OSRS Slayer Guide: Tips for Faster XP, Points & Better Tasks

Slayer is one of Old School RuneScape's most popular skills, and for good reason. It's fantastic combat experience, unlocks profitable boss monsters, provides access to powerful gear like the Slayer Helmet, and breaks up the monotony of pure combat training. However, it can also feel slow or frustrating if approached inefficiently.

This guide offers practical tips to speed up your Slayer training, maximize point gain, and make the grind more enjoyable.

Choosing Your Slayer Master

Your choice of Slayer Master dictates the tasks you receive and how many points you get.

• Early Game (Low Combat): Start with Turael/Spria for easy tasks, but switch as soon as possible. Vannaka is a decent early-mid option.
• Mid Game (70+ Combat): Nieve (or Steve after MM2) offers a good balance of tasks and points. Chaeldar is another option but less popular.
• Late Game (85+ Combat / High CB Level): Duradel is generally considered the best for points and good XP tasks. Konar quo Maten offers location-specific tasks with Brimstone Keys (potential profit) but can sometimes assign slower tasks in bad locations. Use Konar strategically for point boosting (every 10th task).

Point Boosting: Always complete your 10th, 50th, 100th (etc.) task with the highest master you can access (usually Duradel or Konar) for maximum Slayer point rewards.

Essential Slayer Point Unlocks (Priorities!)

Slayer points are precious. Spend them wisely:

1. Slayer Helmet (Requires Crafting): Absolutely essential. Combines Black Mask (i) damage/accuracy boosts with protective helmets (Spiny, Facemask etc.) into one item. HUGE upgrade. Cost: 400 points.
2. Blocking Tasks: Permanently prevents masters from assigning specific disliked/slow tasks. Crucial for efficiency. Unlock all block slots ASAP. Cost: 100 points per slot (up to 5/6 depending on quests).
3. Superior Slayer Monsters: Unlocks the chance for stronger "Superior" versions of monsters to spawn, offering much more XP and unique drop chances (Imbued Heart, Eternal Gem). Cost: 150 points.
4. Task Extensions: Consider extending tasks you enjoy and are fast XP/profit (e.g., Dust Devils, Nechryaels via 'Bigger and Badder'). Cost: Varies.
5. Slayer Rings: Useful for teleports closer to some task locations. Crafting required. Cost: 75 points unlock.

Building Your Block & Skip List

This is key to efficient Slayer. Your goal is to remove tasks that are slow XP, require difficult travel, or you simply hate doing.

• Common Blocks (vary by preference/level): Hellhounds (pre-Cerberus), Greater Demons (pre-K'ril), Iron/Steel Dragons, Spiritual Creatures, Suqahs, Black Demons (pre-Gorillas), Waterfiends.
• Common Skips (using points): Metal Dragons (unless you have DHCB/DHL), slow tasks you didn't block, tasks in inconvenient Konar locations.
• Consider Your Gear: Don't block tasks that become good later (e.g., Black Demons for Zenyte jewelry).

General Rule: Block tasks that take a long time for little reward. Skip tasks occasionally if they are particularly bad and you have points to spare. Don't skip constantly or you'll run out of points.

Tips for Faster Task Completion

• Use a Cannon: Where possible (multi-combat areas, specific monsters), a Dwarf Multicannon significantly speeds up kills/XP. Keep it stocked!
• Bursting/Barraging: For tasks like Dust Devils, Nechryaels, or Smoke Devils in multi-combat, using Ancient Magicks (Ice Burst/Barrage) offers massive XP rates. Requires Desert Treasure quest.
• Efficient Gear: Use your Slayer Helmet (i)! Optimize gear for the task (e.g., specific protection, best DPS style). Use Prayer strategically.
• Travel Optimization: Use teleports (Slayer Ring, POH jewelry/portals, spellbook teleports) to minimize travel time.
• Alts (Optional): Some players use alternate accounts to spec transfer or provide other utility, but this is advanced.

Conclusion: Slayer is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Slayer takes time, but applying these efficiency tips makes the journey much smoother and more rewarding. Prioritize point unlocks, manage your block/skip list intelligently, and use the best methods for each task.

Struggling with the GP for cannonballs or bursting runes? Fast OSRS Gold from Tons of XP can keep your supplies topped up.

Need help unlocking key quests like Desert Treasure for Ancients? Our Questing Services can get you there safely.

Happy slaying!