Old School RS Slayer could be seen as one of the best skills in the game due to its variety and profitability, or as one of the worst because of its slow and sometimes tedious nature. Regardless of how you feel about it, Slayer is a vital part of your progression, enabling you to battle profitable monsters and hunt for some of the coolest pets in the game.

In this article, we'll dive into a range of tips to help make your Slayer grind more tolerable and efficient on your way to one of the most respected skill capes in the game. Whether new to Slayer or a seasoned veteran, these tips will help you get the most out of your training in 2024.

Getting Started with Slayer

Let's start from the beginning. If you're new to Slayer, you should complete a couple of quick quests to jumpstart your training. The Museum Quiz will grant you 1,000 Slayer experience, and completing the quest Porcine of Interest will also give you 1,000 experience. Together, these will get you to level 13 Slayer, allowing you to skip the earliest, slowest levels.

If you've been following my guides, you'll know that completing a series of combat-related quests can get you to level 30 or even 40 in combat skills, naturally skipping over the lowest-tier Slayer masters. Once you reach level 40 combat, you can begin training Slayer more seriously with Vannaka, whose tasks are well-suited for your combat level. Remember that some of his tasks can be challenging, especially early on.

The Nightmare Zone Trick

A simple rule of thumb for Slayer is to train it alongside your combat skills whenever possible. However, if you're just a few levels away from hitting a combat milestone like level 75, 85, or 100, consider spending some time in the Nightmare Zone. This will allow you to reach the next combat level threshold, unlocking higher-tier Slayer masters and bringing in more Slayer experience and OSRS Gold per task.

Slayer Task Management

In the early game, you may be assigned tasks that give a very low Slayer experience, which can feel like a grind. To mitigate this, you can ask your Slayer master to ignore your combat level when assigning tasks, unlocking their entire task list as long as it's not restricted by a quest. However, be cautious with this strategy—it can backfire, resulting in being assigned a difficult task like 50 Iron Dragons, which can be a nightmare in the early game.

Essential Slayer Items

When embarking on long Slayer sessions, there are a few items that are essential to bring along. A Teleport to House item, such as a House Teleport tab or Construction cape, is a must to help you bank quickly and efficiently. Pair this with a teleport to your current Slayer master or the NPC Contact spell for even faster task management.

A Dwarf Multi-Cannon and a healthy stack of cannonballs are also staples in your inventory. Even in single combat areas, where the cannon might only be able to fire at one target at a time, it can still significantly speed up your kills. Keep in mind that there are certain areas where you cannot place a cannon, which we'll cover shortly.

If you've completed the Morytania and Kourend hard or elite diaries, you'll have access to the Bonecrusher and Ash Sanctifier. These items will automatically bury bones and scatter ashes for a half or full Prayer experience, depending on your diary tier, making them invaluable for Slayer training.

Maximizing Your Cannon Efficiency

There are several Slayer locations where you cannot set up a cannon, so be sure to free up some inventory space when you're in these areas. These include the Abyss, Ancient Cavern, Kalphite Queen's lair, Dwarven Mine, Fossil Island Wyvern Cave, Lizardman Canyon, Slayer Tower, and the TzHaar Fight Cave, among others.

In single combat areas, your cannon will attack multiple monsters only if they're unable to attack you, as you're technically not engaged in a one-on-one fight. If a monster does attack you, the cannon will only target that specific monster. To reload your cannon faster, use cannonballs directly on it rather than clicking on it to reload. While this saves only a few ticks, every bit helps.

Additionally, the Kandarin achievement diary rewards allow you to load more cannonballs into your cannon, with the medium, hard, and elite tiers increasing the capacity to 35, 45, and 60 cannonballs, respectively.

Task Blocking, Canceling, and Extending

One of the most frequent questions I get is which Slayer tasks to block, cancel, or extend. This decision is largely personal preference, based on your current goals and what you enjoy. Generally, you should block tasks that are commonly assigned by your Slayer master but that you find particularly tedious or unprofitable. For example, if you're hunting for boss tasks with Duradel or Kura (if you've completed the quest "While Guthix Sleeps"), you might block tasks like Abyssal Demons, Hellhounds, or Greater Demons if you've already obtained the pets associated with those tasks.

On the other hand, you should cancel rare tasks and offer neither good experience nor GP. For instance, when using Duradel or Konar, you might cancel tasks like Waterfiends, Kurasks, and Elves.

When it comes to extensions, these should be reserved for tasks you can tolerate in large quantities, as the number of kills required will increase significantly. Be sure to consider how long you're willing to spend on a single task, as long tasks can sometimes disrupt your momentum.

Using Slayer Bracelets

A tip I wish I had known earlier in my Slayer journey involves the Bracelet of Slaughter and Expeditious Bracelet. These two items can significantly impact the efficiency of your Slayer training.

When you wear the Bracelet of Slaughter, there's a 25% chance that a kill will not count towards your current Slayer task, effectively extending the task and increasing your experience and GP gains. This is especially useful for tasks involving monsters with high profit margins, such as Nechryaels.

Conversely, the Expeditious Bracelet has the opposite effect, with a 25% chance for a kill to count as two. This is perfect for quickly getting through tasks you'd rather not spend too much time on, or for speeding up your progress when you're focusing on task points.

Bursting and Barraging Slayer Tasks

Learning how and where to burst or barrage your Slayer tasks is key to maximizing your Slayer experience per hour. This method is most effective on tasks like Jellies, Dust Devils, Nechryaels, Abyssal Demons, and Smoke Devils. Essentially, any monster that occupies a single tile can be killed this way.

For bursting or barraging, gear up with your best mage setup, ideally including Virtus robes for their bonus to Ancient Magicks. Take your Rune Pouch with the highest multi-target spell you can cast and head to a multi-combat Slayer area. The fast way to set up is to tag as many monsters as possible, then move to a corner and shift-click to run, stacking the monsters on top of each other. Once they're stacked, attack the group, and watch the experience drops roll in.

Task Storage: A Game-Changer for Slayer

One of the best additions to Slayer in recent memory is the Task Storage feature, introduced in July 2021. This allows you to store a Slayer task for later use, giving you flexibility in managing your tasks. As of May 2024, storing a task is completely free, which is a huge improvement from the previous 250-point cost.

Unlocking task storage requires 1,000 Slayer points, but it's a worthwhile investment for anyone serious about Slayer training. The ability to store and retrieve tasks at no cost allows you to tackle more favorable tasks when you're better prepared or in the mood for them.

Conclusion

Slayer is one of the most rewarding skills in Old School RuneScape, both in terms of the in-game rewards it offers and the sense of achievement it brings. By following these tips and strategies, you can make the Slayer grind more efficient, enjoyable, and profitable. Whether you're aiming for that 99 Slayer cape or just looking to improve your PvM capabilities, mastering the art of Slayer will serve you well in your OSRS journey.

Remember, these tips are just a starting point. Be sure to adapt your strategy based on your personal preferences, combat level, and goals. Good luck, and happy slaying! The task requires OSRS Gold for sale in RSorder!

RSorder Team