When Apex Legends Legacy launches on the 4th of May, the headline feature for many players will be Valkyrie, the next newcomer to the game’s roster of Legends. Valkyrie could well prove to be one of the most revolutionary additions to Apex Legends since launch, as she offers a totally different way to play the game.
Apex Legends Legacy – Valkyrie’s Abilities & Playstyle
Kairi “Valkyrie” Imahara is the daughter of Viper, a former member of the Apex Predators and one of the boss enemies from Titanfall 2. Viper’s gimmick was that his Northstar Titan wasn’t just able to hover – it was capable of full flight. Valkyrie adopts a similar set of tactics, making use of a custom jetpack and flight system to take to the skies in Apex Legends. In practice, this system doesn’t offer unlimited flight, but it does grant her unparalleled mobility.
Valkyrie’s passive ability is ‘VTOL Jets,’ which form the basis of her flight abilities. She can active these jets to fly into the air. However, she cannot shoot her weapons while flying and the jets have a limited fuel supply. As such, you will need to land periodically. Rather than soaring across the map, the VTOL Jets are better used for short jumps, to cross gaps too far to cross on foot, or to surprise enemies from an unexpected angle.
In the first trailer, a barrage of missiles seemed to be Valkyrie’s big special ability. However, this isn’t actually her Ultimate. Rather, ‘Missile Swarm’ is her Tactical ability. The rocket swarm hits a relatively large target area but doesn’t do enormous damage. Rather, it does medium damage while also disorienting enemies struck. Valkyrie’s Ultimate is actually her ‘Skyward Dive’ ability, which offers something very unique. When she activates this ability, she and any squadmates who are close enough, can boost high into the sky. This allows you to skydive back down, as if entering for the first time, and allows you to reposition across a great distance.