Valkyrie Elysium sees the return of this franchise in decades. It plays unlike most games in the series, switching more traditional RPG mechanics out for something more akin to an action game. The game still takes place in a world about to dive into the furies of Ragnarok but it is not necessarily connected to other games.
That is to say, Valkyrie Elysium is and it isn’t connected but new fans can enjoy it out the gate is the point. Most of these games are loosely connected at best, so there is no need to worry. This single-player action RPG is full of mechanics right off the bat, so to help ease the confusion, here are some guiding tips.
8 Choosing A Difficulty
Players can choose one of three difficulties at the beginning of the game including Easy, Normal, and Hard. The game’s action, as an RPG, is not that challenging on the grand scale of things.
Players will get plenty of potions and healing magic to help if things do get too difficult. The recommendation here then is a simple one that can apply to many games. Normal is the way to go unless the story is important which makes Easy the better option.
7 Elemental Weaknesses And Farming For Gems
Every enemy has an elemental weakness that is displayed to the left of their HP bar. This is great as in most other RPGs, these things would be hidden until some sort of scan ability was unlocked. Enemies will perish faster if players take advantage of elemental weaknesses.
However, diving into these elemental weaknesses can create an opportunity for farming currency. Filling up the bar to the left will cause an enemy to break and once hit in this state, they’ll spew out gems like slot machines.
6 What To Upgrade
There are several things players can use gems on to upgrade their characters in Valkyrie Elysium. There are stat boosts that favor attack, defense, and support abilities. Then there are the various weapons players will acquire as well from a broadsword to a spear.
The first thing players should unlock is the double jump ability in the support category. After that, boosting attack power is the best defense in this game which can differ from many action RPGs. Action is key in this game though.
5 Stick With Alfodr
Alfodr is Valkyrie’s starting weapon which is like a small broadsword typically found in many RPG starting packs. After that, she will acquire an epee followed by a spear, and so on.
The epee creates some good speed at the cost of low attack power. The spear creates a good advantage for taking out multiple enemies at once but is very slow. Alfodr is a well-balanced weapon that is not the best sword in the game but it should be the weapon to focus on for a good portion of Valkyrie Elysium.
4 Talk To Your Party
Side quests will unlock after story missions are completed. Players can toggle between them on the map and they will be transported to a small instance, much quicker than a story mission.
Talking to comrades at headquarters will also unlock side quests. Go into the map at HQ and if a character has a scroll over their icon, that means they could have a side quest. Typically, character side quests will unlock some powerful spells or items, critical to winning in any RPG.
3 Take Advantage Of The Training Ground
Monsters in the Training Ground will not reward players with the bountiful amount of gems or items that they are used to. It is installed at HQ for practice purposes only. Players can learn to get better at fighting certain enemies in a one-on-one environment or they can increase their numbers to an overwhelming degree.
While this may not help every player in Valkyrie Elysium, it should be made aware of. It’s like a beefier training mode from a fighting game. There is also a way to practice moves when unlocked through upgrading weapons. Take advantage of these opportunities as well to rule the battlefield with an iron thumb.
2 Break Through Boxes And Barrels
Taking advantage of elemental weaknesses is the best way to farm for gems quickly which is basically the currency of this game. However, breaking through barrels and boxes is also a good way to earn a little extra currency on the battlefield. There are plenty of breakable objects in the environment. While it might get tedious, every little gem counts. Also, sometimes boxes and barrels will be hiding something better like a chest, so the overall tip here is to fully explore environments in Valkyrie Elysium.
1 You Can Grapple Onto Enemies Too
Valkyrie unlocks a grapple-like ability in the tutorial area of the game. Most may not realize this but this ability can be used to glide toward enemies too. It might be cooler if this ability could pull enemies toward Valkyrie instead like Scorpion’s hook from Mortal Kombat. However, other abilities can do that so it isn’t necessary.
Getting around can be slow at times so taking advantage of this grapple ability should make battles go by relatively quickly. It’s also a good ability to evade enemy attacks without using the actual dodge button.
Valkyrie Elysium was released on September 29, 2022 and is available on PC, PS4, and PS5.