- by Hellreike, a slayer's slayer, mad dps :)
Slayers - A Comprehensive Guide
So, beardling, the word is ye broke an oath, and ye're feeling shamed, as ye
should. Ye're going to be an outcast, shunned by yer own people for the many
long years 'o yer life. Well, unless ye choose a different path, one I chose many
years ago. The path 'o the Slayer, boy. Sworn to atone for yer shame by dying
a glorious death in battle.
It might not be how ye planned to spend the rest 'o yer days, but let me tell ye
will see more'n yer share 'o respect from yer fellow dwarves, and the manlings
and those flighty, frail elves will shake in thar boots at the sight 'o ye in the heat
'o battle. And lets not mention the fear ye'll put in the blackened hearts 'o those
filthy greenskins when yer running every last one down on the battlefield.
Ah, I can see the light in yer eyes. Perhaps a flicker of battle rage boils in yer
veins. Ye may even live to slay a troll or two. But, before ye go shavin' yer
head 'to a 'hawk, let's talk about how a slayer fits into the battle against the
enemy. I know, I know, it all seems like chaos out there on the killing ground,
but ye'll have to use some good tactics, and some common sense to live long
enough to die to an opponent worth dyin' to.
First things first, youngster. Find some allies ye can count on to watch yer back.
Thar's no glory in havin' yer 'ead lopped off by an enemy ye never laid eyes on!
Truthfully, thars no dishonor in havin' one 'o them priests or mages around to
heal ye up from battlin' the riff-raff on the field, before ye confront a beast 'r
bastard worth slayin' or bein slain by. One o'them burly fellas in all the heavy
armor that carry's a shield around is also a good friend to make, as they'll likely
have to keep yer healer or even you safe while ye're slayin' the horde.
Be sure not to get too carried away in yer lust for blood that ye lose yer friends!
Try to kill easy targets first. Yer enemies usually have a few healers around to
heal them up too, and ye'll clear the weaklin's faster without some robe-wearin'
magic user keepin' them alive.
Also, coordinate yer attacks with yer allies. If ye're all hittin' different targets, ye
might as well be hittin' yerselves! Lastly, keep in mind that bein' slain by a horde
'o vermin isn't a very honorable way to die, so ye might as well cut yer losses and
get out 'o the pile 'afore ye're overwhelmed if the battle looks to be going south.
too quickly.
Think ye've got the battlefield tactics burned into yer memory now? Good, let’s
talk a bit about that fury and lust for blood pulsing through yer veins, the very
reason ye chose the path of the Slayer over that of the outcast. That fury will drive
ye into battle, but ye must learn to control it! It can get the better of yeh, leaving
ye more vulnerable to yer enemies' attacks. While ye're still a beardling, its best
to vent the rage e'ry so often, to keep yer head clear fer the fightin'. Once ye've
gotten a bit more experience, try fighting more and more of the battle without
exhaustin' yer rage. It may pay off in victory, or better yet, in a brutally glorious
death to be retold by the Rememberer's for generations to come.
The Rage Mechanic
The Rage Mechanic, Master Paths, and so on will be easier to explain in the
details ooc (out of character), so let’s get down to learning how to have fun
with, understanding, and being an effective Slayer!
The Rage Mechanic is what gives the slayer his frightening damage output.
Fairly simply, Rage is expressed in a 'meter' at the bottom of your screen.
While it’s in the first 'green' area, there are no benefits or drawbacks. As you
fight, the meter will creep into Furious (Yellow), where you will enjoy
25% more damage across the board. After the battle has raged for a bit of
time, you'll find yourself in the Berzerk (Red) state, when your damage is
increased by a total of 50%, but you also suffer 50% more incoming damage.
There are several abilities in your arsenal that 'exhaust your rage' or empty
the meter so to speak, but you must be at least Furious to use them.
Such Exhaustive Blows that damage enemies gain the benefit of doing
75% more damage when you're Furious (as opposed to 25%). It's generally
a good idea to try and keep your Rage meter out of the red until you're very
experienced or have a strong party backing you up.
Mastery Paths
Now that we've covered some basic tactics and flavor, let’s cover the three
paths (“trees”) available to the Slayer, and how they can be best adapted to
your playstyle. Here are the three mastery paths..
The Trollslayer path is often referred to as the utility path.
The Giantslayer path has a mess of abilities that require
a two-handed weapon and focuses on heavy single-target
burst damage.
The Skavenslayer path is focused on fighting groups of
enemies, and contains abilities that require dual-wielding
single-handed weapons.
All three paths have strengths and weaknesses, and it’s certainly worth any
Slayer's time to try out lots of combinations of the paths to find the right build.
WAR makes it easy to modify builds to find one that fits you best.
Review closely the abilities in each of the paths. As you put together a build
consider the specific abilities that may suit your playstyle well and not just the
over all spec path generalities (aoe, single target burst, etc.). The more points
you pour into a mastery path, the stronger all the abilities associated with that
path become and you'll want to consider those as well, of course.
For example, if you use Flurry all the time, you might consider a Skavenslayer
build, and if you think Deathblow is the best thing in your arsenal, you might
consider putting lots of points into Giantslayer.
Path #1: Trollslayer
The Trollslayer is an interesting path to take. As I mentioned earlier, Trollslayer
is a utility path. It has some solid damage output abilities, but most of the skills
are buffs for the slayer and debuffs for your enemies. Although the tooltip says
it's designed for longer battles, and while that may be true, it's more commonly
used as a secondary path to add utility to one of the other builds.
Core Abilities:
Relentless Strike - Does moderate damage up front, followed by a
short DoT for moderate AP cost. It's overall effectiveness isn't high,
and many slayers rarely use it in combat.
Slow Down - Slows your enemy for a few seconds, and also deals
strong damage. Any slayer will keep this ability close at hand, as
it is excellent for cutting a fleeing enemy down.
Spine Crusher - Very high damage with one stipulation - your target
must be facing away from you. When you can slip behind an
opponent, there is hardly a better choice for damage.
Enervating Blow - An Exhaustive Blow with strong damage that also
significantly reduces your target's chance to critically hit for several
seconds. If your fury meter is up, this is a fantastic skill to pop
against Witch Elves and others who heavily rely on critical damage.
Fierceness - A group buff that increases your entire party's Weapon
Skill each time you hit (up to three times). The downside is the buff
doesn’t apply to the slayer, instead the slayer's Initiative is reduced.
While the negative for the slayer seems high on this one, if used in a
situation when the slayer is not under attack and the party is
mainly melee, this is a powerful group buff.
Abilities and Tactics:
Power Through (tactic) - With this tactic slotted, the slayer no longer
loses his Rage when he uses an Exhaustive Blow. This tactic is a
must for any build that relies on Exhaustive Blows for damage.
Rampage - Exhaustive ability that makes your attacks undefendable
for 10 seconds, or 20 seconds if you're Furious. This self buff can be
incredibly effective against other melee classes who depend on
their block and parry rate, such as Witch Elves, Marauders, and most
enemy tanks. As this ability is early in the path, it can be a good
reason to splash into the Trollslayer mastery.
Fierce Might (tactic) - When this tactic is slotted, for every 10% of
your total health you've lost you gain 10% damage on critical hits.
Early in your career this tactic isn’t terribly powerful, but as you
acquire gear to improve your critical chance, it becomes a strong
addition later on to any build.
Deep Wound - Reduces your target's incoming heals by 50% for
several seconds, and deals strong damage. Many builds will only
go into the Trollslayer path for this ability, as it is fantastically
effective.
Short Temper (tactic) - Reduces cooldown timers by 5 seconds
while Berzerk. Effective when paired with Power Through, as
you'll be berzerk nearly all the time. Very nice for getting in more
uses of Enervating Blow, Deep Wound, Devastate, and any ability
with a long cooldown.
Rune of Absorption - 6 very strong attacks over 5 seconds. You
are healed for all the damage you do, and you can move while the
skill is activating. A very good skill at the top of a strong path,
this ability can keep you alive long enough to land a killing blow.
Unleashed Power (Morale 4) - An amped up version of the core
Morale 2, Deadly Determination, Unleashed Power will cause all
of your groupmate's attacks to deal an added 300 damage for 10
seconds to those within 100ft of you. When coordinated well
with a group, UP can be devastating.
Path #2: Giantslayer
If you want to focus heavy damage on a single opponent, often with a greataxe,
the path of the Giantslayer is a good place to start. Nearly every ability does
high damage or better, and several have strong debuffs that will help you down
an enemy quicker. Most of the damaging abilities in this path are Exhaustive
Blows, so managing your Rage can be very easy.
Core Abilities:
Deathblow - Your strongest single-target attack, Deathblow is
an Exhaustive Blow that requires a Great Weapon. This ability has
a slightly higher-than-average chance to critically hit and is very
effective for finishing a wounded opponent.
Incapacitate – an Exhaustive Blow that requires the slayer to be
Berzerk, this deals great damage and knocks the target down
for 2 seconds.
Reckless Gamble - A toggle self buff that deals additional damage
every time you hit, but deals half of its damage back to the slayer.
The damage taken is small enough that most slayers never turn
this off, regardless of build.
Precarious Assault - The first Exhaustive Blow available to a
young slayer, this ability sees a lot of use right up to the point
that a better Exhaustive is acquired. It does very high damage,
but increases the slayer's chance to be critically hit by 5% for
several seconds. Most experienced slayers don't even have
this ability on their hotbar.
Pulverizing Strike - A very high damage ability that reduces the
target's toughness by a little for 9 seconds, a debuff that can be
stacked 3 times to good effect. This is a great "spam" attack
as it has a nice effect as well as good damage, and does not
require a specific Rage level.
Tactics and Abilities:
The tactics in this path mesh very well with the idea of using mainly exhaustive
blows in combat.
Determination (tactic) - With this tactic, any time one of your
exhaustive blows is parried or blocked your abilities cost 0 action
points for the next 6 seconds. If you've gone down the path of the
Giantslayer, there is a good chance that most of your attacks will
be exhaustive blows, making this an excellent tactic to help
manage the AP pool of those in Giantslayer.
Cleft in Twain - The strongest DoT ability available to the slayer,
this attack deals no initial damage, but "ticks" for strong damage
for 5 seconds.
Violent Impacts (tactic) - Any time you use an Exhaustive Blow,
there is a 50% chance to regain 25% of your Rage. Helps you
keep Rage under control while keeping your Exhaustive Blows
at the ready.
Devastate - Very hard hitting Exhaustive Blow that reduces your
target's wounds (max health) by a significant amount for several
seconds. Requires a great weapon. Devastate is a fantastic
ability to use after you've been in combat for a bit and switch
to a fresh enemy. Landing this attack will greatly decrease the
hit points you have to cut through to crush an enemy.
Breaking Point (tactic) - Increases the critical chance of all your
Giantslayer abilities by 15%, but increases your chance to be
critically hit by 10%. With a strong group and heavy Giantslayer
build, this can help you do insane damage. Since it comes
with a high price, I'd say it's something to try out and see if it fits
your playstyle.
Spellbreaker - An Exhaustive Blow with single-hit damage equivalent
to Spine Crusher with a lower Action Point cost, Spellbreaker is a
fantastic addition to any slayer's arsenal. It also removes one
damage absorbing effect on each hit (although many "pocket items"
absorb effects are not removed by Spellbreaker). Spellbreaker
makes a great 'spammable' attack when coupled with Power
Through or Violent Impacts.
Looks Like a Challenge (Morale 4) - 1200 damage and a 10s
50% healing debuff to all enemies within 30ft. Lots of upfront
damage and a fantastic effect. This ability is well worth investing
all the way into Giantslayer.
Path #3: Skavenslayer
The Skavenslayer lives (and dies) to fight many enemies at a time, it is the Area
of Effect (AoE) path. A full Skavenslayer build adds great group-fighting damage
output and utility, as well as slightly improved survivability to a slayer's arsenal.
Many of the abilities in this path also require dual-wielding single-handed weapons.
While overall damage output can be greatly increased with the Skaven path, it's
important to remember that single-target Dps is significantly reduced.
Core Abilities:
Even the Odds - A self-buff that increases the slayer's toughness
for each enemy within 20ft, up to 6 times, and the effect lasts several
seconds. When fully specced into Skavenslayer, Even the Odds is
an incredibly powerful buff that can be worth over 200 toughness.
Good for any slayer, great for a Skavenslayer.
Wild Swing - This Exhaustive Blow deals moderate damage to all
enemies within 30ft. This is a very popular Exhaustive Blow for
dumping rage, as it has no drawback. Coupled with Short Temper
and Power Through it is spammable to good effect.
Retribution - Defensive ability that deals strong damage back to
attackers, once per second for 10 seconds. Retribution is a fantastic
ability to fire off when attacked by several enemies. Coupled with
Even the Odds or the Morale 1 Confusing Movements it can be
devastating to the enemy.
Flurry - An attack that deals moderate damage to three enemies up
to 25ft in front of you. Excellent for increasing total damage, but weak
for taking targets down. Most effective in a group of AoE based dps.
Onslaught - A long, slow cone DoT, it deals light damage over time
to 9 enemies 40ft in front of you. While not strong on its own, most
slayers will lead into a charging group of enemies with Onslaught
to start Rage building.
Abilities and Tactics:
As you can see the Skavenslayer core abilities are a healthy mix of AoE damage
and group-fighting utility. The mastery abilities and tactics are no different, mixing
offensive and defensive group-based abilities.
Takin' Chances (tactic) - While running this tactic, the slayer is healed
over time for a small amount when Furious, and for about twice as much
while Berzerk.
No Escape - An Exhaustive Blow that deals moderate damage to enemies
within 30ft and snares them for several seconds with a 10%-40% runspeed
reduction. Requires dual-wield. Many slayers never bother with this ability,
but AoE snare can be very effective for catching a pre-kiting Shaman
or Squig Herder.
Accuracy (tactic) - This tactic increases the number of enemies Flurry can
hit by 6, bringing the total to 9, and also expands the range by 5ft, for a total
of 30ft. The drawback is Flurry's base damage is reduced by 20%. This is
not a popular tactic as there are many more effective tactics that affect
more than just one ability. It can be useful for increasing total damage
output in a melee-train group.
Shatter Limbs - A 30ft AoE with light damage, Shatter Limbs increases the
cooldown timers on enemy's abilities by 5s for a short time. Most often the
cause for a splash into the Skavenslayer path, this ability can be devastating
to the enemy's backline of healers and ranged dps, lessening their heals and
damage.
Runic Blessings (tactic) – Gives a 25% chance to immediately stand back
up after falling in battle, regaining 25% of health and dealing heavy damage
to all enemies within 40ft. This is all about personal preference. If you feel
it will be more useful than a tactic that does something while you're alive and
fighting, or if you just want to try it out, slot it and see how it fits your playstyle.
Inevitable Doom - The cream of the Skavenslayer crop that really adds
up to big damage numbers. This is a strong hit on a single target, leaving a
4-8 second rune that explodes every 2 seconds, dealing solid damage to all
enemies within 30ft of the target. The unique part of this ability's effect is
that it's not a DoT, and every time the rune explodes, Reckless Gamble is
applied, resulting in lots of damage each time it's used. This ability is great
for hitting an enemy running back into his group especially. Most strong
Skavenslayer primary builds rely on this skill for their awesome damage
output. Requires dual-wield.
Doom Seeker (Morale 4) - 1800 damage to all enemies within 30ft, with a
3 second knockdown. This is a solid Morale 4, great for landing several
killing blows at once, as well as disabling a group of the enemy for a
few seconds. If you're attempting to use a full Skavenslayer build, there's
little reason to skip this Morale, as it's considerably more useful than
the core Morale 4.
Core Abilities, Core Tactics, and Core Morales
Core Abilities:
I'd like to take a minute here to cover some of the core abilities available to all slayers,
regardless of path investments. These are abilities you should familiarize yourself with
and many should be kept ready and close at hand as they are situationally very useful.
Distracting Roar - This AoE detaunt turns off your autoattack and reduces
incoming damage by 50% from enemies within 30ft for 5 seconds. It also
causes npc enemies to hate you 25% less. This ability is useful when
charging through the melee frontline to reach the squishy healers or rdps
or for when retreating from a greatly superior group of enemies, or if you've
pulled aggro from a boss in pve.
Gudrun's Warcry - The action points costs for all your allies within 100ft
are reduced by 25% for 20 seconds. This ability is best used at the start
of a charge and near the end of a fight when AP pools are low. Use as
often as possible in PvE boss fights to speed the kill.
Numbing Strike - When the enemy parries an attack of yours this ability
will reduce your targets parry rating by 50% for 10 seconds. This ability
works well against Witch Elves, Marauders, and Disciples of Khaine
specced for dps.
Charge - Increases the slayer's runspeed by 50% for a few seconds.
This works great for chasing down a fleeing enemy, but activating an
ability will end the effect, so make sure your attack does the job, or use
Slow Down or Incapacitate to stem your opponent's retreat.
Break Loose - Breaks all roots and snares, and leaves you immune to
similar effects for 10 seconds. Keep this ability handy when charging
a ranged enemy, as any worth their salt will snare or root you before you
can close on them.
Core Tactics:
All the tactics listed below are available to all slayers. Some of these tactics get little
use as they are very situational and it’s often easier to simply run with the tactic set
you already have. I am, however, describing them here as a few of them are crucial
to the builds listed further below. Take a look at all of them, and perhaps you'll find
more uses for a few of the more obscure ones than I have.
Ancestral Inheritance - At rank 40, this tactic increases your armor by 660.
Not only is it available to all slayers, it's common to all dwarves. This is one
of the earlier tactics available and I found it useful at lower ranks. It can
also be useful at higher ranks when fighting a melee oriented group.
If you run into a lot of choppas and marauders, or even squig herders, try
swapping this in for another tactic and see if it helps keep you up
Brute Force - This adds 160 to your strength score at rank 40. Brute Force
is a pivotal tactic, used in every build listed below, and nearly every slayer
will run this with any tactic set they slot. All a slayer's damage is based
on strength, and slayers are all about damage, so you never want to pass
this one up.
Embrace the Pain - Gives you 120 strength for 10 secs every time you are
critically hit. I like to occasionally use this in place of Wild Gambit
(see below) as it has no 'downside', and I've found as a slayer I get hit with
criticals at an alarming rate. Generally good if you are looking for a strength
boost without loosing in another stat.
Flanking - Use Flanking to gain an additional 15% more damage when
striking from the sides or back of an enemy. Personally, I find this tactic to
be fairly ineffective in RvR combat, as most decent opponents will attempt
to at least face you when you engage them. I have had good luck with it
in dungeons, when a tank is keeping the boss monster faced away from
the party.
Got No Time For You - Reduces the hate or aggro your attacks generate
by 25%. This tactic is purely for PvE dungeons. If you are the primary
DPS in the dungeon, the main tank will likely be guarding you, and you won't
draw aggro. However, if you are secondary DPS, you might seriously
consider this tactic.
Hastened Punishment - Hastened Punishment reduces the cooldowns of
your Exhaustive Blows by 25%. I've honestly never used this tactic and felt
like it was as good as the tactic it replaced. The slayer has so many abilities
available that you probably won't notice the longer timers on certain
exhaustive blows.
Honor Restored - This tactic gives a 25% chance for your Exhaustive Blows
to heal you for 225 hps. I can see this being effective within any build
running Power Through or otherwise relying on spammed Exhaustive
Blows for damage output, such as the two greatweapon builds I describe below.
Jagged Edge - Any time you critically hit, Jagged Edge will apply a moderate
dot to your target. The strongest point of the dot is that it's not standard
physical damage, but corporeal damage instead. I found a lot of use for
this tactic at lower ranks, as it is one of first tactics available.
Push For More - Auto attack speed is increased by 25% when furious, and
50% when berzerk. This used to be a fantastic tactic for slayers running
Power Through or avoiding Exhaustive Blows. It has since lost its strength
due to game mechanics changes. It is, however, still a useful tactic when
coupled with equipment that also provide auto attack haste.
Riposte - Any time you parry an attack, you deal strong damage back to the
attacker that is undefendable. Riposte is great for slayers running a dual-wield
build and high weaponskill for a high chance to parry. It’s also handy if you
employ the Morale 1 Confusing Movements.
Slaughter - This tactic reduces your AP cost by 5 when furious, and 10 when
berzerk. Great for Power Through builds and any build that rarely
exhausts rage. This tactic makes some abilities very inexpensive, and
can drastically improve overall damage potential.
Stoutness of Stone - 50% faster recovery from stuns and knockdowns. This
tactic is always a great addition to any set, but often is passed over for
a tactic that will increase damage. In fact, most knockdowns are very
short duration, and stuns are often ended early by taking damage, leaving
this tactic less useful. Very few high renown slayers run this.
Stubborness - This tactic increases your corporeal resist by about 250 at
rank 40. This tactic is nearly useless as most slayers choose gear with
good resists, drink resist potions, or simply count on a groupmate's buff to
give them the resists they need. I've never slotted this tactic and been
satisfied with it.
The Bigger They Are... - Reduces the cost of Spine Crusher and Deathblow
by 25%. Don't waste your time with this one, use Slaughter instead, which
affects all your abilities. Sure, using them both makes spine crusher and
deathblow very cheap to use, but then you are sacrificing a tactic slot that
could increase your damage.
Wild Gambit - Increases your strength and weaponskill by 120, but reduces
your toughness by the same, clearly making a slayer even more of a glass
cannon. If running a build that often exhausts rage, use toughness
potions, or have a strong group with a guard for you, this tactic will
turn you into a killing machine. This is especially useful against tank-type
enemies with a lot of armor wailing on your healers.
Core Morales:
Below are the Morale Abilities common to all slayers. These range from one-shot
damage abilities to group buffs. I seriously recommend trying them all and finding
the combination that best fits your playstyle. I feel that some are decidedly better
than others, but it's really personal preference.
Confusing Movements (Morale 1) - When you activate this ability, you will
parry or dodge all melee and ranged attacks against you for 7 seconds. This
is fantastic when focused on by a group of melee enemies, or when
you’re being attacked from range by a squig herder. You should keep in mind
that this will not protect you from magic attacks, and some classes have
a few attacks that cannot be defended.
Sever Nerve (Morale 1) - 1200 damage to your target, undefendable. Pure,
simple damage, with a 60 second timer in the first morale slot. This one is
great for landing a killing blow, or even just getting ahead of a healers ability
to keep themselves up.
Untouchable (Morale 1) - Fire this one off, and your chance to defend
(dodge, parry, or disrupt) will be increased by 100% for 5 seconds. This is
useful when you're fighting a well balanced group focusing on you. As with
Confusing Movements, some attacks can still get through your defenses, and
enemies stacking the "reduced chance to be parried/disrupted/dodged" effect
on their gear may be able to slip in a few hits as well.
Relentless Assault (Morale 2) - This morale restores 10 AP per second to
every group member within 100 ft. I use this morale on a regular basis,
for dungeon runs and rvr equally. Everyone always needs more AP, and this
is a great way to positively affect the success of your entire group.
Dwooid Note: I had no idea slayers had this utility, that’s serious AP regen.
Deadly Determination (Morale 2) - All of your attacks will do an additional
300 damage until you have damaged 8 targets. I like using this with Rune
of Absorption to make it more effective. It’s also useful for area effect
abilities, just to add an extra bite to the attacks.
Force of Will (Morale 2) - Drain 200 AP from your target to yourself and
reduce their strength by 160 for 30 seconds. This morale is no joke,
especially against an enemy who relies on strength for damage output.
I like to use it when I'm running low on AP, or whenever I want to put a dps
enemy out of commission for a short time.
Broad Swings (Morale 3) - This morale's description states that every ability
you use will hit up to 2 additional enemies within 25ft for 10 seconds. What the
description doesn't mention is that the additional damage is only 300, not
the full damage from whatever ability you are using! This ability is still useful
paired with Rune of Absorption or spammed Spellbreaker.
Grevious Harm (Morale 3) - This one puts the hurt on, dealing 1800 damage
to your target and reduces their outgoing damage to 75% for a few seconds.
I love this morale and I often save for it and use it to finish off tough opponents
or slow down sorcerors.
Frenzied Slaughter (Morale 4) - The generic melee dps class morale 4, for
7 seconds Frenzied Slaughter reduces your AP costs by 25%, your cooldowns
by 50%, and increases your damage by 20%. The only time I find this useful
is in dungeons, when I have little use for the earlier morales and morale itself
builds very fast. In rvr, the morales listed below under Builds will be much more
effective across the board.
Builds
Clearly every mastery path has many strong options, and at this time there is no single
superior path. Most slayers do not specialize entirely into one path, sacrificing the
Morale 4 for three more points in another mastery. Below I'm going to explain a few
of the more popular builds, with all the “whys” and “hows” so you can get a feel for one
you'd like. Every build I'll present here is one I have put together and run with for at
least long enough to get used to it. Some I've designed myself, and some I've simply
followed someone else's template.
I would like to point out that everyone's playstyle is slightly different. We respond with
different speeds to combat situations. Some of us are 'button-mashers' and some are
cold, calculating killers. Personally, I believe we should all strive for the second option,
as it saves Action Points and delivers damage and death where it's needed, not all over
the place. < So as you're learning and mashing buttons, put together a build that fits
exactly the style you are playing, but challenge yourself to use all the weapons in your
arsenal to their greatest effect, and perhaps someday you'll be measured among the
cold, calculating elite slayers.
Build #1: Greatweapon Trollslayer”
This was my first build for Tier 4. The idea behind the build was providing myself with
a good balance of damage, utility, and survivability. Most of your points are going to go
into the Trollslayer path, all the way up to Rune of Absorption. On the way, I picked up
Power Through, Deep Wound, and Short Temper. The remaining points I had at the
time went into the Giantslayer path, up to Cleft in Twain with a few points just being
added to the mastery for better damage with skills.
With renown rank of 70, a Slayer can get Devastate in the Giantslayer line as well, and
dropping Short Temper and Cleft in Twain gives you enough points for Unleashed
Power, the Trollslayer Rank 4 Morale (I’ve never used that specific build, as I didn’t have
nearly that many mastery points when I was running this build). The tactics I used were
Power Through, Short Temper, Slaughter, and Brute Force. These tactics would
likely be stronger at higher renown ranks, with better gear to fill in the lacking areas. You
might consider Honor Restored in this build, perhaps replacing Slaughter, as a way to
gain some additional self heals when spamming Wild Swing.
For single targets Cleft in Twain, Pulverizing Strike, Deep Wound, and Deathblow
all found lots of use. With Deep Wound now having a 10 second cooldown, you will
need to rely on Pulverizing Strike and Spine Crusher as you spam single target attacks.
When you need area effect damage, count on Onslaught and the Power Through/Short
Temper combo to allow Wild Swing to be a spammable ability. Last but not least, Rune
of Absorption is a fantastic high-damage ability that can save you again and again, or at
least keep you going long enough to finish a kill or get healed.
All things considered, for the balance I was shooting for in this build, the damage potential
for this build is very good. The heal debuff from Deep Wound keeps this build useful
against nearly any enemy that is being healed, and the spammable Wild Swing makes this
a fairly versatile build, great for single targets or groups of enemies. After spending some
time looking at the possibilities in this build, I can find several different combinations that
keep the flavor of the build alive, but allow for more damage or utility.
While I'm not 100% sure, I'd recommend this build to anyone as a top-end build. I will
say that at the point in time I was using it, from mid 30s renown till mid 40s, it served me very
well, and in a good group I often found myself with many killing blows and a top 5 ranking on
the damage charts in scenarios.
Build #2: “Deep Wound Skavenslayer”
This is a build that a friend recommended to me. This build focuses on many AoE attacks
and effects for damage, along with the increased attack speed of dual-wield combined with
the tactic Push For More. Start the build up the Skavenslayer path, but only buy the skills
Shatter Limbs and Inevitable Doom. Now spend the rest of your points in the Trollslayer
path, initially buying just Deep Wound, then later picking up Rampage and perhaps Fierce
Might at higher renown ranks. For tactics, slot Push for More, Slaughter, Brute Force,
and Wild Gambit, a combination that gives you massive strength and weaponskill, with a
fast auto-attack and lower AP costs.
In a fight use Shatter Limbs on healers and ranged dps to cut off both their offensive and
defensive spam abilities for a short time. Stick an enemy with Inevitable Doom and unload
a few Flurries, keeping a melee-range opponent targeted to utilize your auto attack. Try not
to use many Exhaustive Blows, unless you feel the need to drop out of Berzerk, usually to
reduce damage. Wild Swing is a great option here, as it has a nice size AoE. When being
focused on, use Retribution to encourage your opponents to attack someone else, but
remember, if you use an ability before Retribution is over, it will end prematurely.
Against single targets remember to use a Deep Wound early, then Spine Crusher and
Pulverizing Strike for steady hits.
I didn't really hate this build after trying it for a little while, though I found it wasn't entirely
my style. With all the damage output of Inevitable Doom and Flurry against mobs of
enemies I often found my name at the top of the damage charts in scenarios, though my
killing blow count was often a bit low, as this build lacks the exceptional single target
attacks of the Giantslayer path.
I haven’t re-tested this build since the update that changed auto-attack speed bonus stacking.
I can tell you, without a doubt, that it was certainly a larger debuff to this build than the other
two builds I'm describing here. Having said that, try swapping out Push for More with a
defensive tactic such as Ancestral Inheritance or Riposte, or even Jagged Edge or
Fierce Might for added damage.
Build #3: “Deep Wound Giantslayer”
This is my current build, often referred to as a Spellbreaker build, as well. This build focuses
on single-target damage, with buffs and debuffs to facilitate faster kills. The initial
rank 40 build is Giantslayer up to Spellbreaker, buying only Spellbreaker itself. Next, buy into
the Trollslayer path up to Deep Wound, purchasing Power Through on your way. As you
progress through renown ranks 40 and up, get Cleft in Twain, Rampage, Fierce Might,
or Breaking Point in any order.
The tactics I slot are Brute Force, Slaughter, Push for More, and Power Through, though
recently I've swapped Push for More out for Breaking Point, and I may occasionally swap out
Slaughter for Fierce Might, which I will pick up at renown rank 70. Another tactic setup I've
come to like is Brute Force, Power Through, Breaking Point, and Wild Gambit. I usually
use a toughness potion with this build, to make up for the toughness lost to Wild Gambit,
and I keep a stock of AP regen pots on hand as I run through AP quickly.
In a fight, use a shot of Deep Wound, pop a Cleft in Twain, and do a few chops with Pulverizing
Strike to get your rage built up, and then use Spellbreaker. Spellbreaker is pivotal in this
build as Spellbreaker has no cooldown, high damage, and very low AP cost. It also clears off
those pesky little damage absorbs that healers like to use on themselves, though it’s not
effective against absorbs from items. It is, however, the most reliable single target dps skill
in the Slayer's arsenal when coupled with Power Through.
To assure that you get the most out of your attacks, use Rampage when you're Furious for
the 20 seconds of not being parried or blocked. Try not to spend much time using Flurry or
Wild Swing in this build, it just doesn't add up very well unless it will finish off multiple targets.
In general, find yourself a target and mow it down, then rinse and repeat. Try to focus on
soft healers and ranged dps, of course.
As this is my current build, it is obviously my favorite. With a good group behind me, I usually
find myself greatly out-killing others in scenarios (though my damage is not usually in the
number one spot). The pure takedown power of this build is often astonishing, especially
with the second tactic set that includes Wild Gambit. I'm willing to admit that this is still a work
in progress and very dependant on the gear upgrades I've recently earned.
Build #4: Doom Seeker Skavenslayer”
I've recently been running this build, and I've found much to my liking in situations where
lots of area effect damage is nice. Once again, the goal of this build is to deal lots of damage
across a large group of enemies. At renown rank 60, the build runs all the way up the
Skavenslayer path, taking all the abilities and skipping the tactics. The rest of your points
will go into Trollslayer up to Fierce Might, picking up Rampage as well, and leaving your rr70
point for Power Through or any tactic in the Skavenslayer path you choose. I've successfully
used several different tactic sets in this build. Try Fierce Might, Brute Force, Wild Gambit,
and Slaughter. For more survivability, switch in Embrace the Pain for Wild Gambit, as
you'll be getting critically hit fairly often.
As with most strong Skavenslayer builds, this one relies on Inevitable Doom, Onslaught,
Flurry, and Wild Swing to keep the damage rolling. When you find you're being focused on
by melees, Retribution is a good choice, since it will critical very hard when you are low on
health.
Even the Odds is incredibly powerful in this build, adding 40 toughness per enemy, up to
6 times for 240 additional toughness, and works well in combination with Retribution.
Make sure you use Even the Odds first or you'll interrupt your Retribution. For single target
takedowns, you'll need to rely on Pulverizing Strike and Spine Crusher. Rampage works
great in this build, especially with all the area effect and damage over time type attacks it relies
on for damage.
Doom Seeker is the icing on the cake of this build. When your morale is built up for M4, use
Even the Odds and Distracting Roar to reach the enemy groups' healers and ranged dps,
and drop Doom Seeker on them. If your group hasn't been throwing wasteful cc for the whole
fight, your enemies may all go down. If you let your teammates know your plan ahead of
time, you will often be able to quickly destroy the healers and thus roll the entire group.
Plus, Doom Seeker has a fantastic animation, so it's entirely worth your while to save the
morale for it.
Dwooid Note: Okay gotta see the Doom Seeker animation now :)
This build was a lot of fun for me, and I have found myself switching between the Spellbreaker
build above and this one, depending on the situation. I almost always find myself at the top of
the charts for damage with this build. This build really gains a lot from a high renown rank and
top-quality gear. Focus on increasing your chance to critically hit and keep your weaponskill
and strength as high as possible when setting up your gear.
Running around +20% critical chance or better gives Fierce Might an opportunity to really shine.
I find that I like this build most in city sieges where there are many enemies to fight, and if you
get champ status in stage 3 you will get to enjoy fantastic amounts of damage, again thanks to
Fierce Might. For PvE this also has better solo survivability than the Spellbreaker build, and is
great for mowing down a group of enemies all at once.
I don't think I'd recommend this build to lower ranked or poorly geared characters, but
rr60+ players should find it to be a good time.
Conclusion
Well, beardling, if'n yer readin' this, ye've certainly done a lot o' readin', and hardly any killin'.
I would suggest ye go out 'n try some o' the stuff ye jest read, an' hopefully it'll do ye some good.
If anythin' here confuses ye much, be sure ta find me in the Badlands, or jest ask that foolish
Dwooid to relay yer message to me! Happy Huntin', Youngins!
Dwooid Note: If there are more slayer subjects you'd like
to be covered, or comments you'd like to pass on, feel
free to contact Hellreike directly or send it to me through
the "Contact Dwooid" address on the sidebar and I'll send
it on :).