Valeria, The Child of Night: Stealing Health in the Shadows

Overview

Valeria is a 4-Star Epic Ice hero from the Return to Morlovia (Halloween) event. Released during a simpler time in Empires & Puzzles, she was designed as a speed demon—a Very Fast sniper who doesn't just hurt you, she actively prevents you from getting better. While her vampire brethren Vlad and Victor have often been the butt of community jokes, Valeria has held a reputation as the "playable" vampire of the bunch. She is a classic hit-and-run hero, relying on speed to disrupt healers before they can undo her work.

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Hero Art & Visuals

Valeria’s design screams classic gothic horror. Wielding a whip and sporting a "come hither if you dare" expression, she fits the vampire archetype perfectly. It’s a clean, sharp design that stands out against the more cartoonish goblins or over-designed constructs of recent years. She looks like she enjoys her job—which is mostly draining the life out of your support heroes.

General Info

Hero Stats

Stat Analysis: Let's be blunt: Valeria’s stats are dusty. With 609 Attack and 656 Defense, she is living in the past. Modern 4-star heroes regularly push 800+ in these stats, and her 1196 HP is dangerously low compared to the 1500+ HP behemoths released in 2025.

• Attack: 609 is low for a "sniper," meaning her direct damage will barely scratch modern tanks.
• Survivability: She is fragile. One solid hit from a modern 5-star (or even a strong 4-star) will send her back to her coffin.
• Conclusion: She relies entirely on her Very Fast speed to fire before she dies. She is a glass cannon without the cannon—more like a glass pistol.

Special Skill: Dusk of Sorrow

Skill Analysis: "Dusk of Sorrow" is a complex skill that tries to do three things at once:

1. Direct Damage: 235% is negligible with her low attack stat. Do not count on this to kill anyone.
2. Stacking DoT: This is her main damage source. It starts at 150 damage over 5 turns (30 per turn). If she fires again, it refreshes and adds 220 damage, capping at 580 damage. In the era of 2000+ HP heroes, 30 damage a turn is a tickle. However, if you can get her to fire 3 times, 116 damage per turn becomes a respectable pressure.
3. Healing Steal: She steals 61% of any healing applied to the target. This is her unique selling point. Unlike a healing block (0% healing), this actively punishes the enemy for trying to heal, funneling that health to Valeria instead. It allows her to sustain herself surprisingly well if she targets a tank right before a healer fires.

By the Numbers

Let's crunch the vampire math.

• Mana Speed: Very Fast (6.5 tiles). With a Lv. 11 Mana Troop (or equivalent bonuses), she charges in 6 tiles. This is incredibly fast and her biggest asset.
• Damage Potential:
  • Cast 1: 235% Direct + 150 DoT.
  • Cast 2: 235% Direct + 370 DoT (cumulative).
  • Cast 3: 235% Direct + 580 DoT (max cap).
• Healing Steal: If a Healer would heal the target for 500 HP, the target receives only 195 HP, and Valeria steals 305 HP. This keeps her alive when her low defense stat fails her.

Family Bonus, Passives, Aether Power & Unique Abilities

Valeria benefits from the Morlovia Family and a surprisingly modern passive.

Family Bonus

The Morlovia family bonus has changed over the years, but generally provides benefits when paired with other Halloween heroes (like Frank or Vanda). The most useful synergy is often the Mana Generation bonus, helping her hit that 6-tile break point easier without high-level troops.

Passives

Steal Buff: This is the hidden gem of her kit. Every time she fires (which is often, thanks to Very Fast speed), she has a 65% chance to steal the newest dispellable buff from an enemy.

• Scenario: An enemy Ludwig or various modern buffers fire. Valeria hits any enemy with a buff, and she might just pluck that Taunt, Attack Up, or Dodge right off them.
• Fallback: If no enemies have buffs, she deals extra AoE damage (150% to all). This essentially turns her into a mini-AoE hitter in clean-up phases.

Aether Power

Vampire: This fits her theme perfectly. It heals her for a percentage of normal damage dealt. Combined with her Healing Steal, a Limit Broken Valeria can be surprisingly hard to kill if she keeps attacking.

Legacy & Modern Relevance

• Historical Context: Upon release, Valeria was a niche but respected counter to Field Aid (an old War rule) and heavy healer teams. She was the "smart man's" sniper—low impact upfront but deadly over time.
• Power Creep Analysis: Power creep has been unkind. Her DoT damage is fixed and hasn't scaled with the massive HP pools of modern heroes. 580 damage over 5 turns used to be 40% of a hero's life; now it's barely 20%. Her direct damage is almost non-existent against modern defense stats.
• Modern Viability Verdict: Bench for most general play. However, she retains a specific Niche Viability in 4-Star Tournaments (Buff Booster and Rush Attack) where her speed and buff stealing mechanics can outmaneuver raw stats. She is no longer a serious contender for War teams unless you have a very shallow roster.

Costume & Costume Bonus

This review focuses on the base hero as no costume is currently available or reviewed in this context.

Emblem Path Analysis

Valeria is a Monk, which makes her resistant to ailments (giving her a chance to resist mana control or blinds).

The Survivor (Recommended)

• Path: Defense > Health > Attack
• Pros: Her attack is too low to salvage. You need her to survive long enough to fire multiple times to stack her DoT and steal buffs.
• Cons: Her direct damage becomes even more negligible.

The Glass Shiv

• Path: Attack > Health > Defense
• Pros: Maximizes the "150% damage to all" passive if it triggers.
• Cons: She will likely die before firing a second time.

Final Recommendation

For most players, the Defense/Health path is mandatory. Valeria is a utility hero, not a damage dealer. Her job is to stay alive, steal buffs, and steal healing.

Strengths

• Speed Kills: Very Fast mana allows her to charge in 6 tiles (ghosting 3 tiles charges her instantly).
• Buff Control: The passive chance to steal buffs is excellent in Buff Booster tournaments.
• Healer Disruption: Stealing 61% of healing can effectively neutralize a healer's impact on a specific target (usually the tank).
• Self-Sustain: Between the Aether Power and Healing Steal, she can recover HP quickly.

Weaknesses

• Paper-Thin Stats: Her base stats are severely outdated. She requires Limit Breaking just to match modern 4-star base stats.
• Slow DoT Ramp: In the current fast-paced meta, waiting 3 casts to reach max damage is a luxury you rarely have.
• Low Impact Hit: 235% damage off 609 attack is often absorbed entirely by minions or high defense.

Best Game Modes

• 4-Star Buff Booster Tournaments: Her best home. Very Fast speed allows her to steal buffs constantly.
• 4-Star Rush Tournaments: She is already fast, but the mana speed cap helps everyone. However, her DoT shines here as battles can drag on.
• Magic Tower / Styx Tower: Her DoT is useful against bosses with massive HP pools, provided she can survive.

Advanced Strategy & Team Compositions

The "Double Trouble" (The 2x Valeria)

Forum veterans swear by running two Valerias together.

• Why? Because her DoT stacks. If Valeria A fires (150 DoT) and then Valeria B fires at the same target, the DoT immediately jumps to the second tier (370 DoT) and refreshes. You can reach the damage cap twice as fast.
• Execution: Fire them back-to-back into the enemy tank or threat.

Synergy

• Frank/Vanda (Halloween Family): Pairing her with Frank gives a family bonus that can ease mana troop requirements.
• Damage Boosters (Kiril/Costume Grimm): Since her attack is low, she desperately needs an Attack Up or Defense Down support to make her initial hit register.

Counters & Anti-Synergies

• Cleansers: Any healer who cleanses (Rigard, Costume Sabina) wipes her DoT instantly, ruining her setup.
• Taunt: She is single target. If a Taunt hero activates and she hits them, she might steal the taunt (good!) but she can't bypass it to hit the healer behind.

Advice for New Players

If you pulled Valeria early, she is a great "teaching" hero. She teaches you about mana breakpoints (6 tiles), DoT management, and timing. She will serve you well in Gold/Platinum raids where enemies aren't yet monsters.

Advice for Veterans

She is a collection piece or a specific tool for 4-star Buff Booster tournaments. Unless you absolutely love her design or lack modern blue 4-stars, she is not worth the Alpha Aethers. There are simply better options like Costume Sonya (who dispels/cleanses) or newer event heroes.

Community Corner: Hot Takes & History

The forum archives tell a story of a hero who was almost great.

• The Math Nerd: "Lets do some math 150 + 215 + 215 = 580... her card says 580 but she should do 590 damage instead. am i wrong." — A player confused by the rounding/caps of her DoT, showing just how confusing the mechanic was.
• The Fanatic: "I love my blue 4 Valeria and would like 3x to 5x more. I am more upset at Frank ruining my chances of another Valeria."* — Some players truly embraced the "Pack of Valerias" strategy.
• The Realist: "She has never been useful. Way better heroes out there." — The inevitable counterpoint.
• The Combo: "Valeria at +20 emblems and Frank does make her charge in 6 tiles... Might be an interesting choice."

Final Thoughts

Valeria is a relic of a more civilized age, where 30 damage per turn meant something. Today, she is a niche specialist. If you play her, you play her for the Buff Steal and the Healing Steal, not the damage. She is a mosquito in the room—annoying, hard to catch, and capable of stealing just enough blood to make you itch, but unlikely to take down the house on her own.

Verdict: Keep one for Tournaments, but don't expect her to rule the night anymore.