Apex Legends: The Ultimate Valkyrie Guide

Players of Apex Legends who got a feeling of soaring the skies through Gravity Cannons and other gimmicks may have wished for a Legend to actually have the ability to fly. And while characters such as Octane, Horizon, and Pathfinder have these capabilities, their jumping/floating-based kit don’t always get as close to the feeling players want. This is where Valkyrie comes in, as her VTOL Jets fulfill the very thing players want out of an Apex Legends match: the ability to fly.

While Valkyrie’s VTOL Jets have a limited runtime, the character still has the most capabilities of spending the time in the air compared to other Legends. This advantage allows her to access some of the game’s tougher areas, as well as jump the gun on unsuspecting enemies. However, Valkyrie’s flight-oriented toolkit does make her skillset rather specialized to be picked up on the get-go. Just how can players master Valkyrie’s flying kit to dominate the skies as an Apex Legend?

Valkyrie: The Right Gal For Smuggling

Kairi Imahara made a name for herself for being fierce, brash, and bold in all respects, capable of being an expert smuggler and still having enough energy to drink will fellow outlaws at night. This tendency of going above (or below) the law was something innate to her, having stolen a Titan from her father, Viper in the Titanfall game, when she was a child. When Viper left for a mission and never returned, Kairi became determined in following her father’s footsteps - and even more determined to track the man who put Viper in danger, his senior Kuben Blisk.

At some point, Kairi was able to track Blisk with the intent of killing him. However, she was impressed when Blisk talked about her father with high praise, convincing her to spare him - but not without shooting him. While this didn’t kill him, Blisk’s words of “being better” did motivate Kairi to “avenge” her father’s legacy in a new way. After their encounter, Kairi used the flight core from her father’s Northstar Titan to create a jetpack that could help her soar the skies. After taking Blisk’s Apex card during their meeting, Kairi set her eyes on new sights: the Apex Games, as flight specialist Valkyrie.

Why Play Valkyrie: Flight Is Power

Just like her namesake, Valkyrie dominates the skies in Apex Legends gameplay, allowing her to capitalize on the openness of Apex Games locations and catch enemies by surprise. Players who love the versatility this kind of directionality offers may want to grab Valkyrie and test her out immediately with Apex Legends weapons. However, gamers interested in more nuanced approaches to using Valkyrie should consider the following reasons as well:

Reposition in the safety of the air: Thanks to Valkyrie’s VOTL Jets (Passive), she’s able to fly to the skies and make use of the game’s open environments for repositioning. While she can’t use her weapons mid-flight, Valkyrie has the advantage of flying much longer and landing almost wherever she wants - and this is where she can use her weapons. Players who love the idea of confusing opponents through midair stunts and even just surveying the battlefield from the skies should use Valkyrie.
Get the missile advantage: Players out for the jet fighter aesthetic would love Valkyrie’s Missile Swarm (Tactical) if only for the purpose of seeing a missile barrage fly towards enemies. However, this also offers a useful mechanical advantage to Valkyrie’s team, in that not only does it deal additional damage but may also attack entire squads who love staying in clusters - which is usually the recommended way of moving around the map.
Become the team’s hard exit: With Skyward Dive (Ultimate), Valkyrie can pick up her teammates and take to the skies, being able to reposition almost anywhere in the map. Ideally, this allows Valkyrie and the team to avoid the Ring, or simply reposition away from a dangerous and highly-contested area.

The Basics Of Valkyrie: Get Flying

Imagine Valkyrie soaring the skies and gliding across Apex Legends maps to rain bullet hell quite literally on her opponents. This level of awesomeness is something Valkyrie’s skillset provides players due to its flight-based focus. However, players may want to check out the rest of her toolkit to get a quick glance on how the rest of her skills interact:

VTOL Jets (Passive): Through her specialized jetpack, Valkyrie can soar the skies. She cannot do any actions in the process, however.
Missile Swarm (Tactical): Valkyrie prepares her missiles and fires them to an enemy’s direction, distracting and damaging them.
Skyward Dive (Ultimate): Due to the power of her jetpack, Valkyrie can launch into the skies and skydive into another map location with her teammates.

Passive: VTOL Jets

The main skill in Valkyrie’s powerset as a character in Apex Legends, the VTOL Jets (Passive) allow Valkyrie to engage her jetpack and fly in midair until her fuel runs out. In this state, Valkyrie can’t use any Apex Legends weapon combo except her Missile Swarm, also gets a special HUD. Here are things to consider with her Passive:

Properties: Valkyrie consumes fuel when using her jets, from 14.25% upon activation and her longest time in air being around 5.3 seconds. Her fuel starts to refill 8 seconds after she last used her VTOL Jets, with the tank filling up from empty throughout a 10-second cooldown.
Note special interactions: Valkyrie’s usage of VTOL Jets also affect certain abilities and interactions. For instance, Valkyrie can only use her jets with Launch Pad (Octane) only after the double jump. Meanwhile, Valkyrie can use the jets with the Gravity Cannon but will add to its horizontal and not vertical momentum.

Tactical: Missile Swarm

It’s one thing to have the flight capacity of a jet, and another to also possess an arsenal of missile launchers. This is exactly what Missile Swarm (Tactical) does for Valkyrie as a formidable character with even an Apex Legends pistol, as this allows her to unleash a barrage of missiles to the enemy’s direction. Getting hit by Valkyrie’s missiles not only deal damage but also disorient enemies. Here are some other information about this ability:

Properties: This ability has a 30-second cooldown. The ability launches 12 missiles that fit a 4x3 array, dealing damage and slowing the movement of opponents for 2 seconds. The missiles hit a 1.25-meter radius, with the first missile hitting any Legend dealing 25 damage and every thing afterwards dealing only 3 damage.
Check limitations: Due to its nature as a long-distance missile barrage, Missile Swarm isn’t always viable in all situations. Players need to remember that the ability still has its limitations. For instance, the minimum distance between Valkyrie and her target must be 12 meters, and she needs to be within an ample vertical distance to use the ability. Likewise, her maximum target can be 100 meters.
Capitalize for aerial ambushes: It’s the synergy between Missile Swarm and VTOL Jets that make them a good combo. At its core, Valkyrie performs best with Missile Swarm once she’s up in the air via VTOL Jets since she can aim properly while the slow duration is enough for Valkyrie to disengage her jets and use her weapons.

Ultimate: Skyward Dive

One of the more unconventional abilities for an Apex Legends team, Skyward Dive (Ultimate) of Valkyrie lets her launch herself and her allies up in the air for another skydiving session. This allows her and the team to reposition almost anywhere in the map, as though they’re doing a second drop akin to the beginning of the match. Here are some things to take note:

Properties: This ability has a 3-minutue cooldown. Valkyrie needs a 2-second setup time where she waits for her teammates to interact with her afterwards. She can launch herself (and/or allies) into the air up to around 135 meters within 6.5-seconds and enter a skydiving phase similar to that of a Jump Tower.
Take note of vulnerabilities: The setup time of Skyward Dive means it’s highly impractical to use in the thick of combat. The Ultimate will be canceled when Valkyrie takes damage, refunding 75-percent of its charge.
Take note of her Jet-Fighter HUD: Valkyrie obtains a special HUD through this Passive when she uses her Ultimate, wherein she can mark any enemy within 250 meters provided she has direct line of sight towards them. The current champion is marked as “CH” and the current kill leader gets a “KL” mark. Unlike other scanners, enemies won’t be notified if a Valkyrie detects them this way.

Valkyrie Gameplay: Capitalize On Verticality

Valkyrie’s flying has got to be one of the most unique mechanics among Apex Legends skills. Mastering aerial combat in the game’s most open maps can be pretty challenging for newcomers. Combined with a toolkit that recommends quick yet precise aiming, Valkyrie can be a tough cookie to crack for players who want to massacre opponents from the convenience of verticality. Thankfully, players can rely on a few tips and tricks to ensure their Valkyrie gameplay can secure more kills than the average enjoyer:

Force enemies to aim upwards for vulnerability: Verticality is the most annoying adjustment for FPS players to do when engaging in fights, especially when aiming upwards or downwards is not just inconvenient but also leaves them open for attack. This is something Valkyrie should take advantage of, as catching enemies by surprise near the top of opponent Legends can force other squads to aim up - leaving them vulnerable for a few seconds for the team to strike.
Flush enemies out with Missile Swarm: While Valkyrie can’t use her weapons while using the VTOL Jet, she does have the ability to aim her Missile Swarm (Tactical) towards opponents. Instead of waiting for opponents to be in the clear when aiming the ability, she can shoot regardless if everyone’s visible or not. Think of the Missile Swarm as an aerial cluster grenade where it’s used more to flush enemies out of cover instead of killing them.
Take the team to adaptable, not always safe, areas: When using Skyward Dive (Ultimate), it’s always tempting to land in areas that are safe. This is usually the norm, but if it’s immediately “safe,” then everyone knows it’s safe - making it a potential hot zone. Instead, Valkyrie should land players in areas where her team can quickly navigate to any safe zone they choose. That way, enemies in supposed safe buildings can be avoided as soon as players see them.

Skirmisher Class: An Eye For Special Equipment

Given her nature as a smuggler, it makes sense for Valkyrie to have a “natural” eye for special equipment. And now that Valkyrie has more access to movement opportunities given her flight capabilities, her classification as a Skirmisher Class makes her even more capable as an all-terrain fighter. When players use Valkyrie, they may need to take note of the following perk in order to maximize her exploration mastery and tap into her innate eye for quality:

Care Package enhanced visual access: As Valkyrie, players who look at Care Packages now see additional information - the highest-valued item. Whenever Valkyrie spots a Care Package from the sky or on the ground, she gains access to this information as well as whether another team has picked it up or not. As the team’s advanced scout, this gives Valkyrie more than enough room to either warn her allies or motivate them to make the push.

Loadout Recommendations

Valkyrie as a navigational specialist allows players to access even the toughest locations in the map, allowing her to jump the gun on enemies even with the barest of Apex Legends pistols. However, players who aren’t able to capitalize on Valkyrie’s exploration specialty might fire back when enemies can anticipate her position. In this case, Valkyrie players may want to use a loadout that allows her to adapt to even the worst of comebacks. Here are some weapons that can help players do this strategy:

Peacekeeper (Shotgun): Valkyrie as a flying specialist doesn’t usually scream close-ranged combat, but imagine jumping towards an opponent and ending their run as an Apex Legend with a shotgun blast to the face. Valkyrie as a close-ranged skirmisher makes for a perfect character to wield the powerful Peacekeeper as a short-ranged companion.
R-301 Carbine (Assault Rifle, Light Rounds): Considering the perceived difficulty of balancing Valkyrie’s kit up in the sky, she’s well-suited to have a reliable weapon wherever she ends up. This is where the R-301 Carbine fits in, as this beginner-friendly Assault Rifle is a perfect way for Valkyrie to transition from one combat situation to the next without worrying whether her weapon is suited for the job.
M600 Spitfire (LMG, Light Rounds): The unreliability of the handling and recoil of an LMG light the M600 Spitfire doesn’t make it an ideal weapon to have in extremely close or extremely distant combat situations. However, the gun’s rather volatile nature makes it a perfect companion for the likes of Valkyrie, whose transition on the ground forces her to move anyway. Countering the recoil of the Spitfire with her own descent can potentially stabilize the trajectory of LMG bullets, provided players train in its handling.

Apex Legends is playable on the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.