Slayer Gear and Task Strategies for OSRS Players

Slayer is one of the most engaging and varied skills in Old School RuneScape (OSRS). Whether you love it for its diverse gameplay or find it daunting due to its slow grind, Slayer is an essential skill for any RuneScape player looking to battle high-level, profitable monsters, unlock unique pets, and achieve the prestigious Slayer cape. As we venture into 2024, we bring you the latest strategies and tips to enhance your Slayer grind and make it not only efficient but enjoyable. Let’s dive into some key insights that will push you toward mastering this skill.

Starting Slayer in OSRS: Early Game Progression

For beginners, jumping into Slayer can feel overwhelming, but the early game offers a few shortcuts that can quickly help you get on track. One of the first things you should do is take the museum quiz in Varrock, which will reward you with 1,000 Slayer experience. Another quick quest to complete is Porcine of Interest, which also grants 1,000 Slayer experience. These two tasks will swiftly take you from level 1 to 13.

While there aren’t many other quests that grant significant Slayer experience early on, completing combat-focused quests can help you reach combat levels in the 30s and 40s, allowing you to start using more efficient Slayer masters earlier. Aim to start Slayer seriously once you reach level 40 combat with Vannaka as your Slayer master. His tasks are well-suited to your level, offering manageable monsters without too much difficulty.

One of the golden rules is to train Slayer alongside your combat skills. However, if you're just a few levels away from milestones such as combat levels 75, 85, or 100, you can camp at Nightmare Zone to quickly push to the next combat bracket and unlock higher-tier Slayer masters. These masters will offer better tasks, more Slayer experience, and more opportunities for profit.

Slayer Masters: Choosing Wisely

Selecting the right Slayer master is crucial for progressing quickly and efficiently. Early on, Vannaka is a solid choice at level 40 combat, but as you push forward, you’ll want to shift toward higher-tier masters like Chaeldar, Konar, and Duradel. Duradel, in particular, becomes a top choice once you hit level 100 combat due to the high-quality tasks he assigns and the potential for greater rewards.

Essential Slayer Gear and Items

To make the most out of your Slayer tasks, proper preparation is key. Here are some must-have items to bring on most Slayer assignments:

• Teleport to House Tabs: Quick transportation is vital. Bringing house teleport tabs (or a Construction cape if you have one) will allow you to quickly bank or recover between tasks. Pair this with teleport methods to your Slayer master for rapid assignments.
• Dwarf Multi-Cannon: If you can afford it, always bring a Dwarf multi-cannon and plenty of cannonballs. This invaluable tool speeds up kills tremendously, even in single-combat areas.
• Bonecrusher & Ash Sanctifier: Upon completing the Morytania and Kourend hard or elite diaries, you’ll unlock the Bonecrusher and Ash Sanctifier, which automatically bury bones and scatter ashes, giving you prayer experience without lifting a finger.
• Boosting Potions & Prayer Gear: Always have enough prayer potions to keep Protect and boosting prayers active, particularly during challenging tasks. Many late-game Slayer tasks will pay for your prayer potions through the loot drops, so don’t worry too much about expenses.

Maximizing Slayer Experience: The Power of the Cannon

For faster Slayer experience, the Dwarf multi-cannon is one of your best tools. However, there are several Slayer locations where you cannot use it, including the Abyss, Ancient Cavern, TzHaar city, and the Hydra and Wyrm areas in the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon. Knowing where you can’t use the cannon will save you valuable inventory space.

For locations where you can use the cannon, here are some helpful tips:

• In single-combat zones, as long as the monsters can’t hit you, the cannon will continue attacking all available targets. If you do get attacked, it will only target the monster engaging you.
• You can load the cannon with cannonballs faster by using them directly on the cannon, saving a few ticks.
• Cannonball capacity increases with the Kourend and Kebos achievement diaries, allowing you to load up to 60 cannonballs for fewer interruptions.

Additionally, positioning your cannon is vital. In single combat zones, standing at specific diagonal distances from the cannon allows it to hit targets more efficiently. Mastering these mechanics will optimize your Slayer sessions, leading to faster kills and higher experience rates.

Blocking, Cancelling, and Extending Slayer Tasks

One of the most frequent questions asked is which tasks to block, cancel, and extend. While this can depend heavily on personal preference, a general rule is to block tasks that are commonly assigned but that you dislike or find inefficient. Popular blocked tasks include Abyssal Demons, Hellhounds, and Greater Demons, especially if you’ve already obtained the pets from those monsters.

For cancelling tasks, prioritize assignments that are rare and offer neither good experience nor valuable loot. Examples of tasks to cancel with Duradel or Konar include Waterfiends, Kurasks, and Elves.

When it comes to extending tasks, it’s best to extend assignments that offer high experience rates and that you enjoy doing. Extending tasks such as Nechryaels and Dust Devils is common among players looking for both fast experience and decent loot. Keep in mind that extensions can dramatically increase the number of kills required, so only extend tasks that you’re comfortable with to avoid burnout.

The Slayer Bracelets: Underrated Tools

Two incredibly useful but often overlooked items for Slayer are the Bracelet of Slaughter and the Expeditious Bracelet. These bracelets have opposing effects but can both significantly impact your Slayer grind.

• Bracelet of Slaughter: This bracelet gives you a 25% chance to not count a kill toward your Slayer task, effectively increasing the number of monsters you can kill. This is ideal for money-making tasks, as it allows you to kill more monsters and thus earn more loot.
• Expeditious Bracelet: This bracelet has the opposite effect, giving you a 25% chance to count a kill as two kills, speeding up your tasks. This is perfect for tasks you want to complete quickly or for boosting Slayer points.

Advanced Slayer Techniques: Bursting and Barraging

One of the most effective ways to train Slayer is by using burst or barrage spells in multi-combat areas. This method offers some of the best Slayer experience per hour, though it depends on receiving the right tasks.

Popular monsters to burst or barrage include:

• Dust Devils
• Nechryaels
• Abyssal Demons
• Smoke Devils
• Jellies

To optimize this strategy, bring your best magic gear (such as Ahrim’s robes) and multi-target spells like Ice Barrage. Tag as many monsters as possible and position yourself so that your spells hit the largest cluster of enemies. Turn on auto-retaliate, and watch your experience soar.

The Game-Changing Task Storage

A relatively new addition to the Slayer meta is task storage, introduced in 2021 and recently updated in 2024. Task storage allows you to store a Slayer task without losing your streak or points. This feature is free, so it’s worth unlocking after purchasing essential upgrades like the Slayer Helmet and other important rewards.

Task storage can be particularly useful if you want to stack tasks for a long burst session or if you’re pet hunting and want to store high-value tasks like Hydra or Thermonuclear Smoke Devils for later.

Venturing into Wilderness Slayer

For those looking for high risk, high reward Slayer experiences, Wilderness Slayer is the way to go. Slayer tasks assigned by Krystilia in the Wilderness offer the highest point payouts but come with the risk of being killed by other players. However, the quick tasks and large variety of creatures available make it a popular choice for experienced players looking to farm points quickly.

Final Thoughts: Mastering Slayer in 2024

As you set out on your Slayer journey in 2024, keep these tips in mind to optimize your experience and profit. From gear choices and efficient Slayer masters to advanced techniques like bursting and task storage, you have all the tools to take your Slayer training to the next level. Stick with the grind, and soon enough, you’ll be donning one of the coolest capes in OSRS. Happy slaying!