There’s no better way to help a new Apex Legends season get off the ground than with a jetpack.
New legend Kairi “Valkyrie” Imahara will take to the skies in the battle royale’s ninth season, Legacy, delivering a unique perspective to dishing out destruction. Her ability kit lets her soar high with her allies, rain down explosives, and provide much-needed intel.
Here are all of Valkyrie’s abilities.
Passive: Recon
Similar to Pathfinder, Bloodhound, and Crypto, Valkyrie can scan Survey Beacons to reveal the next circle’s location.
Passive: VTOL Jets
Valkyrie can engage her jetpack while in the air to fly upward, toggling the ability on and off. But you can’t fly indefinitely. Valk’s jetpack has a fuel meter and it needs time to recharge after depleting.
To prevent the ability from being too overpowered, Valk can’t use guns or grenades while its activated. Players can use their weapons in the air after a brief delay by simply toggling the VTOL Jets off, however. And the legend’s tactical can still be used while the jet pack is active.
While hovering in the air, you’re very loud and susceptible to enemy fire. The legend doesn’t fly relatively fast and the jetpack’s pathing is fairly predictable, making you an easy target without cover, according to lead game designer Daniel Klein.
“Be very careful when you engage your jetpack, lest you turn from a Valkyrie into a clay pigeon,” he said in a virtual press briefing.
Tactical: Missile Swarm
Valkyrie fires a swarm of mini-rockets that damage and disorient enemies caught in its path. The missiles won’t all land at the same time, instead landing in waves. And while they won’t deal massive amounts of destruction and appear fairly easy to predict, it’s a great zoning tool and can help your allies pick off stunned targets.
“It’s a pretty powerful debuff but it’s a very short duration,” Klein said. “You can think of it sort of like an Arc Star, it’s not quite as intense… and it’s shorter duration… but still it’ll make you weak for a short amount of time and it will show everybody in the match that you are weak by putting this electricity VFX on your body.”
Ultimate: Skyward Dive
Valkyrie launches into the air, similar to skydiving or taking a redeploy balloon, and can take both her allies along for the ride. Teammates who interact with Valk prior to her launch can shoot into the sky with her. This is a great way of getting out of a sticky situation or diving headfirst into one.
As another passive, Valk’s radar highlights enemies in her line of sight while she’s skydiving, using her ultimate, or after taking a balloon, providing excellent intel for her allies.
Apex players eager to hit the skies with Valkyrie don’t have to wait long. Legacy, the battle royale’s ninth season, kicks off on Tuesday, May 4.
