If you enjoyed playing a Demon Hunter in Diablo III, you will quickly fall in love with Valla. I’m actually impressed how familiar the playstyle feels from spending countless days and nights in the Sanctuary, and how seamlessly it translates into Heroes of the Storm.
Valla is a ranged Assassin specializing in hit-and-run tactics with quick bursts of damage, and she also excels at chasing down her enemies. Her spells and talents truly make her a unique hero which is not only viable in competitive games but also immensely fun to play.
Disclaimer: the recommended talents are based on my personal preferences and play style, and are by no means the only way to play her. It’s intended for newer players looking for a quick guide, and once you start grasping Valla’s basics you should experiment and see what works for you! Choice of talents may also depend on map or team composition.
Skills
- (Trait) Hatred: Basic Attacks grant Valla a stack of Hatred. Each stack increases your Basic Attack damage by 2% and movement speed by 1%.
- (Q) Hungering Arrow: Fires a skillshot arrow dealing damage to the first enemy target hit, then seeking 2 nearby enemies and dealing reduced damage to them. The arrow can hit a single enemy multiple times.
- (W) Multishot: AoE cone dealing damage in an area in front of Valla.
- (E) Vault: Dashes to a targeted area.
- (R) Strafe: Fires bolts from Valla for 4 seconds prioritizing and damaging nearby heroes. Lasts 4 seconds, and you can move and use Vault while Strafing.
- (R) Rain of Vengeance: Bombards a targeted area 2 times for heavy damage and stuns enemies for 0.5 seconds per wave.
Talents
Level 1 Talents
- Cost-Effective Materials – Reduces mana cost of Hungering Arrow (Q).
- Siphoning Arrow – Hungering Arrow returns 50% of the damage dealt as health.
- Composite Arrows – Increases range of Multishot (W).
- Rancor – Each stack of Hatred increases Attack Speed of Valla by 1.5%.
- Punishment – Using an ability gives 3 Hatred stacks.
Recommended Level 1 Talents:
Rancor gives you a decent attack speed increase, which further synergizes very well with other talents.
Level 4 Talents
- Vampiric Assault – Basic attacks heal you for 15% of the damage dealt.
- Manticore – Every 3rd attack on the same target will deal 50% additional damage.
- Puncturing Arrow – Increases range by 25% and bounces 3 times instead of 2.
- Arsenal – Multishot launches 3 grenades dealing additional damage.
Recommended Level 4 Talents:
Manticore or Vampiric Assault. If you can manage without lifesteal, Manticore is definitely a better option and gives you amazing dueling potential.
Level 7 Talents
- Caltrops – When Vaulting Valla drops Caltrops, which deal damage and slow enemies who step on them.
- Hot Pursuit – When at 10 Hatred stacks your movement speed is increased to 20% (rather than 10% with passive).
- Repeating Arrow – Using Vault refreshes the cooldown for Hungering Arrow.
- Searing Attacks – Active spell increasing your Basic Attack’s damage but draining mana for every attack.
Recommended Level 7 Talents:
Searing Attacks give you a huge amount of extra damage and is my recommendation in most cases.
Level 10 Heroic Ability
Rain of Vengeance stuns, Strafe does not. Crowd control good. Furthermore, since I prefer having a strong auto-attack build Strafe is a bad option for it.
Level 13 Talents
- Giant Killer – Basic Attacks against Heroes deal additional damage.
- Frost Shot – Multishot (W) slows enemies struck by 40% for 2 seconds.
- Tempered by Discipline – Gain up to 10 stacks of Discipline after you have max stacks of Hatred. Each Discipline stacks heals you for 3% of the damage dealt.
- Spell Shield – Passive ability which activates once every 30 seconds, reducing the damage you take from abilities by 50% for 2 seconds.
Recommended Level 13 Talents:
Frost Shot is great for making sure your enemies can’t get away from you as easily. Tempered by Discipline provides a ton of healing in extended team fights, very helpful if you didn’t take Vampiric Assault at Level 4. Giant Killer can add even more damage to your autoattacks, but I tend to skip it in favor of other talents.
Level 16 Talents
- Executioner – Basic Attacks deal 40% extra damage to disabled (rooted, stunned or slowed) targets.
- Tumble – Hold two charges of Vault.
- Blood for Blood – Active skill stealing 15% of enemy Hero’s maximum health and slowing their movement speed by 30% for 3 seconds.
- Stoneskin – Active ability giving you a 5-second shield equaling 30% of your maximum health.
Recommended Level 16 Talents:
Executioner has amazing synergy with previous talents like Frost Shot and Rain of Vengeance heroic spell. All other talents are very good as well, so if you require more mobility or survivability go for it!
Level 20 Talents
- Vengeance – Strafe (R) also fires penetrating bolts in a line.
- Storm of Vengeance – Increases the number of waves on Rain of Vengeance to 4, thus increasing the stun from 1 to 2 seconds.
- Nexus Frenzy – Your Attack Speed and Range are both passively increased by 20%.
- Bolt of the Storm – 40-second cooldown active ability teleporting you instantly a short distance.
Recommended Level 20 Talents:
Nexus Frenzy or Bolt of the Storm. Bolt gives you a much-needed escape if you find yourself in the thick of things, otherwise if you feel safe enough Nexus Frenzy for increased attack range and speed is very good due to more synergy with other on-hit passive talents.
Recommended Talent Build:
- Level 1: Rancor
- Level 4: Vampiric Assault
- Level 7: Hot Pursuit
- Level 10: Rain of Vengeance
- Level 13: Frost Shot
- Level 16: Tumble
- Level 20: Nexus Frenzy
It may not be the most optimal build since it doesn’t include much defensive talents, but this is actually what I most often go with. Good alternatives are Searing Attacks at level 7, Executioner or Stoneskin at 16, and of course Bolt of the Storm at level 20.
Need more talent builds suited for different maps or playstyles? Click here. Also includes many other Valla tips, strategies and must-know secrets to boost your win rate.
Valla is definitely one of my favorite picks in Heroes of the Storm, and playing her is always fun regardless of the outcome. She can bring a lot to every team even if she’s not in the hands of a particularly skilled player, but those who master this hero will certainly understand her power and contribution in any lineup.
How do you build Valla in HotS? If you have any recommendations or preferred builds shoot them in the comments section below and tell us all about it.
