Are you ready to take on General Lothaire in Valor Mortis?

⚔️ Defeating General Lothaire rewards you with the General’s Catalyst Clot, 10,000 catalysts, and the Torn-Banner achievement. ⚔️ You only get one shot at this fight; if you fall in battle, a cutscene will trigger, and the boss will vanish. ⚔️ However, if you hit ALT + F4 right as you die, you can reload just before entering the boss arena for another attempt.

General Lothaire, known as The Eagle-Bearer, is the first major challenge in Valor Mortis, embodying that classic early soulslike encounter that feels nearly impossible to conquer.

The odds are stacked against you, especially with just one chance to take him down. If you die, a cutscene featuring Lucjan will play, offering some lore about the world, but the boss will be gone.

After spending quite a bit of time trying to defeat Lothaire, I discovered that hitting ALT + F4 right when you die usually places you back outside the boss arena, allowing for a retry. If you manage to defeat General Lothaire, you’ll receive:

This is a significant boost for early leveling. Plus, since Valor Mortis doesn’t feature boss weapons, you can use that clot without losing out on anything.

You’ll also unlock the Torn-Banner achievement. I can’t confirm if Lothaire reappears later, so this might be your only chance to face him. But is it really worth repeatedly ALT + F4ing to secure a win?

Utilize fire to inflict damage over time whenever your Nephtoglobin is full.

In truth, Valor Mortis isn’t overly challenging by soulslike standards, so an early leveling advantage isn’t crucial. However, if you’re determined to take him down, I suggest you

You can see my attempts in the video above—though you might want to be more aggressive in the second phase than I was while learning his attack patterns.