The Valkyrie in For Honor is a bit of a badass, but only if you use her right.
The Valkyrie in For Honor will receive a few changes with the next update, but until then, you are free to go nuts with her.
Some of the changes coming to the Valkyrie in For Honor are buffs to some of her moves and a reduction in recovery time on others. Once the For Honor update drops, the following changes will be made to the Valkyrie:
- Light attacks: reduced recovery time
- Light chains: reduced time between attacks
- Pouncing Thrust & Hunter’s Strike: increased damage and link options after those moves
- Shield Crush: add link to Light Attack chains
- Hunter’s Rush: reduced recovery time
There are also game wide changes coming to all Guard Breaks to make the countering mechanic more inline with the beta, but until then, here’s a quick guide on how to play the hybrid hero as she currently stands.
As Arekkz notes in his video, the Valkyrie is a complex class to play despite her versatility, so hopefully this guide will help you make the most of what she has to offer.
Also, please note the controller buttons mentioned below (X, RB etc) are for Xbox One, so it goes without saying PlayStation 4 and PC players will have different configurations. We included these for explanation purposes only.
First up is her Superior Block Light Attacks. During the start of any Light Attack, a block property is in place. This can be used to counter incoming attacks if properly times. Her shield will flash orange at the start of any light attack and if your Light Attack matches the direction if an opponents incoming move, you will counter it – similar to parry but slightly easier. Once the attack is countered, the Valkyrie can follow up with her own attack. While the light attack obviously does less damage, it opens the door for attack chains.
One of the chain combos is called Boar Hunter, which is a chain of three Light Attacks (RB, RB, RB). To pull it off, the first attack must not have been blocked by the opponent. If the first two attacks land, the third one will stun the enemy, leaving it vulnerable to any other attack you wish to use. You can also use Spear Sweep (unblockable) as the third move in the chain to knock down your enemy.
Thrust and Slash is another chain which consists of two Light Attacks and one Heavy Attack (RB, RB, RT). As with Boar Hunter, use Spear Sweep as the third move in the chain to knock down your enemy. If you choose the Heavy attack instead, it will pull a sweep anyway, knocking the opponent down and ripe for a follow-up.
The Third chain, Harrier’s Fury starts with a Heavy Attack followed by two Light Attacks (RT, RB, RB). Again, the third attack can be replaced with Spear Sweep.
One of the Valkyrie’s moves is called Hunter’s Rush. It’s a good chase move in which the player will sprint toward the target, press RT for a Heavy Attack which has a rather large reach. This makes it so you can go into attack mode before your opponent is even in range. You can open with this, or chase them down as already mentioned. Make sure you aren’t locked in guard mode or this won’t work.
Pouncing Thrust is another move which you dodge forward and perform a Light Attack (forward, A, RB). Here, the Valkyrie will leap toward their opponent, and it has some rather nice range. This move can also be followed up by a chain attack such as Boar Hunter or Thrust and Slash or even one of the Guard Break options.
Similar to Pouncing Thrust is Hunter’s Strike only instead of going forward, you’ll go left or right when dodging then performing a Light Attack. A chain combo can be used as the first attack as well.
Guard matches the direction of the Valkyrie’s dodge, so if you dodge in the same direction as the incoming attack, it will be blocked. If followed with a Heavy attack, the player can then go into Shoulder Pin which adds a bleed effect.
The Valkyrie also has two shield moves, one called Shield Crush. This is a Heavy Attack followed up by Guard Break (RT, X). This pushes the enemy back providing an opportunity to use chains. The other is Shield Tackle (down, A, Guard Break [X]). You you hold guard break, you will assume a stance which allows you to block without having to match the incoming attack. That said, it will drain stamina quickly, so don’t rely on it too much. Once you let off Guard Break when in this stance, you will then go into a Shield Tackle or press RB to go into a Pouncing Thrust.
She can also make use of a move called Ram’s Headbutt where if you go into Guard Break (X) and press and hold the button again (X,X) you will headbutt your enemy. The longer you hold Guard Break the farther the opponent will be knocked back. If you don’t hold Guard Break, it will just headbutt them resulting in a push back. If you do it with the hold (X,X) it will push them back and stun the enemy.
This can then be followed by by the unblockable move Spear Sweep which is a double Guard Break move used with down and Heavy Attack (X,X, down, RB). You can also go from Shield Crush into Spear Sweep by using Heavy Attack, Guard Break, down, then Heavy Attack again (RB, X, down, RB). Again, Spear Sweep cannot be blocked, but it can be evaded or interrupted by other players. Be sure to mix things up if relying on Spear Sweep as your opponent could catch on if you continue to use the same moveset. Also, continuous Speak Sweep combos will drain stamina.
Arekkz also notes you can use a Zone Attack to clear enemies out of the way without fear of interruption. While it clears the way while applying moderate damage, it will use half of the player’s stamina, so it’s best to use in sticky situations only. Players can also cancel a second attack should they need to by pressing the corresponding button (Xbox One users would normally press B).
The Valkyrie’s shield and ability to trip players is a core part of the class’s strategy. Some attacks are slow to set up and easy to read, so it’s best to wait for the opponent to attack first, and attempt to counter it. This especially true to due the class having strong guard skills and waiting on the opponent is easier than trying to go on the offensive.
Of course you can jump in with Hunter’s Strike or Pouncing Thrust but should you get countered, you don’t have a lot of health. Therefore, it’s best not to get caught off guard. And always try to use a Heavy Attack after performing Spear Sweep as the opponent will be down on the ground.
In short: play the Valkyrie offensively, react to the enemy, take advantage of the character’s range, sneak in trip wherever you can, and hopefully you’ll take your opponents down in no time.
There’s a few more suggestions on how to use the Valkyrie in Arekkz’s video – so be sure to give it a watch.
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