Valkyrie Elysium is not one of those games with dozens of interchangeable weapons to choose from at any given time. The latest entry in Square Enix's storied Valkyrie saga employs a more reserved approach, by featuring only eight weapons, but giving each of them the chance to shine.
It's a commendable effort, as, in truth, none of the Valkyrie's arsenal is ever completely neglected. Enemies are weak to elements as well as weapon types, and there are sets of monsters notably vulnerable to every blade. One might be inclined to think, then, that all of Valkyrie Elysium's weapons are of equal merit — and that's not quite so. There's a hierarchy in play. Let's prove it.
8 Svartaljr
In a traditional sense, Svartaljr might not fully deserve to be ranked at the bottom. After all, it's a Dark-elemental variation on the game's starting weapon — a weapon we're quite fond of, in fact. But it has two things working against it, and combined, they're enough to shove it off to the side.
To begin with, you can only get Svartaljr is you purchase Valkyrie Elysium's Digital Deluxe Upgrade. Elysium is far from the only game to commit this so-called crime and to be sure, there are much worse things that games can do, but there's no getting around the fact that it's a bit of a sting for a player to buy it at full price, opting not to spend even more, and then get locked out of a weapon (unless you upgrade retroactively).
Furthermore... frankly, having a sword that specializes in the Dark element just isn't all that handy. It'll come into play on occasion, but unless you're aiming to hit peak proficiency with every weapon, it won't be often enough to justify spending the hours necessary to build Svartaljr into anything special.
7 Sidgrani
If there's one piece in Valkyrie Elysium that feels almost entirely ill-suited to the gameplay style, it's poor Sidgrani. Like every weapon, it has its uses, but they're few and far between. Here's the problem with Sidgrani. It's slow. It's quite slow. It's almost comically slow. And Valkyrie Elysium is, well, not a slow game. It's no Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, perhaps, but it's still an action-centric RPG that rewards players for swiftness.
Sidgrani is a mace. A hefty one, at that. The Valkyrie will need both arms to wield this well, and the slow strikes just don't hit home fast enough. We'd go as far as to say there's no real harm in electing not to use it against enemies weak against its weapon type, but picking up a different equip instead.
6 Bolverkr
We're now moving happily into the realm of stuff you'll have just cause to carry around more regularly. Bolverkr is a fine sword, a rapier with energy to spare. Swings and thrusts are short and swift, but each blow is relatively weak; if you're thinking it's something of an antithesis to the design philosophy behind Sidgrani, that's a fair read on the situation.
Of course, the weakness of those hits can be detrimental, especially against heavily armored enemies, or foes with a ton of HP. Bolverkr comes into its own more as it levels up, but then, the same can be said for its peers — it will never be the best choice when maneuvering arou💙nd 🦩acrobatically inclined foes.
5 Baleygr
There's a trope in anime and RPGs — you'll recognize it in seconds if you've seen it even once — of a character who performs remarkably well in battle earlier on, but whose stat growth is such that they're entirely unspectacular by game's end. Baleygr is sort of Valkyrie Elysium's early superstar; when you get this spear, its fast thrusts and far range make it seem sublime.
It won't replace your other gear outright, since the game is balanced enough to avoid ever fully disregarding its arsenal, but there's a very real temptation to grow proficiency with Baleygr. By all means, do so. Again, it's fantastic when you obtain it, and that definitely counts for something. But, more so than any other weapon, it's effectively replaced by something even better a little later on.
4 Alscir
You might recall, roughly three minutes ago, when you read our stance on Svartaljr. Undoubtedly, not every reader will agree with holding that weapon's premium real-world price tag against it. We get that. But for such an exclusive blade, pardon the pun, it simply doesn't make the cut.
Alscir is kind of like that, except, you know, better. For one thing, you don't need to purchase Valkyrie Elysium's Digital Deluxe version in order to acquire it. Instead, you must merely... purchase the game digitally. That's still a low blow for those who prefer physical copies. That's a huge discussion, though, and surely beyond the scope of this list.
So, it's premium, but not as premium. Also, it's somewhat superfluous, but not as superfluous. That's Alscir for you. The thing is, since both swords are elementally-charged variants of Alfodr, which you can reasonably deduce we think rather highly of at this point since it has yet to get ranked, this makes Alscir pretty good in its own right. Having a Holy-based Alfodr on hand can be grand. It doesn't level up quite as nicely, and using it means doubling down on building proficiency with what is largely the same weapon, but hey. It's good.
3 Gagnrathr
We're at that unenviable point now where we have to concede that personal favorites aren't necessarily 'objectively' (whatever that means) superior. Gagnrathr is a total blast to wield. It's slow, perhaps even as molasses-slow as the Sidgrani, which yes, we said feels ill-suited to Valkyrie Elysium. Why, then, do we think otherwise of this sword?
Simply put, it's all about damage potential. This thing swings like a massive claymore, and it feels like one, to boot. (Even if it doesn't exactly look the part.) Equipping the Valkyrie with this blade is immensely satisfying when it works, if tremendously frustrating when it doesn't. If you're up against swarms of foes, as will occur many times throughout the campaign, the Gagnrathr is practically a handicap.
One-on-one🍸, though? Keep yo⛦ur distance, hop in and slash, and watch that enemy health bar dwindle.
2 Alfodr
These last two weapons are neck-and-neck for the top spot. Pitting them against each other almost feels like doing them both dirty, but after careful consideration, Alfodr is just shy of the greatness of our reigning champion.
The thing about Alfodr, as any player who sticks with the game's starter sword will learn, is that as it upgrades, its damage calculation skyrockets. This is an unequivocally strong blade, and it isn't marred by potential elementally-based blowbacks like its DLC brethren. It's an incredible weapon, despite its humble origins — a bit of a reverse Baleygr, if you will.
1 Herteitr
The beauty of Valkyrie Elysium's weaponry system is that you can have two of them equipped at any given time. That made narrowly inching Herteitr, effectively the superior form of Baleygr, over Alfodr an easier thing ൲to do.
Valkyrie Elysium's best option for physical-based carnage is described as a 'double-bladed spear', and it has the range and gorgeous animations to fit the bill. Watching the titular heroine (well, she has a name, but it's a bit of a spoiler) twirl and swirl with this thing is entertaining enough, but leveling it up and seeing it devastate swarms of demons is sublime.
Swap it for Alfodr whenever you need to trade range for speed, summon Einherjar as necessary, and you'll be Odin's chosen champion for true.