Last updated: 5 September 2026
Valor Mortis Difficulty & Accessibility Explained
If you're hoping for an easy mode, temper your expectations: Valor Mortis is launching with one difficulty setting for everyone, and the studio has been upfront about why. Here's the reasoning straight from the developers, plus what's actually confirmed about language and accessibility support.
01No Difficulty Settings at Launch
One More Level has confirmed Valor Mortis will ship on October 13, 2026 with a single, unified difficulty for every player — no easy, normal, or hard toggle, and no accessibility sliders that soften combat. Every player faces the same enemy stats and encounters.
Studio CEO Szymon Bryła has explained the reasoning publicly: he's said difficulty in soulslikes should be high and reward perseverance while still being fair and intuitive, and that a single shared difficulty lets every player have a comparable experience overcoming the same challenges rather than fragmenting the playerbase across different balance tiers.
02The Studio's Combat Philosophy
Bryła's advice to players going in: learn to parry consistently and maintain an aggressive combat stance rather than playing defensively — he's compared the importance of parrying to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and described the overall combat system as sharing DNA with Bloodborne's fast, aggressive style.
That framing lines up with what's already been shown of the combat itself (see our gameplay mechanics guide): blocking costs health rather than fully negating damage, and landing follow-up attacks after blocking claws some of it back — a design that actively discourages turtling regardless of your skill level.
03Could Difficulty Options Be Added Later?
As of the confirmed pre-launch reporting, One More Level hasn't committed to adding difficulty options after release. The single-difficulty approach is described as a deliberate design choice tied to the studio's philosophy about fairness and shared player experience, not a placeholder missing feature — so don't count on a post-launch patch softening the challenge, though the studio hasn't explicitly ruled it out either.
04Accessibility and Language Support
Away from combat difficulty, Valor Mortis's Steam store page confirms broader accessibility basics: HDR support is included, and the game supports 14 languages with full interface, audio, and subtitle localization — covering more than just text translation.
Beyond that, specific accessibility features like colorblind modes, full control remapping, or difficulty-adjacent assist options haven't been detailed in what's been published so far. If accessibility options beyond language and HDR are a dealbreaker for you, it's worth waiting for a full accessibility rundown closer to or after the October 13, 2026 launch before buying.
FAQ
Does Valor Mortis have an easy mode?
No. One More Level has confirmed the game launches with a single, unified difficulty level for all players — no easy mode, difficulty slider, or other accessibility toggle that reduces combat challenge.
Why doesn't Valor Mortis have difficulty settings?
Studio CEO Szymon Bryła has said the studio believes soulslike difficulty should be high and reward perseverance while staying fair, and that giving every player the same challenge creates a more comparable, shared experience rather than splitting the playerbase across different balance tiers.
Will Valor Mortis add difficulty options after launch?
Nothing has been confirmed either way. The single-difficulty design is presented as a deliberate philosophy rather than a missing feature, so don't count on it changing, though the studio hasn't explicitly ruled out future adjustments.
What accessibility features does Valor Mortis have?
The confirmed basics are HDR support and 14 supported languages with full interface, audio, and subtitle localization, per the game's Steam store page. Colorblind modes, control remapping, and other assist options haven't been detailed yet.
Is Valor Mortis harder than other soulslikes?
It's not confirmed to be objectively harder, but the lack of any difficulty options at all — even compared to games like Elden Ring, which offers build variety and summons to soften fights — makes it feel less flexible for players who struggle with the genre's default challenge.
Sources
Where the facts on this page were checked. If one of them now says something different, we want to know — tell us and we will fix the guide.
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