Val

Main Weapon:

Val is one of the many Hunters in Evolve, and is the starting Medic character.

## Summary

Sniper and Medic. Two jobs that normally don’t show up on the same résumé. Then again, Val doesn’t apply for just any type of position. Her Armor-Piercing Sniper Rifle and Hunter-healing Medgun are the perfect qualifications for someone stalking prey the size of a small asteroid.

## Rivalries

According to the ingame lore (See also: Dropship Conversation) val professes animosity against fellow huntress and medical expert Caira, her stunning defeat in the First Wa-1-Fu wars conflict be to blame.
At present, the pair begrudgingly collaborates towards resolution of the Shear crisis.

## Val Expanded

Val is both a competent healer and warrior, able to not only heal and resurrect comrades, but also deal area-specific damage due to her vast knowledge of anatomy and alien bio-structure. Using this area-specific targeting mechanic, she can not only deal massive amounts of damage independent of the team using her Anti-material Rifle, she can also "paint" the susceptible areas, signalling allies with a handy target. Combining this effect and the already extreme-damage of a headshot can net massive amounts of crippling damage.

Val's arsenal is not just lethal, however - another weapon she wields is the tranquilizer rifle, a weapon which temporarily slows down the movement of a monster and makes it harder for them to escape combat. The dart has a secondary function that also allows you to track the monster temporarily via a handy blip on the map, highlighting the creature with a bright green glow. Finally, like all Medics, Val is able to heal her team and provide large and instantaneous health boosts that create advanced and complex team strategies.

## Weapon Loadout

Val is a medically minded character, represented by the default loadout available. These weapons have the capacity to deal massive damage as well as heal deadly wounds.

 Medgun | Creates a healing beam at an ally being aimed at while the Fire button is held down.
 Healing Burst | Short burst of rejuvenating energy that instantly heals Val and nearby allies.

## Strategic Role Summary

As the medic, you are nearly the only means by which a team can heal effectively during combat and Val does this well. The medgun is capable of projecting a healing ray that has a range of 60 meters. Aside from her active healing capability, Val can also support the team in an offensive manner with her anti-material (AM) rifle, as well as with her dart rifle that can slow down and highlight the monster. The slowing effect can be used in a defensive manner as well, allowing hunters to evade the monster more effectively. In any case, Val players should learn to position themselves away from the fight, but still be able to support the team. Balancing the use of her equipment will be a large factor that separates good medics from great ones.

## Helpful Tips

Val can use a handful of specialty strategies to better deal with the challenges in Evolve:

* Combo Buffer
* Up Up and Away
* Rescue Heroes
* Tranq Jukes

### Keeping your team healthy is your priority

Without the healing capabilities of the medic class, a hunter team would have little chance to face off against stage 2 and 3 monsters. Prioritize healing your team so that they do not fall in combat, or they will incur a strike that lowers their maximum health value. Just be sure to keep your distance so that you don't become the monster’s focus and get killed early.

### Rely on the Tranq rifle as your primary "weapon" against the monster

Although it does no damage, the utility of the tranq dart to highlight and slow down the monster combined with the ease of use having 3 shots before reload, makes it more useful than the AM rifle.

### Place weak points

Weak points created by the Anti-Material Rifle will increase the damage output of any pin point weaponry of other players that successfully hits those spots. Shooting at extremities with any weapon yields the least amount of damage, while body shots are normalized damage, but headshots double the damage. Adding weak points doubles those damage values, so if you are an excellent shot in FPS games then you should use the AM rifle to create weak points on the body or head of the monster.

### Position yourself out of harm’s way

Don't jump into the thick of battle like an Assault would. Position yourself away from the battle in a location that gives you a clear line of sight of the battle to heal allies or shoot at the monster. Positioning at a height advantage makes this tactic much easier. An added pro tip is staying aware of where traps are that can be used against the monster, should it chase after you.

## Character Unlocks

To unlock Lazarus you must complete the first rank of Val’s Mastery. Val is the most versatile medic, and has many jobs to do. Her mastery is dependent on being able to use all of her equipment in a fight, and not just focus on one thing.

* MedGun - Heal X damage
	+ Val’s primary job is to keep the team alive. Make sure that after a fight with the Monster or an Elite Wildlife that you top off the health bars of all team members.
* Tranquilizer - Tranquilize the Monster X times
	+ Tranquilizing the monster in combat to slow him down and keep them off teammates.
	+ You will only get Mastery experience when freshly tranquilizing the monster.
	+ Tranqs do not stack, so make sure to utilize your other equipment when you have a tranq active!
* Armor Piercing Sniper Rifle - Place X targets on monsters
	+ Val’s Rifle will place a target on enemies that allies can shoot to achieve bonus damage.
	+ For this mastery you must place targets on the Monster.
	+ Try and keep at least one up in combat while using your other equipment.