Valkyrie

Community Guide
LAST UPDATED
February 8, 2026
Editors
Rindo, Xaneh

This guide is created by community members as a compilation of class related information. This is not meant as a new player guide; if you are a new player we suggest reading Maxroll’s Build Guides instead. If you have any feedback or want to help with class discussions, join our Discord! You can toggle builds you want to see at the top.

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How do the two builds compare?

Shining Knight
Liberator
Summary

DPS Spec

Focuses on cycling low cooldown filler skills with higher cooldown main damage skills to fill Light Meter, which allows you to cast Final Splendor for big damage.

Support Spec

Focuses on buffing party damage while simultaneously protecting teammates from damage.

Pros
  • Does good damage
  • Easy
  • Lots of push immunity
  • Easiest support to play at a base level
  • Extremely condensed Identity Buff generation cycle, allowing for more focus on party protection
  • Party healing with no opportunity cost
Cons
  • Extremely punishing if you miss Final Splendor
  • Half of your skills are relatively inconsequential, could be considered "boring" skills.
  • Low stagger
  • Slightly lower ceiling on Identity buffing compared to certain meter generation focused Artist / Bard builds
Shining Knight
Summary

DPS Spec

Focuses on cycling low cooldown filler skills with higher cooldown main damage skills to fill Light Meter, which allows you to cast Final Splendor for big damage.

Pros
  • Does good damage
  • Easy
  • Lots of push immunity
Cons
  • Extremely punishing if you miss Final Splendor
  • Half of your skills are relatively inconsequential, could be considered "boring" skills.
Liberator
Summary

Support Spec

Focuses on buffing party damage while simultaneously protecting teammates from damage.

Pros
  • Easiest support to play at a base level
  • Extremely condensed Identity Buff generation cycle, allowing for more focus on party protection
  • Party healing with no opportunity cost
Cons
  • Low stagger
  • Slightly lower ceiling on Identity buffing compared to certain meter generation focused Artist / Bard builds

Chaos Dungeon

Crushing Condemnation
Crushing Condemnation
Level 14
3
2
2
Galewind
Requiem Storm
Requiem Storm
Level 14
2
2
1
Galewind
Awakening
Engravings
Brundia's Ritual
Brundia's Ritual

How does my identity work?

Dps

Piety Meter is replaced by Light Meter, which allows you to use Final Splendor (X) once full.

You also gain access to Shining Knight (Z), which will buff the damage of your next Holy Blade skill by 35%.  This effect gains 3 stacks per cast with the Trinity ark passive enlightenment node.

Note that Shining Knight has its "cooldown" reset by casting Final Splendor, so you generally want to begin the fight casting Z -> X, not the other way around, leaving the option for you to cast Shining Knight on demand with no repercussions as a free push immunity skill.

Each skill cast recovers the Light Meter by 6.7%, capping out at 15 casts.  Because of this, we fill our skill bar with a mix of high cooldown/damage Holy Blade skills and low cooldown/damage filler Justice skills.

Without Ark Grid enabled, Shining Knight does not count towards these 15 casts.  Final Splendor never counts towards these 15 casts.

Ark Passives

Evolution
Crit
Crit
30/30
Swift
Swift
10/30
Keen Sense
Keen Sense
2/2
Limit Break
Limit Break
1/3
Unlimited Magick
Unlimited Magick
1/2
Zealous Smite
Zealous Smite
1/2
Critical
Critical
1/1
Pulverize
Pulverize
1/1
Standing Striker
Standing Striker
2/2
Enlightenment
Shining Knight
Shining Knight
3/3
Sword Training
Sword Training
3/3
Holy Sword Unleashed
Holy Sword Unleashed
3/3
Trinity
Trinity
3/3
Last Light
Last Light
2/5
Leap
Unleashed Power
Unleashed Power
5/5
Release Potential
Release Potential
4/5
Instant Spell
Instant Spell
2/3
Celestial Blade
Celestial Blade
3/3
Notes

Evolution:

Valkyrie requires 100% Crit Rate to be most efficient, coming from:

1844 Crit (66%) + Legendary Adrenaline (14%) + Keen Sense 2 (8%) + Zealous Smite 1 (12%)

If you have extra sources of Crit from Relic Adrenaline or Bracelet lines, drop Keen Sense and replace with Limit Break when applicable.  Disregard Crit from Crit Synergies as these do NOT contribute to the damage scaling from Holy Sword Unleashed.

Boundless MP is a DPS sidegrade at best over Limit Break, and ends up being a DPS loss if you cannot properly maintain the increased uptime requirements that come with more Cooldown Reduction.  Can be helpful in fights that require more utility such as counters, stagger, or weak point.

Alternatively, if you have enough Crit from bracelet or Relic Adrenaline, you can try the following setup for theoretically higher DPS, but lower damage per cycle, which may result in a DPS loss on lower uptime fights.  If you are not consistently hitting high CPMs on Final Splendor, you should stay on the standard build, as it is not a huge DPS increase even played well.

Keen Sense 1 / Limit Break 2 / Unlimited Magick 2 / Critical 1 / Master 1

Leap:

Transcendent Power can be taken over Release Potential on shorter fights (less than ~10 minutes).

Sword of Faith can be taken over Celestial Blade as a faster, simpler (no Perfect Combo) option, resulting in roughly a 1% DPS loss, though this is balanced out by the faster animation leading to possibly faster rotations + lower likelihood of missing.

 

Engravings

Core Engravings
Pick One
✓
Notes

Mass Increase not recommended unless you are comparing Relic Mass Increase to Legendary Cursed Doll, as the -10% AS is extremely detrimental to your DPS cycle.

Ark Grid Cores

Sun
Moon
Star
Order
Final WordsFinal Words
Knight of FinalityKnight of Finality
True EndTrue End
Chaos
Flashy AttackFlashy Attack
Smoldering Strike | Absorbing StrikeSmoldering Strike|Absorbing Strike
Attack | WeaponAttack|Weapon
Notes

Plays identical to standard pre-ark grid build, with higher damage focus on Final Splendor.

Also referred to as 111 build.

Main Skills

Shining Knight
Shining Knight
Level

Push Immune

  • Z Skill, gives 3 stacks of Light Sword which buffs your next 3 Holy Blade skills (Only 1, if you do not have Trinity ark passive node unlocked).  Used at the beginning of the fight while stacking Adrenaline, and once every rotation to upkeep Light Sword on every Holy Blade skill.
  • Counts as 1 skill cast towards identity meter with the Final Splendor ark grid enabled.
Final Splendor
Final Splendor
Level

Destruction Lv. 2, Push Immune

  • X skill, usable at 100% light meter
  •  This is your biggest damage skill, make sure you hit this one.

 

Requiem Ash
Requiem Ash
Level 14
3
1
2
Galewind

Main Damage Skill, Holy Blade skill

  • Magick Control (1) heavily recommended if experiencing mana issues.
  • Divine Concentration (2) can be used for a minor amount more damage, but much longer / backloaded hit.  Generally not recommended, as missing 1 single cast across a whole fight due to the backloaded animation makes this tripod not worth.
  • Make sure to have a Light Sword (Z) stack before casting.
Requiem Rain
Requiem Rain
Level 14
1
1
1
Galewind

Main Damage Skill, Destruction Lv. 1, Holy Blade skill

  • Magick Control (2) heavily recommended if experiencing mana issues.
  • Make sure to have a Light Sword (Z) stack before casting.
Sword of Revelation
Sword of Revelation
Level 11
3
1
2
Poison

Counter, Move Speed Self Buff, Stacking Skill

  • As long as it does not impede your meter generation for Final Splendor, it is generally good to not spam this skill off cooldown to ensure you can upkeep move speed self buff, as well as to have a counter up at all times.  You do not lose cooldown efficiency in doing this, as it is a stacking skill. 
  • Take off CD gem if playing Justice build.
Whisper of Judgement
Whisper of Judgement
Level 14
1
2
2
Focus
Galewind

Secondary Damage Skill, Destruction Lv. 2, Possible Push Immunity

  • 122 Tripods makes this skill much faster and gives push immunity.  Recommended on Splendor build.
  • 131 Tripods forgoes push immunity for higher damage.  Not recommended on Splendor build, but MANDATORY for Justice build, as Whisper of Judgement becomes your strongest normal skill.
  • 132 Tripods is usable if you would like to keep the push immunity, but use this skill as part of your Conviction Judgement setup.
Judgement Stigmata
Judgement Stigmata
Level 14
1
2
2
Focus

Secondary Damage Skill, Destruction Lv. 1

  • Least important filler skill for Splendor build, but essential part of Justice build, as it lowers the cooldown of Whisper of Judgement.
  • Add DMG gem if playing Justice build.
Lunging Stab
Lunging Stab
Level 10
3
3
2
Quick Recharge

Synergy, Move Speed Self Buff

  • Make sure the MS buff and Synergy are always applied when dealing DPS.
Foresight Slash
Foresight Slash
Level 7
3
2
Bleed

Counter, Synergy, Paralysis Immunity

  • Use off cooldown, as Sword of Revelation is a better counter to hold if needed.

Pick one flex skill

Meteor Strike
Meteor Strike
Level 10
3
2
2
Quick Recharge

Recommended flex skill, as this has 2 stacks (can hold one stack for whenever quick recharge is most valuable). You can cancel the long animation of this skill with spacebar immediately after casting (especially on opening rotation while adrenaline stacking) assuming you have other skills want to cast afterwards, unless it is a dangerous time to waste spacebar.

Crushing Condemnation
Crushing Condemnation
Level 10
3
1
2
Quick Recharge

Less recommended, slightly lower cooldown but more clunky than Meteor Strike (cannot spacebar cancel as the cooldown reduction tripod requires the skill to hit.  Also not a stacking skill.

Execution of Revelation
Execution of Revelation
Level 14
2
1
2
Galewind

Worst filler skill, consumes an identity buff which means you might have to hold this skill on T skill rotations, only upside is minor amount more stagger + has paralysis immune over the other fillers.  Not recommended.

T Skill and Awakening

Cataclysm
Cataclysm

Destruction Lv. 1, Holy Blade skill

  • Celestial Blade (Leap) converts this skill into “Perfect-Combo”, a new type of skill.  You press the button once, it starts a casting bar and you must press it again once it’s inside the “Perfect Zone”
  • You can take Sword of Faith (Leap) instead, for a minor DPS loss but much faster animation.
  • Make sure to have a Light Sword (Z) stack before casting.

 

Awakening
Brundia's Epiphany
Hyper Awakening
Brundia's Incarnation

Destruction Lv. 1, Push Immune, Status Immune

  • Just does damage, does not fill meter.

 

Gem Priority

Gems are listed in order of most to least important from left to right. Grayed out icons are optional.
DMG
DMG gem 0DMG gem 1DMG gem 2DMG gem 3DMG gem 4
CDR
CDR gem 0CDR gem 1CDR gem 2CDR gem 3CDR gem 4CDR gem 5CDR gem 6CDR gem 7

Rotation

Rotation — Final Splendor
Notes

Always start by stacking Adrenaline, this can be done while the boss is invulnerable as long as you hit the boss at least once to apply synergy with either Lunging Stab, Foresight Slash, or Shining Knight.  Meteor Strike should always be spacebar animation cancelled here, as Shining Knight will reset the cooldown of your spacebar instantly.

Every time your identity meter is full, you want to use Final Splendor, as well as cast Shining Knight beforehand if applicable (any rotation after the first one).  Note that with Final Splendor ark grid cores, the Shining Knight activation will count as one skill cast towards building your identity meter.

After this, you just spam skills off cooldown until identity meter is full again, prioritizing Holy Blade skills, then filler Justice skills (generally from lower cooldown to higher cooldown).  Shining Knight can be used at any point during this part of the rotation for on-demand push immunity, though it is almost always recommended to do so AFTER Holy Blade skills are finished casting (as to not waste Light Sword stacks).

DPS Distribution

Final Splendor — DPS Distribution