Valkyr Rework: The Nimble Berserker

[IdrisQe]

Valkyr is cool. She's been one of my favourite frames since I first got into the game. But after playing her lots, and NOT playing her lots, I realized that a lot of her kit is ... Very underwhelming in the current state of the game. People only use her 2 (Warcry) and 4 (Hysteria); both of these abilities are actually good as-is. The rest of her, though, leaves much to be desired, unfortunately. I'll break this suggestion into several parts, starting with...

1. Ability 1, Ripline:
This has to go. We have had Parkour 2.0 for ages, and her Ripline, aside from letting you recover from screwups parkouring in Jupiter (not that there's really any consequence for doing so) it's utterly useless. A single-target whip-pull-move, or a worse bullet-jump. How could we make ripline good?
Well, for one thing, I'd say overhaul how the pull works. Currently it's a light tug in a direction. I believe it could easily be more akin to directional slams, but with full 360 degree vertical potential. Press 1, she hooks to the ground, and YANKS herself violently to it at massive speed, causing an extra-large slam when she lands. This isn't a dainty, subtle, sneaky Ivara here. This is the OG shred-frame.
Additionally, it could be (at half cost as long as she has not landed at all yet) re-cast mid-air to change directions mid-flight. If aimed at a wall or roof, she would temporarily wall-latch to it for a short (affected by Ability Duration, and normal Wall Latch duration) period, undone easily by jumping or whatever. If aimed at an enemy in mid-air, she will pull herself to the enemy and strike it with her claws for a massive amount of damage (perhaps 3x finisher damage, affected by Ability Strength, and Finisher Damage on her Talons)
If already latched to a wall, or on the ground, and aimed at an enemy, she pulls the enemy DIRECTLY to her and lands an immediate finisher for 3x damage, affected by the same stats above. This finisher being applicable to ALL enemies that can be CC'd, no matter if they're normally finisher-able or not.

1a. Augment 1, Swing-Line:
And... Augment. Change it to "Rip-Chain". Her ripline augment is terrible and not at all worth a mod slot.
Instead, I propose that the augment make it so each time it's chained in the air without landing (not on a timer) and depending on the distance she travels, it adds more multiplier damage to the final strike, and will cause the hit enemy to explode in a violent energy explosion, dealing half the damage they took (affected by Ability Strength) to other nearby enemies (affected by Ability Range) ALSO as Finisher damage. If an enemy is pulled TO HER with this augment, afterimages of them will be left behind every couple meters that explode and knock-down enemies, refreshes her Ripline-Wall-Latch timer, and adds a chain-use multiplier like her in-air variant suggested above. We want this augment to be worth it no matter which way you use Ripline.

2. Ability 3, Paralysis:
This is irredeemable, frankly. It's a painfully useless move.
How would we keep this concept while making it good? Well, have it be paralyzing the enemies in fear, making them run from this gore-drenched screaming murder-machine. In a longer (15m cone base, Range-based?) 120 degree radius in front of her, enemies drop their weapons and are frozen in place, terrified, then start to run away, the freeze lasting say... 2 seconds at base (not sure if this should be affected by duration. Why not?), then the fleeing lasting another 10 (affected by Ability Duration). At any moment from the initial stun to when the "run away" debuff ends, the enemies take massively increased damage from all sources, say... 125% damage at base? (Affected by Ability Strength)

2a. Augment 3, Prolonged Paralysis:
And of course, augment. Make it "Piercing Paralysis"!
Idea behind the original name can stay, and it can do exactly what it should: Removes the "run away" part, making the enemies stay frozen in fear (paralyzed) for the full duration of Paralysis (prolonged), but also make all Melee damage bypass enemy shields and armor for the duration! Why just melee? Because frankly this is kind of overpowered as-is, and if your enemy is frozen in fear it's easier to put a blade into any weak spots in their armor, moreso than shooting from a distance.

3. Passive, Nimble:
This is nice, granted, but it still feels kinda of bland compared to a lot of newer passives. This is really an issue with lots of older frames, but I think this could be improved.
Change the name... "Fast Fury". Keep the immunity to hard landings, and let her get up from any knockdown or stun instantly by jumping or using an ability. (Not just completely ignoring knockdown like Atlas, that's his schtick) Better than the 50% faster recovery (which granted, is already nice) and a bit more interactive. If you're fast, you're practically unaffected by knockdown. You gotta be nimble to make use of her Nimble passive, basically.
Why the "Fury"? Well, in Melee 3.0, we're getting Heavy Attacks, which use Combo Counter to perform. Make her do Heavy Attacks and Finishers 25% faster, to fit her nature as a Berserker frame. Keep the idea that she's quick on her feet and tie it in with her unrelenting rage!
Also "Fast Fury", come on, it's like a pun on Fast and Furious AND a pun on the melee mod Fury all in one!

4. Augment 4, Hysterical Assault:
Her 1 lets her pull enemies to her. Parkour 2.0 exists. So why does this mod exist, and why does it take a valuable slot? It shouldn't.
So, Valkyr has violent, powerful energy claws that heal her, and a Berserker's rage that makes her nigh-invulnerable.
How do we improve upon this? Don't. Instead, switch it up, make it work differently as some augments do! The augment is now "Hysterical Panic"
I suggest a few simple alterations that fit in with the theme. Make her deal more damage the longer she's in Hysteria (to encourage using it longer, getting affected by the heavier energy drain, rather than just swapping to heal and back) and perhaps make her claw length increase the longer she goes too, so she can hit more enemies, easier. The more hysterical she gets, the more dangerous her claws become!
On the other hand, it makes her no longer invulnerable to damage, but instead she only gets a 100% damage reduction which LOWERS the longer she's in Hysteria down to a minimum of 50% damage reduction, while energy drain can go all the way up to 200%. It'd be an interesting switch-up of her playstyle, and make Hysteria more of a risk-reward system. With the lower damage reduction as well, Hunter Adrenaline and Rage could restore energy from health, and Energy drain would keep going up, and her claws could restore health, so it would end up sort of a race against the clock to keep it going as long as you can before it runs out (especially since all that damage buildup behind the scenes would be nasty).

5. Shields:
She doesn't need them. I know we have two frames already that don't have shields. So what? She was stripped of a ton of components, it makes sense that she'd perhaps not have a shield generator anymore, and she's a lightweight but tanky berserker. Especially if Shield Gating is implemented fully, it would just be too insane with her. And since Paralysis wouldn't use shields anymore... (And let's face it, a lot of us probably forgot it does in the first place) it'd be worth it, I'd say.

6. Gersemi Prime Deluxe Skin:
DE, Please. I'm begging you. There are so many awesome looking concepts for it on the internet. It would help solve, or at least mitigate, the visual Prime-looks-like-broken-Valkyr-but-not-Gersemi paradox. She wouldn't be the first frame to have gotten multiple Deluxe Skins anyway! And what better time for a rework than with a new skin? You did it with Atlas, with Nezha, and... Well, okay, Vauban's "rework" was a joke but TECHNICALLY-
ANYWAY Yes please DE I would pay like double the usual plat cost of a Deluxe Bundle for a good Gersemi Prime skin. Please. PLEASE.
Just look at these concepts!
 

Spoiler

(Source: https://www.deviantart.com/n4n0-1805)

 

Spoiler

(Source: https://forums.warframe.com/topic/641232-prime-concept-valkyr-prime-jewel-of-the-orokin/)

Erm... Anyway, that's all. Just some random thoughts here and there!

[Teridax68]

I can agree with a lot of this:

9 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

1. Ability 1, Ripline:

Fully agree with the criticism: Ripline is currently a relic from Parkour 1.0 that doesn't really do anything spectacularly interesting. I agree with much of the suggestion as well: Ripline's impact should be brutal, with her either damaging the enemy directly or knocking them down to set them up for a finisher (or both). I personally also believe Ripline should always pull Valkyr to her target at all times, as her melee-oriented kit favors her jumping into the fray, rather than pulling a single opponent from a distance.

9 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

1a. Augment 1, Swing-Line:

I really like the idea behind this: swinging along Spideman-style and prepping up for an attack sounds like a fun alteration to Valkyr's playstyle, and would be much more interesting than the current augment.

9 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

2. Ability 3, Paralysis:

I think one way to improve the ability would be to just add Prolonged Paralysis's bonus duration as a baseline. Beyond that, I agree the shield-to-damage mechanic makes no real sense on Valkyr, nor does it have any impact, though I also feel making enemies run away may not necessarily work with a frame that's going to have to chase them right afterwards.

9 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

2a. Augment 3, Prolonged Paralysis:

I feel if the augment removes the fear effect and reimplements the current vulnerability to finishers (which would be essentially the same as melee attacks ignoring shields and armor), that implies that the fear effect is itself not really a positive. Personally, I feel simply increasing the pull effect on Prolonged Paralysis could keep it as a worthy augment.

9 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

3. Passive, Nimble:

I agree that it would make sense for Valkyr to be generally faster. Personally, I think this can be developed further so that she gains a speed bonus in proportion to the damage she's recently taken and resisted: that way, she'd be encouraged to get into heavy combat, and be proportionately rewarded for it with faster attacks, recovery, and so on.

9 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

4. Augment 4, Hysterical Assault:

While I agree with the criticism of the augment (I think it's completely redundant, especially when Rip Line is meant to accomplish that same function), though I'm not sure if more damage or range would really be considered a valid tradeoff relative to invincibility: even with bigger or stronger claws, Valkyr's unlikely to be the best damage-dealer, at least not compared to frames with lots of radial nukes, but the total immunity to damage and status/CC becomes especially valuable to her in higher-level content, where it's otherwise easy for even durable frames to take lots of burst damage. Thus, while it could be interesting to have an augment that makes Hysterial more risky to use, I don't know if reducing the invincibility would make it desirable.

9 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

5. Shields:

Agreed. Honestly, I don't think shields as a system even really need to exist anymore, but on Valkyr in particular, she really doesn't need such a tiny shield pool, plus it would make sense for her health to be constantly exposed to damage.

9 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

6. Gersemi Prime Deluxe Skin:

I agree that there's a bit of a lore problem when the current Valkyr is meant to be the product of experimentation, and in either case I'd love to see a version of Valkyr Prime that looks unflayed/tortured. The skin suggestion looks good!

[NoLazyShadow]

Another pack of good ideas for our dead and disrespected Valk...too bad DE will keep ignoring her...

[(PSN)Helgradus]

Ah, no shields. Never thought about it but that is a good idea. I'm not a fan of her current passive. With enough experience you learn how to avoid hard landing with all frames and I tend to do it no matter who I'm playing, Valkyr included. I always thought a built in "Rage" (take damage, get energy) would be a decent passive for her that would make sense. Turn her pain, her anger, into power.

[Cephalon_Saryndipity]

20 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

Ability 1, Ripline:

This has to go. 

6. Gersemi Prime Deluxe Skin:
DE, Please. I'm begging you. There are so many awesome looking concepts for it on the internet. It would help solve, or at least mitigate, the visual Prime-looks-like-broken-Valkyr-but-not-Gersemi paradox. She wouldn't be the first frame to have gotten multiple Deluxe Skins anyway! And what better time for a rework than with a new skin? You did it with Atlas, with Nezha, and... Well, okay, Vauban's "rework" was a joke but TECHNICALLY-
ANYWAY Yes please DE I would pay like double the usual plat cost of a Deluxe Bundle for a good Gersemi Prime skin. Please. PLEASE.
Just look at these concepts!
  

 

  Reveal hidden contents

(Source: https://forums.warframe.com/topic/641232-prime-concept-valkyr-prime-jewel-of-the-orokin/)

 

Great ideas, I've had some thoughts for ripline and paralysis then a comment.

I think that ripline should affect multiple targets in a radius and bring them into melee range, kinda like Nidus's Larva but centered on a (Hopefully moving) Valkyr and limited by Power Strength as far as number of targets and range of pull. Or it could be like a cross between Larva and Harrow's 1. Basically, anything to demonstrate Valkyr's dominance of melee. As for paralysis I think your ideas are on the right track. But what if paralysis did something like built-in armor reduction or even as a compliment to War Cry like how Chroma's Vex Armor compliments his Elemental Ward. Basically, she does fine on her own. But I think her kit could use some more support or CC options. Something to keep her unique playstyle intact whilst offering more to a team in general. 

And I love the idea of a Prime Gersemi Skin. I actually colored my Gersemi with the default colors of the Prime skin (Took some time to match all the hues correctly), and I like the end result- very Valkyrie-like. I think that if metal textures were added to say, the head crest, or if the whole skin were given the PBR treatment it would more closely match what we see in our heads when we read about poor, beleaguered Valkitty Prime and her perplexing default skin. 

[peterc3]

22 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

2. Ability 3, Paralysis:
This is irredeemable, frankly. It's a painfully useless move.
How would we keep this concept while making it good? Well, have it be paralyzing the enemies in fear, making them run from this gore-drenched screaming murder-machine. In a longer (15m cone base, Range-based?) 120 degree radius in front of her, enemies drop their weapons and are frozen in place, terrified, then start to run away, the freeze lasting say... 2 seconds at base (not sure if this should be affected by duration. Why not?), then the fleeing lasting another 10 (affected by Ability Duration). At any moment from the initial stun to when the "run away" debuff ends, the enemies take massively increased damage from all sources, say... 125% damage at base? (Affected by Ability Strength)

Valkyr, the melee frame, should have an ability to make enemies run away.

22 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

6. Gersemi Prime Deluxe Skin:
DE, Please. I'm begging you. There are so many awesome looking concepts for it on the internet. It would help solve, or at least mitigate, the visual Prime-looks-like-broken-Valkyr-but-not-Gersemi paradox. She wouldn't be the first frame to have gotten multiple Deluxe Skins anyway! And what better time for a rework than with a new skin? You did it with Atlas, with Nezha, and... Well, okay, Vauban's "rework" was a joke but TECHNICALLY-
 ANYWAY Yes please DE I would pay like double the usual plat cost of a Deluxe Bundle for a good Gersemi Prime skin. Please. PLEASE.
Just look at these concepts!

Prime skins would be part of a PA, not Plat based. They aren't going to do this to solve a lore/visual problem players invented themselves.

22 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

4. Augment 4, Hysterical Assault:
Her 1 lets her pull enemies to her. Parkour 2.0 exists. So why does this mod exist, and why does it take a valuable slot? It shouldn't.

The thing about Hysteria is that it locks you into melee, or at least it did. You really don't know why a slot would be taken up to allow the invincible melee frame to close gaps very quickly?

22 hours ago, IdrisQe said:

and will cause the hit enemy to explode in a violent energy explosion

This isn't an Augment. It's barely connected to the Rip Line base ability.

Why not just ask for a similar frame done more to your liking, rather than change a frame you don't understand into something it isn't.

[IdrisQe]

On 2019-06-24 at 4:06 PM, peterc3 said:

Valkyr, the melee frame, should have an ability to make enemies run away.

Okay, yeah, that wasn't the best idea. I was trying to come up with something to fit "scary berserker" better than... Shield whack?
@Teridax68 and @(NSW)Badger (or is it @(NSW)Badger? For some reason you show up twice in the mention listing) have some nice ideas there.

On 2019-06-24 at 4:06 PM, peterc3 said:

Prime skins would be part of a PA, not Plat based. They aren't going to do this to solve a lore/visual problem players invented themselves.

Fair... Except that we already had Valkyr Prime Access, and this is kind of a special case, anyway. Said lore/visual problem is not the playerbase's fault either. It's simply been pointed out by many that if Gersemi is supposed to be a complete non-Prime Valkyr, then Gersemi and Valkyr Prime should look alike, when instead Valkyr Prime looks like the experimented non-Prime Valkyr, despite being supposedly undamaged.

This could also be resolved in a similar manner to the Chordalla Prime, which Valkyr Prime always has access to. If the player owns the Gersemi skin, then the Gersemi Prime Skin is always available to use on Valkyr Prime. Not that hard to implement, surely. It would be nice, anyway.

On 2019-06-24 at 4:06 PM, peterc3 said:

The thing about Hysteria is that it locks you into melee, or at least it did. You really don't know why a slot would be taken up to allow the invincible melee frame to close gaps very quickly?

Ripline. Bullet jump. Even rolling and sprinting and sliding and slide-attacking and... Need I continue?
Is it faster? Yeah, probably. Is it worth 1/8 slots on your loadout? Hell no.

On 2019-06-24 at 4:06 PM, peterc3 said:

This isn't an Augment. It's barely connected to the Rip Line base ability. 

How is a crit boost related to Ivara's dash-wire? How is healing related to Limbo's banish? What the heck does healing have to do with Gara's literal glass shard storm?
Why can Loki's radial disarm give radiation procs to enemies with an augment? I could continue...

On 2019-06-24 at 4:06 PM, peterc3 said:

Why not just ask for a similar frame done more to your liking, rather than change a frame you don't understand into something it isn't.

Because read the thread title, genius, and stop being a snarky jerk, perhaps. It's a Valkyr Rework suggestion. If I wanted a new frame, I'd make a new frame suggestion, except all this is clearly Valkyr even with the reworked mechanics, so if it was a new frame, it would just be called a Valkyr clone, because it's meant to be Valkyr.
What exactly did I do to offend you so much?

All I wanted was to open a discussion regarding how Valkyr's less-desirable abilities could be reworked to better fit her theme and the modern game mechanics.
And here you go just grinding your boot heel into everything while turning up your chin at me as if I'd personally insulted your dog.

I mean holy cripes. This is why most of my ideas never make it to the forum. People like you exist, who have nothing better to do apparently, than to just sit around and complain that everyone else is wrong and their ideas are wrong because you're the only one who truly understands Valkyr?

So gratz on making my night miserable because apparently my ideas are worthless, at least judging by your tone. I hope that was your intention.

[Gurpgork]

I absolutely adore your idea for Rip Line. Hyper mobility is honestly the primary thing I want to see Valkyr have, so you have my applause for that. 

I also really like your idea for Nimble. I like a more active approach to things, and this almost makes it feel like a fifth ability. 

I'm not gonna comment on Hysteria, because I have never liked Hysteria and honestly probably never will. 

Where I'm gonna disagree is on Paralysis, especially its augment. Grouping up enemies is quietly one of the best effects you could possibly have for a melee user. Using a gas/electric build with Condition Overload and Primed Fever Strike absolutely annihilates grouped up enemies. I just cannot stress enough how good it is. The only arguably more useful thing that this ability could do is have a reliable blind, but you haven't put one of those anywhere in her kit, either. And the effect you've replaced the grouping with is just kinda not useful. Partly because finishers already do that exact thing (which the base ability gives you) and partly because melee doesn't need more damage. Melee weapons are already more powerful than primaries and secondaries combined. Being able to hit more enemies at once is more useful. 

I'm also a little confused about the idea of giving it a 120° cone, since it already does 180°. Unless your idea is to increase the range and decrease the cone to compensate, which I'm a little non-plussed about. 

But at any rate, your Rip Line idea alone would have me weeping tears of joy, so you may have my upvote for that. 

[IdrisQe]

8 hours ago, Gurpgork said:

I absolutely adore your idea for Rip Line. Hyper mobility is honestly the primary thing I want to see Valkyr have, so you have my applause for that. 

I also really like your idea for Nimble. I like a more active approach to things, and this almost makes it feel like a fifth ability. 

I'm not gonna comment on Hysteria, because I have never liked Hysteria and honestly probably never will. 

Where I'm gonna disagree is on Paralysis, especially its augment. Grouping up enemies is quietly one of the best effects you could possibly have for a melee user. Using a gas/electric build with Condition Overload and Primed Fever Strike absolutely annihilates grouped up enemies. I just cannot stress enough how good it is. The only arguably more useful thing that this ability could do is have a reliable blind, but you haven't put one of those anywhere in her kit, either. And the effect you've replaced the grouping with is just kinda not useful. Partly because finishers already do that exact thing (which the base ability gives you) and partly because melee doesn't need more damage. Melee weapons are already more powerful than primaries and secondaries combined. Being able to hit more enemies at once is more useful. 

I'm also a little confused about the idea of giving it a 120° cone, since it already does 180°. Unless your idea is to increase the range and decrease the cone to compensate, which I'm a little non-plussed about. 

But at any rate, your Rip Line idea alone would have me weeping tears of joy, so you may have my upvote for that. 

Fair. Personally I've just never found her Paralysis to be of any use. The default range is too low and the effect doesn't last long enough. I know the running feels like a bad idea.
The idea was to increase the range but reduce the width a bit, but I may have gone overboard with that. I dunno. I guess I could have done better with it. It doesn't really matter anyway, since this isn't going to happen or anything. I doubt Valkyr will get a rework any time soon, much less that my crummy ideas would be the basis for one if it did happen.

[Gnohme]

Leave Ripline, it's one of the only fun things about her. Maybe update it to swing a la Apex Legends Pathfinder tho.

Edited June 29, 2019 by Gnohme

[(XBOX)Almighty Deity]

As a Valkyr main I approve. I have close to 1000 hours on my screaming ball of rage and regret nothing. Her 1 is a novelty at best and her 3 is most used if I press the wrong button.

First frame I've ever built was Valkyr prime. I begged my friends to taxi me to Hieracon for her relics to get the chassis and within my first week playing she was on the bench.

Edited June 29, 2019 by (XB1)Almighty Deity
Wrong number

[Xolgys]

vor 50 Minuten schrieb (XB1)Almighty Deity:

[...] and her 2 is most used if I press the wrong button [..]

think u mean her 3 ? eternal war is kinda the only real build u can go for and it does also allow hysteria with low cost so its basically both. pretty sure u mean her 3.

 

Am 24.6.2019 um 02:24 schrieb IdrisQe:

snippedysnip~

generally agree especially on her 1 and 3 issue. both are so useless even in terms of her 1 and parcouring its delay on cast often doesnt even help even then so this is a 100% dead ability to me.

her 3 is useful to waste energy quick to pick up energy orbs for nightwave...so someone could...if someone wanted...though someone could also use 1 or 4....

cant actually add a lot to the ideas, sound nice to me and in the end a rework/touchup wouldnt be 1:1 as we suggest here anyway but i generally agree that whilst valkyr is not weak shes still an old frame and its very noticable, also on some augments.

her strenght is basically decided by the melee choice and eternal war so as the build on her claws, so her 4 and her 4 is not mandatory to be used considering all the powerful melees in the game and rivens. hysteria deals a ton of damage for sure but its not flawless either. any high range well build regular melee +eternal war is all someone needs to "win the game" but thats actually quite a shame since 2 of her abilities arent just bad, they are totally dead weight.

 

pablo ?? where are u good sir ?! 😞

 

also...i would sign these fandesigns 100x especially the 2nd one if it meant to get DE to change her current prime into any iteration of these.

Edited June 29, 2019 by Xydeth

[(XBOX)Almighty Deity]

1 minute ago, Xydeth said:

think u mean her 3 ? eternal war is kinda the only real build u can go for and it does also allow hysteria with low cost so its basically both. pretty sure u mean her 3.

Yes, thanks for the correction. Warcry is the general go-to, and usually 4 for the occasional panic heal or boss.

She's one of the better looking old primes IMO, but her moveset definitely is out of date for both. My only worry is that a rework with either nerf her or outright brick an otherwise amazing DPS tank. I never got to witness hysteria pre-nerf but I remember how that turned a lot of people off from her. I can't say I relied on it, instead I rely on channeling with heavy blades. 

Talons can easily shred pretty much anything but yeah, that range... Still for a mostly solo frame that's neutral enough but excels with melee I haven't found any others that have proven themselves to be quite as useful as Valk.

P.S. Her assets are god tier for fashion frame. Just sayin'

[Xolgys]

Am 29.6.2019 um 11:05 schrieb (XB1)Almighty Deity:

P.S. Her assets are god tier for fashion frame. Just sayin'

most smexy frame ingame imo so i agree.

still have to admit that the fandesign above is better than her prime design we have have right now. the deluxe and most tennogen are just way better and thats coming from someone who loves to mix prime details +different tennogen heads and bodies.