Choose your master by combat level
Slayer xp per kill is roughly the monster's hitpoints, so better masters are better because they assign bigger monsters and give more points, not because they pay more per kill. Move up the moment your combat level allows.
| Master | Needs | Points per task | Use them for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turael | nothing | 0 | Your first four tasks and streak boosting |
| Mazchna | 20 combat, the quest that opens Morytania | 6 | Early levels |
| Vannaka | 40 combat | 8 | Early to mid levels |
| Chaeldar | 70 combat, Lost City | 10 | Bridging to Konar |
| Konar quo Maten | 75 combat | 18 | Profit from brimstone keys |
| Nieve or Steve | 85 combat | 12 (15 with the elite Western Provinces diary) | Fast xp before Duradel |
| Duradel | 100 combat, 50 Slayer, Shilo Village | 15 | Fastest xp overall |
| Krystilia | one task done | 25 | Points and Wilderness loot, with risk |
Points do not start until your fifth task, and Turael tasks count toward those first four, so knock them out with Turael (or Spria, after A Porcine of Interest, who works the same way and gives the same zero points). After that, the two classic choices are Nieve until you hit 100 combat, then Duradel for the fastest xp, or Konar from 75 for the brimstone keys she adds to every task.
Points, streaks and Turael boosting
| Task number | Points multiplier |
|---|---|
| Every 10th | 5x |
| Every 50th | 15x |
| Every 100th | 25x |
| Every 250th | 35x |
| Every 1,000th | 50x |
Milestone tasks pay a multiple of that master's normal points, which is why many players do short tasks from Turael and take every tenth task from a high-points master. Konar and Duradel are the usual picks for those milestone tasks. It costs a little xp per hour but gives a lot more points to spend on skips and blocks.
What to buy with your points
| Unlock | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Malevolent masquerade | 400 | Lets you build the Slayer helmet (55 Crafting) |
| Bigger and Badder | 50 | Superior monsters can spawn on task |
| Like a boss | 200 | Boss tasks, each worth 5,000 bonus Slayer xp |
| Broader fletching | 300 | Broad arrows and bolts for Fletching |
| Ring bling | 150 | Craft Slayer rings for teleports |
| Gargoyle smasher | 120 | Finishes gargoyles automatically |
| Task extensions | 100 each | More kills of tasks you like |
Buy Malevolent masquerade first. The Slayer helmet combines the nose peg, earmuffs, facemask, spiny helmet and black mask into one slot and keeps the black mask's damage bonus on task. Imbue it at Nightmare Zone or Soul Wars to extend the bonus to Ranged and Magic. After that, Bigger and Badder is cheap and pays for itself in superior drops, and Like a boss turns boss kills into Slayer tasks.
Skipping and blocking tasks
Cancelling a task starts at 30 points, and your number of block slots grows with quest points. The rule is simple: block the tasks that come up often and that you hate, skip the rest of the bad ones, and never block something you can cannon or burst. Players often block spiritual creatures and waterfiends, but check how often each comes up at your master first. Fossil Island wyverns have their own removal unlock, Stop the Wyvern, for 500 points.
The Slayer task calculator shows the chance of every task at each master given your Slayer level and blocks, so you can see exactly which block helps most before spending points.
Fast, profitable and AFK Slayer
Fastest xp
Use Duradel or Nieve, cannon every task that allows it, and burst or barrage anything that stacks in multi-combat areas such as the Catacombs of Kourend. Ice Barrage needs Desert Treasure I, and the Ice Barrage cost per cast is the main running expense. A bracelet of slaughter on good tasks and an expeditious bracelet on slow ones nudge the numbers further.
Most profit
Konar's brimstone keys add value to every task, and boss tasks at Duradel with Like a boss can be very lucrative if your gear is ready for them. Our Slayer money makers list ranks the monsters and bosses by current loot value per hour.
AFK
Aggressive monsters in multi-combat with a cannon set up are the closest Slayer gets to AFK. A goading potion keeps monsters aggressive for longer, and the venator bow with a cannon is a strong low-effort alternative to barraging small monsters.
Boss tasks
With Like a boss unlocked, higher masters can assign bosses you have the Slayer level for. Each boss task is between 3 and 35 kills (up to 65 with Combat Achievements) and pays 5,000 bonus Slayer xp on top of the kills, which makes even a short task worth taking if you know the fight.
Slayer with a partner
Two players can share a task as Slayer partners, as long as they stay within 30 tiles of each other to share kills. It shortens tasks for both of you and makes the slower, tankier assignments far more bearable. The shared task pool needs at least 15 tasks you are both eligible for, so very new accounts may not qualify.
Stats and gear before you go hard
Slayer speeds up with your combat stats more than with anything else. Around 70 in Attack, Strength and Defence, 43 Prayer for overhead protection and a decent melee weapon is where tasks stop dragging. From there, the order that helps most is usually a Slayer helmet, then a better weapon, then Magic for bursting. Ranged becomes important for a handful of tasks and for the venator bow.
Slayer levels worth working toward
| Slayer level | Monster | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 58 | Cave horrors | Drop the black mask |
| 72 | Skeletal wyverns | Good loot, blockable if slow for you |
| 75 | Gargoyles | Steady gold, plus the Grotesque Guardians |
| 85 | Abyssal demons | Abyssal whip, dagger and the Abyssal Sire |
| 87 | Cave kraken | The Kraken boss and its tentacle |
| 91 | Cerberus | Drops the crystals for the best boots |
| 92 | Araxytes | Araxxor |
| 93 | Smoke devils | The Thermonuclear smoke devil |
| 95 | Hydras | The Alchemical Hydra |
The bosses at 91 and 95 are the big ones for profit. Our Cerberus guide and Alchemical Hydra guide cover gear, mechanics and kills per hour once you get there.
Before your first serious task
- Complete Lost City and the quest that opens Morytania (it starts with King Roald in Varrock) so Chaeldar and Mazchna are available.
- Do Dwarf Cannon for the multicannon and Desert Treasure I for the Ancient Magicks.
- Quests matter for blocks too, because more quest points means more block slots.
- Buy an enchanted gem from any Slayer master for 1 coin, so you can check how many kills are left without walking back.
Boss tasks and tough monsters reward a quick check on the DPS calculator before you buy upgrades, so you know which slot actually speeds up your kills.