Excited to try out Apex Legends' Valkyrie and her abilities? Season 9 introduces a new 3v3 Arenas mode, the Bocek bow weapon, adjustments to Olympus' environment, and a new legend with deep roots in Titanfall lore. It's always exciting to try out the new legend on launch day, but she'll likely be very popular: Make sure you team up with some friends to take turns trying her out.
While you may have to queue a few times before you can pick the newest of the Apex Legends characters, it's a good idea to know what she's capable of. I'm here to fill you in on how the new legend works to help you make the most of her moveset. Here's a breakdown of Apex Legends' Valkyrie's abilities, and a handful of tips to help you get started.
Abilities
Apex Legends Valkyrie abilities
Unlike other legends Valkyrie has three passive abilities alongside her tactical and ultimate. Apex Legends Valkryie's abilities are:
Passive
- Recon: Scan survey beacons to see the next circle's location.
- VTOL Jets: Press space while in the air to engage jetpack. You can switch between hold and toggle mode in the options menu.
- When skydiving, nearby enemies are highlighted for Valkyrie and her squad for a few seconds.
Tactical
- Missile Swarm: Fire a swarm of mini-rockets which damage and disorient the enemy.
Ultimate
- Skyward Dive: Press once to prepare for launch. Teammates can interact with Valkyrie to join the launch. Press again to launch into the air and skydive.
Tips
Top tips for Valkyrie, the Winged Avenger
VTOL Jets
Valkyrie's kit looks impressive so far, but her greatest strength can easily turn into a weakness if you're not careful. Being able to fly to the top of a building saves time, but Valkyrie's flying speed is pretty slow, making it easy for enemy snipers to down her quickly. The VTOL Jets are also loud, which will alert nearby opponents of her whereabouts.
I recommend using the jetpack to scout ahead for other squads, but be mindful that Valkyrie can't use her weapons while airborne. You'll also notice a slight delay before you can pull out your firearm and begin shooting once you touch down on the ground. Try to use the jetpack in short bursts to avoid draining your jet fuel, and avoid flying out in the open for extended periods of time.
Missile Swarm
Valkyrie's tactical ability is called Missile Swarm and it fires a bunch of mini-rockets that damage and stun enemies. These aren't quite as powerful as they look, but they'll do enough damage to finish off an injured target. I found that the best way to use this ability was by hovering momentarily to get a good look at my opponents, send out the missiles, then drop back down to safety on the ground. Alternatively, standing on the roof of a building with some cover works well too.
Skyward Dive
I'm looking forward to spending more time with Valkyrie's Skyward Dive ultimate. This ability lets you and your team redeploy without having to rely on a balloon or geyser. Just like the skydive at the beginning of a battle royale match, this makes Valkyrie the jumpmaster, but feel free to split off if you want to. I'm expecting this to be especially useful for escaping the circle, chasing down enemies on the horizon, or repositioning your team on high ground towards the end of a match. Remember to coordinate with your squad and use this move behind cover as it takes a few seconds to activate.
Bocek Bow & Olympus map changes
What else is coming in Apex Legends Season 9?
Bocek Bow
The Bocek Bow kickstarts the new Marksman weapon class and also happens to be Apex's first ever bow. Naturally, it uses arrows as its ammo type, and its potent at medium ranges. We can attach two hop-ups to the Bocek Bow which are:
- Deadeye's Tempo: Firing at the perfect moment increases its fire rate (also available for the Sentinel).
- Shatter Caps: Your arrows split into a blast pattern when fired (also available for the 30-30 Repeater).
I'm not much of a sniper but I found the bow easy to use. If you're planning to main Valkyrie, I'd keep an eye out for eagle-eyed snipers waiting to attack while you're airborne.
You can equip both hop-ups at the same time, so there's no harm in keeping your eyes peeled for both. I prefer the Deadeye's Tempo hop-up as I prefer to keep my distance when using the bow, but Shatter Caps can be a lifesaver when you get into close combat engagements.
Olympus map changes
Olympus has been taken over by a huge, parasitic plant that was flown in by an unmanned spacecraft called Icarus. This sounds like it could be the beginnings of an overarching Apex story, but for now we know very little about the mysterious growth. In my hands-on, Respawn teased that this story will focus on one legend in particular, but it might not be Valkyrie, which makes it all the more mysterious.
The new ship is located between Orbital Cannon, Solar Array, and Bonsai Plaza, replacing Crossroads. It features four rooms and is littered with scientist's corpses. Each match, one of the corpses will have a Bridge Keycard that we can grab and take to the Bridge to grab valuable gear. This card will spawn randomly so it won't always be in the same spot. If you're excited to explore the ship, watch out for other like-minded opponents.
Finally, two redeploy balloons have been removed from Olympus to try to minimise third-partying and make the map feel more balanced now that the Icarus spaceship has arrived. The balloons outside Golden Gardens and Orbital Cannon will disappear from Olympus on May 4 when Legacy launches, so its great that you have your tactical and ultimate to rely on.
