Each time Respawn Entertainment gives more backstory to theApex Legendsuniverse, it seems to connect even deeper with their past seriesTitanfall. With the introduction of the newest Legend, Valkyrie,Apex Legendsis starting to feel like a full-onTitanfallsequel.
While there have certainly been references toTitanfallin previous pieces of lore, there hasn’t been anything as concrete and overt as the most recent “Stories from the Outlands.” Based on comics, animations and in-game items, there’s plenty of connections between the two games. This includes facts likeWraith being a former titan pilot, Pathfinder being a MRVN unit, Bangalore fighting for the IMC, and more. With Valkyrie, those connections are reinforced now more than ever.
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Valkyrie and the Apex Predators
Blisk is the strongest tie thatApexLegendshas toTitanfalland, fortunately, he makes another appearance with Valkyrie in the “Stories from the Outlands - Northstar” animated short. In his previousApexappearances, he met with various other legends or appeared in the background, but it’s clearly more direct here.
Valkyrie enters the short looking for a spot in the Apex Games from Blisk. Unbeknownst to him, they have history. Valkyrie is the daughter of Viper, a titan pilot who was a part of the Apex Predatorsduring the events ofTitanfall 2. Fans of the game will remember Viper as the titan boss fight that takes place on the top of a moving cruiser that had been teased throughout the entire game. Viper was ultimately killed by protagonist Jack Cooper, but Valkyrie blames Blisk instead.
Northstar
Throughout “Stories from the Outlands - Northstar,” fans see flashbacks of what Viper and Valkyrie’s life was like before his death. Valkyrie seems to have always had an interest in flight, particularly with her father’s Northstar class titan. The Northstar titans are known for their flight and maneuverability.Valkyrie tries to pilot the titanher father keeps in the barn but accidentally flies it into an airborne dog fight and crashes it into the ground.
The name of the subhead in the most recent “Stories from the Outlands” is clearly a reference to the titan class her father piloted. At the end of the short, after taking her invitation to the Apex Games from Blisk at gunpoint, Valkyrie repurposed the Northstar titan into smaller, personalized flight gear keeping only her father’s helmet intact.
It’s unclear if she’ll be wearing the pilot helmet during gameplay once she’s officially introduced as aplayable character inApex Legends. During theApex LegendsLegacy launch trailer, she’s seen wearing the helmet briefly before taking it off. Additionally, all of her promotional images don’t have her wearing it. That said, it might end up being one of her in-game abilities, but that won’t be confirmed until Respawn releases her official loadout.
In addition to borrowing and reworking her father’s gear, Valkyrie also borrows one of his most memorable lines fromTitanfall 2. Just before the fight between BT, Jack Cooper and Viper, Viper says, “your journey ends here, Pilot. The skies belong to me. " TherecentApex LegendsLegacy trailerhas Valkryie say, “you’re able to have the ground, I own the sky.”
The Future of Apex Legends
Valkyrie as a character is clearly a love letter to theTitanfallseries but raises plenty of questions about whereApex Legendsis going next. This most likely isn’t the last fans going to see of theTitanfalluniverse but just how soon is still up in the air. The upcomingApex LegendsArena modemight add more to the game’s lore in the form of providing more backstory to what exactly the Apex Predators are up to now. There also might be no newTitanfallconnections when the game mode launches May 4 as “Stories from the Outlands - Northstar” provided plenty for fans to chew on.
WhereverApex Legendsgoes from here, one thing is for certain:Respawn Entertainmentdoesn’t seem eager to drop theTitanfallconnections. WithTitanfallbeing as popular as it is andApex Legendscapitalizing off of that, it seems like the two are set to be paired for seasons to come.
Apex Legendsis available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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