Valkyria
7.5/10
Photos (6)
Highs and lows
Highs
- Fantastic Views
- Great First Drop
- Good Inversions
- Smooth
Lows
- A Little Short
The numbers
65.2mph
Top speed
154.2ft
Height
2,297ft
Length
3
Inversions
Our review
Introduction
Valkyria is a 2018 B&M Dive Coaster at Liseberg, Sweden. This ride replaced the small Intamin Launch Coaster 'Kanonen' and was a part of a major overhaul of the area surrounding Balder. Valkyria further improves the already strong theming game at Liseberg and brings a new type of coaster experience to the park, one that we really enjoy.
Norse Mythology at its best
Valkyria has a grand presence in the park, with its fairly central placement and towering drop and immelmann, it's impossible not to get excited as you pass by it. The Norse mythology is paired with an exciting coaster for great results (though what doesn't get better when paired with a rollercoaster?) and especially the station building and the epic queue-music hits hard. The idea is that the Valkyrie helps fallen soldiers to the afterlife, and apparently, it does so through a 164 ft plunge, not that we're complaining.
What Comes Up...
As you leave the station on Valkyria you start ascending the 154 ft tall lift hill, getting great views along the way but the views you get of Liseberg and surrounding Göteborg are simply breathtaking and don't worry about missing them because - as with all B&M Dive Coasters - Valkyria will leave you dangling off the edge of the first drop to truly take in the views (and perhaps to scare you a bit as well). The drop that follows is fantastic, offering a stomach-dropping sensation and sustained floater airtime all the way down into the misty tunnel. This particular coaster model is one of those where you can always be sure to get a great start to the ride as the views and the first drop are true standouts, and Valkyria is no exception.
What Follows
Now, we've paid quite a lot of attention to the beginning of this experience, pre-ride and initial lift and drop alike, but that's because it's what these coasters are all about. Most of them are not true one-trick-ponies but there quite often is a pretty big difference between fantastic starts these Dive coasters have, to the - often - fairly short and at times a bit mundane layout that follows. Luckily, we found Valkyria's remaining post-drop layout to be solid. Aside from a few turns and an overbank, it has a very whippy Zero-G Roll, a nice Helix that was made better after the arrival of 'Kraftverket', a flat ride that sits in the center of the helix, and then finally a nice hangtime-induced heartline roll to finish off the roughly 90-second ride experience.
Conclusion
B&M Dive coasters aren't for everyone and they are quite often criticized in the coaster community but we have always liked this ride model but they are very dependent on a few different factors. While you can always count on amazing views and a fantastic drop, it really helps if it has good theming and an exciting layout after the drop. Valkyria's ride duration is somewhat short and it's not the craziest layout but it's always guaranteed to be a great time!
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