Valkyie - God Tier Javelin Throw

[ruzai]

Valkyrie - A Guide to Being an All-Star

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/103/icon_128.jpg


Enjoy being a universal ganker, having "brain-required" abilities and the potential to hard-carry late game? Cool! Then the this is the hero for you.

The Valkyrie is by far my favorite hero to play; not only is she easily the most versatile hero in both DotA and HoN, but she remains relevant throughout every phase of a game and is certainly a hero you must watch out for no matter whose team you're on. :)



________________________________________



Contents

I. Caveat & About Me
II. Stats and What They Mean
III. Ability Overview + Tips & Tricks
IV. Skill Build
V. Item Build
VI. Lane Preferences


________________________________________



I.
The Purpose of this Guide



This guide is intended for non-easy mode play, as I am a believer that -EM completely ruins the intent of game designers in relation to balancing. I have no experience with either the competitive DotA or HoN scenes and in fact, my interest of AoS's developed shortly after HoN beta release.

I am writing this guide because too often, I see Valkyrie players doing things I believe to be inefficient - like going without a bottle or rushing Thunderclaw and Enhanced Marchers. This guide is a tutorial on how I believe you can make the most out of your Valkyrie and become the shining star that you are. :>



________________________________________



II.
Initial Statistics


Damage: 38-49
Armor: 1.80
Move speed: 300
Attack type: Ranged (600)
Attack rate: 0.59

Strength 17 (+1.85 per level)
Agility 20 (+2.75 per level)
Intelligence 17 (+1.65 per level)


http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5658/valklevel1.png


http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/7844/valklvl25.png



This is as mediocre as it gets, people; when compared to other heroes, we are locked dead center in the stat spectrum - however, this is not a bad thing at all. We are a ranged agility hero, we will gank/semi-carry throughout the early + middle game before developing our item dependence to rice and hard-carry in the late game.



________________________________________



III.
Skills and How to Use Them


http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/874/valkcall.png



Our primary nuke that deals magic damage around the Valkyrie in addition to a striking another random hostile unit standing very close to us for half damage. This spell will not be spammed early-mid game as our mana pool cannot afford the strain that this causes; however, this will be our main method of quickly ricing creep waves later in the game.

This ability will not strike invisible units.

Note: The range for Call is now proficient enough for you to attack at max range and still hit. If you aren't in range to attack someone, don't expect this spell to hit!



http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/310/valkjav.png



This is the spell we are so infamously known for and the difference between a good and amazing Valkyrie. A maximum range Javelin is the longest stun in the game in addition to being strong nuke, Javelin + Call is what we are known for and why we are feared. To give you an idea of the range of your Javelin, it will travel from the top rune spawn to between the two middle ramps before dissipating.

Javelin ranks only increase damage done and is insignificant when compared to Call of the Valkyrie potential damage. This is why we will level this ability second.

This ability DOES hit invisible units, so you can feel pro if you actually kill an invis hero with it. :)

Notes: I cannot stress this enough: this is not a click and fire spell, never ever ever click on an enemy hero and cast this spell - predict their path of movement and guesstimate the point of collision. Remember that this spell gives vision of 1000 units around itself and travels at 837 move speed, so if you ever feel a hunch, feel free to chuck it away. It might just save a life, or even better, save/ruin a Kongor kill.

*****The easiest Javelins to dodge are the ones thrown in broad daylight. Valkyrie's Javelin makes an obnoxiously loud whirling sound when cast and is incredibly obvious when thrown. Camera distance is small. ABUSE THIS!!!! Go out of your way to wait and land arrows from unexpected angles that your target won't be able to avoid!


http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/5683/valkyguideglaciuso.png

[ruzai]

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8948/valkjump.png



This is what makes you such a slippery and hard hero to kill. You leap forward bypassing whatever terrain and apply a movement/attack speed buff on landing around yourself. Be cautious when using this ability offensively because it's fairly long cool down will often leave you unable to use it twice.

If things are looking grim, leap into some trees and port out - nothing is more satisfying than escaping a 5-man gank.

Notes: Make sure you are facing the correct direction you want to leap in! Nothing is more embarrassing than leaping in the wrong direction and dying or missing a kill instead!



http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8672/valkinvis.png


An unimpressive ultimate at first glance, to say the least, but this ultimate will save you and your teammates hides countless times when used correctly. In more organized play, this is an extraordinary spell in terms of initiation and can be decisive in determining team battles.

This can even be coordinated to allow one of your carries a few minutes of free farm. Just let them rice and be ready to cast it as soon as things get shaky!

Notes: Never hesitate to cast this spell. If you see a teammate getting ganked on the other side of the map, cast it as soon as you can!




________________________________________



IV.
Skill Building & Justifications


1. Javelin / Leap
2. Leap / Javelin
3.-5. Call
6. Javelin / Prism
7. Call (Maxed)
8.-9. Javelin (Maxed)
10. Prism / Javelin
11.-13. Leap (Maxed)
14.-17. Stats
18.-19. Prism (Maxed)
20.-25. Stats



Leap should be taken at level 1 if you are laning against something dangerous like a Swiftblade and Behemoth combo and need to escape giving up First Blood.

If this scenario is not the case, Javelin is taken at 1 to potentially net first blood. Our ultimate is usually taken at 10 because the pressure it puts on our mana pool is far too much to deal with at 6. However, with the recent slash to the mana cost of Prism, it is completely viable to pick up at 6 - it really all depends on whether or not you think your team will need it. Javelin is maxed second to take advantage of the early magic damage it does in the middle game. I finish Prism at 18 + 19 because I feel the extra stats outweigh the significance of lower fade time and longer invisibility.




________________________________________



V.
Item Build

The starter items:

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_RunesOfTheBlight.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_HealthPotion.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_DuckBoots.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_DuckBoots.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_MinorTotem.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_MinorTotem.jpg

Only buy a courier if absolutely need to, your team should have less item dependent heroes more capable than you to spend such gold. Bottle first is never a good item because it substantially decreases your already weak laning power and relies on you getting every rune - something that will never happen in a higher level game.


The Core:

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Bottle.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_PostHaste.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_IronShield.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Soulscream.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_PowerSupply.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_HomecomingStone.jpg

Bottle and Power Supply are the items for every ganker alive, these are amazingly quick and reliable sources of replenishment that allow us to not only stay on the field longer, but also steer away from any sort of heavy mana regeneration items.

Post Haste Boots are invaluable to us, not only does it pay for itself by saving gold from Homecoming Stones and freeing up an inventory slot; but also gives us infinitely greater map presence and allows us to quickly rice creep waves and escape before being ganked in the late-game. Post Haste are ideal and no other pair of boots should be considered, but often this is not the case and then you should just get Steamboots.

The Iron Shield allows us to be a more aggressive harasser while laning in addition to freeing up a slot from the two pairs of Duck Boots we buy to last hit better.

Soulscream Rings are a fantastic way to score cheap stats, however, Fortified Bracelets should be used if we need to survive gib type heroes - think Pyromancer, Witch Slayer and Deadwood.

Always carry Homecoming Stones until you get Poste Haste. They allow you to defend and push when needed and get out of sticky situations on demand, no good player will ever be caught without one of these on hand. I prefer to buy two of these when I can so I always have one.

I recall a game where I played Blood Hunter middle and bought a total of ten stones before I got my Sword of the High. I went on a bloodbath that game, too!


Late Game Items:

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_ManaBurn2.jpg

This is the ranged carry item, images effectively double your single target damage in addition to making you a trickier target to kill and removing whatever debuffs and buffs may be on you. It also provides more movement speed, making you ridiculously mobile when used with Leap and Post Haste.


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Freeze.jpg

It gives you all the health and mana you will ever need, a fair amount of damage and makes it impossible for people to escape you. What more could we ask for in an item?


http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/280/diffusal.png

This should be your first big item after Post Haste to counter heroes like Hellbringer, Jereziah or Hammerstorm. The ability to purge these heroes greatly diminishes their effectiveness in addition, purging an enemy greatly reduces their movement speed for a duration and this will likely net kills. Knowing how and what to purge will make your team love you.

It gives solid damage, some intellect, a mana-burn orb and purge all for a minor amount of gold. When paired with Geometer's, the mana burn can be devastating.


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Pierce.jpg

This is one of the best damage-per-gold items in the game, it also increases physical damage input on your target from both you, your teammates and whatever illusions you may have.


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Damage9.jpg

If your game manages to last this long, you are certainly a first choice candidate for this after you complete your other big items. Images from Geometer's, health from Frostwolf, Leap and Prism make you a very sturdy hero and Doombringer capitalizes on that.


Items You Shouldn't Buy:

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_ElderParasite.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_LifeSteal5.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_WhisperingHelm.jpg

Any form of life-steal is unnecessary to us, we will not be attempting to go toe-to-toe with any carry's until late game where Geometer's solves our damage output problem. However, Symbol of Rage will be okay to have if the game drags on over an hour.

Elder Parasite increases the amount of damage we take by a HUUUUUUGE amount. Valkyrie is already frail, we do not want to take even more damage. :(


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Regen.jpg

We can't use this to complete any big items we need. Bottle will solve all our regen needs for a third of the price.


http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7813/thunderclaw.pnghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Lightning2.jpg

This is a very popular pubstar item to build and is often completely used the wrong way. This is an item that loses effectiveness exponentially throughout the game - if you can rush this within like 10m, then by all means light em up, otherwise don't ever think of touching this. It gives extremely minor damage, no stats and only increases attack speed + chain lightning orb. We don't need attack speed when our main damage sources are from Call + Arrow in the mid/early game. If you really want attack speed then get a Demonic Breastplate for your team.


I feel that the orb is unreliable and does not contribute as much to our game as Post Haste. We cannot rush this item if we get Post Haste. Not to mention it does not proc through images ruins whatever confusion that Geometer's gives us.


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_StrengthAgility.jpg

Frostburn is actually an ok item to build now, although you'll have to disassemble it for Geometer's + Frostwulf.


http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/items/Item_Shield2.jpg

Too expensive, bonuses are minor when compared to cost. We will use our Iron Buckler to make a Iron Shield anyways. Save yourself the embarrassment and allow heroes that this item is core on to actually build it.

[ruzai]

________________________________________



VI.
Lane Preferences

Like many heroes, Valkyrie is a situational middle hero and should only be placed mid as long as she can handle the opposing team hero. Popular heroes in todays metagame that are strong last hitters or harassers will take advantage of this and outlane you. I nearly always choose a side lane when playing Valkyrie for many reasons. Her large starting damage range makes her a weak last hitter, her ganking potential is strong from the first level and she needs to roam way too much to take full advantage of her devastating ganking potential. Avoid mid unless you are the best candidate.

Top lane for Hellborne, bottom for Sentinel to make the best use out of Javelin.


Worst Enemies:

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/24/icon_128.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/114/icon_128.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/7/icon_128.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/121/icon_128.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/94/icon_128.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/120/icon_128.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/22/icon_128.jpghttp://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/123/icon_128.jpg

Best Team Partner:

http://www.heroesofnewerth.com/images/heroes/105/icon_128.jpg

Succubus and Valkyrie have always been one of the golden pairs in regards to team synergy - Mesmerize into a long range Javelin during rune checks nets some of the easiest kills you can get. Not to mention Succubus' ult holds a target in place for 5.1s.




________________________________________



And here we are at the end of my first and hopefully final guide. I'm sure I could have gone way further into detail on a bunch of things but I'm far too tired.

Thanks for reading. :>

[Wicory]

The way you say bottle is great for every ganker etc makes it appear you think it should be the first item, which is a big no no for pretty much all mids.

items which improve your base damage cheaply which can be improved early/mid game are priority with regeneration items.

If there is no courier, buy one and have it run the bottle to you asap.

Valk has terrible hp and damage to start off with, consider it an investment.

Also, shield breaker isn't the best damage per gold item, level 1 and two riftshards are, you're also missing out on some of the core items, thunderclaw/ charged hammer should be wayyy before geometers, the main reason for using geometers was due to carrying attacks over such as malikens +40 damage sword of the damned or because the % of your damage is high enough to give reason for buying it, valk has none of these and she doesn't benefit as well as others from the movement speed increase from slash. ( she already has leap )

Valk is a great mid in good hands and should go mid over a few other usual mid heroes, it gives a larger area of possible ganks while roaming.

And she isn't first priority for doombringer, far too easily killed and the only escape mechanism is on a pretty awful cooldown.

[ruzai]

I assume people always get minor stats and regeneration at the start and a better suited player buys the courier.

Shieldbreaker also increases damage from other sources and doesn't rely on % crits. I've never liked Thunderclaw or Charged Hammer, they both just feel like mediocre items to me.

The problem with Valk playing mid is that she will never be able to outlane someone else in mid. A melee set middle would be about to freely farm and deny without any problems and Valkyrie wouldn't be able to do a thing solo.

I consider Valkyrie a candidate for Doombringer only after Geometer's and Frostwolf, she is quite difficult to focus down after those two items.

I'll clarify these things, thanks!

[sHoWTiMe]

You buy geometer's bane after thunderclaw because the images make it proc more!

[ruzai]

Illlusions from Geometer's do not proc chain lightning.

[Whar]

It should be noted you should never ever buy HotBL or Hack & Slash on any hero.

Players much better than yourself use Vanguard/HotBL in competitive games. I really don't think that comment has any place in this otherwise great guide. No I am not saying that valkyrie should get it, or that my opinion is superior to yours. I am simply stating that if it were so useless it wouldn't be a frequent sighting in competitive games.

[Arkell]

I just started playing Valkery.

Just got a quick question, aside from items that has +attack speed attribute, how does +agi stats scales with Valkery's attack speed? Is it good to stack agi stats on Valk like Nighthound?

I saw few guys playing Valk and bought Null Stone as item, maybe the OP can comment a little about this item on Valk? It has + stats, negates magic and nice regens. maybe situational item for Valk?


Could be a nub question so pardon this new player.
Ty.

[ruzai]

Players much better than yourself use Vanguard/HotBL in competitive games. I really don't think that comment has any place in this otherwise great guide. No I am not saying that valkyrie should get it, or that my opinion is superior to yours. I am simply stating that if it were so useless it wouldn't be a frequent sighting in competitive games.

I believe that by now, it's generally accepted that HotBL and H&S are items that are frowned upon. Their situational use can be argued on; however, I very much believe that gold used to buy these items can be better spent.


I just started playing Valkery.

Just got a quick question, aside from items that has +attack speed attribute, how does +agi stats scales with Valkery's attack speed? Is it good to stack agi stats on Valk like Nighthound?

I saw few guys playing Valk and bought Null Stone as item, maybe the OP can comment a little about this item on Valk? It has + stats, negates magic and nice regens. maybe situational item for Valk?


Could be a nub question so pardon this new player.
Ty.
1 point of agility increases our damage by 1, attack speed by 1 and armor by .14.

the majority of our damage will be made up of +agility items, however we also need to increase our health with items like Geometer's or Frostwolf.

The regen/spell shield bonuses are too minor to us to make up for the few stats that Null Stone gives us. Too much gold must be invested and that all takes too much away from us carrying.

[qtrng]

Power supply is almost always better than a soulscream ring or bracelet.

[Bobnintendo]

Illlusions from Geometer's do not proc chain lightning.

edit: yeah you guys are right, sorry for the confusion.

[SevenNights]

Nice guide, agree on your skill build and item choice. Though, personally, I like using power supply and will NEVER buy doombringer. Null stone is like vanguard (HotBL) and should only be bought situationally.
Illusions no longer proc chain lighting. They did, but don't anymore.

[StunneD]

nice changelog on V 0.1.59 :
- Non-hero units cannot take runes


cause im really shocked booboo take haste and spying us..
:D

[qtrng]

nice changelog on V 0.1.59 :
- Non-hero units cannot take runes


cause im really shocked booboo take haste and spying us..
:D

That change was actually a huge nerf to Wildsoul =/

[RogerDodger]

I don't really think Geometers is that great for valkyrie since her damage is quite lackluster. This is also why thunderclaw/charged hammer is such a great a common item on her.

Normally I'd go

Nullfire
Thunderclaw, Charged Hammer
Savage Mace

I suppose it depends on how lucky you are with your lightnin' :D

[exitus]

They do

Just tested it in practice and unless I have very bad luck (tried 3 times, spawned 15 creep waves, over the lifetime of 20 secs each time no chain lightning proc) they don't!

Still, I don't see what's wrong about Thunderclaw/Charged Hammer because the chain-lightning procs give a minor damage boost and they help me farm a lot as I can't usually just blow Call of the Valkyrie to finish the creep waves as she lacks a bit of mana!

[sieneh]

She lacks survivability and mana early game, both of which are key in order to be useful.

Power supply, boots/bottle for roaming and a bracer is what you should have in the first 10 mins of the game.

With the change to Frostwolf, I think building Fang right away is an awesome way to compensate for her shitty HP and Mana, along with having a slow.

[Whar]

I believe that by now, it's generally accepted that HotBL and H&S are items that are frowned upon. Their situational use can be argued on; however, I very much believe that gold used to buy these items can be better spent.


In most (if not all) of the gamereplays.org tournaments the players that pick Arachna go for a HotBL. Most of the Sand Wraiths also use it because it is the core item along with a mock for the new school Sand Wraith build. And in high level DotA the players that pick Spectre(Sand Wraith) most of the time go for a Vanguard(HotBL).

[ruzai]

Popularity doesn't make it a good item. :|

But you're right, that sentence holds no relevance to my guide and I'll remove it.

For some reason, I've always been under the impression that Spectre was a low/mid-tier pick competitively. Has something changed for him to be picked a lot?

[Whar]

Thank you, while Spectre/Sand Wraith isn't a steady pick in the highest level of play he is picked every now and then. And he is very often on the winning team on account of the fact that pretty much no carry has a bigger 5v5 team fight presence.

However I'm not very into the pro DotA scene and this is just based on the games I have watched.

[qtrng]

Popularity doesn't make it a good item. :|

But you're right, that sentence holds no relevance to my guide and I'll remove it.

For some reason, I've always been under the impression that Spectre was a low/mid-tier pick competitively. Has something changed for him to be picked a lot?

Wraith is the best carry in this game. I don't follow competitive DotA though =/

[Extreme_Cake]

Just wish to point out that full range Javelin isn't the longest disable in the game. Succubus's ult is. And mez, now I come to think about it.

[ruzai]

Ah, I'll change it to stun.

[HeartAttack]

Make it a Premium Guide,now.

[ruzai]

waiting on the next patch and i'll update everything. :<

[Blet1]

Illlusions from Geometer's do not proc chain lightning.
they do.

[Tajak]

I was going to come here and write a solid Valkyrie guide, as I've been playing her with much success for a while. Though I disagree with your assessment on Thunderclaw/Charged Hammer, I can understand your reasoning and logic. That said, MOVE THIS GUIDE TO PREMIUM. Your skill build is solid, and basic items/ganking info is extremely good.

Most people I know max arrow first, but that's a huge no-no. Call should always be maxed first, and with this guide, they now know why.

Once again, this deserves premium status, as there is no premium guide for Valkyrie at the moment and this one definitely fits the bill.

[Altheo]

also, valkyrie's friends, well, the ones that make you easy and 100% stun locks.
Yes, we all like do deal super imba arrows showing pro skills, but the fact is, if you got a pebbles that will initiate, you hidden on a clear spot with some range, easily stunlock the carry for a 500% win.
pebbles is my favourite mate, glacius is also super nice

[samdaman]

I tried this item build and to be honest i didn't really like it. I got a 5-5 with her so it was an under average game for me. I don't agree with the power supply as I don't think she needs it aswell as the bottle, I think this build lacked the damage valk needs to finish off a hero after a long ranged arrow. This build left me lacking attack speed also. In my opinion post haste isn't very necessary on her, she doesnt need the constant run speed oposed to the quick burst and damage that comes with phase boots. My Build would be as follows.

Phase boots (for the phase up to a stunned hero from an arrow)
2 X Bracers or Soulscream rings (situational on enemy heroes)
Bottle (for runes and the mana for constant arrows and stuff)
Charged Hammer (pretty much self explanatory)

and then I would either go for frostburn, savage mace or riftshard or wingbow. My build leaves her prone to alot of damage but her leap lets her get out of the tight situations, and lets be honest no hero with any amount of health after even one stun can survive a gank from the other team so theres no real reason to have hard out survivability items when you've got a leap.

Anyway that was my opinion on valk. Your build was alright I just think it lacked damage and attack speed an agi hero with a kick ass stun should have.

[`Sacred]

Best guide ever thanks dude stuck to the whole thing...

Works like fck. :)

[YOUMADDAWG]

I tried this item build and to be honest i didn't really like it. I got a 5-5 with her so it was an under average game for me. I don't agree with the power supply as I don't think she needs it aswell as the bottle, I think this build lacked the damage valk needs to finish off a hero after a long ranged arrow. This build left me lacking attack speed also. In my opinion post haste isn't very necessary on her, she doesnt need the constant run speed oposed to the quick burst and damage that comes with phase boots. My Build would be as follows.

Phase boots (for the phase up to a stunned hero from an arrow)
2 X Bracers or Soulscream rings (situational on enemy heroes)
Bottle (for runes and the mana for constant arrows and stuff)
Charged Hammer (pretty much self explanatory)

and then I would either go for frostburn, savage mace or riftshard or wingbow. My build leaves her prone to alot of damage but her leap lets her get out of the tight situations, and lets be honest no hero with any amount of health after even one stun can survive a gank from the other team so theres no real reason to have hard out survivability items when you've got a leap.

Anyway that was my opinion on valk. Your build was alright I just think it lacked damage and attack speed an agi hero with a kick ass stun should have.

You want damage and attack speed and yet you want phase boots.

[Anizer1]

I would personally get Call of Valkyrie first then jump. It allows me to jump at them and kill them after tons of harassing. Javalin should come in at level four.

1) Call
2) Jump
3) Call
4) Javalin
5) Call
6) Ulti
7) Call
8) Javalin
9) Stats
10) Javalin
11) Stats
12) Ulti
13) Javalin
Then jump and stats. This best works for if you harass well. Javalin would be useless in the beginning because the creeps are in the way and there is no need for jumping away from the enemy at level 1; they won't attack you. Only harass.

[sHoWTiMe]

Isn't it like this:

Yes, the images don't proc chain lightning. But they increase the chance the real one will.

[Blessed_]

there is no need for jumping away from the enemy at level 1; they won't attack you. Only harass.

electrician + swiftblade, actually any stun + swiftblade.

[TriPoison]

Is a bracer a fort bracelet?

[ruzai]

I would personally get Call of Valkyrie first then jump. It allows me to jump at them and kill them after tons of harassing. Javalin should come in at level four.

1) Call
2) Jump
3) Call
4) Javalin
5) Call
6) Ulti
7) Call
8) Javalin
9) Stats
10) Javalin
11) Stats
12) Ulti
13) Javalin
Then jump and stats. This best works for if you harass well. Javalin would be useless in the beginning because the creeps are in the way and there is no need for jumping away from the enemy at level 1; they won't attack you. Only harass.

you won't have enough mana to play like this and it does nothing other than push your lane, this is only plausible with a nymphora and even then it would be a wasted baby sitter.

javelin is taken at 1 because it is very possible to net first blood with it.

[ruzai]

Is a bracer a fort bracelet?

yes sir.

also, guide revised. :)))))

[Anizer1]

you won't have enough mana to play like this and it does nothing other than push your lane, this is only plausible with a nymphora and even then it would be a wasted baby sitter.

javelin is taken at 1 because it is very possible to net first blood with it.

Tis why you either buy a mana pot in the beginning or after a bit of farming (other than in mid lane) you buy a home comming stone so you can easily get back to base if you use all your mana and fail at killing a guy. Getting a Javalin at level one is useless either way because you can just get it at level two and there is nothing special about getting jump early. They usually won't aim for you constantly in early early game. All this is not for mid lane but for bot/top lane.

[Anizer1]

electrician + swiftblade, actually any stun + swiftblade.

If you harss them. They would stay away from you. Simple. Thats why you harass them so much they run and heal and stay back while you help/let your teammate farm. Once they low enough and you have your jump skill, you harass again, teammate stuns if they have, you jump and you call and win! If they get away, you prob have javalin by then, you throw it and HIT them or your teammate kills them. This applies to both enemy heroes in top/bot lane. A different strategy applies to mid but its basically the same with out the teammate. You will then over level them and you win.

[ruzai]

rank one and two Call is the most negligible amount of damage ever, you won't be scaring a strong lane away with that at all. you'll be dropping stats for mana pots to push your lane?

that's as bad as arachna's/andro's/mq's that level aura first.

[alliednoob]

frostburn is better for chasing because it gives you movement speed and takes away some from the hunted, it just gives less health.

[chibiemo]

this hero is hard to use >..<

[BarneyGumbal]

Is Frostwolf still better than Frostburn? The only differences I can see is Frostwolf gives more hp but what is probably wasted Int.

Edit: Answered my own question. Frostwolf puts you over 2k HP with an awesome effect for your arrow. Very sexy.

[Dee]

Attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed attack speed




400 attack speed=3 arrows per second.


Eat a fat one

[ruzai]

geometer's bane is also 3 arrows per second.

cool.

[BarneyGumbal]

Geometer's+Wingbow is already a bajillion attacks/second. The difference is that Geo's+Wbow gives awesome damage as well.

[KeY533]

on your start equip u only use 543g you cold buy one mana potion so it would be 593g and your mana problems at start wouldnt be that big

[ruzai]

sorry! i forgot a second minor totem.

you really don't have mana problems because you should be able to have farmed up your bottle as you hit 5-6. there's nothing to spam until then so that gold is better used on stats.

thanks for the catch. i can't count apparently. :|

[Equil]

Players much better than yourself use Vanguard/HotBL in competitive games. I really don't think that comment has any place in this otherwise great guide. No I am not saying that valkyrie should get it, or that my opinion is superior to yours. I am simply stating that if it were so useless it wouldn't be a frequent sighting in competitive games.

Roflmao

edit: above comment offtopic =(.

The guide is brilliant. Ofcourse you can't control every inept mind out there like the one I quoted, but you got the huge aspects. Cheers mate

[noodle0117]

thunderclaw/charged hammer deals an average of +30/+40 magic damage per hit to 2 additional targets (20% chance to deal 150/200 magic dmg). While it isn't necessarily the best hard-carry item, it is one of the best semi-carry items since it lets you farm like mad without depleting your mana pool.

[CHOCODONG]

i ****in love that you consider charged a "no go" item!

[ruzai]

thunderclaw/charged hammer deals an average of +30/+40 magic damage per hit to 2 additional targets (20% chance to deal 150/200 magic dmg). While it isn't necessarily the best hard-carry item, it is one of the best semi-carry items since it lets you farm like mad without depleting your mana pool.

to capitalize on thunderclaw, you have to rush it - and that's something that's not going to happen with my core unless you experience godlike farm.

farm wise, you still have to last hit without relying on the proc. mana problems are really only during the early game where you should be ganking anyways.

[Orkimond]

Geometers is ok after 2nd level diffusal, but otherwise i don't recommend it at all on valk, she doesnt have any natural orbs and her dps isn't high enough for it to be worth it otherwise

[ruzai]

geometer's scales really well and gives her a little bit of everything. illusion's become ridiculously powerful lategame and cause confusion.

[Tinie`Tempah]

I assume people always get minor stats and regeneration at the start and a better suited player buys the courier.

Shieldbreaker also increases damage from other sources and doesn't rely on % crits. I've never liked Thunderclaw or Charged Hammer, they both just feel like mediocre items to me.

The problem with Valk playing mid is that she will never be able to outlane someone else in mid. A melee set middle would be about to freely farm and deny without any problems and Valkyrie wouldn't be able to do a thing solo.

I consider Valkyrie a candidate for Doombringer only after Geometer's and Frostwolf, she is quite difficult to focus down after those two items.

I'll clarify these things, thanks!

get a level of leap before the 2 minute rune and as long as you have wards you have superiorn rune control to most mid heroes... winning the lane.

[ruzai]

if the other heroes go to the rune before it spawns then it becomes a game of chance.

[ruzai]

subtle revisionnn

[MotleyFOOL]

Just played a game of Valk and she was actually pretty fun.

I was reading your guide...

Is post haste 100% necessary? I think all three boots work well on Valk with how she is played. Ghost Marchers give her excellent mobility, Steamboots work well to boost her attack, and Post keeps her quick while giving her a fantastic farming tool. I think either works, depending on how well your farm is going. Like...instead of the shield & Post Haste, what about Steamboots + x2 Soulscream rings? I suppose the shield would be better with Post Haste to conserve some cash, but...you see what I'm saying, right? lol.

Frostburn seems like it would be a good item to rush as part of her core, being that it has a good build up and it also can be broken down to make both Geos AND Frostwolf, both of the end game items in this guide. Yes/no?

[KnightDavion]

Nice guide. IT seems like an awful lot of early game items though. Bottle, Ring Shield AND Powersupply? Sorry but that is not right. bottle and Shield should be enough survivability and regen. You dont need to clog up 4 inventory slots to augment your ganking.

[MotleyFOOL]

I think the Soulscream Ring is considered as an "alternative" to the Iron Shield, KnightDavion. The starting build indicates two Minor Totems (to be built into a Power Supply) and two Duck Boots (to be built into an Iron Shield. You could swap out one of the boots for a Pretender's Crown if you're looking to build a ring instead of the shield.

I'm curious why you would disregard the Power Supply of all the listed items. I find it is one of the most useful items in the game that can make or break team engagements/pushes and save your life multiple times, not to mention that it also gives +3 to all stats.

Now I don't think that Ring/Shield + Power Supply + Bottle is entirely too expensive, but if I were to have to cut one out due to a crappy farm or some other "economical constraint", it would easily be the Bottle over the Power Supply. Valk is largely untouchable during ganks due to how she initiates them; an arrow hidden by a thin treeline followed by a leap and AoE nuke almost instantly forces a retreat on any lane. Enemies simply won't be looking to smack Valk around so much as they're focused on fleeing and saving their own asses, so needing to stay "topped off" isn't so urgent, because there really isn't any "topping off" to do, so to speak. To me, a handful of mana potions would be much more economical than a bottle, which is more worth sacrificing (to me) then a Power Supply if you need to shave some of your core down.

But that's just my input. :D

[Flair]

electrician + swiftblade, actually any stun + swiftblade.
They would most likely go for the melee in your lane and you'd do better with a stun in that situation than a minor speed increase to the target.

If you're not couple with a melee, I'd still value arrow higher.
It's amazing for first blood attempts at rune spots.

[akitoes]

stopped at poor man's shield

[ruzai]

stopped at poor man's shield

?

you're right, with the nerf to creep aggro range, shield is certainly not a necessity. however, because of its incredible mitigation for cost, it stays on my list of items to get in a normal game.

[mega_manuel]

First of all, i think this is a great guide, im sure this is effective although i dont use this when i play Valkyrie. Actually, i play "nono" style. Some examples:

- I tend to go mid with bottle at first, im pretty confident that i can fare well with runecontrol and lasthit is easy enough without +100 hp and 5-10 more dmg. I am aware some people consider that not getting bottle at first is unwritten rule in HoN, but it just suits my play with valkyrie. In my opinion the farming isnt main point for valkyrie at first, leveling up is because you can get into ganking more quickly. I havent played with valkyrie at sidelanes alot though. It might be better for some of you, but its certaintly not for me.
- I level up Javelin before Call, usually it goes like this (Javelin, Call, Javelin, Call, Leap, Javelin, Call, Javelin, Call, Prism etc.) Personally i like Javelin alot more because of "Shock effect" especially in early game, if you lose half of your hp before you even see the enemy, you will probably start to fall back. Then its a piece of cake to finish off with auto-attack, leap + call. Javelin also net some kills because of its impressive range. Fun to throw 3000range javelin to enemies who think they are safely going back to base from sidelane
- I do rush Ghost Marchers at first, usually i bring it with monkey to midlane when im still farming. It gives some much needed dmg and mobility, valk doesnt need survivalibity, you can do as well with 800hp or 1000hp, its pretty much the same for me. I dont need hp at early game, and i get enough hp via frostburn in endgame
- I dont get thunderclaw in midgame, usually i dont even touch it in endgame(or im just slow farming because games tend to end before i get this). It depends too much for luck, imo. Nullfire Blade is much more efficient, it virtually nets you and your team total of 8 kills + new recipes and is much better for heros with lots of hp like Armadon and Electrician
- I dont even get powersupply, for some reason im more used to Bracelets or i dont get anything before Nullfire Blade which i always rush after Ghost Marchers. I get enough hp mana regen from bottle in earlygame though.

So my usual itembuild is something like this:
- Bottle
- Ghost Marchers
- 2x Bracelets(depends)
- Nullfire Blade
- Frostburn
- Thunderclaw
- Charged Hammer
- Maybe after that frostwulf/doom, never played this far though


These are my thoughts though, and i know this is probably not how valkyrie should be played, and im pretty much playing only 1600+. So im not sure how this manages in more high-tier games :)

[Calad]

Bump, and maybe we can get some updates :)

[Nuf]

Tried your build once, made the game more interesting, I won it.

[Nuf]

I was thinking. Wouldn't it be good to delay your duck boots, since you can buy them in the outpost, and instead buy the recipe for battery, and upgrade it asap

[ruzai]

sorry, have been pretty inactive lately; although i do occasionally get that one free day where i can catch up on hon :)


- I tend to go mid with bottle at first, im pretty confident that i can fare well with runecontrol and lasthit is easy enough without +100 hp and 5-10 more dmg. I am aware some people consider that not getting bottle at first is unwritten rule in HoN, but it just suits my play with valkyrie. In my opinion the farming isnt main point for valkyrie at first, leveling up is because you can get into ganking more quickly. I havent played with valkyrie at sidelanes alot though. It might be better for some of you, but its certaintly not for me.

if leveling up is the main focus for a middle valkyrie, how are you going to manage that when you're being out denied because you opted for bottle first?


I was thinking. Wouldn't it be good to delay your duck boots, since you can buy them in the outpost, and instead buy the recipe for battery, and upgrade it asap

depending on your lane, this is certainly feasible; however i much prefer the immediate damage bonus overall.

[Ardeaf]

For some reason, I've always been under the impression that Spectre was a low/mid-tier pick competitively. Has something changed for him to be picked a lot?

Last I played Spectre was definitely one of the top banned people. That ult is amazing.