The skies aren’t yours any longer. Apex Legends Season 9 is well underway, and the addition making the biggest impact on the game is the brand new character, Valkyrie. Getting a handle on this new Legend can give you an edge in Season 9, so we’ve put together a quick guide to Valkyrie in Apex Legends that’ll see you soaring above the competition.
Kairi Imahara is the name behind the callsign Valkyrie. She's the daughter of Apex Predator pilot Viper from Titanfall 2’s campaign. Kairi becomes a pilot herself after the death of her father, and now she's made her way into Apex Legends to test her skill in the arena.
Valkyrie is an extremely mobile Legend. Players already fond of swift characters like Octane and Pathfinder will find her to be a great fit. Let’s dive into Valkyrie’s abilities for a closer look at why.
- Passive - Vtol Jets: Valkyrie's passive ability allows her to fly into the air with a jetpack. Quickly turning the jetpack off and on again while holding a direction will cause her to boost toward that vector. A fuel indicator pops up on screen when in flight, and Valkyrie will fall back to ground when it's depleted.
- Tactical - Missile Swarm: Valkyrie fires a swarm of 12 mini-rockets to damage and disorient enemies in a grid. The missiles deal 25 - 40 damage as well as slowing down enemies. While she can't use any of her weapons while midflight, Valkyrie can use her Missile Swarm. They’re effective over quite the distance, letting her unleash a salvo on enemy squads at range.
- Ultimate - Skyward Dive: Valkyrie boosts herself and her teammates into the air, granting them another skydive as if they had used a redeploy balloon. The ultimate takes some time to set up, during which her teammates can choose to join her. Be sure to pick an area that's well defended while charging this ability, as it takes quite a while to activate.
The key to learning how to use Valkyrie is in mastering her jetpack. The VTOL jets can offer the player a distinct advantage over most enemies, but only if used creatively. Valkyrie moves very slowly in the air, so use her jetpack as a repositioning tool rather than an engagement one. Instead of flying directly towards enemies, you can start and stop Valkyrie's jetpack to create a sort of boosted-sprint speed. This can be useful when you need to make a quick escape from a fight, or when trying to cross open expanses in the map.
As noted previously, weapons are disabled while using the VTOL Jets, so don't try to rush your enemy from the skies. It's also unwise to fly right next to foes as it takes a while for Valkyrie to exit the flight animation and draw her weapon. Instead, use your jets to reach vertical cover out of the enemy's line of sight. Hit them with a missile swarm on your descent, then attack while they are disoriented.
Valkyrie's Missile Swarm has the potential to turn the tide of engagements. You’ll gain additional flight time when aiming her Missile Swarm in the tactical view. This means that you can fly pretty high above the battlefield before unloading. When you spot a group of unaware enemies, getting above them and raining missiles down is a great way to deal some damage without officially giving your team's position away. The limited fuel usage of Missile Swarm can also come in handy when trying to avoid landing in an unsavory place. Just open the missile swarm menu and hover to safety.
Missile Swarm is certainly best employed in the air, but you can also activate it when grounded. Make sure to avoid doing so in close quarters spaces like buildings, however. If there isn’t enough clearance above her, Valkyrie won’t unleash the blast, leaving you as a sitting duck.
Nick Tylwalk is a longtime writer and editor who wants everyone to remember that mobile games are games too. He's also a fitted hat aficionado, and a racing and combat sports enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter @Nick_Tylwalk.
