❝ sᴡɪғᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sɪʟᴇɴᴛ. ❞

//It always gets me when Sanctuarians, especially since the lore states that people were (at least originally) quite fearful and afraid of demon hunters, willingly talk with the player character at Bastion’s keep and they’re not afraid. Even children will strike up a brief conversation with the demon hunter. I know it’s scripted that way, and will be like that with every player character no matter their class, but it’s such a development of the citizens’ character to go from fearful to openly hailing a demon hunter as a hero in this world.

//Also: Valla not being conventionally “pretty” in some senses. Yes, game design-wise, the demon hunter’s armor is meant to accentuate their body/movements and portray them as sexy. But in addition to that, Valla has scars (at least one on her face, a long scar cutting across her jawline), her hair is cared for in the game image but probably isn’t as well kept during a long hunt in the woods, tangled and unkempt, and her skin is weathered against the sun/wind/etc. This, in addition to the mental strain her experiences have placed upon her, makes her look a lot older than 20. Not to mention the slight body horror of her unnaturally glowing, golden eyes and the shadow form she sometimes takes when she vaults or turns into the personification of vengeance itself.

//Valla as the flipped expectations of someone her age; young people are thought of to be ignorant/unbelieving of horrors like demons in horror, but Valla (who is 20, and has been fighting demons for at least 8 years depending on when her village was destroyed (she was 10-12 when it happened)) is fully knowledgable and experienced in such things. She is not disbelieving when someone tells her their wife is turning into a zombie, she does not hesitate when a spirit asks her to help find their body parts. It’s her as a reflection of the world she lives in; she is not an ignorant or unexperienced youth. Indeed, her somewhat callous demeanor is her being hardened to the world she lives in. She acts much older than her years, both in her wiseness/knowledge and demeanor; she will face the horrors others cannot/will not.

//Valla would slay her own friends if they ever turned into demons or zombies. It would hurt her terribly, but on another level, she truly does not care (see: Leah turning into Prime Evil Diablo). She has no sympathy whatsoever for demonkind, and will kill any of them, no hesitation. They could turn right in front of her and she would not care; to Valla’s way of thinking, they’d be free game to kill starting at that point. They would no longer be a part of humanity or goodness, and thus, lost all rights to live as far as Valla’s concerned. 

//Talk to me about how the demon hunter group is a conglomeration of all kinds of cultures, full of a mixing of different customs, traditions, and ideas (not least because those introducing them to the rest of the group are usually the last who hold those specific customs (obviously the rest would be dead at that point)). Valla has been exposed to a lot of new ideas through her time with the main group based in the Dreadlands because of this, and holds a similarly open viewpoint when first experiencing new cultures away from the group.

//I think Tyrael’s fear of the nephalem is unfounded, at least as far as the demon hunter class goes. He worries about the nephalem being tempted by the dark and succumbing to it, and going on to destroy heaven, hell, and Sanctuary. But the demon hunter already deals with this; they have dealt with this dilemma of either resisting the dark or succumbing to it since the day their village was destroyed. This is shown explicitly through the contrast and usage of their hatred and discipline. They have resisted using their hatred for negative goals up to now, especially with the help of their discipline, and have shown themselves to be staunchly on the side of good. This is made even more explicit by the demon hunter’s statement that her to-be peers and mentors saw the strength to resist the demons in her already, even before she was taken on as a demon hunter. She has also resisted Valdraxxis, Prime Evil Diablo (the demon hunter specifically states that she is the only one who can resist his corruption, and she wins), and Malthael in their attempts to break her. Ergo, she will not be tempted to the dark. So, if any of the classes should be the least of Tyrael’s worries, it’s the demon hunter.