If you've been grinding OSRS for any amount of time, you've probably heard people talking about Slayer like it's the holy grail of skills. And honestly? They're right. But not for the reasons you might think. Slayer isn't some insane XP/hour machine that'll get you 99 in a month â it's the skill that does literally everything. You get combat XP while training it. You unlock access to some of the best bosses in the game. You make bank along the way. Plus, there's the satisfaction of just... progressing, you know? Every task gets you closer to that 99 cape.

This guide is gonna walk you through Slayer from level 1 all the way to 99, and I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything. You'll hit some assignments that make you want to Alt+F4. You'll waste points on stuff you didn't need to. You'll block the wrong tasks. But that's part of the journey, and by the end of this, you'll know how to grind Slayer like you actually know what you're doing.

Why Slayer Matters in OSRS

Let me be real with you: Slayer is the skill that doesn't feel like training a skill. You're training Combat at the same time. You're making money. You're unlocking bosses. You're ticking off a progression checklist that goes from "weak grunt" to "can kill Hydra." That progression feeling is why Slayer is so addicting.

The other reason? It's genuinely flexible. You can make Slayer an AFK grind where you barely look at the screen, or you can sweat it out for 40k+ XP/hour with barrage tasks and cannons. You can focus on money-making tasks once you hit the high levels, or you can optimize purely for experience. It's whatever you want it to be.

And let's not forget the financial aspect. Some Slayer tasks are genuinely profitable. Hydra, Cerberus, Kraken, Demonic Gorillas â these aren't just XP; they're actual grinds people do for money. That's rare for a combat skill.

Early Slayer (1-50): Learning the Ropes Without Wasting Points

When you start Slayer, you're basically a blank slate. You don't have a lot of options, and that's actually good because it means you can't mess it up too badly.

Turael and Spria are your friends here. Don't overthink it. These guys hand out quick tasks that don't hit hard on your supplies. You're not gonna be making money, but you're also not gonna lose your mind.

Here's what matters early on:

Priority #1: Get the Slayer Helmet

I'm gonna say this again because it's the most important unlock in Slayer: Get. The. Slayer. Helmet. It's 400 Slayer points, and it's the single best thing you can spend points on at any stage. The damage bonus, the accuracy, the prayer bonus â it's just broken. Once you have it, you're gonna use it for basically every single task forever. Seriously, don't skip this.

Don't waste points on anything else yet. No blocked tasks, no skips. Just push to 50.

What to train:

Levels 1-10: Literally anything Turael gives you. It doesn't matter. You're learning how combat works.
Levels 10-50: Still Turael. You're safe, tasks are fast, you're chaining them together and racking up points. Don't worry about efficiency; just grind.

First gear investment: You don't need much. Iron scimitar, hide armor, a shield. The important thing is showing up. Slayer scales with your gear later, so don't stress about dropping 100m on equipment now when you can't afford to.

Early Slayer unlock to get: Around level 30-ish, unlock Unlock Alternate Rocks (Slayer Helmet). Then as soon as you hit 400 points, buy the Slayer Helmet. I'm not joking about this being essential.

Mid Slayer (50-75): Where Things Get Interesting

This is where Slayer starts to feel less like a tutorial and more like an actual progression. You're strong enough to do real tasks now, but you're not at the point where you're making crazy money yet.

Time to switch to Nieve (or Steve on your second account, but let's not get into that drama).

Nieve sits in the Tree Gnome Stronghold, and she's gonna be your Slayer master for a while because she has a good task pool â nothing completely terrible, and she unlocks some solid stuff.

What you should be doing:

Tasks worth doing:

Dust Devils (breakable items, good XP if you barrage)
Nechryaels (same deal â good money if you're low-level, decent XP)
Ankous (stupidly profitable if you're paying attention)
Hellhounds (if you want to learn Cerberus later)
Bandits (honestly kind of fun, underrated)

Tasks you should be learning to skip or block:

Spiders (I'll get to this later, but yeah)
Lizards (painful)
Bears (just... no)

Cannon usage: This is the period where cannons start mattering. A cannon does consistent DPS on most tasks, and you can set it and chill. Learn how to place them correctly. Bad cannon placement is a meme, and rightfully so. If you're doing Dust Devils in Catacombs and your cannon's hitting a wall, that's on you.

Your point priorities:

Get the Slayer Helmet ASAP (if you haven't already)
Start your block list â usually 2-3 tasks you absolutely hate
Unlock Superiors (100 points) â this matters more than you think

About blocking tasks: You get one free block with Nieve. Use it wisely. Don't waste it on something you'll barely see. I'd honestly save it for something annoying that'll show up a lot.

Late Slayer (75-99): The Grind Gets Real

Welcome to the part where you commit to the bit. You're either doing this for XP, for money, or because you've already come this far and you're not quitting now.

Duradel is the only Slayer master that matters from 75 onward. He's in Shilo Village, and his task pool is objectively the best. Yeah, you get some awful assignments sometimes, but the good ones are REALLY good.

The good tasks at Duradel:

Dust Devils (75+, unlocked): Barrage these in the Catacombs. Easy 80-90k XP/hour if you're half-awake. They're not aggressive, they're grouped up, and the profit from chaos runes is decent. You'll see this task a lot, and it never gets old.

Nechryaels (80+): Same deal as Dust Devils but slightly slower. Still worth doing if you're chasing XP. The prayer XP from bonecrusher is a nice side benefit too.

Smoke Devils (93+ for Thermonuclear): This is where it gets scary. If you have the stats, this task goes crazy hard. 110k+ XP/hour if you're barrage-ing in Catacombs. You won't have access to the superior version until you unlock Thermonuclear Smoke Devil at 93 Slayer, but it's worth the wait.

The money tasks at Duradel:

Hydra (95): This is the big one. Alchemical Hydra is stupid profitable. 2.5m+ per hour if you're doing it right, plus solid XP. The gear requirement is real (trident, good melee gear, supplies), but once you're there, it's a machine. The boss doesn't even feel that hard once you learn the mechanics.

Cerberus (75): Honestly, Cerberus is slower than people want to admit. It's not the vibe it was five years ago. But the loot is good enough that people still do it. Spiritual Mages are almost worse than Cerberus.

Kraken (87): Painfully slow. Like, actually painful. Your character stands there and the Kraken slowly dies. But the profit from trident drops is hard to argue with. If you're patient and don't mind watching your screen with minimal inputs, go for it.

Demonic Gorillas (75): This is more bossing than Slayer, but it's worth doing if you get the task. Gorillas are actually fun, and the loot is decent.

Gargoyles (80): Underrated money task. They're not flashy, but consistent profit and decent XP. You can afk this harder than Kraken.

Slayer helmet now has the i (imbue), right? Yeah. That's 50 more million on the ground, but it's worth it. The offensive bonuses are too good to pass up once you can afford it.

Your block and skip list by 75+:

You're gonna have a good chunk of blocks and skips by now. Here's what I personally block at Duradel:

Spiritual Creatures (you'll get this 47 times, I swear)
Trolls (if you absolutely hate them)
Aviansies (pointless)

What to skip:

Suqah (annoying positioning)
Basilisks (slow, not worth the skips)
Spiritual Mages (honestly worse than Cerberus)

What to always do:

Dust Devils
Nechryaels
Hydra (if you have the gear)
Gargoyles
Thermonuclear Smoke Devils (once you unlock them)

Barrage in Catacombs: If you're serious about XP, learn to barrage. Dust Devils and Nechryaels in the Catacombs with a cannon hitting them is genuinely the fastest way to do Slayer. You'll burn through prayer points, but 80-90k XP/hour is real.

Don't sleep on Superiors: By now, you should have Superiors unlocked. These are the scary encounters that show up randomly during tasks. Superior Dust Devils, Superior Nechryaels â they hit harder, but they drop loot. Always have Superiors turned on. The extra loot is worth the occasional 800k drop.

Slayer Masters: When to Use Who

Let me break down the Slayer masters so you know exactly when you should be jumping between them.

Turael (Burthorpe): Level 1. Fast tasks, chill assignments. You use him early, and honestly, Turael skipping is a thing people do to reset their task counter. Is it boring? Yeah. Does it work? Also yeah. It's for people who want to skip a bad assignment without spending points. You get a quick Turael task, then jump back to your main master. It's not cheating; it's just... tactical.

Spria (Burthope): Literally just an alternate Turael. Same thing, different person. Use one or the other.

Mazchna (Canifis): Levels 10-40. His task pool isn't great, but if you're early and Turael's reputation system has him hating you, he's fine.

Vannaka (Edgeville): Levels 40-70. Outdated. You're fine to use him if you want, but Nieve's better.

Nieve (Tree Gnome Stronghold): Levels 60-75. This is your midgame master. She's good enough that you'll use her for a while, and her task pool is solid without being broken. Probably the most "well-balanced" master for the 60-75 range.

Steve (Ape Atoll): Same as Nieve (60-75), just requires 65 Agility to access. If you've got the Agility, it doesn't really matter which one you use.

Duradel (Shilo Village): Levels 50+ (recommended 75+). This is the main character. His task pool is the cleanest of anyone, and you'll use him from 75 to 99. He's worth getting to, and once you do, you won't leave.

Konar quo Maten (Mount Karuulm): Levels 75+. She assigns tasks in specific locations, which means you have to walk around more. The artifact drops are unique but not gamechanging. I'd skip her unless you specifically want the loot variety.

Block List and Skip List: The Meta

Alright, so you've got limited points. What do you block, and what do you skip?

Blocking costs 50 points and completely removes a task from rotation for a while (costs increase).

Skipping costs 30 points per skip and resets your counter immediately.

Your strategy changes depending on whether you're grinding XP or money, but here's the general rule: Block tasks that are tedious AND show up a lot. Skip tasks that suck but are rare.

Standard block list at Duradel (for XP grind):

Spiritual Creatures (seriously, this task is everywhere)
Aviansies (pointless)
Trolls (if you hate them)

Alternative blocks if you're going for money:

Spiritual Mages (worse than actually bossing)
Suqah (annoying as hell)

Skip-worthiness tasks:

Basilisks (slow, not fun, not profitable)
Spiritual Mages (seriously, why would you do this)
Smoke Devils below 93 (not unlocked anyway)

Never block or skip:

Dust Devils
Nechryaels
Hydra
Thermonuclear Smoke Devils
Gargoyles

The point is: you have limited blocks and skips. Use them on the stuff that genuinely makes you want to log out, not on tasks you'll see once every 20 tasks.

Cannon and Barrage Tasks: Maximizing XP/Hour

This is where Slayer stops being chill and starts being actually efficient.

Cannon tasks: A cannon does consistent damage, which means consistent XP/hour. Tasks like Ankous, Hellhounds, and some others benefit a lot from a cannon. The trick is placing it correctly.

How to place a cannon: This shouldn't be complicated, but people mess it up constantly. You want the cannon on a tile where it hits as many enemies as possible without hitting walls or blocked LOS. In Dust Devil chamber? Cannon goes in the middle of the room. In the Hellhounds dungeon? Put it somewhere central.

Barrage tasks (the real speedrun): This is where XP/hour gets disgusting. Dust Devils and Nechryaels in the Catacombs with barrage (Ancient Magic) hit different. You're using tons of prayer points, but you're talking 80-90k XP/hour.

How it works:

Get a cannon placed (or skip it, barrage does most of the damage)
Group enemies with barrage
Watch them die
Repeat

The downside? You're watching your screen pretty actively, you're burning through prayer points (gotta flick), and you're using a lot of supplies. But if you're chasing XP and have 75+ magic, it's absolutely worth it.

Other barrage-able tasks:

Smoke Devils in Catacombs (crazy good XP if you have 93+ Slayer and unlock the superior version)
Nechryaels in Catacombs (basically dust devils' slightly slower cousin)

The money you make from drops kind of offsets the supplies you spend, so it's a wash. But the XP is nuts.

Slayer Boss Unlocks: The Scary Stuff

As you progress, you unlock access to specific Slayer bosses. These aren't optional â if you unlock them, you'll eventually get assigned them, and you'll need to be ready.

Cerberus (75 Slayer, 75 Magic required to use spells):

Cerberus is this three-headed dog that looks absolutely insane. It's actually not that hard once you learn the mechanics. It has different attack phases, and you need to be paying attention. The drops are okay, but not amazing. Spiritual Mages (the task version) are honestly worse than fighting Cerberus directly, which tells you something about how bad that assignment feels.

Gear: Trident of the swamp (or regular trident), void range or blessed dhide, pray flick, and go to town.

Kraken (87 Slayer):

The Kraken lives in an underground lake and honestly feels slow. The fight itself isn't hard â the Kraken's just tanky. You camp one spot, your character attacks automatically, and you wait. The passive healing means it takes forever. But the trident drops are profitable, and if you're patient enough to sit there for 30+ minute tasks, the money's worth it.

Gear: Trident of the swamp, mage gear, prayer for protection, and... patience. Lots of patience.

Thermonuclear Smoke Devil (93 Slayer):

This is where Smoke Devil tasks become actually good. The Thermonuclear version is faster, hits harder, and drops better loot. If you barrage these in Catacombs, you're looking at insane XP/hour. This is a task you'll be excited to see once you unlock it.

Gear: Just bring magic gear and a cannon. Barrage setup works best.

Alchemical Hydra (95 Slayer):

Hydra is the money task. It's a real boss fight â you need to dodge mechanics, pray flick, and actually pay attention. But the loot is disgusting. 2.5m+ per hour if you're efficient. This is the task that makes people actually grind to 95.

Gear: Void melee or blessed dhide, Abyssal whip or scimitar, Slayer helmet (i), trident for one of the phases. Bring supplies. This one hits back.

Slayer Point Management: Spending Wisely

You earn Slayer points, and you need to spend them on things that matter. Don't waste them on trash.

Priority 1: Slayer Helmet (400 points) Already covered this. It's non-negotiable.

Priority 2: Slayer Helmet (i) (50 points) The imbue. Makes it even better. Get it as soon as you have 450 points total.

Priority 3: Superiors Unlocked (100 points) Superior encounters are worth it. The extra loot, the challenge, the drops â unlock it and keep it on.

Priority 4: Blocks (50 points each, increases after) Block the stuff that makes you want to Alt+F4. Not the stuff that's just "meh."

Priority 5: Everything else After that, you're just using points for skips if you get a task you really don't want. That's fine, but blocks are usually better in the long run.

Don't waste points on:

Slaughter Bracelet unlocks (you can just wear the bracelet)
Expeditious Bracelet unlock (same deal, wear it if you need it)
Random other stuff. Honestly, the big three are Slayer helmet, Slayer helmet (i), and Superiors. Everything else is secondary.

Superior Slayer Encounters: What's Really Going On

Superior Slayer encounters are random spawns during normal tasks where a "Superior" version of the enemy appears. They're tougher, they hit harder, and they drop unique loot.

Why you should care: The drops aren't gamechanging, but they add up. Essence of finality, ancient shards, unsired items â it's all stuff you can sell for a few hundred k to a few million depending on the drop. Plus, it makes tasks feel more dynamic.

How they work: You're doing a task, and BAM, a Superior spawns. It replaces a normal enemy. You fight it, and if you kill it, you get a drop. You can die to it (your fault), but it's usually manageable if you're prepared.

Always have Superiors on. The upside is worth way more than the tiny downside of occasionally getting punched harder.

Useful Slayer Equipment: What You Actually Need

There's a lot of Slayer gear out there. Here's what actually matters.

Slayer Helmet and Slayer Helmet (i): Already talked about it, but it's the centerpiece of your Slayer outfit. The accuracy and damage bonus is just better than anything else you could wear.

Expeditious and Slaughter Bracelets: Expeditious bracelet speeds up tasks (about 10% faster). Slaughter bracelet extends task duration but gives you extra points per kill. Honestly, they're QOL. Not mandatory, but nice to have.

Herb Sack: This is legit underrated. You fill it with herbs, and it automatically stores them in the sack. Way less banking, especially on long tasks. 80 Herblore required, but it's worth it.

Bonecrusher and Ash Sanctifier: Crush bones automatically, get prayer XP. The sanctifier does the same for ashes. You get free prayer XP while doing Slayer. It's not game-breaking, but it's free gains.

Rune Pouch: Hold runes without banking. If you're using barrage or any spells, this is essential.

Regular gear: Your Slayer helmet does the heavy lifting. Beyond that, bring appropriate armor for the task. Ranged gear for range tasks, melee for melee, mage for magic. Nothing fancy.

Efficient Slayer Tips: Actual Speedrunning

Once you get past the basics, here's how you squeeze every bit of efficiency out of Slayer.

Bank presets: Set up presets so you can grab supplies, reset your gear, and get back to your Slayer master in seconds. This saves insane amounts of time over 99 levels.

POH pool: Get a pool in your Player-Owned House. You can teleport there, restore HP/prayer/stats, and get right back. If you don't have one yet, prioritize it.

Quick Duradel access: Duradel is in Shilo Village. Gear a house teleport tab with a Shilo Village portal or get good at navigating there. The faster you can get to him, the faster you can get to your next task.

Supply management: Don't run to the bank after every task. Bring enough supplies for 2-3 tasks. This cuts down on banking time significantly.

Alt accounts: I'm not telling you to botch, but if you have a second account, a cannon on one account while you barrage on another? That's legitimate high-level efficiency.

Know your task locations: Don't waste time figuring out where to go. Know where Dust Devils are, where Nechryaels are, where your boss tasks are. The time you save adds up.

FAQ: Common Questions About Slayer

Q: Is Turael skipping worth it?

A: Turael skipping is boring as hell, but it's optimal if you get a task you absolutely despise and don't want to waste 30 points on a skip. You run to Turael, get a quick task (usually 10 monsters), turn it in, and run back to your main master. It's tedious, but mathematically sound. Personally? I'd rather skip and chill.

Q: Should I use a cannon on every task?

A: No. Cannons are expensive and sometimes wasteful. Use them on tasks where they hit a bunch of enemies efficiently. Dust Devils? Yeah. Single-target boss tasks? Nah. Learn the meta spots and use your cannon there.

Q: When should I switch to Duradel?

A: Technically you can do it at 50, but don't. His task pool is way more difficult early on. Stick with Nieve until 75+. The XP difference isn't worth the headache of getting destroyed by harder enemies.

Q: Is Hydra really worth doing?

A: If you have 95 Slayer and the gear, absolutely. 2.5m+ per hour is hard to turn down. But don't rush to 95 just for Hydra. The grind is long, and the money doesn't matter if you don't have fun getting there.

Q: What's the best XP/hour possible?

A: Barrage Dust Devils or Nechryaels in the Catacombs with a cannon hitting them. You're looking at 80-90k+ XP/hour if you're sweating it. But honestly, even at 60k/hour, you'll get 99 eventually. Don't burn yourself out chasing max efficiency.

Q: Do I need BiS gear to train Slayer?

A: No. A Slayer helmet, some decent armor, and a weapon that works for the task is totally fine. You don't need a Tbow to slay. Upgrade as you make money, not before.

Take Your Slayer to 99 With MyPvM

Grinding Slayer to 99 is an actual commitment, and we get it. If you're looking to speed up the grind or get direct help with the money-making tasks, check out MyPvM's Slayer power-leveling services. Our team knows the meta, knows the optimal routes, and can help you skip the boring parts while keeping the profit rolling.

We also offer specialized services for boss tasks if you want to farm Hydra, Cerberus, or any of the other big Slayer bosses for loot. Check out our bossing services if you want to jump straight to the money-making part of your grind.

And if you're looking to make money off your Slayer grind faster, we buy tons of Slayer loot. Check our gold and item buying prices to see if we can help you convert that Slayer grind into actual cash.

Final Thoughts

Slayer is the grind that doesn't feel like a grind, and that's the whole point. You're training Combat, you're making money, you're unlocking bosses, and you're ticking off a progression system that goes from level 1 to 99. Yeah, you'll hit some awful tasks. Yeah, you'll mismanage your points. But that's all part of it.

The journey to 99 Slayer is less about optimizing every single second and more about committing to the bit. Pick your favorite Slayer master, set up your presets, and just... go. In a few hundred hours, you'll have your cape, and it'll feel good.

Now get out there and start slaying.