Valkyrie

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This article is about the player role with "Lord" and "Lady" as one of its rank titles. For other uses of the former term, see Lord (disambiguation).
For other uses of the latter term, see Lady.

The Valkyrie, abbreviated as Val, is one of the roles available for a hero in NetHack. From the guidebook:

Valkyries are hardy warrior women. Their upbringing in the harsh Northlands makes them strong, inures them to extremes of cold, and instills in them stealth and cunning.


Valkyries can be humans or dwarves, and can be lawful or neutral. Unlike other roles, they always start the game as female.

Starting inventory

Each Valkyrie starts with the following equipment:[1]

Valkyrie start with knowledge of all non-magical weapons and armor, along with any applicable racial equipment.[3]

The Valkyrie's default starting pet is a little dog or kitten with equal probability.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Per commit c09ae332, Valkyries start with a +1 spear weapon (a regular spear for humans or a dwarvish spear for dwarves) instead of a long sword.

Intrinsics

Valkyries gain the following intrinsic properties upon reaching the given experience levels:[4]

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Per commit 075c2832, stealth is gained at experience level 3.

Attributes

The Valkyrie's starting attributes are distributed as follows:[5]

Attributes Strength Dexterity Constitution Intelligence Wisdom Charisma Remaining
Minimum attributes 10 7 10 7 7 7 27
Distribution percentages 30% 20% 30% 6% 7% 7%
Mean w/ standard deviation (human) 18/00.86±2.34 12.72±2.08 17.11±1.32 8.75±1.35 9.04±1.43 8.76±1.35

Skills

Valkyries have the following skills available to them:[6]

Valkyrie skills
Max Skills
Basic
Skilled
Expert

Valkyries start with Basic skill in long swords and daggers. They use the wisdom stat to cast spells, and their special spell is cone of cold.[7]

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Per commit c09ae332, Valkyries start with Basic in spears instead of long swords, and can reach Expert skill in spear.

Special rules

Valkyries never stumble while walking on ice.

Valkyries have a +2 bonus to casting emergency spells.[8]

If the wielded Mjollnir is thrown by a Valkyrie with 25 strength, it will return to their hand 99100 of the time, and the Valkyrie will catch it 99100 of the time unless they are impaired:[9][10][11] if a Valkyrie fails to catch the returning Mjollnir, it has an equal chance of either landing at their feet or hitting them in the arm.[12][13]

Rank titles

The status line displays one of the following ranks for the corresponding experience levels:[14]

  • XL 1-2: Stripling
  • XL 3-5: Skirmisher
  • XL 6-9: Fighter
  • XL 10-13: (Wo)man-at-arms
  • XL 14-17: Warrior
  • XL 18-21: Swashbuckler
  • XL 22-25: Hero(ine)
  • XL 26-29: Champion
  • XL 30: Lady/Lord

Gods

Main article: Religion

The Valkyrie pantheon is based on Norse mythology.[15] Their first sacrifice gift is Mjollnir.

Quest

Main article: Valkyrie quest

The Valkyrie's quest sees them fighting Lord Surtur for the Orb of Fate, an artifact crystal ball. The Orb of Fate grants warning, half spell damage, half physical damage, and acts as a luckstone while carried. Invoking the Orb allows the hero to level teleport.

Strategy

While NetHack is still an overall difficult game, Valkyries are often considered to be among the easiest roles available, if not the easiest outright. The role is heavily tailored towards melee combat by its attributes and starting inventory, which includes one of the strongest melee weapons in the +1 long sword—its heavy spellcasting penalty for metallic armor also means that a player can freely wear whatever armor they determine to be non-cursed and best for them. This straightforward focus on melee combat allows new players to more readily grasp the basic goals that a hero must meet to progress, and gives them room to develop a sense of when melee is not enough and when to resort to ranged attacks (e.g. daggers and attack wands).

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Although Valkyries no longer start with a long sword, their spear weapon can be more than sufficient for the early game, especially for dwarven Valkyries.

Character creation

The dwarven Valkyrie is frequently recommended for new players and simultaneously employed for speed ascensions by more experienced players alike: the always-lawful dwarves are the race most inclined towards physical prowess, their generous HP growth and infravision for finding distant targets to storm with daggers or a thrown Mjollnir are major boons, and they are guaranteed to have a very peaceful Gnomish Mines. Conversely, human Valkyries will generally prefer being lawful, both for fewer hostile dwarves in the Mines and for Excalibur access—the neutral alignment still has some few advantages, such as being able to obtain armor and weapons somewhat more reliably and, more importantly, a less punitive mysterious force in the late game. Players willing to attempt spellcasting Valkyrie builds will also encounter somewhat fewer difficulties with human Valkyries.

Excalibur alone provides most of the justification for playing a lawful Valkyrie: While Mjollnir is a strong first gift due to the lack of monsters with shock resistance, and does more damage against non-resistant targets than Excalibur, Excalibur's more consistent damage against all targets, lack of noise and valuable drain resistance make it stronger still to the point that a hero can easily ascend with it as their main (or only) artifact weapon. Another notable (albeit less-frequent) advantage of being lawful is that the Quest for the role can potentially generate titans, which are likely to be peaceful for lawful heroes.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

With the lower odds of obtaining Excalibur, Mjollnir may suffice for many lawful Valkyries in the early stages.

Early game

A Valkyrie's starting +1 long sword meets the mass majority their melee weapon needs throughout the early game; their +3 small shield is extremely useful and incredibly light for its AC, and can be supplemented with any armor that isn't cursed or too cumbersome. This leaves a player somewhat more room to focus on obtaining resistance properties, including poison resistance to avoid instant deaths from traps. A Valkyrie's combat prowess should not be taken for granted: smart retreating and Elbereth usage can prevent YASD and save a Valkyrie's life many times over, especially against groups of monsters such as soldier ants and Mordor orcs.

The starting long sword can be upgraded to Excalibur by dipping it in a fountain as soon as a lawful Valkyrie reaches experience level 5, though some will wait until they either reach experience level 7 for intrinsic speed to outrun any possible water demons, or else obtain poison resistance to deal with water moccasins. Collecting daggers (which Valkyries can train to Expert) can come in handy for wearing down particularly strong monsters, eliminating ones with annoying passive attacks or shooting past boulders while in Sokoban.

Mjollnir is a strong first sacrifice gift that remains useful well into the late game, and neutral Valkyries will almost certainly want to go for it, while lawful Valkyries will generally prefer Excalibur or other lawful artifacts. A Valkyrie with gauntlets of power can throw Mjollnir as a powerful ranged attack, though this carries the risk of it failing to return or else hitting the hero upon returning: while the odds of each are incredibly low, the risk posed to any rings and wands in their open inventory is enough to deter most players from attempting it in the first place.

The Gnomish Mines are a plentiful source of armor and weapons among other loot: for dwarven Valkyries, many of the typical inhabitants will be peaceful, making it more likely that the Mines' random items will be left untouched. Lawful Valkyries can let their pet fight the inhabitants to get at their armor and weapons, though they should take care not to let the pet die in the process. Conversely, human Valkyries will find some of the dwarves and gnomes (or all of them, for neutral humans) less peaceful and more willing to pick up and use items against them, which also provides an opportunity for valuable experience, skill training and gathering equipment. An AC of roughly -5 by the end of the Gnomish Mines is a reasonable goal to shoot for, and the luckstone at Mines' End is worth going for to secure the hero's luck going forward, though they must also be prepared for the dangers of polymorph traps and other severe pitfalls en route.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Per commit e8212743, non-Knights only have a 130 chance of receiving Excalibur by dipping. Between this and the change in starting weapons, a lawful Valkyrie should not be reliant on obtaining Excalibur to survive before reaching Sokoban, unless they are able to obtain a long sword from elsewhere (e.g. from barrow wights or in a weapon shop) and find or make a co-aligned altar to amass luck for crowning. For heroes that establish a solid kit and want to try their hand at dipping chances regardless, dwarven Valkyries may have an easier time blitzing Mines' End and using any fountains present.

Per commit 67295bc7, wearing non-metallic gloves will protect worn rings from electrical damage, which can provide further incentive to avoid throwing Mjollnir as a Valkyrie—conversely per commit 9942b65d, extrinsic resistances protect open inventory from damage by that element 99100 of the time, making worn sources of shock resistance more conducive for Mjollnir-throwing Valkyries.

Mid-game

Around the mid-game, a Valkyrie should ideally have at least one of the scroll of enchant weapon or scroll of enchant armor identified, along with some holy water to bless a few of the scrolls for reading; when enchanting and/or erosion-proofing equipment, priority should be given to the primary artifact weapon and any additional weapons armor that will remain in their kit long-term. An AC of roughly -10 is considered sufficient for the later portions of the mid-game, which can be trivialized by obtaining dragon scale mail or happening upon a wish; spellcasting Valkyries will be more hard-pressed to maintain a reasonable AC without impacting their already-limited casting ability. On the note of spells, a Valkyrie can read a spellbook or two at this point in order to have confusion on-demand if they are confident in their ability to reach the late game.

Upon reaching around XL 10, a Valkyrie player should also give consideration to whether or not they want to utilize two-weapon combat, which foregoes the ability to use a shield for much higher damage output. Excalibur and/or Mjollnir are the most common weapon choices in either case, and a particularly patient Valkyrie player may opt to try for Grayswandir or Frost Brand. Valkyries that favor two-weaponing long-term may further consider leaving their primary weapon's skill (usually long swords for Excalibur) at Skilled due to their twoweapon skill cap, though they normally have spare skill slots to spend on raising a skill to Expert for some short-term benefits. Common choices for the offhand when two-weaponing combat include long swords, katanas and silver sabers.

The Valkyrie quest is overall not too difficult, but may provide surprisingly tricky for more inexperienced players: the abundance of fire traps make drowning a feasible hazard, and later floors are full of narrow paths surrounded by lava. A source of levitation or a pair of fireproof water walking boots is worthwhile and may even be necessary in the event that lava blocks movement on the goal level, a means of trap detection can prevent the hero from being caught off guard, and teleportation can also be used to cross the lava-filled lower levels more safely. The fire giants and fire ants present on the quest can grant fire resistance from eating their corpses, and giant corpses additionally provide boosts to strength—a tinning kit is especially nice to bring into the quest in order to amass strength boosts, even before the hero has full access. Heroes unwilling to take chances during the quest may seek out a source of magic resistance or reflection in case any of the giants are generated with a wand of death.

Lord Surtur is not particularly difficult by quest nemesis standards, to the point an accidental spill into the lava or a mishap involving the drawbridges on the goal level may prove a bigger threat. Even so, he still hits quite hard and has the standard suite of quest nemesis tactics, along with higher resistance to damage from the carried quest artifact—clear out the other giants first before engaging him, unless you plan to use a cursed potion of invisibility or a similar item to bring him to the up stair. Lord Surtur himself respects Elbereth, is affected by the scroll of scare monster, and has a weakness to the wand of cold and other cold-damage attacks.

The Orb of Fate is heavy due to its base item, but significantly enhances a Valkyrie's defenses with its half physical damage and half spell damage, along with providing the useful warning intrinsic for detecting hostiles. Its ability to level teleport the hero when invoked is especially useful for cross-dungeon traveling when paired with a source of teleport control—in a worst-case scenario where you have no means of crossing or cooling the lava between the goal level's up stair and the rest of the map, you can use any source of teleportation to warp across, and then a cursed scroll of teleport or the freshly-secured Orb of Fate to make your way back out upon defeating Lord Surtur.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Lord Surtur and other unique monsters no longer respect either Elbereth or scrolls of scare monster.

Late game

The Castle is usually no trouble for a Valkyrie, especially one that has completed their quest, though the possible master lich or arch-lich can prove a nasty surprise (if not outright lethal)—golden nagas and titans can prove majorly troublesome as well, though they are likely to be peaceful for lawful Valkyries. Magic resistance is worth obtaining as soon as possible, though it is also possible to use a means of monster detection (e.g. the potion or intrinsic telepathy) to quickly scope the floor for any L upon first arriving; for Valkyries without reflection, Perseus's statue on Medusa's Island may contain a shield of reflection. To make Gehennom much easier to navigate and map, it is worth buying clairvoyance from the Valley of the Dead's aligned priest and/or using a magic marker on scrolls of magic mapping.

Despite the role's lack of spellcasting prowess and energy growth, it is not impossible for a Valkyrie that forgoes gauntlets of power and a metal helm to make very occasional use of low-level healing spells due to their +2 emergency spell bonus; wisdom is also the easier of the two casting stats to raise, e.g. through natural exercise or consorting with foocubi, and human heroes will naturally find this much easier than dwarven ones. Valkyries dedicated to casting are limited to Basic skill in attack spells and escape spells, but can make decent use of low-level spells such as jumping—the Castle and its wand of wishing is a godsend for such builds, since they have their pick of potentially-enchanted non-metal armor from clearing the Yendorian army fighters out, and can wish for a robe and/or a helm of brilliance if they do not find either in the armory.

As established earlier, Excalibur remains a great weapon in the late stages, especially when paired with a silver saber or silver spear for twoweaponing: Excalibur-users should remember that they will anger Asmodeus and Baalzebub if wielding the sword at either level generation or when either demon prince warps over to demand a bribe. Most other artifact long swords are sufficient for Gehennom in the absence of Excalibur, and Grayswandir and Frost Brand are especially solid artifact weapons for the branch. Mjollnir can make a good primary weapon, or a good backup ranged weapon if you have gauntlets of power, though many of the most dangerous end game monsters (e.g. hostile aligned priests) are shock resistant. Mjollnir-throwers should keep most of their wands in their bag of holding to further minimize the chance of them exploding in the unlikely-but-possible event they are hit by the returning artifact.

Half physical damage from the Orb of Fate makes AC much less of a concern for magic marker use, and -20 AC give or take a few points is often more than enough— while the artifact can also be used for detecting magic portals on the Elemental Planes in a pinch, reading scrolls of gold detection while confused is vastly preferable. Similarly, speed boots or jumping boots are very nice, but are only worth spending a wish on if the rest of a Valkyrie's kit is covered; for more patient heroes, they can potentially be found in the Castle's armory, the abandoned shops in Orcus-Town or randomly in the mazes of Gehennom. On the other hand, a hero still lacking magic resistance after clearing the the Castle and checking the armory should wish for either gray dragon scale mail or a cloak of magic resistance: there are many deadly spellcasters from the Valley on that make going without it a bad idea.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

The intelligence check when applying an artifact crystal ball uses a d8 for the hero's own quest artifact, or d16 for other quest artifacts. This means that Valkyries can reliably use the Orb of Fate to search for magic portals and other dungeon features, saving time and resources in navigating Gehennom and especially in the Elemental Planes.

Per commit ef1eeed7, dragon scale mail that is not gray or silver grants additional properties while worn, increasing build diversity and making colors such as blue dragon scale mail (which grants very fast speed) and orange dragon scale mail (which grants free action) more tempting to wish for. Blue dragon scale mail in particular also keeps the boots slot open, and its extrinsic shock resistance makes throwing Mjollnir much safer.

History

The Valkyrie first appears in NetHack 1.3d.

Origin

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja, lit. "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide half of the souls of those who die in combat to the god Odin's hall, Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar ('single fighters' or 'once fighters') who are given mead by the valkyries when not preparing for the cataclysmic events of Ragnarök. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals as well as daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens and sometimes connected to swans or horses.

Valkyries are attested in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, the Heimskringla, and the Njáls saga, all written—or compiled—in the 13th century. The goddess Freyja is herself portrayed as a valkyrie, due to her association with war and Fólkvangr, (Old Norse "field of the host") a meadow or field she rules over where the other half of those killed in combat spend their afterlife—the Prose Edda also describes Fólkvangr as the location of Freyja's hall Sessrúmnir. In modern culture, valkyries have been the subject of works of art, musical works, comic books, video games and poetry—many of these works portray the valkyrie as an exceptional shield-maiden warrior of mortal or divine heritage.

Variants

SLASH'EM

Main article: Valkyrie/SLASH'EM

In SLASH'EM, Valkyries can also be doppelgangers as well as humans or dwarves, and start with a spear (or dwarvish spear for dwarves) and a stack of daggers instead of a long sword and singular dagger. Mjollnir is given a stronger base item in the heavy hammer and made much stronger due to universal mechanic changes, dealing +24 shock damage to non-resistant targets—SLASH'EM also allows artifacts to be two-weaponed in the offhand.

SporkHack

In SporkHack, Valkyries can be of any race, and elven and orcish Valkyries are always neutral.

Only Knights can obtain Excalibur by dipping long swords, meaning that lawful Valkyries will have to resort to crowning or finding the artifact in bones. Mechanical changes to sacrifice mean that Valkyries will not obtain Mjollnir as quickly, though they will appreciated the enchanted gear provided while trying for the artifact. Weight-based changes to two-weapon combat also mean that offhand long swords and sabers are not immediately viable: spears, short swords and even daggers are useful offhand weapons, and each have silver counterparts (including the newly-added silver short sword). Racial armor bonuses also make it possible and easy for non-human valkyries to boost their AC early on.

NetHack Fourk

Main article: Shieldmaiden

In NetHack Fourk, the Valkyrie is replaced by the Shieldmaiden role, with the valkyrie made into a playable race.

SlashTHEM

In SlashTHEM, in addition to the aforementioned SLASH'EM races, Valkyries can be giants, incantifiers, or nymphs.

Mjollnir remains as powerful as ever, while the Orb of Fate is somewhat overshadowed by the lighter Hand of Vecna for half physical damage, but remains a stellar artifact to carry.

Encyclopedia entry

The Valkyries were the thirteen choosers of the slain, the
beautiful warrior-maids of Odin who rode through the air and
over the sea. They watched the progress of the battle and
selected the heroes who were to fall fighting. After they
were dead, the maidens rewarded the heroes by kissing them
and then led their souls to Valhalla, where the warriors
lived happily in an ideal existence, drinking and eating
without restraint and fighting over again the battles in
which they died and in which they had won their deathless
fame.

[ The Encyclopaedia of Myths and Legends of All Nations, by Herbert Robinson and Knox Wilson ]

References