Valla is another ranged assassin – this time coming from the Diablo universe – and the more aggressive you are, the stronger our character can potentially become. Valla also has the ability to dash in and out of danger, making her a very dangerous enemy to have around – as well as a valuable asset within your own team. Read through this guide if you want to know more about the Demon Hunter Valla and how to use her to her full potential.
Introduction
Starting her life in a small village, Valla saw her parents and everyone in their village killed mercilessly by demons that attacked their land. With her sister Halissa as the only survivors of the massacre, the young Valla was not done with tragedy as she saw her sister, distraught with the trauma of seeing everyone around her die, get carried away by the currents of a rapidly flowing river.
Valla was eventually found by a band of Demon Hunters where she was able to channel her hatred through will and discipline. As a Demon Hunter, she was able to vanquish the demon Valdraxxis as well as find her true calling. She was also able to save Sanctuary by defeating Diablo and his evil horde. However, her mission is not yet complete and Valla will never rest for as demons still walk the lands.
Items
Valla is equipped with a crossbow which she can use to target single or multiple enemies. Some abilities will also allow her stun or slow her enemies. Her weapon also allows her to strike from a distance, which in turn makes Valla relatively safe from melee based and slower enemies. Further talents would also be able to provide Valla with attacks wherein she uses different armaments such as grenades and caltrops.
However, her true powers are in her thoughts and emotions, which allow her to hone her hatred and discipline. Through her training, she is able to channel these feelings so that her abilities, primarily her damage and speed, are improved. Thus, the madder she gets and the more she kills, the better fighter she becomes.
Build Guide
Valla’s trait, Hatred, allows her to collect stacks of the resource with each basic attack. For each stack collected, Valla’s attack damage is increased by 1% and movement speed is increased by 2%. This allows her to be more effective both offensively and defensively, depending on your style of play.
Valla’s starting abilities are Hungering Arrow, Multishot, and Vault. Hungering Arrow (60 mana cost, 14 seconds cooldown) deals damage to one target while hitting two additional enemies for less damage, although the first target can also get hit by these secondary attacks. The second ability, Multishot (60 mana cost, 8 seconds cooldown), deals damage to enemies within an area. Lastly, Vault (75 mana cost, 10 seconds cooldown) is mostly used as a positioning or escape tool as this allows Valla to quickly move towards a target location. As players level up, starting abilities may be enhanced and new ones may also be added.
As for heroic abilities, players may choose between Strafe and Rain of Vengeance. Strafe (80 mana cost, 50 seconds cooldown) lets Valla attack nearby enemies multiple times, with enemy heroes having priority over minions. Valla can also Vault during this period and this would earn her 10 stacks of Hatred instantly. This ability last for 3 seconds before expiring. Alternately, Rain of Vengeance (100 mana cost, 90 seconds cooldown) lets Valla launch 2 waves of Shadow Beasts that will damage enemies within the area.
Valla is a ranged assassin, which means that she is effective at doing damage from a distance. This also means that she is not quite adept when it comes to close range combat, and she can be easily dispatched when surrounded and attacked by more powerful melee heroes. Luckily, she has lots of abilities that can be used to maintain her health as well as to be able to move away from danger if she finds herself at a disadvantageous position.
Of course, Valla can be built in order to maximize her damage potential as well. For this, the following build is recommended.
Cost Effective Materials or Rancor – the former reduces the mana cost of Hungering Arrow to 30 while Rancor adds the benefit of having a 2% increase in attack speed once 10 stacks of Hatred have been collected
Puncturing Arrow – The range of Hungering Arrow is increased and bounce is improved from two strikes to three
Repeating Arrow or Caltrops – Repeating Arrow resets cooldown of Hungering Arrow when Vault is used, while Caltrops will have Valla release traps which would damage and slow enemies also when Vauit is used
Strafe – attacks multiple enemies over three seconds. Also has the advantage of gaining additional Hatred and of moving while the ability is activated and using Vault
Giant Killer or Frost Shot – Giant Killer increases basic attack damage dealt depending on the enemy’s max health while Frost Shot adds a 40%, 2 second movement slowing effect to targets that have been hit
Executioner – lets Valla deal 40% more damage to enemies under crowd control effects
Fury of the Storm or Vengeance – Fury of the Storm adds 50% bounce damage to nearby enemies when using basic attacks while Vengeance lets Strafe gain penetrating abilities, allowing you to hit more targets
Use the above build if you would like to focus more on your offense. However, do this only if you are confident that you can stay out of harm’s way as Valla’s healing abilities take less priority in this orientation. There’s always the risk of you getting swarmed by enemies, and the lack of talents that will sustain your health can prove to be our downfall.
The build below concentrates more on Valla’s survivability, allowing her to survive a little bit more damage almost at par with the hurting that she is able to dish out.
Siphoning Arrow = 50% of Hungering Arrow damage is returned as health
Vampiric Assault 15% of basic attack damage is returned as health
Caltrops – to be used mainly for moving away from danger. Enemies that step on caltrops will sustain damage and get slowed by 20% for 2 seconds
Strafe – same reason as above
Tempered by Discipline or Spell Shield – Tempered by Discipline allows Valla to gain Discipline which would then allow her to gain 3% of damage dealt returned as health. Spell Shield provides Valla with shields which would cut ability damage by 50%. This will only last for 2 seconds and will be activated only when Valla is dealt with ability damage. This can also be triggered only once every 30 seconds.
Tumble, Blood for Blood, or Stoneskin – Tumble lets Valla activate Vault twice in succession while Blood for Blood allows Valla to steal 15% of an enemy’s max health and then slow the target’s movement by 30% for 3 seconds. Lastly, Stoneskin will provide you with shields that will provide you with good protection for 5 seconds.
Bolt of the Storm – allows Valla to teleport to a nearby location
Use the above build if you want to become more of a defensive player, and for you to be able to regenerate health faster. Combine the two builds mentioned above in order to create a more balanced hero that can better dish out damage as well as last longer in intense fights against more powerful opponents.
Strategy
As with most range assassin heroes, the best strategy when playing Valla is to keep your distance. Valla has a wide range of abilities that will allow her to deal damage to single or multiple targets, and certain enhancements in her attacks will also provide her with some sort of crowd control. This is best especially when you have powerful warriors that can then come in and pound on slowed or stunned enemies.
At the other end of the spectrum, make sure also to keep an eye out on your mana, as although cooldown periods for triggering abilities are relatively short, you might find yourself running out of this resource quickly. Thus, alternate between using basic attacks and abilities to not only regulate energy consumption, but in order to also collect those all important Hatred that will greatly improve on Valla’s base statistics.
Pros and Cons
Valla has no discernable weakness expect maybe depending on how she is played. Getting into proper position is important as being too far away may be outside her range while getting too near will make her susceptible to attack. It would also be important for her to have a strong team of allies that will be able to keep enemies at bay as she would not last long in a one on one fight.
Players must also be able to balance between using abilities and basic attacks. Using the latter will eventually improve her attack and movement, while the former can be used to deal damage much more quickly. However, high mana costs may prohibit her from using abilities often, so choosing targets, preferably crowds that are bunched together, is advised in order to maximize the chances of dealing major damage.
Tips and Tricks
Use Vault often, both to dart towards enemies and to move away from danger. The Repeating Arrow and Tumble talents are recommended as these would provide you with advantages both when attacking or retreating. Make sure also to have at least one talent that focuses on healing, with Siphoning Arrow and Tempered Discipline at the top of the list.
In addition, make sure that you have a support ally (preferably a warrior) that can serve as your tank while you give support fire. Your crowd control abilities will also come into play as teammates rush in to attack slowed or stunned opponents, and it can also give you that window to run away should you become the priority target of enemies.
Introduction
Starting her life in a small village, Valla saw her parents and everyone in their village killed mercilessly by demons that attacked their land. With her sister Halissa as the only survivors of the massacre, the young Valla was not done with tragedy as she saw her sister, distraught with the trauma of seeing everyone around her die, get carried away by the currents of a rapidly flowing river.
Valla was eventually found by a band of Demon Hunters where she was able to channel her hatred through will and discipline. As a Demon Hunter, she was able to vanquish the demon Valdraxxis as well as find her true calling. She was also able to save Sanctuary by defeating Diablo and his evil horde. However, her mission is not yet complete and Valla will never rest for as demons still walk the lands.
Items
Valla is equipped with a crossbow which she can use to target single or multiple enemies. Some abilities will also allow her stun or slow her enemies. Her weapon also allows her to strike from a distance, which in turn makes Valla relatively safe from melee based and slower enemies. Further talents would also be able to provide Valla with attacks wherein she uses different armaments such as grenades and caltrops.
However, her true powers are in her thoughts and emotions, which allow her to hone her hatred and discipline. Through her training, she is able to channel these feelings so that her abilities, primarily her damage and speed, are improved. Thus, the madder she gets and the more she kills, the better fighter she becomes.
Build Guide
Valla’s trait, Hatred, allows her to collect stacks of the resource with each basic attack. For each stack collected, Valla’s attack damage is increased by 1% and movement speed is increased by 2%. This allows her to be more effective both offensively and defensively, depending on your style of play.
Valla’s starting abilities are Hungering Arrow, Multishot, and Vault. Hungering Arrow (60 mana cost, 14 seconds cooldown) deals damage to one target while hitting two additional enemies for less damage, although the first target can also get hit by these secondary attacks. The second ability, Multishot (60 mana cost, 8 seconds cooldown), deals damage to enemies within an area. Lastly, Vault (75 mana cost, 10 seconds cooldown) is mostly used as a positioning or escape tool as this allows Valla to quickly move towards a target location. As players level up, starting abilities may be enhanced and new ones may also be added.
As for heroic abilities, players may choose between Strafe and Rain of Vengeance. Strafe (80 mana cost, 50 seconds cooldown) lets Valla attack nearby enemies multiple times, with enemy heroes having priority over minions. Valla can also Vault during this period and this would earn her 10 stacks of Hatred instantly. This ability last for 3 seconds before expiring. Alternately, Rain of Vengeance (100 mana cost, 90 seconds cooldown) lets Valla launch 2 waves of Shadow Beasts that will damage enemies within the area.
Valla is a ranged assassin, which means that she is effective at doing damage from a distance. This also means that she is not quite adept when it comes to close range combat, and she can be easily dispatched when surrounded and attacked by more powerful melee heroes. Luckily, she has lots of abilities that can be used to maintain her health as well as to be able to move away from danger if she finds herself at a disadvantageous position.
Of course, Valla can be built in order to maximize her damage potential as well. For this, the following build is recommended.
Cost Effective Materials or Rancor – the former reduces the mana cost of Hungering Arrow to 30 while Rancor adds the benefit of having a 2% increase in attack speed once 10 stacks of Hatred have been collected
Puncturing Arrow – The range of Hungering Arrow is increased and bounce is improved from two strikes to three
Repeating Arrow or Caltrops – Repeating Arrow resets cooldown of Hungering Arrow when Vault is used, while Caltrops will have Valla release traps which would damage and slow enemies also when Vauit is used
Strafe – attacks multiple enemies over three seconds. Also has the advantage of gaining additional Hatred and of moving while the ability is activated and using Vault
Giant Killer or Frost Shot – Giant Killer increases basic attack damage dealt depending on the enemy’s max health while Frost Shot adds a 40%, 2 second movement slowing effect to targets that have been hit
Executioner – lets Valla deal 40% more damage to enemies under crowd control effects
Fury of the Storm or Vengeance – Fury of the Storm adds 50% bounce damage to nearby enemies when using basic attacks while Vengeance lets Strafe gain penetrating abilities, allowing you to hit more targets
Use the above build if you would like to focus more on your offense. However, do this only if you are confident that you can stay out of harm’s way as Valla’s healing abilities take less priority in this orientation. There’s always the risk of you getting swarmed by enemies, and the lack of talents that will sustain your health can prove to be our downfall.
The build below concentrates more on Valla’s survivability, allowing her to survive a little bit more damage almost at par with the hurting that she is able to dish out.
Siphoning Arrow = 50% of Hungering Arrow damage is returned as health
Vampiric Assault 15% of basic attack damage is returned as health
Caltrops – to be used mainly for moving away from danger. Enemies that step on caltrops will sustain damage and get slowed by 20% for 2 seconds
Strafe – same reason as above
Tempered by Discipline or Spell Shield – Tempered by Discipline allows Valla to gain Discipline which would then allow her to gain 3% of damage dealt returned as health. Spell Shield provides Valla with shields which would cut ability damage by 50%. This will only last for 2 seconds and will be activated only when Valla is dealt with ability damage. This can also be triggered only once every 30 seconds.
Tumble, Blood for Blood, or Stoneskin – Tumble lets Valla activate Vault twice in succession while Blood for Blood allows Valla to steal 15% of an enemy’s max health and then slow the target’s movement by 30% for 3 seconds. Lastly, Stoneskin will provide you with shields that will provide you with good protection for 5 seconds.
Bolt of the Storm – allows Valla to teleport to a nearby location
Use the above build if you want to become more of a defensive player, and for you to be able to regenerate health faster. Combine the two builds mentioned above in order to create a more balanced hero that can better dish out damage as well as last longer in intense fights against more powerful opponents.
Strategy
As with most range assassin heroes, the best strategy when playing Valla is to keep your distance. Valla has a wide range of abilities that will allow her to deal damage to single or multiple targets, and certain enhancements in her attacks will also provide her with some sort of crowd control. This is best especially when you have powerful warriors that can then come in and pound on slowed or stunned enemies.
At the other end of the spectrum, make sure also to keep an eye out on your mana, as although cooldown periods for triggering abilities are relatively short, you might find yourself running out of this resource quickly. Thus, alternate between using basic attacks and abilities to not only regulate energy consumption, but in order to also collect those all important Hatred that will greatly improve on Valla’s base statistics.
Pros and Cons
Valla has no discernable weakness expect maybe depending on how she is played. Getting into proper position is important as being too far away may be outside her range while getting too near will make her susceptible to attack. It would also be important for her to have a strong team of allies that will be able to keep enemies at bay as she would not last long in a one on one fight.
Players must also be able to balance between using abilities and basic attacks. Using the latter will eventually improve her attack and movement, while the former can be used to deal damage much more quickly. However, high mana costs may prohibit her from using abilities often, so choosing targets, preferably crowds that are bunched together, is advised in order to maximize the chances of dealing major damage.
Tips and Tricks
Use Vault often, both to dart towards enemies and to move away from danger. The Repeating Arrow and Tumble talents are recommended as these would provide you with advantages both when attacking or retreating. Make sure also to have at least one talent that focuses on healing, with Siphoning Arrow and Tempered Discipline at the top of the list.
In addition, make sure that you have a support ally (preferably a warrior) that can serve as your tank while you give support fire. Your crowd control abilities will also come into play as teammates rush in to attack slowed or stunned opponents, and it can also give you that window to run away should you become the priority target of enemies.
