VA (in General)

Can someone help me and tell me what I will need to get VA up to before I get any benefit from it? Cheers :)

your VA level works on a ratio of 1:1 VA level : Damage.
So, if your VA level is 500k, and you deal 500k damage, you are using it to the fullest, and you will steal the full 40% life (200k). However, if you deal 750k damage and your VA level is 500k, you will only steal life as if you dealt 500k damage, and you will only receive 200k life.
So, for VA to be most effective, it should be about the same level as your most powerful blow. If that's too exp hungry though, you can always train it halfway between your average damage and your most powerful blow, or even less than that. You won't steal as much life though, but some is better than nothing.
Also, what works well with a VA is a rune of solitude. For the most part, the only exp you'll ever need to invest in VA is the base cost. The RoS will train it up all by itself. It also prevents the VA from being dispelled, which can be a real hassle.
A really great VA strat involves bloodlust, a morgul hammer or BoTH (MH deals much more damage), and full strength gear (HoE, AoM, TSA, tulkas, BoM...)
A strategy I personally love looks like this:

Minion 1 trains AMF (or EC for tanks) and base VA (RoS takes care of the rest). This minion can use a DD spell as well, but should also train HP and be put in the back if that were to happen.
Minion 1 equips a RoS, corn, and spellboosters. Can also equip alaters if he is a mage.
Minion 2 trains BL, HP, STR, and DX.
Minion 2 equips a HoE, AoM, TSA, tulkas, EC, BoM (or MgS if you need more protection from DD spells), EBs (or DBs), a MH and a exbow/axbow/SoD.

Hey, thanks for all that. Just over 46k VA now but still showing zip for level and getting no effect in melee. Looks like it's a long way to go to reach my largest blow even though the melee damage done is often less than the VA level - is it worth perservering???

Is it getting dispelled?

You should be getting full benefit when the level equals your damage, but partial benefit as you are training it up. Maybe this is a bug with the Mace of Disruption? (PL messes with VA and the MoD is PL resistant) Do your other minions drain a small amount of health?

I haven't checked the dispelling (I will, ta) and no, the other minions don't get anything either. Maybe it is a MoD glitch...

First 5 on my fight list don't use DM so it's not that...

Subbed the MoD with a battle axe (!) and still no VA effect...

It's because you have a mage shield on that minion

Oh nice catch.

I've been eating my Wheaties

That's the snag with having something new, being desperate to se it and not paying attention to the small print...keep buying the wheaties! :)

Oh yeah, Archery only affects bows too, so you can probably switch the archery on your crossbow minion to evasion or steel skin

Best post I've ever done for help! Go well, bro