3 things we are working on to improve combat in Valor Mortis

Developer Update and Q&A

Greetings soldiers!

Here's the latest news from the front lines of the Grande Armée. We wanted to answer a bunch of questions from the playtest, The Crimson Plague trailer and more. It has been a crazy year for all of us at One More Level. We revealed Valor Mortis, had thousands of people join our playtest and had so much feedback and opinions to make the game better.

We're trying to make an exceptional game for 2026 and you've really helped us as we try to do so!

Combat Issues and Improvements

In the video, we talk about 3 main issues from the first-person combat in the playtest. These were the 3 most common things that you brought up in playtest feedback.

1. Combat Readability

   Some players found combat, and especially defensive actions and cues, hard to read. We are addressing that by improving windups, adding a stronger pre-attack audio cues and enhancing the distinction between blocks and parries, both visually and in sound. This should make combat feel clearer, more fair and even more satisfying when you nail the perfect timing.

2. Controls and Key Bindings

   Keyboard players often mentioned that blocking with CTRL or using ALT was not comfortable for them. We're gonna take another look at the default layout but also highlight the option to rebind controls. We'll also make sure that custom bindings properly save between sessions. If you have one, you can also try the side mouse buttons as a convenient and ergonomic alternative for blocking or dodging.

3. Target Lock and Camera Behaviour

   Target lock was one of the most discussed features in the playtest. Players pointed out situations where the target lock felt inconsistent, particularly during encounters with multiple enemies or in the boss fight. We plan to refine the system to make it smoother and more reliable with better camera tracking, smarter target prioritization and extended range that supports both melee and ranged combat.

Watch the full video to see everything in our new developer update!