Hello everyone, I’m Kami, a player from China. For years, I’ve dedicated myself to the hero Valeera, creating numerous guides and streaming countless games. My passion for her runs deep, and that’s precisely why I hope to have an in-depth discussion with the remaining developers of Heroes of the Storm about the issues she currently faces. I sincerely wish to see the game evolve and improve, and perhaps starting with optimizing my beloved Valeera is the perfect first step.
1. Late-Game Weakness of Stealth Engage Mechanism
Valeera heavily relies on the Stealth mechanic to engage enemy backlines, with most core talents designed around “activation after maintaining Stealth for a duration.” However, as the game progresses into mid-to-late stages, opponents’ anti-stealth capabilities escalate significantly—heroes unlock more counter-stealth talents, and the area and frequency of AOE abilities increase substantially. In contrast, Valeera’s stealth-based engage tools lack corresponding scaling, making it challenging for her to safely initiate teamfights. This imbalance directly undermines both her stable entry and sustained damage output.
Suggestions: Add scaling tasks or effects to her D ability (Stealth passive), such as:
- At level 16 or 20, change D ability to 2 charges;
- Increase Teleport range;
- Reduce the waiting time for Stealth to activate the teleport mechanism.
Hoping for more optimizations from the developers.
2. Imbalance Between Late-Game Damage Scaling and Talent Functionality
Valeera’s level 16-20 talents severely lack consistent damage scaling, overemphasizing utility and self-protection (e.g., Blind, Cloak of Shadows). Some damage-boosting talents (e.g., “Initiative”) have limited triggers and low damage output. In the current meta, where level 16-20 teamfights determine victory, Valeera often struggles despite early-game advantages.
Specific Optimization Proposals:
- Level 13 Talents: Add base damage to “Blind” and “Strangle” to address their insufficient control strength in late-game teamfights;
- Level 16 Talents:
- Improve “Seal Fate” trigger mechanism (e.g., grant a buff that continuously provides Combo Points and damage boost upon activation);
- Increase “Assassinate” Armor Reduction to 30, or directly boost damage and extend the duration;
- Change “Thistle Tea” to 2-4 charges, restoring 50 energy per use (current 100-energy restoration often leads to overhealing and suboptimal efficiency);
- Level 20 Talents:
- Expand “Smoke Bomb” area or duration;
- Change “Cloak of Shadows” to 2 charges at level 10, with CD reduction via Combo Point consumption at level 20;
- Add extra effects to “Rupture” (e.g., extend poison effects through continuous attacks);
- Supplement movement speed talents with damage reduction or “stealth cannot be forcibly revealed” mechanics.