What Is Slayer in RuneScape?

Beginning Slayer

• To begin learning Slayer, you need to meet and talk with a Slayer Master. These are individuals who can assign you Slayer tasks. There are seven Slayer Masters in all. You must make contact with one of them so you can be assigned your first Slayer task. When you begin learning this skill, you receive an enchanted gem that lets you contact your Slayer Master for guidance and advice on killing monsters.

Slayer Tasks and Experience

• Slayer tasks involve killing a specific number of a certain kind of monster: 100 Kalphite or 99 Black Spiders, for example. When you complete the task, you receive Slayer experience based on the number of life levels the monsters you've killed possessed. If you share your kill with another player, half the experience goes to whoever does the most damage and the other half to whoever strikes the killing blow.

Slayer Masters

• Each Slayer Master has a different pool of monsters from which they assign tasks and each assigns tasks at a different level. From lowest to highest, the Slayer Masters are: Turael in Burthorpe; Mazchna in Canifis; Vannaka in Edgeville Dungeon; Chaeldar in Zanaris; Duradel in Shilo Village; and Kuradal in the Ancient Cavern. Once you complete the "Smoking Kills" quest you can meet a seventh Slayer Master, Sumona in Pollnivneach. Sumona's level is higher than Chaeldar's, but lower than Duradel's.

Substituting Slayer Tasks

• Higher-level tasks yield better monster drops and more experience than lower-level ones, but you may find that higher-level tasks are beyond your abilities at first. If you are finding a Slayer task too hard, you can talk to Turael, the Slayer Master in Burthorpe. Assuming he didn't assign you the task with which you're struggling, Turael can give you a lower-level task. You can also substitute a lower-level version of a monster for a higher one; for example, baby Blue Dragons in place of adult Blue Dragons.

Raising Slayer Level Temporarily

• It can prove useful to raise your Slayer level, even temporarily. You can use certain foods and potions to raise your Slayer level one or more points. Slayer's Respite ale raises your Slayer skill by one; Mature Slayer's Respite raises it by two. A Wild Pie boosts your Slayer skill five levels. A Spicy Stew made with Yellow Spice can raise this skill six points. There's a chance the stew won't work, however, or that you'll actually lose levels.

Slayer Equipment

• Some equipment can only be used or worn by Slayers. Examples include the Black Mask, which boosts your Attack and Strength scores 15 percent when you're fighting monsters assigned by a Slayer Master; and the Dragon Slayer Gloves, which give you a 10 percent Attack bonus and 15 percent extra Slayer experience when slaying dragons as part of a task.