There’s an itch in Planetside 2 that needs to be scratched. It’s helicopter shaped and there’s a tinge of Norse mythology to it. Yup, we didn’t know it but till this day we’ve been wanting the Valkyrie, a fast attack aircraft which is designed for dropping small squads of troops at the front line.
It’s coming this Summer.
The Valkyrie was revealed through a rundown of upcoming updates in development for Planetside 2. There’s been no hint of the Valkyrie prior to this, all the changes scheduled for the game were (necessary) engine optimisations and class balancing. But necessary isn’t always fun, the Valkyrie looks fun:
The inspiration for the vehicle comes from Apocalypse Now’s Ride of the Valkyries sequence in which a wing of helicopters fly in low over a Vietnamese village firing their miniguns and dropping soldiers to clear the ground.
A group of Valkyries could easily form a solid forward attack group for any faction, getting troops behind a base’s defensive line faster than the defenders can collect themselves. Still, with weak armour and largely ineffective weapons, the Valkyrie will be like flying strapped to a petrol can for the players on board. Before landing the squad will be very dependent on the pilot’s ability to dodge ground fire and the front gunner’s accuracy.
The Valkyrie is due out this summer. I can’t wait.