Slayer is the slowest 99 in Old School RuneScape. That is not an opinion — it is the math. At maximum efficiency, using cannon on every task, barraging every stackable monster in the Catacombs of Kourend, and skipping every slow assignment without hesitation, Slayer takes approximately 166.5 efficient hours from level 1 to 99. For a normal player using good but not world-record methods, expect 160 to 220 hours. For an AFK player who takes whatever task they are given, 260 to 430 hours.
But Slayer is also the most important skill in the game for an account you plan to max. It passively trains Attack, Strength, Defence, Ranged, and Hitpoints while you do it. It unlocks the best money-makers in the game — Hydra, Cerberus, Kraken — that fund every other buyable skill. And it gates some of the most important content in OSRS, from the Quest Cape (69 Slayer for Monkey Madness 2) to the Achievement Diary Cape (95 Slayer).
This guide covers everything: which Slayer master to use at every stage, the exact unlock order for your points, gear progression from a dragon scimitar to a Scythe of Vitur, block and skip lists for every training style, the Slayer bosses worth farming, and — if you decide 166 hours of task RNG is not how you want to spend your limited game time — how to skip the grind safely.
Slayer at a Glance
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| XP to 99 | 13,034,431 XP |
| EHP to 99 | ~166.5 hours (WiseOldMan, efficient cannon + barrage) |
| Realistic (efficient player) | 160–220 hours |
| Realistic (AFK/casual) | 260–430 hours |
| XP per kill | Equal to the monster’s total Hitpoints (with some exceptions) |
| Best XP master | Duradel (100 combat, 50 Slayer) or Nieve/Steve (85 combat) |
| Duradel (boss tasks) or Konar (Brimstone keys) | |
| Most points | Krystilia (Wilderness, 25 pts/task) |
| Key unlocks | Black mask (58 Slayer) → Slayer helmet → Superiors → Blocks/Extends |
| Highest GP/hr task | Alchemical Hydra (95 Slayer): ~3–4.5M GP/hr |
| Highest XP/hr task | Barraging Smoke Devils (93 Slayer): up to ~150k Slayer XP/hr |
📖 “How Slayer Works & Slayer Masters Deep-Dive” (click to expand)
How Slayer Works
Slayer is a task-based skill. You visit a Slayer master, they assign you a monster and a quantity to kill, and you earn Slayer XP equal to the monster’s total Hitpoints for each kill. When the task is complete, you return for a new assignment — and, critically, you receive Slayer points that you spend on permanent unlocks.
The core loop is simple, but the strategy around it is not. Your choice of Slayer master, your block list (tasks you permanently remove), your skip habits (tasks you pay points to bypass), and your use of bracelets (expeditious to shorten bad tasks, slaughter to extend good ones) collectively determine whether you are earning 40k XP per hour or 100k+.
A few critical mechanics to know upfront:
- You do not earn Slayer points for your first four tasks. Your fifth task and every task after pays points. Milestone tasks (10th, 50th, 100th, 250th, 1,000th) multiply your base points by 5×, 15×, 25×, 35×, and 50× respectively.
- Turael can reset your task. If you are stuck on a task you cannot complete and lack the points to skip, Turael in Burthorpe gives you a replacement — but this resets your entire task streak, zeroing your progress toward the next milestone bonus. Avoid this unless absolutely necessary.
- Krystilia runs a separate streak. The Wilderness Slayer master uses her own counter, independent of the standard masters. You cannot carry a regular task and a Wilderness task simultaneously.
- Starting Slayer before 70+ combat is slow. Low-level masters assign low-HP monsters, which generate low Slayer XP per kill. Most players should train combat through quests (Waterfall, Fight Arena, Monkey Madness) until at least 70 combat before starting Slayer seriously.
The Slayer Masters: Who to Use at Every Stage
There are nine Slayer masters, and choosing the wrong one is the single biggest XP leak most new players create for themselves. Here is every master, their requirements, and when (if ever) you should use them:
| Master | Combat Req. | Slayer Req. | Base Pts/Task | Block Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turael / Spria | None | None | 0 | 40 | Resetting bad tasks; point boosting (9 Turael → 1 Konar every 10th). Never use for XP. |
| Mazchna | 20 | None | 6 | 50 | Brief early-game introduction to Slayer. Outgrown quickly. |
| Vannaka | 40 | None | 8 | 60 | Mid-level filler before 70 combat. Decent if Chaeldar is unavailable. |
| Chaeldar | 70 | None | 10 | 70 | First viable master for XP. Use from 70 combat until 75 (Konar) or 85 (Nieve). |
| Konar quo Maten | 75 | None | 18 (20 w/ Elite Kourend Diary) | 80 | Best for GP via Brimstone keys (~100k avg per key). Location-locked tasks can be slow. Also the only master who assigns Hydras. |
| Nieve / Steve | 85 | None | 12 (15 w/ Elite Western Diary) | 90 | Best for convenience — located next to the Stronghold Slayer Cave. Nearly identical to Duradel in task quality. Use from 85-99 combat if you do not have 50 Slayer yet. |
| Duradel | 100 | 50 | 15 | 100 | The endgame XP master. Longest tasks, highest-HP monsters, most boss variants. This is where you park for 99. |
| Krystilia | None | 2+ | 25 | 100 | Wilderness-only. Most points per task in the game. Separate streak counter. PK risk applies. |
The progression path is straightforward: quest your combat to 70+ → use Chaeldar at 70 combat → switch to Nieve/Steve at 85 combat → switch to Duradel at 100 combat with 50 Slayer and stay there. Some players prefer Konar for the Brimstone key income, especially in the mid-game when GP is tight, but her location-locked tasks average slower XP than Nieve or Duradel.
📖 “Slayer Points & Unlock Priority” (click to expand)
Slayer Points: What to Unlock and In What Order
Slayer points are your most important resource during the 1-99 grind. Spending them in the wrong order means doing hundreds of tasks without key unlocks — and earning points slower on every task because you lack the upgrades that would have accelerated them.
Here is the optimal unlock order for most players:
Phase 1: The Non-Negotiables (First ~500 Points)
| Order | Unlock | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bigger and Badder | 150 pts (proposed reduction incoming) | Unlocks Superior Slayer monsters — bigger, tougher versions of regular monsters that appear randomly on-task. They drop significantly more XP and have unique drop tables worth millions. This increases your average Slayer XP rate from the moment it is unlocked. Note: Jagex has proposed reducing this cost, so waiting for the update may save points. |
| 2 | Slayer Helmet | 400 pts + 55 Crafting + Black mask | Combines the black mask (16.67% melee damage/accuracy boost on-task) with the face mask, nose peg, earmuffs, and spiny helmet — letting you use the black mask boost on tasks that require protective headgear. Imbue it at Nightmare Zone or the PvP Arena to extend the boost to Magic and Ranged. This is the single most important gear item in Slayer. |
| 3 | First blocks and extends | 100 pts/block, 30 pts/extend | Start blocking the worst common tasks for your master (see block list section below) and extending the best ones. |
Phase 2: Quality of Life (Next ~1,000 Points)
| Order | Unlock | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Slayer Ring Crafting | 300 pts + 75 Crafting | Slayer rings teleport you to the Stronghold Slayer Cave, Tarn’s Lair, the Slayer Tower, and the Fremennik Slayer Dungeon. Saves hours of travel time across the entire grind. |
| 5 | Hot Stuff | 100 pts | Unlocks TzHaar tasks. Lets you get a TzHaar assignment before attempting the Fight Caves, giving you the slayer helmet boost against Jad — a massive help for first-time Fire Cape attempts. |
| 6 | Like a Boss | 200 pts | Unlocks boss variants of Slayer tasks. If you plan to do boss Slayer with Duradel, this is essential. If you are purely chasing XP, skip it. |
| 7 | I Wildy More Slayer | 0 pts (free) | Adds more high-XP tasks to Krystilia’s pool. Only relevant if you plan to do Wilderness Slayer. |
| 8 | Task Storage | 1,000 pts (proposed: 500) | Lets you store a task for later and get a new one — an alternative to skipping. Useful for preserving a good task when you need to take a break from Slayer. |
After Phase 2, pour every remaining point into filling your block list, extending your best XP or profit tasks, and skipping anything that survives your blocks. Cosmetic recolours for the slayer helmet should wait until your block list is fully optimized and you have nothing else to spend points on.
📖 “Gear Progression & Useful Unlocks” (click to expand)
Gear Progression: What You Need at Every Stage
Slayer uses every combat style depending on the task, but most of your kills will be melee. Here is what to aim for at each stage of account progression:
Early Slayer (~70–85 Combat)
| Slot | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Helm | Black Mask → Slayer Helmet (i) | +16.67% damage and accuracy on-task. Imbue as soon as possible for Magic and Ranged coverage. |
| Weapon | Dragon Scimitar → Abyssal Whip (70 Attack) | D Scim from Monkey Madness 1. Whip at 70 Attack (~1.5M GP from GE). |
| Shield | Dragon Defender | Obtained at the Warriors’ Guild. +6 Strength bonus. Free upgrade. |
| Body | Fighter Torso → Obsidian Platebody | Fighter torso from Barbarian Assault is free and gives +4 Strength. Obsidian is a small upgrade. |
| Legs | Obsidian Platelegs → Blood Moon Tassets | Prioritize Strength bonus over defence for Slayer. |
| Amulet | Amulet of Fury → Amulet of Torture | Fury for balanced stats (~1.3M GP). Torture for pure melee DPS when budget allows. |
| Cape | Fire Cape | Obtained from the Fight Caves. +4 Strength bonus. A rite of passage. |
| Boots | Dragon Boots | +4 Strength. ~120k GP. Best value boots in the game. |
| Ring | Berserker Ring (i) | +8 Strength. Imbued at Nightmare Zone. ~2.2M GP total. |
Mid Slayer (~85–95 Combat)
| Slot | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon (general) | Abyssal Whip / Osmumten’s Fang | Fang for high-defence monsters (dragons, boss variants). Whip for everything else. |
| Weapon (bursting) | Ancient Staff → Ancient Sceptre | For Dust Devils, Nechryael, and Smoke Devils. Ancient Sceptre from Muspah is the upgrade. |
| Body/Legs | Bandos Chestplate & Tassets | +4 Strength each. The classic mid-game melee upgrade. ~35M GP for the set. |
| Gloves | Barrows Gloves | Best all-around gloves. If you do not have them, stop Slayer and finish Recipe for Disaster. |
| Amulet | Amulet of Torture | +10 Strength. ~9M GP. Worth it for the DPS increase on every single task. |
Endgame Slayer (95+ Combat, Duradel)
| Slot | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon (general) | Rapier / Saeldor / Inq. Mace → Scythe of Vitur | Rapier/Saeldor/Mace for low-defence monsters. Scythe for large monsters and boss tasks. Scythe is expensive to use (~1M+ GP/hr in charges) but unmatched DPS. |
| Weapon (bursting) | Kodai Wand | Unlimited water runes. 15% magic damage. Best-in-slot for barraging tasks. |
| Magic armour (bursting) | Ancestral / Virtus | Max magic damage for faster barraging kills. Ahrim’s is the budget alternative. |
| Melee armour | Torva / Oathplate | Best-in-slot Strength bonus. Torva is expensive (~1B+ for the set). Oathplate is the competitive mid-range option. |
| Prayer armour | Sunfire Fanatic Armour | Massive prayer bonus. Extends Protect from Melee to nearly 10 minutes. Ideal for AFK Slayer with prayer regeneration potions. |
Essential Utility Items (All Stages)
- Dwarf Multicannon: Unlocked after the Dwarf Cannon quest. Deployable on multi-combat tasks (Dagannoths, Kalphites, Suqahs, Smoke Devils). Doubles XP rates on cannon-friendly tasks. Costs ~200k-300k GP/hr in cannonballs — expensive but essential for efficient XP.
- Expeditious Bracelet: 25% chance per kill to count as 2 kills toward your task. Use on slow, low-XP tasks you want to end faster.
- Bracelet of Slaughter: 25% chance per kill to not count toward your task. Use on fast, high-XP tasks you want to extend. Swap to it before each kill ends.
- Ancient Magicks (Desert Treasure 1): Burst and barrage spells are the single largest XP boost in Slayer. Without them, Dust Devils, Nechryaels, and Smoke Devils are mediocre tasks. With them, they are the best XP in the skill.
- Goading Potions: A recent addition that makes all monsters within range aggressive for 6 minutes. Expensive (~30k-50k per dose) but transforms AFK Slayer — no more waiting for aggression timers or running in circles to re-aggro. Best used on tasks where the monster density is high and the area is multi-combat.
- Gem Bag / Herb Sack / Seed Box: Save 3+ inventory slots on tasks that drop gems, herbs, or seeds. Buy from the Slayer reward shop or obtain through relevant minigames.
- NPC Contact Spell (67 Magic, Lunar Diplomacy): Lets you get new Slayer tasks without visiting the master. Saves minutes per task over hundreds of tasks.
Slayer Training Styles: Pick Your Path
Slayer can be trained four fundamentally different ways. You cannot optimize for all four simultaneously — each style demands a different master, block list, bracelet strategy, and gear setup. Pick one and commit.
Style 1: Fastest XP (Cannon + Barrage Meta)
This is what most players aim for. The principle is simple: cannon every task that allows it, barrage every task that stacks, skip everything that cannot be cannoned or barraged, and extend the tasks with the highest XP rates.
Master: Duradel (best) or Nieve/Steve (if below 50 Slayer)
Strategy:
- Slaughter bracelet on burst/cannon tasks (Dust Devils, Nechryaels, Smoke Devils, Dagannoths, Kalphites, Suqahs)
- Expeditious bracelet on slow tasks you cannot skip
- Skip anything that survives your block list
- Cannon in multi-combat; barrage in Catacombs of Kourend
- Use super combat potions + Piety on melee tasks
Example Duradel Block List (Fast XP):
| Block | Reason |
|---|---|
| Hellhounds | High weight (8), no cannon, mediocre XP, no profit. Unless you do Cerberus (91+ Slayer), this is a permanent block. |
| Black Demons | High weight (8), slow melee kills. Demonic Gorillas are profitable but significantly slower XP than burst tasks. |
| Greater Demons | High weight (9), poor XP, poor drops. Only unblock if you plan to do Zamorak GWD on-task. |
| Fire Giants | High weight (8), slow XP. Cannon in Catacombs helps but they are still weaker than barrage tasks. |
| Spiritual Creatures | Slow, annoying to access, poor XP and drops. |
| Drakes / Wyrms | Slow kills, poor XP, unremarkable profit. High annoyance factor. |
Key XP tasks to extend: Dust Devils (burst, 70k-90k XP/hr), Nechryaels (burst, 70k-85k XP/hr), Smoke Devils (barrage, up to 150k XP/hr), Dagannoths (cannon, 45k-60k XP/hr), Kalphites (cannon, fast tasks).
Expected XP rate: 80k-100k Slayer XP/hr over the long term, averaging good and bad tasks. At this rate, 130 to 163 hours from level 1 to 99 — but realistically closer to 160 to 200 hours with task RNG and banking.
The secret fast-XP tech: Wilderness Slayer Cave. The cave is both multi-combat and cannonable. Combining a cannon with barrage spells on Hellhounds, Greater Demons, or Dark Warriors in the cave can push past 100k Slayer XP/hr — the absolute highest rates in the game. The trade-off is PK risk and a Wilderness-only task streak. For players willing to risk budget gear, this is the fastest Slayer XP available.
Style 2: Maximum Profit (Boss Slayer + Konar)
If GP is your priority — funding gear upgrades, Construction, Prayer, or just building a bank — boss Slayer with Duradel (or Konar for passive Brimstone keys) is the play.
Master: Duradel (with “Like a Boss” unlocked) for boss variants; Konar for Brimstone keys (average ~100k GP per key) on non-boss tasks
The Slayer bosses, ranked by profit:
| Boss | Slayer Req. | Task | GP/hr (Avg) | Key Drops | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alchemical Hydra | 95 | Hydras | ~3-4.5M | Hydra’s Claw (~60M+), Hydra Leather, Brimstone Ring pieces | Medium — learnable mechanics, consistent money |
| Cerberus | 91 | Hellhounds | ~2-3M | Primordial Crystal (~19.8M), Pegasian Crystal, Eternal Crystal, Smouldering Stone | Medium-High — prayer-intensive, ghost mechanic |
| Kraken | 87 | Cave Krakens | ~1.5-2.15M | Trident of the Seas, Kraken Tentacle, Jar of Dirt | Very Low — near-AFK, the easiest Slayer boss |
| Thermonuclear Smoke Devil | 93 | Smoke Devils | ~800k-1.2M | Occult Necklace, Smoke Battlestaff | Low — simple fight, lower profit than alternatives |
| Grotesque Guardians | 75 | Gargoyles | ~600k-1M | Granite Dust, Granite Gloves, Core items | Low-Medium — accessible mid-level boss |
| Abyssal Sire | 85 | Abyssal Demons | ~800k-1.5M | Abyssal Dagger, Abyssal Orphan pet, Unsired | Medium — multi-phase fight, can be tedious |
Boss Slayer is slower XP than pure cannon/barrage, but the GP difference is enormous. A single Hydra’s Claw drop (~60M+ GP) funds multiple gear upgrades. Over the journey to 99 Slayer, a boss-focused player can easily earn 500 million to 1 billion+ GP — enough to max every buyable skill with money left over.
📖 “AFK Slayer & Wilderness Point Farming” (click to expand)
Style 3: AFK Slayer
AFK Slayer sacrifices XP rates for attention. You take tasks that can be completed with minimal input — aggressive monsters, prayer-protected setups, cannon tasks — and you do them while working, studying, or playing another account.
Master: Nieve or Duradel
How to maximize AFK time:
- Goading potions make all monsters aggressive for 6 minutes — no more running around to reset aggression timers. Expensive but transformative for AFK play.
- Prayer regeneration potions + Sunfire Fanatic Armour let Protect from Melee last 8 to 10 minutes without sipping a prayer potion. Combine with a bonecrusher necklace for near-infinite prayer on bone-dropping tasks.
- Cannon with Combat Achievement ammo upgrades — the medium Combat Achievement reward lets you load more cannonballs, extending the time before you need to refill.
- Prayer gear (Proselyte → Sunfire Fanatic) — maximizes prayer bonus so protection prayers drain as slowly as possible.
Best AFK tasks: Gargoyles (auto-smash with slayer helmet), Kurasks, Bloodvelds (prayer melee, 10-min AFK with goading potions), Abyssal Demons (prayer melee, 5-10 min intervals), Kraken (near-AFK boss, click pool every minute).
Expected XP rate: 30k-50k Slayer XP/hr. At this rate, 260 to 430 hours to 99 — but during those hours, you are also getting work done, watching content, or playing another account. For many players, the slower rate is worth the freed attention.
Style 4: Maximum Slayer Points (Wilderness + Turael Boosting)
If you need Slayer points fast — to fill your block list, unlock the slayer helmet, or extend tasks — point farming is its own meta.
Option A: Wilderness Slayer (Krystilia)
Krystilia pays 25 points per task — the highest base rate in the game. Her streak bonuses scale to 1,250 points on the 1,000th task. Wear an expeditious bracelet on every task to speed them up, bring only 3 valuable items (slayer helmet + weapon + one other), turn on PK skull prevention, and accept that you will occasionally die to a pker. The points-per-hour is unmatched.
Option B: Turael Boosting
The safer method: do 9 fast tasks from Turael (0 points each, but they advance your streak), then do the 10th task from Konar or Duradel for the milestone multiplier. At the 50th-task milestone, that 10th task pays 15× the base points — 270 points from Konar or 225 from Duradel. Use expeditious bracelets on all Turael tasks and the non-milestone Konar tasks. This method earns almost no Slayer XP, so treat it as a dedicated points grind — not something you mix with training.
The Proposed Slayer Updates: What Is Changing
Jagex has proposed a range of Slayer improvements that will meaningfully change the meta when they go live. Here is what is on the table:
- Separate block lists for every Slayer master. This is the biggest change. Right now, your block list is shared across all masters — a task you block for Duradel is also blocked for Konar, even though Konar might assign it in a profitable location. After the update, you can customize a block list for each master: a pure-XP list for Duradel, a profit-focused list for Konar, and a speed list for Krystilia.
- Reduced Slayer point costs for lower-level masters. Blocking a task with Mazchna will cost fewer points than blocking with Duradel. This makes low-level Slayer more viable as a points-farming method.
- Bigger and Badder cost reduction. The Superior Slayer unlock is proposed to cost fewer than the current 150 points, making it accessible earlier.
- Task storage cost reduction. Dropping from 1,000 points to 500 points, making it a realistic mid-game unlock rather than an endgame luxury.
- Slug Salter and Reptile Freezer more accessible. Both proposed to cost fewer points, giving lower-level players earlier access to slayer-only items.
- Custodia Pass Slayer Dungeon (already live, Varlamore Part 3). Three tiers of Custodian Stalkers starting at 54 Slayer, dropping the Antler Guard — a prayer and offensive-boosting offhand. A solid mid-game slayer location that did not exist before late 2025.
None of these changes are live as of July 2026. The meta advice in this guide reflects the current live game. When the separate-blocklist update launches, expect every Slayer guide — including this one — to need a significant revision.
📖 “Slayer Tips & Tricks + Ironman Notes” (click to expand)
Slayer Tips and Tricks
- Do your first 4 tasks with Turael. These award 0 points regardless of master, so burn through them on the fastest, easiest tasks available. Start your streak with task 5 on your real master.
- Use NPC Contact (Lunar spellbook, 67 Magic). No more running back to Shilo Village to get a new Duradel task. Cast the spell, get assigned remotely, teleport to the task location. Over 500+ tasks, this saves hours.
- Safespot with a cannon in single-way combat. In the Stronghold Slayer Cave, you can stand behind a safespot while your cannon attacks everything in multi-combat range. The cannon ignores the single-way restriction — it hits everything, even if you are safespotting one monster with ranged.
- Use task variants for profit. A Black Demons task can be completed at Demonic Gorillas (profitable, Zenytes) or Skotizo. A Greater Demons task can be done at K’ril Tsutsaroth (Zamorak GWD). A Blue Dragons task can be done at Vorkath. A Hellhounds task can be done at Cerberus. You are not locked into killing the base monster.
- Reanimate ensouled heads on-task. Ensouled heads dropped by Slayer monsters can be reanimated with the Arceuus spellbook for Prayer XP. Each head counts as one kill toward your task. This lets you train Prayer while doing Slayer — efficient if you are working toward 70+ Prayer.
- Bring High Alchemy runes. Most mid-to-high-level Slayer tasks drop rune items, battlestaves, and dragonhide that alch for 5k-40k GP each. Alching extends your trips and reduces bank runs. Over a full Slayer grind, alching rather than banking adds tens of millions of GP in convenience profit.
- Wear protective gear before running through aggressive areas. Running past Aberrant Spectres without a nose peg in the Slayer Tower is a quick way to die. Equip your slayer helmet or relevant protective item before entering aggressive zones.
- Duo Slayer exists but is niche. You can partner with another player on an enchanted gem or slayer helmet to share a task. It can speed up tasks and provide some point efficiency, but it is not widely used outside of specific point-boosting strategies.
Ironman Slayer Notes
Ironmen follow the same general progression as mains with a few critical differences:
- Do not cannon most tasks. Making cannonballs takes hours and is tedious without the double ammo mould from Giants’ Foundry. Cannon sparingly, for tasks where it makes a disproportionate difference (Dagannoths, Smoke Devils).
- Get the herb sack, gem bag, and seed box early. These drops are essential for Ironman herblore and crafting progression. Without them, you leave valuable supplies on the ground or bank constantly.
- Wilderness Slayer is dangerous but rewarding. Larran’s keys and Slayer’s Enchantments are valuable, and the point rate is unmatched. But losing your hard-earned gear to a PKer stings worse on an ironman. Budget accordingly.
- Slayer is your PvM gearing pipeline. The Abyssal Whip (85 Slayer), Trident of the Seas (87 Slayer, from Kraken), Occult Necklace (93 Slayer, from Smoke Devils), and Dragon Hunter Lance (95 Slayer, from Hydra) are all obtained through Slayer. You cannot buy them. This makes Slayer the single most important skill on an ironman account — it literally gates your access to endgame gear.
- Start Slayer at 70+ combat. Without access to the Grand Exchange for gear upgrades and cannonballs, training Slayer at low combat is inefficient bordering on painful. Quest your melee stats to base 60s-70s first, then begin.
Grind It or Buy It: Slayer’s Real Cost in Time
Slayer is the single longest skill in OSRS — 166.5 efficient hours, and realistically 160 to 220 hours for a focused player using cannon and barrage. For a casual or AFK player, it stretches to 260 to 430 hours. For an ironman, 186 to 261 hours with no cannon and no buying runes from the GE.
To put those numbers in perspective: 200 hours is 25 full eight-hour workdays. It is more time than it takes to watch every episode of The Office — twice. It is a commitment measured in months of regular play, not weeks.
For many players, the Slayer grind is OSRS. It is where you make your money, train your combat stats, unlock your bossing content, and experience the game’s best PvM progression. Skipping Slayer on a main account means skipping the most efficient path to max combat and arguably the most enjoyable skill in the game.
But if you have already done the Slayer grind on another account — or if you want to jump straight into endgame raids without spending 200 hours on task RNG — here is what the marketplace looks like:
| What You Want | Time Cost (Grinding) | Marketplace Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 Slayer account | 40–60 hours | $30–$50 | Access to Kurasks, Dust Devils, and most mid-game Slayer content. Quest cape requirements partially met. |
| 85 Slayer account | 90–130 hours | $60–$120 | Abyssal Demons, whip drops, Sire access. Major milestone — most players’ first Slayer goal. |
| 95 Slayer account | 140–200 hours | $150–$300 | Alchemical Hydra unlocked — the best Slayer boss GP in the game. Achievement Diary Cape requirement met. |
| 99 Slayer account | 160–430 hours | $200–$500+ | Access any Slayer master regardless of combat level. Max cape progress. Never touch Slayer again. |
| Maxed main account | 2,000–4,500 hours | $300–$1,500+ | All 24 skills at 99. Slayer done. Endgame ready. |
At minimum wage, 200 hours of your time is worth roughly $1,450 before taxes. A 99 Slayer account costs a fraction of that. If your goal is endgame PvM and you have no attachment to the Slayer journey, the marketplace math is straightforward.
That said, Slayer is also one of the few skills where buying the finished product means missing the best part. The Abyssal Whip drop at 85 Slayer. The first Cerberus crystal. The Hydra’s Claw after a 1,000-kill dry streak. Those moments are genuinely memorable in a way that buying a 99 Slayer account is not. For a first-time account, grinding Slayer is usually the right call. For a second account, an alt, or a player who simply values their time over the journey — the marketplace exists for a reason.
📖 “How to Buy OSRS Accounts & Gold Safely” (click to expand)
How to Buy an OSRS Account or Gold Safely
If you decide the Slayer grind is not worth your time, here is how to buy without becoming a cautionary tale:
1. Only Use Escrow-Protected Marketplaces
Never send money directly to a seller through Discord, PayPal friends-and-family, or cryptocurrency. On PlayerBay, your payment is held in escrow until you confirm you have received the account or gold. If the seller disappears, you dispute and get your money back. Direct deals offer zero recourse.
2. For Accounts: Registered Email Transfer Is Everything
The Jagex account system makes the registered email the single point of control. If a seller cannot or will not transfer the email, walk away. After purchase: change the email, change the password, remove all old recovery information, enable 2FA, unlink third-party accounts, and set a bank PIN — in that order, within 10 minutes of receiving the credentials.
3. For Gold: Face-to-Face Trading Only
Reputable sellers trade gold directly in-game, face-to-face, at the Grand Exchange. Avoid Wilderness drops, Party Room transfers, or any unverifiable method.
4. Check Seller Reputation
Look for verified badges, multiple completed OSRS sales, recent positive reviews mentioning smooth delivery, and detailed listing descriptions. Sellers who push off-platform deals, refuse to show the account in-game, or have vague one-liner descriptions are red flags.
Browse Slayer-trained OSRS accounts: OSRS Accounts Marketplace on PlayerBay
Browse OSRS gold: OSRS Gold Marketplace on PlayerBay
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours does 99 Slayer take?
~166.5 efficient hours (EHP, using cannon + barrage + optimal skips). For a realistic efficient player: 160-220 hours. AFK/casual: 260-430 hours. Ironman (no cannon): 186-261 hours. Slayer is the single slowest 99 in OSRS by efficient hours — it takes longer than Agility (~165 hrs), Mining (~122 hrs), or any other skill.
Which Slayer master is best for XP?
Duradel (100 combat, 50 Slayer, Shilo Village) gives the longest tasks with the highest-HP monsters — the best XP per task. Nieve/Steve (85 combat, Gnome Stronghold) is nearly identical and accessible earlier. For absolute maximum XP rates, Krystilia (Wilderness) with cannon + barrage in the Wilderness Slayer Cave can push past 100k XP/hr, but carries PK risk.
Which Slayer master is best for profit?
Duradel with “Like a Boss” unlocked for boss tasks (Hydra at 95, Cerberus at 91, Kraken at 87). Konar for Brimstone keys (~100k GP average per key) on non-boss tasks. A boss-focused Slayer player can earn 500M-1B+ GP on the road to 99.
What should I spend Slayer points on first?
Bigger and Badder (Superior monsters) → Slayer Helmet → Blocks and Extends → Slayer Ring crafting → Hot Stuff → Like a Boss (if bossing) → Task Storage. Cosmetic recolours come dead last.
Do I need a cannon for efficient Slayer?
For maximum XP rates, yes. The dwarf multicannon doubles or triples your DPS on cannon-friendly tasks (Dagannoths, Kalphites, Suqahs, Smoke Devils). It costs ~200k-300k GP/hr in cannonballs. If you cannot afford the upkeep, you can still train Slayer — just accept that your XP rates will be 30-50% lower. Many ironmen skip the cannon entirely and still reach 99, just with 186-261 hours instead of 130-163.
Should I block Hellhounds?
If you are below 91 Slayer and pure-XP focused: yes, block them. Hellhounds have a high task weight (8 with Duradel), cannot be cannoned in most locations, give mediocre XP, and drop almost nothing. If you are 91+ Slayer and want to kill Cerberus for Primordial/ Pegasian/Eternal crystals: keep them and extend the task. Cerberus is 2-3M GP/hr when crystals are factored into the long-term average.
What combat level should I start Slayer?
At least 70 combat for Chaeldar, ideally 85 for Nieve, optimally 100 combat with 50 Slayer for Duradel. Training Slayer before 70 combat is extremely slow — low-level masters assign low-HP monsters, producing very little Slayer XP per kill. Use quests (Waterfall, Fight Arena, The Grand Tree, Monkey Madness 1) to boost your combat stats to base 60s-70s before taking your first Slayer task.
What is the best Slayer task for XP?
Smoke Devils (93 Slayer) barraged in the Smoke Devil Dungeon produce up to ~150,000 Slayer XP per hour — the highest rate in the game. Nechryaels (80 Slayer) and Dust Devils (65 Slayer) bursted in the Catacombs of Kourend produce 70k-90k XP/hr. All three require Ancient Magicks (Desert Treasure 1) and a substantial rune budget.
Is buying a Slayer-trained account safe?
Account purchases carry inherent risk under Jagex’s Terms of Service. The safest approach: buy from a marketplace with escrow protection (like PlayerBay), ensure the seller transfers the registered email (Jagex account system), immediately secure the account (change email, password, remove recovery info, enable 2FA, set bank PIN), and choose sellers with verified status and positive reviews. Never complete a deal off-platform where escrow protections do not apply.
The Bottom Line
Slayer is the skill that defines an OSRS account. It is the slowest 99 — 166.5 efficient hours that stretch to 200+ for a realistic player and 400+ for anyone who values their sanity over their XP rates. It is also the skill that trains your combat stats, funds your buyables, unlocks your bosses, and gates your quest and diary capes. You cannot meaningfully avoid it. The only question is how you approach it.
The efficient path is clear: quest your combat to 70+, start with Chaeldar, switch to Nieve at 85 combat, switch to Duradel at 100 combat with 50 Slayer, cannon everything you can, barrage everything that stacks, block the slow tasks, extend the fast ones, and let the XP accumulate while your bank value climbs. Boss on-task when you hit the level requirements — Hydra at 95, Cerberus at 91, Kraken at 87 — and let the unique drops fund your gear upgrades.
The AFK path is just as valid. Goading potions, Sunfire Fanatic armour, and prayer regeneration potions have made AFK Slayer more accessible than ever. Your XP rates will be half of what a cannon-and-barrage player earns, but your attention will be free for everything else in your life — and over 300 to 400 hours, that trade-off is entirely reasonable.
And if 200 hours of RNG task assignments sounds like the opposite of fun, the marketplace exists. A 99 Slayer account costs less than a weekend of minimum-wage work, and it comes with all the combat XP, all the boss unlocks, and none of the “your task is: 187 Hellhounds” disappointment.
There is no wrong answer. Only the question of what your time is worth.
Ready to skip the Slayer grind? Browse Slayer-trained OSRS accounts on PlayerBay — from mid-game 70 Slayer to maxed mains — or check out OSRS gold to fund your cannonballs, runes, and gear upgrades.
Disclaimer: PlayerBay is a player-to-player marketplace and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Jagex Ltd, Old School RuneScape, or their affiliates. All trademarks, game names, character names, and associated intellectual property belong to their respective owners. Use of game and brand names is for descriptive purposes only. Account and gold purchases carry inherent risk under Jagex’s Terms of Service, which prohibit real-world trading and account sharing. Buyers should understand these risks before purchasing. XP rates, GE prices, Slayer point costs, and boss profitability are current as of July 2026 and are subject to change. Proposed Jagex Slayer updates have not been implemented as of this date and their final form may differ from what is described above.
Last reviewed: July 2026. EHP data sourced from WiseOldMan. Boss profit rates sourced from OSRS Wiki money-making guides. Slayer point values and master requirements verified against the OSRS Wiki and osrsbestinslot.com. Proposed update details sourced from Jagex community communications as reported by theoatrix.net and community forums. We update this guide when significant Slayer meta changes, point cost adjustments, or new Slayer content goes live.
