break his posture in phase one
Lothaire usually opens with an unblockable jumping slam or a volley of three cannonballs. Dodge the slam right on impact and Valor Mortis gives you a slowed-down window for a heavy hit. Against the cannonballs, dodge each one as its yellow glow peaks, since avoiding the first doesn’t end the volley.
After that, his sword and spear attacks tend to come in strings of three. Parry each swing to build up his posture bar. Watch out for two traps: there’s no dedicated visual cue for a parry, and you can’t cancel an attack animation into a parry. Stop swinging early enough to meet his next blow. Once the bar is full, a prompt appears and your attack becomes a critical stab to the head.
Pistol shots on his red growths keep your fire going
The red growths dotted around his body are worth every bullet. Shooting one chips off a solid chunk of health and drops Nephtoglobin, the resource behind every transmutation in Valor Mortis. That refill matters, because Fire Transmutation briefly stuns Lothaire, so use it straight after you dodge his jumping attack. Whenever your Nephtoglobin bar is full, set him alight for damage over time. Against his close-range shotgun, step sideways, as dodging backwards leaves you in the line of fire.
Lothaire regrows his limbs and calls in soldiers for phase two
The second phase opens with Lothaire regrowing his limbs and refilling his health bar. Burn him as soon as the new bar appears, as he usually can’t respond, then switch to the pistol for the fresh growths on his body. Done back to back, those two moves can take a third of his health straight away.
His strings now mix standard and unblockable attacks, so keep your dodge ready as much as your parry. He also raises a glowing red orb, then either sends a trail of spikes towards you or slams the ground to send a ripple across the arena: run well clear of the spikes and jump over the ripple. The soldiers he summons go down in one hit and vanish quickly, so only deal with them when they get in your face. His musketeers vanish after firing, so watch for their glint. If you do fall, your dropped catalysts wait for you outside the arena.
20,000 catalysts and the Iron Bench as rewards
Beating the general earns you 10,000 catalysts, the General’s Catalyst Clot and an achievement. The clot is worth another 10,000 catalysts, and since Valor Mortis has no boss weapons, you can spend it straight away. The victory also opens up the nearby church, where James hands over firearm parts and gives you access to the Iron Bench to upgrade your weapons. Our Valor Mortis review covers how the rest of the adventure holds up.
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