The Slayer

Difficulty 50%
Versatility 65%
Mobility 80%
Career information
Race Dwarfs
Role Melee DPS
Armor Medium
Weapons 1h Hammer
1h Axe
2h Hammer
2h Axe
Special Mechanic Enrage
Mirror Career Choppa
Gender Male only
Abbreviations SL, SLY

Archetype: Melee DPS

Special Mechanic: Enrage

Class Details: A Slayer focuses on brutal offensive attacks. As their rage builds up, they become more and more powerful, but they will eventually start to become more vulnerable as well, as fatigue takes its toll.

 Slayer focuses on brutal offensive attacks. As their rage builds up, they become more and more powerful, but they will eventually start to become more vulnerable as well, as fatigue takes its toll. While Slayers are able to briefly dampen their rage by using powerful and exhausting attacks, they can never be truly calmed, and their rage will quickly begin to build once again. Playing as a Slayer will ultimately come down to your choices between allowing your rage to consume you entirely and keeping you in a massive frenzy, or constantly exhausting your rage while also forgoing the furious might that it would otherwise give you, or striking a careful balance between the two. No matter the style, all Slayers are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

Career Masteries

Every moment of a Slayers life is filled with the rage of their dishonor and loss. As they battle an enemy, they become more enraged with every passing moment, furious and saddened that this foe is not strong enough to bring them deaths atonement. This rage fills them with deadly fury, making them more and more dangerous as it builds up. Eventually, their rage will begin to push their body past its limits, putting their own health and safely into dire straits.

Path of Trollslayer

The Path of Trollslayer focuses on fully embracing the rage of the dishonored Slayer. This rage turns them into an offensive powerhouse at the expense of straining their own bodies beyond all reasonable limits. While this leaves the Slayer quickly overextended and vulnerable with their defensive capabilities highly diminished, a specialist in this Mastery will quickly overwhelm any foe who stands before them. Slayers of this path tend to focus on a single distracted enemy.

Path of Giantslayer

The Path of Giantslayer drives the Slayer to punish their enemies with constant, powerful hits as the shamed Dwarf continuously channels their rage into exhausting attacks. This consistent burning-away of their rage results in them lacking some of the sheer brutal power that their anger would otherwise grant them, but it also prevents them from becoming overextended and vulnerable. A master of this path prefers to finish off their enemies with decisive and well-placed attacks, and is more capable of shrugging off a foes feeble strikes.

Path of Skavenslayer

The Path of Skavenslayer focuses on using cunning to fight several opponents at once. A distinctive balance between the Slayers two extremes of combat styles, a master Skavenslayer is adept at striking a balance between embracing their rage and anger, yet still having the presence of mind to unleash an exhaustive attack before they become too vulnerable. This more tactical-based training makes a specialist in this path adept at following the complex flow of battle, and allows them to easily deal with multiple enemies.

Important Stats

 

As a Slayer you will need the following statistics which you can improve using armor sets, weapons, rings, talismans and renown points

 

Strength Skill: Increases your melee damage and  reduces your opponent’s chance to block or parry.

Weapons Skill: Increases your armor penetration and parry.

Critical Chance: Increases your chance to deal critical damage ( not the amount). 

Wounds: Increases your overall HP. You can never have enough HP.

Acquiring Gear

There are many ways to get gear:

  1. Open RvR:  The gear and weapons you get here are for your main spec. When you kill or lock a zone you will be given a number of War Crests according to your level which you can trade for armor and weapons. At the end of a zone if you roll high enough you will be give a color bag with may contain certain tokens that you can trade and get a jewel set. Engineers don’t have defensive jewels set like other classes.
  2. Scenarios: Scenarios remain a very strong source of gear. You continue to earn War Crests at the end of every scenario, which are then traded with vendors in Altdorf (Order) or the Inevitable City (Destruction) for armor and weapons. The quality of gear from scenarios can still be among the best in the game, making them a crucial part of gearing up.
  3. Achievements & Tokens: The Tome of Knowledge is still a vital system. By completing achievements (e.g., killing a certain number of creatures, collecting specific items, or exploring areas), you unlock entries in your Tome. These unlocks can reward tokens that are then traded in the library in Altdorf or the Inevitable City for unique jewels or tactics. Some very desirable sets and bonuses can be acquired this way. The development team has continued to add more Tome Achievement Unlocks, including some tied to Live Events as of 2025.
  4.  Tier 4 epic quests: The epic quest lines in each area continue to be a source of significant rewards. Upon completing these lengthy, multi-step quest chains, you are typically given a choice of a powerful item, often with unique appearances or stats. These quests are a reliable way to get high-quality gear.
  5.  Dungeons & Lairs: Dungeons and lairs are still important for acquiring gear, weapons, and jewels, both while leveling up and for end-game progression. The RoR team has been actively updating and even adding new PvE content. For example, as of early 2025, there’s a “Lost Vale” dungeon update introducing new armor sets (Dark Promise sets, including main spec, off-spec, and hybrid options), and materials for crafting permanent rings.
  6. Ward System: The game utilizes a “Ward” system where you often need to unlock lower-tier Ward sets before being able to equip higher-tier dungeon gear (e.g., Gunbad -> City -> Bastion Stair).
  7. Public Quests (PQs): While not strictly “dungeons,” PQs are large-scale PvE events that can also provide gear through loot bags. RoR has implemented different difficulties for PQs (Easy, Normal, Hard) which scale with the recommended number of players and offer varying loot quality.

The text on the Slayer class provides a good, concise overview of its role as a melee DPS, its scaling with combat, and its general applicability in RVR. It correctly identifies its strengths in both single-target and AoE damage, and its need for support.

To provide a more comprehensive RVR role analysis, we can expand on the implications of its unique mechanics and how they truly define its presence on the battlefield, explicitly linking its abilities to RVR impact.

 

The Slayer: Dwarf Berserker of the Order Frontline

 

The Slayer in Warhammer Online: Return of Reckoning epitomizes the high-risk, high-reward melee DPS. This Dwarf berserker is designed to be at the heart of the fight, thriving on sustained combat and delivering some of the most devastating physical damage on the Order side in Realm vs. Realm (RVR).

 

RVR Strengths: Unleashed Mayhem

  • Scaling Offensive Power: The Slayer’s core identity revolves around its ability to become stronger the longer they fight. This unique mechanic means that with proper support, a Slayer can quickly ramp up into an unstoppable force, tearing through enemy lines. This makes them a prime target for enemy CC and focus fire, but if left unchecked, they can decimate multiple foes.
  • Versatile Damage Dealer (Single Target & AoE): Slayers are exceptionally proficient in both single-target and AoE damage, regardless of whether they wield dual axes or a massive two-handed weapon. This versatility allows them to adapt to various RVR scenarios, from burning down high-priority enemy healers or DPS to cleaving through tightly packed enemy formations. Their powerful AoE skills are particularly effective in scenarios and warbands where enemies tend to clump together.
  • Indispensable in Group RVR: Slayers are a highly sought-after commodity in almost all RVR activities:
    • 6-Man Parties & Scenarios: In smaller groups, a Slayer, ideally paired with a “bodyguard” tank like an Ironbreaker (due to their strong racial synergy and the Ironbreaker’s Guard), becomes a terrifying damage duo. Any tank, however, is crucial for keeping the Slayer alive and allowing them to unleash their full potential. They provide the raw burst and sustained damage needed to quickly break enemy lines.
    • Warbands (24-Man Groups): In large-scale warband engagements, Slayers are vital for breaking through enemy frontlines and carving out space for the rest of the melee train. Their ability to deliver high burst and sustained AoE damage makes them excellent “meat grinders” in the heart of the chaotic melees that define warband vs. warband combat.
  • Exceptional Mobility and Disruption: Slayers are not just about raw damage; they possess key tools for RVR:
    • Sprint: Allows them to rapidly close gaps with elusive enemy backliners, ensuring they can stick to their targets.
    • Knockdown: A crucial crowd control ability for interrupting casts, peeling for allies, or securing kills.
    • Rampage (Unblockable Skills): This powerful cooldown temporarily makes their attacks unblockable, allowing them to bypass crucial defensive layers of enemy tanks and melee DPS, ensuring their damage connects during critical moments. This makes them a nightmare for tanks trying to hold a line.

 

RVR Challenges: The Glass Cannon’s Burden

  • Reliance on Support: Despite their immense damage potential, Slayers are inherently fragile. They are designed to deal damage, not absorb it. As such, they are highly reliant on Guard from a tank and consistent healing from a healer. “Be ready to die a lot” is a stark, yet accurate, warning for uncoordinated play. A Slayer without a guard or healing support is a prime target for enemy focus fire and quickly falls. This dependency on support makes strong communication and team play absolutely essential for a Slayer to thrive in RVR.
  • Solo Roaming Difficulty: While possible, solo roaming as a Slayer is extremely challenging. Their lack of self-sustain and defensive cooldowns makes them vulnerable to being overwhelmed, especially by organized groups or classes with strong burst or kiting abilities. They perform best when integrated into a cohesive unit.

 

The Slayer in RVR: A Commitment to Carnage

The Slayer is a commitment: a commitment to relentless aggression and, at times, frequent death. But for players who embrace this high-stakes playstyle, and for groups willing to provide the necessary support, the Slayer delivers unparalleled melee DPS on the Order side. They are the shock troops of the Dwarf army, designed to smash through the enemy with brute force and an unyielding will, making them a consistently impactful presence in all forms of Warhammer Online’s RVR.

Playing a Damage Per Second (DPS) class in Warhammer Online: Return of Reckoning (RoR) is all about maximizing your offensive output, assisting your tank, and eliminating enemy threats efficiently. While tanks soak damage and healers keep everyone alive, DPS are the sharp end of the spear, responsible for taking down the enemy.

Just like with tanks, the specific skill names and mechanics will vary slightly between DPS careers (e.g., White Lion, Slayer, Witch Hunter, Shadow Warrior for Order; Choppa, Marauder, Sorcerer, Squig Herder for Destruction), but the core principles of effective DPS remain consistent.

 

The Core Philosophy of a RoR DPS

 

A successful RoR DPS focuses on:

  1. Target Prioritization: Knowing who to hit and when to hit them.
  2. Damage Maximization: Utilizing your rotations, procs, and cooldowns effectively to output the highest possible damage.
  3. Situational Awareness: Avoiding unnecessary damage, positioning for optimal attacks, and reacting to battlefield changes.
  4. Assisting Allies: Peeling for healers, interrupting key enemy abilities, and adding utility where needed.

 

Essential DPS Skills and Their Usage

 

1. Core Damage Abilities (Spam/Rotation Skills)

 

  • What they do: These are your bread-and-butter attacks, forming the core of your damage rotation. They generate resources (if applicable) or simply deal consistent damage.
  • When they’re used:
    • On Cooldown (or as part of your rotation): Most DPS careers have a specific sequence of abilities that maximize their damage output. Learn this rotation and execute it consistently.
    • Resource Management: If your class uses a resource (e.g., Meticulous Strike for Witch Hunters generating ‘Accuracy’), ensure you’re using your skills in a way that keeps your resource high enough to use your more powerful abilities.
  • Example: As a Choppa, your core rotation might involve alternating between “Furious Choppa” (damage + rage generation) and “Rampage” (damage + rage consumption), trying to keep your “Reckless Abandon” buff up as much as possible. You’re constantly hitting these abilities as soon as they’re available, focusing on your primary target.

 

2. Burst / Cooldown Abilities

 

  • What they do: These are your most powerful damage-dealing abilities, often with long cooldowns. They are designed to deliver a massive spike of damage in a short window.
  • When they’re used:
    • Opening Engagements: Often used at the very start of a fight, especially in coordinated assaults, to quickly eliminate a priority target.
    • Execute Phase: When an enemy’s health drops low, burst abilities can quickly finish them off before they can be healed or escape.
    • Responding to Healing: If an enemy is being heavily healed, a coordinated burst from multiple DPS can overwhelm the healing.
    • Focus Fire: Used in conjunction with other DPS to quickly eliminate a pre-called target.
  • Example: As a Sorcerer, you might open with “Daemonic Breath” or “Gaze of the Dark Gods” to apply a powerful debuff or initial burst, followed by your core rotation. When your group calls for a focus fire on an enemy healer, you pop your “Gifts of Chaos” to significantly amplify your damage for a short duration and unleash your most powerful spells.

 

3. Interrupts (Punt, Stagger, Silence)

 

  • What they do: These abilities stop an enemy’s current cast, preventing them from using a spell or channeled ability.
  • When they’re used:
    • Critical Casts: Identify and interrupt high-impact enemy abilities. This includes:
      • Heals: Stopping enemy healers from saving their allies.
      • CC: Preventing enemy mages from polymorphing your tank or putting your healer to sleep.
      • Big DPS Spells: Interrupting powerful AoE nukes or single-target burst spells.
    • Denying Resources: Some abilities are crucial for resource generation. Interrupting them can starve an enemy.
    • Setting up Kills: Interrupting an enemy’s escape ability can ensure they stay in range for your group to finish them.
  • Example: You see an enemy Archmage beginning to cast “Healing Resonance,” a powerful AoE heal. You immediately use your “Rift Blade” (Shadow Warrior) or “Gut Ripper” (Witch Hunter) to interrupt the cast, denying their group a significant amount of healing.

 

4. Crowd Control (CC) – Roots, Snares, Stuns, Disarms, Blinds

 

  • What they do: These abilities impair enemy movement, actions, or vision, making them vulnerable or preventing them from attacking.
  • When they’re used:
    • Peeling for Allies: If an enemy melee DPS is on your healer, a root or snare can create distance, allowing your healer to escape or for your tank to re-engage.
    • Target Isolation: Rooting a specific enemy can prevent them from fleeing or reaching their allies for healing.
    • Setting Up Kills: Stuns can hold an enemy in place for your group to burst them down without retaliation. Disarms prevent melee attackers from using their weapons.
    • Kiting: Applying snares to keep dangerous melee enemies at a distance while you deal damage.
  • Example: An enemy Witch Elf has bypassed your tank and is now tearing into your Bright Wizard. You quickly apply a “Winged Death” (Witch Hunter) to root the Witch Elf, allowing your Bright Wizard to create distance and for your tank to pick them up.

 

5. Debuffs (Offensive Utility)

 

  • What they do: DPS classes often have abilities that reduce enemy armor, resistances, outgoing damage, or healing received.
  • When they’re used:
    • Focus Fire Enhancement: Apply armor or resistance debuffs to the enemy target your group is focusing. This significantly increases the damage all your allies deal to that target.
    • Threat Reduction: Debuffs that reduce enemy damage output can ease the burden on your healers, especially from dangerous melee DPS.
    • Anti-Heal: Apply anti-healing debuffs to enemy healers or high-priority targets to reduce the effectiveness of incoming healing.
  • Example: Your warband is focusing an enemy Ironbreaker. As a Squig Herder, you consistently apply “Barbed Arrow” to him, reducing his armor and making him much easier for your entire group to burn down.

 

General DPS Principles

 

  • Target Priority:
    • Healers First (often): Eliminating enemy healers is usually the quickest way to win a fight.
    • Squishy DPS: Mages, archers, and some melee DPS are often easier to kill than tanks and can deal significant damage if left unchecked.
    • Debuffers/CCers: Sometimes, taking out an enemy who is consistently applying powerful debuffs or CC to your team is a higher priority.
    • Tanks Last: Tanks are designed to be hard to kill. Only focus them if all higher priority targets are dead or they are isolated and vulnerable.
  • Positioning:
    • Melee DPS: Stay on the enemy’s flanks or back to avoid cleaves and maximize your damage (some classes get bonuses for this). Stick to your tank’s target or peel for your healers.
    • Ranged DPS: Maintain maximum range from the enemy frontline while still having line of sight to your target. Stay near your healers for potential peels or heals. Avoid being isolated.
  • Situational Awareness:
    • Watch for Enemy CC: Be ready to break free from roots, snares, or stuns, or to anticipate them and use a defensive ability.
    • Avoid AoE: Don’t stand in enemy AoE spells. Even as a DPS, taking unnecessary damage taxes your healers.
    • Protect Yourself: Don’t rely solely on your healers. Use your personal defensive abilities (e.g., “Dodge” for Witch Hunters, “Thousand Cuts” for Slayers) when you’re taking heavy damage.
  • Communication: Call out your targets, especially if you’re initiating on a healer. Let your group know if you’re getting focused or if you’re out of position.
  • Renown Skills: Prioritize offensive renown skills like Weapon Skill/Ballistic Skill, Initiative, and Strength/Intelligence. Defensive renown can be useful too, but your primary role is damage.
  • Potions: Keep damage potions and speed potions on hand to enhance your burst or escape sticky situations.

By mastering these elements, a DPS player in RoR becomes a crucial force, turning the tide of battle through decisive damage and intelligent utility.

Pre Best in Slot Gear

🚧Pre-Best-in-Slot Gear Set:
Helmet: Sentinel Set
Shoulders: Vanquisher Set
Cloak: Genesis Cloak
Chest: Vanquisher Set
Belt: Vanquisher Set
Gloves: Vanquisher Set
Boots: Vanquisher Set
Mainhand: War Crest vendor with Titan’s Prefix
Offhand: War Crest vendor with Titan’s Prefix
Jewelry Slot 1: Genesis Rings
Jewelry Slot 2:
Genesis Rings
Jewelry Slot 3: Sentinel Set (+6% Parry)
Jewelry Slot 4: Genesis Rings
Talisman: Weapon Skill

Best in Slot Gear

⭐Best-in-Slot Gear Set:
Helmet: Sovereign Set
Shoulders: Sovereign Set
Cloak: Sovereign Set
Chest: Sovereign Set
Belt: Triumphant Set
Gloves: Triumphant Set
Boots: Triumphant Set
Mainhand: Bloodlord Axe
Offhand: Fortress Weapon
Jewelry Slot 1: Vale-Walker OR Platinum Onyx Annulus
Jewelry Slot 2: Exquisite Gunbad Amber OR Copper Onyx Annulus
Jewelry Slot 3: Triumphant Set (+6% Parry)
Jewelry Slot 4: Sovereign Set
Talisman: Weapon Skill

Builds are based on Uchoo guide

Slayer AoE Build

Spent you ability points as shown below: Path of Trollslayer 13 points  /  Path of Skavenslayer 16 Points Pick the following morals: Pick the following tactics: Spend your renown points as shown below: Talismans 4 x 23 (or better) Wounds 4 x 23 (or better) Initiative Pots