Valkyrie Tank during the battle in EBF2
- "*I am not a car*"
- ―Valkyrie Tank about itself, Epic Battle Fantasy 2
The Valkyrie Tank is the final boss of Epic Battle Fantasy 2. It is a gargantuan tank built by Lance to help achieve his attempt at world domination. It also makes frequent cameos in subsequent games as some of Lance's skills, though it is replaced by/upgraded into the Neon Valkyrie in Epic Battle Fantasy 5.
Arsenal
The Valkyrie Tank is armed with many different weapons, including rapid-fire machine guns on its front and a powerful cannon on its top. Its front is adorned with a row of spikes, which increase the damage it does when charging at enemies. It also bears a large drill on each side, but their purpose is unclear.
If the top turret is destroyed/removed, it can deploy several different Turrets from two panels on top of its hull. These turrets come with a variety of attacks and abilities, including debilitating effects, freezing and poisoning capabilities, powerful energy attacks, and even nuclear explosions. It is also equipped with a beacon to signal an orbital satellite, allowing its pilot to activate an Ion Cannon from space.
Epic Battle Fantasy 2
Before the battle begins, a short dialogue between Matt and Lance occurs:
- Matt: Eh, I don't like the look of this place, and what's with that fancy car over there.
- Valkyrie Tank: *I am not a car*
- Lance: Get out of the way nooblets, this area has been quarantined. Well, your lives are forfeit either way now that you've seen me. The earth must be purged of all infidels.
- Matt: Huh, have we met before? So what's your plan now, just trying to kill everything?
- Lance: It sickens me to see things the way they are. Only by destroying everything can the world be rebuilt. G'fahahaha.
- Matt: I don´t like that sort of stuff!!! Gonna have to smash up your tank, bro.
As the final boss of the game, the Valkyrie Tank is fought in two stages. In both stages, its mechanical nature makes it vulnerable to Bomb, Thunder, and Earth element, but immune to all Status Effects.
At the beginning of the fight, the tank is a single enemy, and the players' objective is to destroy its main turret ("Tank Top"). At this stage, the tank can target either Matt or Natalie for a powerful hit from its main cannon, or deliver slightly less damaging attacks to both of them at once (shooting them with its machine guns, releasing napalm from its main cannon, or running them over).
The real fight begins when the Valkyrie Tank's main cannon is destroyed. Although the tank itself loses its napalm and cannon attacks, it gains the ability to summon a variety of enemies from the hatches on its hull: an Omega Lazar, a Satellite Dish, a Cooler, a Nuke, or Lance himself. Each of these count as separate foe and thus has its own HP bar and moveset, giving the boss up to three chances to attack instead of one. Apart from replacing its two active helpers when either is destroyed, the tank can still use its machine gun and charging attacks. It is also the only enemy that needs to be defeated to end the battle, although its massive HP and the added threat of its helpers makes this easier said than done.
Valkyrie Tank's battle theme is "Organ Jaws".
Role in Later Games
Valkyrie Tank makes many cameos as some of Lance skills:
- Tank skill (aka Tank Guns) - summons Valkyrie Tank to strafe all foes with its double machine gun dealing minor Bomb elemental damage with each bullet.
- Tank Cannon skill - Valkyrie Tank shots with its main cannon dealing heavy Bomb damage to single enemy.
- Oblivion limit break - Lance smashes the tank against enemy team and makes it explode right after dealing massive Bomb elemental damage with the explosion.
- Nuke limit break - after receiving the call from Lance Valkyrie Tank deploys the nuclear missile and launches it onto the battlefield dealing massive Fire elemental damage to all foes and poisoning (EBF3) or burning (EBF4) all combatants afterwards.
Trivia
- The EBF2 Bestiary entry for Valkyrie shows the tank with the cannon intact, even though that entry relates only to the boss' second stage, when its cannon is already destroyed. The tank also lacks its side drills and frontal blades and appears to have an additional pair of turrets on the very back.
- According to Matt Roszak, he had not seen the Valkyrie film when he conceived the Valkyrie Tank's design. He named it "Valkyrie" because his friends who had seen the movie commented on the tank's resemblance to the one in the movie, as well as Lance's resemblance to the film's protagonist, played by Tom Cruise.
- A Valkyrie is also a female figure in Norse Mythology that decides who wins and who loses in battle. They also carry fallen warriors to Valhalla, one of the sections of the Nordic afterlife, so they would live and feast alongside Odin. This has nothing to do with the Valkyrie Tank, but is fun to know!