Valkyrie takes over Apex Legends throne from Wraith

Valkyrie has taken over the title of Apex Legends queen from Wraith. Recent data from Apex Legends Global Series tournaments gathered by Apex Legends analyst SinghLabs reported that while 11 percent of players choose Wraith in ranked matches and 6.7 percent pick Valkyrie, on the fifth and sixth days of ALGS, 57 percent of teams in North America had Valkyrie on their team compared to only 30 percent playing Wraith.

What went wrong

Wraith is still the third most-picked Legends in the game’s ranked matches. It is believed that she would reclaim second once people get bored of Ash. Despite having been recently nerfed and had her hitbox enlarged when running, Wraith is still a good pick. Her ability to disappear from the battlefield to avoid damage, plus the ability to conjure a portal to transport yourself and your allies across the map, make her a great scout, escapist, and assassin in the right hands. Despite the recent change, she still has the smallest hitbox in Apex Legends.

Valkyrie’s jetpack, on the other hand, is a very versatile tool. Her Skyward Dive helps teams reposition themselves quickly and guarantees them safety. Her HUD also highlights enemies in her line of sight when she is airborne, and her rocket can detect hiding opponents and identify the optimal angle to throw the best grenade.

The Queen’s decline

Both are inferior to Apex’s best man Gibraltar, and Wraith is hanging onto a thin thread to defend her place as a top-five Legends, but Valkyrie is currently rising to fame like no Legends ever have. Wraith’s decline is sure began way before Vealkyrie’s introduction into the game in Season 9. While few characters have had a 100 percent pick rate in a competitive setting, her decline was rapid.

It, however, did not coincide with a series of nerfing and bug fixing, rather the Octane Jump Pad change in Season 8. Despite the change taking place pre-Revtane, the pad buff gave Octane a superior movement capability. The fact Wraith’s hitbox was enlarged also did not help.

Despite Octane very briefly overtaking Wraith, he did not reach the glory Wraith once had. Moreover, Valkyrie’s introduction into the game split the range of choice into the three most reliable movement characters. Prior to Season 8, Wraith had been the only movement character during the ALGS period as Pathfinder was also excessively nerfed pre-ALGS.

How Valkyrie takes over

Valkyrie’s rotations are safer than both Legends. Her set of abilities take players further and provide a tool that can detect enemies, unmatched and unparalleled by Wraith, Octane, and Ash, whose arsenals barely hold a candle. Valk also has a better synergy with other meta Legends. Gibraltar’s Dome Shield, for example, provides a safe take-off and landing site for Valk to use her Ultimate Ability.

Pairing her with Caustic is also a viable strategy for defending a well-positioned building in the early stages of a match. In fact, the bad doctor rotating early with Valkyrie let players stay longer in zones and build a fortress of poisonous traps. A Missile Swarm, Nox Gas Grenade, and Orbital Bombardment can now easily overwhelm the enemies, dealing huge damage without firing a single bullet.

Verdict

With a great set of skills and great Legends to pair with, Valkyrie is a very versatile and reliable movement character. She dove easily into the game’s meta. It is without a doubt that Valk is Apex Legends’ new queen.