Monster Hunter
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Weapons of Choice
Charge Blade
Valian is a character that values his power when fighting against massive monsters. His raw strength makes it possible to hulk around a hefty weapon and use it with relative ease. The combinable sword and shield harken back to when he trained with just a sword and a shield. When combined, the Charge Blade turns into a powerful, axe-like weapon that relies on the use of power vials to charge the blade and blast monsters with each swing when properly stocked within battle.
The Schwarzschild is Valian's main Charge Blade of choice. Its strong, blunt blade is a perfect feel for Valian, and the fact that it has a chance at paralysing the monsters her faces is something that he appreciates. Schwarzchild's tall shield also provides excellent protection against foes and the elements when hunkered down and anticipating the next opening for attack.
After having discovered the Charge Blade, Valian rarely ever goes back to his roots of the basic Sword and Shield. Other weapons he dabbled in using were the Switch Axe (a personal favourite before the Charge Blade), and Gun Lance. Vale will attempt to use these weapons on more trivial hunts, though do not count on him to main a weapon outside of the Schwarzchild. Even though Valian has other Charge Blades at his disposal, he does favour the feel of the Schwarzchild.
For fire-based attacks and inflicting greater damage to those that are weak against it, Valian uses the Bardichion Blade. Admittedly, Valian's favoured monster to fight is Rathalos -- it provides the kind of challenge he enjoys of both land and sky. While Rathian is a formidable foe as well, Valian does enjoy the unpredictability of Rathalos more times than not.
With the Bardichion Blade, Valian tends to take after Rathalos when fighting. More in the fact that he keeps on his toes and is much more light-footed when on a hunt. On that note, Valian also tends to seems to be a little more reckless when attacking, matching the aggression that Rathalos typically has when hunting against him.
The Squaliarmada is useful for any monsters or foes that have an aversion to the cold or frost. The shark-tooth-like serrated blade makes it easy for tearing into the fleshy hide of monsters, and sometimes makes it easy to rip through durable, more protective scales or plates on a creature.
Unfortunately, however, because of the usage of parts for crafting weapons and armours, Valian has an aversion to using the Squaliarmada. This blade unfortunately does not allow for too clean of cuts that allow for usage of the parts to be gained from defeating or carving from a monster. It is great, however, for making quick work of lower ranked monsters, or even monsters that are more commonplace than some of the larger species that roam the lands.
On a hot day, the shield of the Squaliarmada is good for keeping cool.
For more formal events that he is cordially invited to, Valian, along with more formal armour, brings the L'Oppressuer with him. The blade and shield make for a relatively regal appearance, and he feels that perhaps aesthetics might be best when dealing with people that might or might not be of a higher social status than himself.
Despite its looks, however, the L'Oppresseur is still quite the formidable weapon when in battle. This is because anything could happen and Valian does his best to be prepared for anything. Its Dragon element is powerful when matched against many, which makes it a great general use Charge Blade for formal events as well. When people must be protected, it definitely is preferred for aesthetics and power.
Switch Axe
Having grown bored of the Sword and Shield when he grew as a Hunter, Valian had dabbled in the art of wielding the Switch Axe. It is a heavy weapon that starts as a blade and can fold in upon itself into turn into a giant axe for combat. While it lacks the charging capability of the Charge Blade, the Switch Axe is still a true monster slayer with the high damage output when one lands a successful strike.
The Stygian Vanagloria is a powerfully charged Switch Axe that has done Vale more harm than good in many cases. The latent dragon power that surges through the blade is just as unpredictable and dangerous as the Stygian Zinogre that it was made from. Though Vale often times does his best to alter his stance and focus when using this Switch Axe, the power that it contains sometimes causes Valian to act without reason to his motions and movements.
The bulk of the weapon has also hindered Vale in many cases, though whenever he does use the Stygian Vanagloria, he does generally attempt to utilise his basic understanding and training of the Switch Axe. It does not often work, though that does not bar him from doing his absolute best when he is looking for more of a challenge when out on hunts.
When partnered with the Azure Rosebloom, Valian has rather fond memories of his fun hunts taking down the mighty King of the Skies, and the Cherry Blossom Queen. In short, the Azure Rosebloom seems to be more of a regal type weapon that does not often see the light of battle, but is more of a mantle piece for Vale. In his mind, Vale does see this particular weapon as one that should not be sullied in the heat of battle, but if ever a hunt calls for it, he will reluctantly grab it from its mount and utilise it for its poisonous properties.
When used in battle, however, due to the properties of both the Azure Rathalos and the Pink Rathian in general, it makes the Azure Rosebloom a force to be reckoned with in terms of poisoning. One should better hope that they are never on the receiving end of this particular Switch Axe. If one is ever hit with this noxious blade, it is advised to down an Antidote as quickly as possible.
The fiery Rathlagration is another Rathalos weapon that Valian uses. As mentioned before, the Rathalos is one of Valian's favourite hunts to date. That said, the Rathlagration gives Valian more room to be reckless and approach his hunts with more of an unpredictable stance. Again, his footwork when wielding Rathalos weapons is much different and less calculated in many cases than if he were using something else that he feels less comfortable with.
Admittedly, the Giga Galefrost is one of the rarer weapons that Vale owns. The Barioth is a monster that is not often found in the area that Vale grew up in, so the fact that he has this weapon is a testament to his travels and dedication to his profession. Like the Azure Rosebloom, the Giga Galefrost is a mantle piece that is more of a trophy rather than an actual weapon to use in battle. The only difference is, is that since Valian has made this weapon, he has never actually used it.
Whenever Vale or someone else walks past the Giga Galefrost, one can definitely feel the drop in temperature. Were Vale to actually use this Switch Axe in battle, there is no doubt in his mind that the ice prowess the blade possesses is a force to be reckoned with.
The mighty Brisant Demolisher is a weapon crafted from the explosive parts of a Brachydios. Like the Stygian Vanagloria, the Brisant Demolisher is difficult for Vale to really have a proper grasp on. If anything, the Brisant Demolisher is also the number one weapon that has caused a lot of self harm to Valian with its random blasts that come from it. Using it makes Vale wary about his motions in battle, especially because the explosions that can happen are random.
The Brisant Demolisher is the greatest challenge weapon that Valian has so far. Where he would normally train with the weapon to make sure he knows the properties and the best methods of using it, Vale has actually become more enthralled with using the new Charge Blade instead. So unfortunately, this rather awesome Brachydios weapon goes forgotten, or ignored these days when Vale goes out on his hunts.
Sword and Shield
When having started his career as a Hunter, Felvalian had been trained with a Sword and Shield combination. While Valian sacrifices the lightweight Sword and Shield for the newly incorporated Charge Blade, there will be times that Vale uses the Sword and Shield. This typically happens when he is on a hunt with some newly inducted Hunters into the guilds. After all, a Charge Blade tends to get a little messy when around amateurs.
The Master Odyssey Sword and Shield are Valian's basic combination. He uses this when guiding other Sword and Shield users, and generally regards it as a 'rookie's combination'. However, this is not to say that Valian believes because someone else uses the combination that they themselves are a rookie... after all, he uses it on occasion when out in the field.
The Master Odyssey is great against creatures that recoil at water damage, and it saps away stamina from those it strikes. This makes it useful to use against any enemies that seem to have a surplus of energy that charge at its targets or prey.
While the Master Odyssey is useful in that regard, it stands true that Valian's preferred elements seem to be that of electrical- or fire-based weaponry. Whilst using the Master Odyssey, despite being one of his first weapons, Valian is a little clumsy at utilising it.
While not a true electrical weapon, the Azi Dahaka is good at halting monsters in their tracks with the paralytic barbs on it from the Gobul's tail that was used to make it. Like the Squaliarmada, however, the Azi Dahaka is used less often due to the fact that the blade is serrated. While the serration makes cutting a lot easier, it damages a lot of potential parts that Vale might want to use for future armour and weapons.
Vale does not often like using the Azi Dahaka when it comes to choosing a Sword and Shield. Mostly because it reminds him of what a horrible time it was fighting a Gobul just to have the weapon crafted. Where Vale falls short on utilising water elements, it is even worse when he is made to fight in the water.
A Sword and Shield combination worth of Valian, the Thor Rigindora is an electrical weapon set that just feels right when he wields them for the hunt. If Vale were to go back to his roots, this Sword and Shield would definitely be one of the topmost candidates for him to choose over the others that he has in his arsenal.
Holding the hilt makes Valian feel the electrical current that courses through the blade, and even the shield has a soft charge.
The Stygian Luxuria is another formidable weapon within Valian's armoury. Crafted from the parts of both a standard Zinogre, and the fearsome Stygian Zinogre, the Stygian Luxuria is a force to behold when in the hands of a capable Sword and Shield user. It is only natural that Valian would wield a Sword and Shield like this one -- the power that it resonates is something that... appeals to him.
Like most electrical weapons, there is a pulse within both the blade and the shield. However, a stronger, more malevolent power also pulses alongside it. It is as if there are two heartbeats within one set of weapons... with one heart stronger than the other and aching for a battle worthy of its mettle. -
Armours of Choice
Derring Armour
The Derring Armour is armour that is presented to all Hunters when they are starting to pave their careers. Valian keeps the Derring Armour as a reminder for the time that he chose to walk the path of being a Hunter and reflects on how long far he has gotten since then. While it provides for good nostalgia, Vale also wears it when helping Hunters with a lower rank than he. This is mostly to put him on a more equal level with the others.
One of the advantages to wearing the Derring Armour, however, is the fact that it provides excellent grip when attempting to mount monsters to help knock them over. Another thing that the Derring Armour is good for is upping a Hunter's recovery speed by being relatively breathable as opposed to many others that are higher rank than it.
Of course, there is an issue where sometimes those that hunt with Vale that see him wearing this armour might assume that he is patronising them to some degree. Therefore, Vale takes the time to improve upon the Derring Armour, having the armour's decoration slots filled with gems that provide for the rest of the gathering talent that is already partially available from the tailor work put into it.
That said, the Derring Armour also serves the purpose of going out and having an easier time gathering items whilst out and about.
Kecha Armour
The Kecha Wacha set was one of Valian's first sets that he got tailored for himself. As a Hunter, the Kecha Wacha was one of the first monsters he had a major encounter with, and so like the Derring Armour, the Kecha Wacha Armour is somewhat of an armour still kept for nostalgic purposes.
Unlike the Derring Armour, however, the Kecha Wacha Armour provides more protection, despite not really looking the part.
Typically, the Kecha Wacha set would be combined with using the Master Odyssey Sword and Shield to up its water attack output.
A common thing that the Kecha Armour set has with the Derring Armour is that both are great for gathering. While the Derring set normally allows for a better time gathering herbs, mushrooms, and honey, the Kecha set is more preferred when bug catching and mining. As an additive, the Kecha Wacha set also decreases the chance of field, health, antidote, demon, and defence horns from breaking when used out in the field of battle. So if Valian were interested in giving support to his allies by bringing field affecting horns, this would be one of the sets that he would put on for that purpose.
When coupled with the Odyssey Sword, the Kecha Armour has seven decoration slots available. The decorations that Vale choose to give his Kecha Armour are just enough Tremor gems to give him Tremor Resistance. So on top of what the Kecha set already provides for him, it is hard for Vale to get tripped or disoriented by monsters if they shake the ground hard enough beneath his or his allies' feet.
Khezu Z (Red Khezu)
The Khezu Armor is a little more unique than some of the other armours that Valian has in his possession. One of the main features of wearing the Red Khezu armour was the fact that it provided the ability to deafen one's ears to the screams and roars of monsters in the field. This is a useful ability for when one is out and about for sure -- and it is more than helpful when a Hunter has found themselves on the back of a monster to weaken it!
Additionally, the Red Khezu Armour makes for a great main support armour as well. With the Wide Area skill that comes with the armour, Valian can take a potion or other health healing item and use them to aid his allies in the same area. This eliminates the use of having to bring health horns, or even having to be a Bow / Bow Gun user that specialises in healing up team mates, or being a general purpose Hunting Horn user.
With the eleven decoration slots that this Khezu Z Armour provides, Valian has equipped it to up his attack strength as well as give him wind resistance.
While the hide of the Khezu feels oddly rubbery and soft, it also provides protection against lightning-based attacks and even is somewhat fire resilient!
The Khezu Z Armour is Valian's main armour of choice! This is just mostly due to the fact that it (as mentioned before) increases his attack power with the amount of slots it had available for decorations. In addition, it is also a rather casual-looking set, if not a little odd when paying close attention to the rubbery, yet velvety, material used to have made it.
Regisu Armour
Sans the crown piece that typically is made with this set, Valian uses the Regisu Armour on if he is attending a ceremony or some other formal event. As stated before, the weapon that would accompany this one would be the L'Oppresseur. Despite its formal looks, the Regisu Armour has a lot of benefits to it other than being pleasing to the eye to behold at events.
This armour is a little different in the way to upgrade it, and Vale does find it a little strange to go through the process. However, since it is something that happens only every so often in a year, Vale does not mind as much.
The Regisu Armor provides benefits as well as has been upgraded to have fifteen gem slots on it. This makes the Regisu Armour rather valuable to any Hunter, and Valian is certainly no exception. The skills that Valian has put decorations on for are tremor resistance, attack up, and earplugs. With the idea that anything could happen, these three prevent any monster from getting the jump on him at an event where formalities are required.
Outside the decorations and more into the armour itself, the Regisu set offers Valian the 'Marathon Runner' ability. This allows Valian to retain his stamina whilst running around and using certain abilities within the heat of battle. On top of that, the reason that Vale does not decorate the Regisu set with Wind Resistance gems is because it already has wind negation skills already attached to it.
When equipped with anything that utilises a shield, the Regisu Armour continues to shine through. Another ability that it grants its wearer is that if they block with a shield, it ups their chance at standing their ground without staggering backwards. This is also perfect for when guarding others has to be a thing in a public setting and getting people to safety.
Lastly, with any weapon that the Regisu Armour's wearer chooses, there is a mystical power that treats their wielded blade one tier higher in terms of sharpness. This is highly valued when going against monsters with tougher hides and scales.
Overall, the Regisu Armour is perfect for when Vale is expecting the absolute worse when at an event with others.