How Slayer Works and Why You Should Train It
Slayer is simple at its core. You visit a Slayer Master, they assign you a monster and a number to kill, and you go kill them. Each kill gives Slayer XP roughly equal to the monster's Hitpoints. Finish the task, come back, and get a new one.
Task and streak basics
Every finished task adds to your streak. Your first four tasks pay no points. From the fifth task on, each completion pays Slayer points, with big bonus payouts on every 10th, 50th, 100th, 250th, and 1,000th task. Asking Turael to swap your task resets the streak to zero, so avoid that unless you must.
Rewards that unlock the best gear
Slayer is one of the most profitable skills in the game and the only way to get some of the best gear. The Slayer helmet, abyssal whip, trident of the seas, and occult necklace all come from Slayer. Boss tasks like the Alchemical Hydra are locked behind it too. You also train combat stats the whole time.
Every Slayer Master Compared
Nine masters hand out tasks. Higher masters give longer, harder tasks and more points per completion.
| Master | Requirement | Location | Points per task | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turael | None | Burthorpe | 0 | Point boosting or task resets |
| Spria | A Porcine of Interest | Draynor Village | 0 | Same list as Turael plus sourhogs |
| Mazchna | 20 combat, Priest in Peril | Canifis | 6 | Early levels |
| Vannaka | 40 combat | Edgeville Dungeon | 8 | Mid-level filler |
| Chaeldar | 70 combat, Lost City | Zanaris | 10 | Mid to high tasks before 75 combat |
| Konar | 75 combat | Mount Karuulm | 18 (20 with elite diary) | Points and brimstone key profit |
| Nieve / Steve | 85 combat | Tree Gnome Stronghold | 12 (15 with elite diary) | Main XP master |
| Duradel | 100 combat, 50 Slayer, Shilo Village | Shilo Village | 15 | Fastest XP and boss tasks |
| Krystilia | None (one task done) | Edgeville | 25 | Fastest points, Wilderness only |
At 99 Slayer, every master becomes available no matter your combat level.
Slayer Points: What to Buy First and In What Order
Points buy unlocks, task extensions, blocks, and items. Spend them in the right order and Slayer gets faster and richer.
Priority unlock order
| Unlock | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bigger and Badder | 50 points | Superior monsters spawn on task. More XP, plus drops like the imbued heart and eternal gem |
| Malevolent Masquerade (Slayer helmet) | 400 points | Build the Slayer helmet with 55 Crafting. Plus 16.67% melee accuracy and damage on task |
| Ring Bling (Slayer ring) | 150 points | Craft Slayer rings at 75 Crafting for fast task teleports |
| Broader Fletching | 300 points | Broad ammo, the only ammo that works on turoths and kurask |
| Blocks and extensions | 40 to 100 points per block | Block slow tasks, extend cannon and barrage tasks |
| Task Storage | 500 points | Store a task and swap it later for free |
| Like a Boss | Optional | Boss tasks from Konar, Nieve, and Duradel. Best for profit |
You get one block slot per 50 quest points, up to six, with a seventh from the elite Lumbridge and Draynor diary.
Milestone bonus point totals by master
| Master | Base | 10th task | 50th | 100th | 250th | 1,000th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vannaka | 8 | 40 | 120 | 200 | 280 | 400 |
| Chaeldar | 10 | 50 | 150 | 250 | 350 | 500 |
| Nieve | 12 | 60 | 180 | 300 | 420 | 600 |
| Duradel | 15 | 75 | 225 | 375 | 525 | 750 |
| Konar | 18 | 90 | 270 | 450 | 630 | 900 |
| Krystilia | 25 | 125 | 375 | 625 | 875 | 1,250 |
Gear and Weapons for Every Combat Style
| Style | Budget | Best |
|---|---|---|
| Melee weapon | Dragon scimitar | Ghrazi rapier or Osmumten's fang for tough monsters, scythe of Vitur for large 3x3 monsters, dragon hunter lance for dragons, emberlight for demons |
| Melee armour | Obsidian, Blood Moon | Bandos, Oathplate, or Torva. Prioritise Strength bonus |
| Magic (barrage) | Ancient staff, Ahrim's robes | Kodai wand, occult necklace, Virtus or Ancestral |
| Ranged | Toxic blowpipe | Venator bow. Its ricochet hits extra monsters |
The Slayer helmet and black mask
Always wear a black mask or Slayer helmet on task. Both boost melee accuracy and damage by 16.67% against your assigned monster. Imbue the helmet at Nightmare Zone or Soul Wars and it also boosts Ranged and Magic by 15%, which barraging requires. One exception: on undead tasks, the Salve amulet's 20% bonus is bigger and does not stack, so wear that instead.
Enchanted bracelets: when to use each
The bracelet of slaughter sometimes stops a kill counting, which stretches out good tasks. The expeditious bracelet sometimes counts a kill twice, which shortens bad ones. They give no combat stats, so swap them in as monsters are about to die.
The Fastest 1-99 XP Route by Level Bracket
| Stage | Master | Method | Approx XP per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 50 | Turael, Mazchna, Vannaka | Best melee gear, quick tasks | 15,000 |
| 50 to 75 | Nieve or Konar | Cannon every large task | 35,000 to 40,000 |
| 75 plus (fast) | Nieve or Duradel | Barrage stacked tasks in multicombat | 100,000 |
| 75 plus (fastest) | Duradel | Barrage smoke devils at 93 Slayer | 150,000 |
Low level (1-50)
Honestly, do not rush to train Slayer at low combat. It is slow and awkward. Most players should build combat first and start Slayer properly at 75 combat, or 85 for Nieve. Use your first four tasks at Turael to clear the no-points period.
Mid level (50-75)
Buy a dwarf multicannon after the Dwarf Cannon quest and use it on every task where it works. Take super combat potions and use Piety.
Fast and fastest (75+)
Finish Desert Treasure I for Ancient Magicks, then burst or barrage dust devils, nechryael, and smoke devils in multicombat caves. Block everything that cannot be cannoned or barraged, and extend the tasks that can. The Wilderness Slayer Cave lets you cannon and barrage at the same time, with over 100,000 XP per hour possible at hellhounds.
Task-by-Task: Do It, Skip It, or Block It
These verdicts assume you are chasing XP at Duradel. If you want money instead, several skips become keeps.
| Task | Approx XP/hr | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke devils | 150,000 magic | Do. Best XP in the game |
| Dust devils | 100,000 to 110,000 magic | Do |
| Nechryael | 100,000 magic | Do |
| Bloodveld | 100,000 cannon and Venator bow | Do |
| Araxytes | 100,000 cannon and Venator bow | Do |
| Dagannoth | 85,000 | Do |
| Abyssal demons | 80,000 magic | Do for money, block for pure XP |
| Kalphites | 75,000 | Do |
| Ankou | 55,000 magic | Do |
| Suqah | 55,000 | Do |
| Trolls | 50,000 | Do |
| Dark beasts | 42,000 | Do |
| Fire giants | 40,000 | Do with magic, otherwise skip |
| Greater demons | 38,000 to 50,000 | Skip unless killing Tormented Demons for profit |
| Black dragons | 30,000 | Do |
| Gargoyles | 30,000 | Do for profit, skip for XP |
| Metal dragons | 15,000 to 30,000 | Do for profit, block for XP |
| Blue dragons | 25,000 | Skip unless killing Vorkath |
| Hellhounds | 40,000 | Block unless killing Cerberus |
| Black demons | 45,000 | Block unless killing demonic gorillas |
| Kurask | 20,000 | Do for profit, skip for XP |
| Cave kraken | 15,000 | Block once done with kraken |
| Skeletal wyverns | 15,000 | Skip |
| Fossil Island wyverns | 15,000 | Block (costs 500 points, toggles free after) |
| Cave horrors | 25,000 | Skip unless Ironman hunting a black mask |
| Waterfiends | 15,000 | Skip |
| Mutated zygomites | 10,000 | Skip |
| Elves | 25,000 | Skip |
| Aberrant spectres | 35,000 | Skip unless farming herb drops |
Most Profitable Slayer and How Much You Actually Earn
Konar and brimstone keys
Konar tasks have a chance to drop brimstone keys, worth around 100,000 gp in loot per key on average. That stacks on top of normal drops, so Konar is the best steady-income master. Extend her good tasks with a slaughter bracelet and rush bad ones with an expeditious bracelet.
Boss Slayer with Like a Boss
Boss tasks are the most profitable way to play Slayer overall. Unlock Like a Boss and use Duradel, who assigns boss tasks more often than Nieve. You will need a separate gear setup for each boss and real starting capital, but the drop tables are the best in the game.
Best profit-per-task monsters
| Task assigned | Kill this instead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Black demons | Demonic gorillas | Zenyte shard drops (needs Monkey Madness II) |
| Greater demons | Tormented demons or K'ril | Much better loot than regular greaters |
| Blue dragons | Vorkath | One of the best money makers on task |
| Hellhounds | Cerberus | Primordial, pegasian, and eternal crystals |
| Abyssal demons | Abyssal demons | Whip drops while you train |
Farming Slayer Points Fast with Turael Boosting
Turael boosting trades XP for points. It works because milestone tasks pay a multiplier no matter which master the small tasks came from.
- Check your task count. You want your streak sitting at a multiple of nine.
- Complete nine quick tasks from Turael in Burthorpe. His tasks are short and easy. Finish them, never swap them, or your streak resets.
- Take your 10th task from Konar or Duradel. Konar pays slightly more.
- Wear an expeditious bracelet on every kill to finish faster.
- Repeat. Every 10th task pays 5 times base points, and the 50th, 100th, 250th, and 1,000th pay even more.
- Use a toxic blowpipe for the quick tasks, and duo with a partner to split the nine Turael tasks if you want more speed.
Krystilia is the other point machine. Her Wilderness tasks pay 25 points each on a separate streak, with 1,250 points on the 1,000th task. Bring only three valuable items, since player killers roam her task areas.
AFK Slayer Setups
Slayer can be very low effort if you set it up right. Use Nieve or Duradel and lean on these tools:
- Fight aggressive monsters. They attack you on their own for 10 minutes before losing interest.
- Set up a cannon. It fires by itself, and Combat Achievements let you load more cannonballs at once.
- Stand in multicombat so several monsters pile onto you while you fight back automatically.
- Drink a goading potion to make all nearby monsters aggressive for 6 minutes.
- Wear Sunfire Fanatic armour so Protect from Melee lasts around 10 minutes per prayer bar.
- Bring prayer regeneration potions and a holy wrench to stretch prayer further.
Quests That Unlock Tasks and Give Slayer XP
Task-unlocking quests worth prioritising
Around 20 quests gate specific tasks. These matter most:
- Priest in Peril: abyssal demons, nechryael, gargoyles, bloodveld, and more
- Desert Treasure I: dust devils, plus the Ancient spellbook for barraging
- Horror from the Deep: dagannoths
- Monkey Madness II: demonic gorillas
- Mourning's End Part II: dark beasts
- Dragon Slayer I and II: metal, black, blue, adamant, and rune dragons
Quests that give direct Slayer XP
Quests hand out 191,348 Slayer XP in total. The biggest payouts:
| Quest | Slayer XP | Slayer level needed |
|---|---|---|
| Monkey Madness II | 80,000 | 69 |
| The Fremennik Exiles | 50,000 | 60 |
| Perilous Moons | 40,000 | 48 |
| Champions' Challenge | 40,348 | None |
| The Path of Glouphrie | 20,000 | 56 |
| Shadows of Custodia | 10,000 | 54 |
Best Slayer Locations and How to Get There Fast
Multicombat caves for barrage XP
| Location | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Catacombs of Kourend | Barraging nechryael, dust devils | Multicombat, better drops, no cannon allowed |
| Wilderness Slayer Cave | Cannon plus barrage together | All multicombat, superiors spawn 10% more often, PK risk |
| Stronghold Slayer Cave | Cannon tasks near a bank | Often crowded |
| Slayer Tower | Abyssal demons, gargoyles | No cannon, Morytania diary boosts XP |
| Chasm of Fire | Demon tasks | Easier to cannon black demons here |
| Iorwerth Dungeon | Crystal shard farming | Monsters drop 3 to 5 shards, needs Song of the Elves |
Fairy rings, Slayer rings, and POH teleports
Fairy rings reach most remote task spots. Slayer rings teleport to the Stronghold Slayer Cave, Slayer Tower, and Fremennik Slayer Dungeon. Karamja gloves 3 or 4 put you next to Duradel. A player-owned house with an ornate jewellery box, rejuvenation pool, and occult altar removes almost all downtime, and NPC Contact at 67 Magic lets you get new tasks without walking anywhere.
Slayer Cost Calculator: What 99 Really Costs You
Cannonball and rune spend for fastest XP
The fastest route is expensive because cannonballs and blood runes burn every hour. Plan for this:
| Supply | Typical use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cannonballs | 750 to 1,500 per average Duradel task | Multicombat tasks can pass 1,500 |
| Ancient Magicks runes | Every barrage task | The single biggest cost of the fast route |
| Super combat potions | Every melee task | Small but constant spend |
| Prayer potions | Dangerous tasks | Holy wrench and flicking cut this a lot |
| Enchanted bracelets | Every task | Cheap, and they pay for themselves in saved time |
Cheaper routes that trade speed for GP
If you would rather earn than spend, melee your tasks without a cannon, take Konar tasks for brimstone keys, high alch drops on task, and unlock Like a Boss once you can kill bosses safely. You will train slower, but Slayer becomes an income instead of a bill.
Ironman vs Main: How Your Route Changes
The route is broadly the same, but the details shift.
Skip the cannon, keep the sacks
- Cannoning most tasks is not worth it. Making cannonballs is slow, though the Giants' Foundry mould makes it viable for AFK tasks.
- Carry a herb sack and gem bag. Slayer drops feed your Herblore and Crafting.
- Reach at least 75 combat before starting, ideally 70 plus in each melee stat, with a dragon scimitar and dragon defender.
- Skip low-level Wilderness Slayer. It is not practical without strong gear, and duo Slayer is off the table entirely.
Supplies and gear you can only get here
- Slayer is your only source of the whip, trident, occult necklace, and dragon boots, so it is close to mandatory.
- Unlock Broader Fletching early. Broad ammo is the only ammo that hurts turoths and kurask.
- Take Bigger and Badder as your first unlock. Superior drops like the imbued heart cannot be bought.
- Do cave horror tasks. That is where your black mask comes from.
