Valkyrie saw some significant nerfs going into Season 14 after dominating the meta. However, in the right hands, she’s still an incredibly strong Legend that can lead your squad to victory.
Season 14 of Apex Legends is well underway, and the meta has seen some drastic shifts since the massive S14 patch. Valkyrie saw a huge set of nerfs coming into this Season, reducing her power level a bit.
However, even with those nerfs, Valkyrie is still incredibly strong in capable hands. Her ability to reposition herself and her squad can be invaluable, and it makes this Legend worth learning.
Valkyrie’s abilities certainly aren’t simple to master, but there are a few tips & tricks you can use to get the upper hand over your opponents and dominate your Apex matches in Season 14.
How to use Valkyrie’s abilities in Apex Legends
Passive: VTOL Jets
Valkyrie’s Passive ability VTOL Jets allows her to take to the skies for a limited amount of time. To activate her jetpack, you’ll need to press jump while in the air and the ability will propel you upwards.
It’s worth noting that this ability will be set to ‘Toggle’ as default, so you’ll want to head into the settings change it to ‘Hold’ so you have more control while flying above the map. This will allow you to maneuver with your jetpacks more effectively and dodge any enemy fire coming your way.
Keep in mind, your flight duration is determined by the amount of fuel you have which regenerates while you’re on the ground. On top of this, Valkyrie cannot fire her weapons while her jetpacks are activated, so make sure you look to deal damage while you’re falling down to the ground.
Finally, for increased stability in the air, remember that you can switch to flying horizontally, (on PC, hold right-click). Although this is helpful, it does consume the same amount of fuel as flying upwards.
Tactical: Missile Swarm
Valkyrie’s Tactical ability Missile Swarm allows her to fire a set of mini-rockets that disorientates enemies. Although her barrage of explosives looks like it would one-shot an opponent, as with any Tactical in Apex, it’s more utility-based and causes an enemy to be stunned temporarily like an Arc Star.
Similar to a Bangalore Ultimate, this ability is perfect to use before a push with your squad or if you’re looking to disengage from a fight and regroup.
It’s worth noting that Valkyrie’s Tactical has another use when paired with her Passive VTOL Jets. While in mid-air, if you aim your Missile Swarm, her jetpacks will enter a hover mode that uses significantly less fuel. This means you can fly a huge distance without needing to land and offers great scouting potential for your squad.
If you’re looking for an extra technique to add to your arsenal, try jumping and firing your tactical ability directly at your feet, this will launch your rockets behind you without you having to turn around. If you’re struggling to master this trick, consider checking out our dedicated guide.
Ultimate: Skyward Dive
Valkyrie’s Ultimate ability Skyward Dive launches her and her squad into the sky and acts similarly to the redeployment balloons. It also gives everyone using the Ultimate a scanner in the air that shows any enemies below.
This is ideal if you and your squad are far away from the circle and need a quick way to get inside. On top of this, if a gunfight is taking a turn for the worse, it’s a great escape option to deliver your whole squad out of danger.
Just make sure you make use of the enemy scanner in the air so you don’t land in any unwanted trouble.
Valkyrie tips and tricks
1. Don’t overuse Valkyrie’s VTOL Jets
There’s no denying that Valkyrie has one of the most fun and satisfying abilities in the game with her Passive. It’s incredibly addictive to glide through the air and look down onto the action from above.
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However, if you’re looking to pick up wins with the high-flying Legend, it’s important you know when not to use your jetpack. As Valkyrie, in the air, you’re vulnerable, extremely loud, and good players can shoot you out of the sky with little issue.
It’s key to remember that you can’t shoot and fly simultaneously either, so there’s no way of effectively defending yourself while using your jetpack.
In a pinch, flying around or near structures and buildings can be a lifesaver. They can’t hit you if you break line of sight.
Of course, you should definitely use your VTOL Jets regularly throughout a match, but sometimes it’s better to stay on the ground if you know you’re taking a big risk.
2. Make use of her ability to scout enemies
Positioning in Apex Legends is absolutely key if you want to pick if the victory. Both Valkyrie’s Passive and Ultimate are incredible scouting tools that can allow you to reposition as a team to gain an advantage over your opponents.
Knowing where an enemy squad is heading can be a huge difference-maker in an intense Apex match.
And, you don’t need to have Valkyrie’s Ultimate to be able to use her Skydiving overlay. Simply find the nearest redeploy balloon, and Valk will scan the area as she dives back in.
Despite this, it’s worth keeping in mind that Valkyrie is easily spotted while she’s in the air, so make sure you try to remain undetected or you may spur an enemy squad to close in on your position.
3. Keep tabs on your squad
Similar to Crypto, it’s easy to fly or stray too far away from your squad when you’re playing Valkyrie. The ability to soar above the map can often distract you and cause you to leave your squadmates far behind. Keep tabs on where your squad is, and make sure to ping when you’re ready to hit the skies.
Valkyrie’s ultimate is at it’s absolute best when you’re using it proactively. While it can bail you out of a tough situation, it can also spell death for your entire squad.
Good players will cancel your ult channel by shooting you on the ground. Great players will shoot you right out of the sky. Using Valk’s ult reactively can and will kill you against decent players.
Think about when and where you’re going to use her ult to reposition and find an advantage, and make sure you use it before the circle gets to you rather than while you’re in it. Valkyrie’s ult is incredibly valuable when it comes to dealing with the Season 14 ring changes.
Hopefully, this guide has given you plenty of tips and tricks to completely master Valkyrie. Before long, you’ll be dominating your enemies from the skies and delivering your squad to victory.
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