This guide is currently a work in progress. Expect additional content and changes to existing content before the guide is finished.

Update 7-9-2015: Equipment updated for Go Berserk patch. The rotation demo video and racial traits section will take some more time.

Even while lugging around a huge greatsword, the Slayer enjoys unparalleled mobility at no expense of damage. While slow to start, endgame combat will see the Slayer in a frenzy, animation canceling skills and micromanaging cooldowns in order to maximize DPS.

With a vast array of defensive options on top of a lethal arsenal of sword skills, the Slayer can often be easier to play than TERA's ranged DPS classes. While there is inherent risk in playing a melee DPS class, Slayers thrive in high-pressure situations, able to evade damage long after other classes have exhausted their defensive abilities.

I will use several acronyms to refer to several of the Slayer's most used abilties:

WW = Whirlwind
OHS = Overhand Strike
UOHS = Ultimate Overhand Strike
KDS = Knockdown Strike
HT = Heart Thrust
OP = Overpower
MS = Measured Slice

While playing Slayers, an important concept to master is the idea of animation canceling. In TERA, every almost every action has an animation associated with it. 99% of the time, these animations are longer than they need to be.

For example, the animation for KDS. Less than half of it involves actually hurting the enemy. By waiting through both the windup and the recovery, a lot of time is wasted. This is where animation canceling comes into play. By making use of it, the useless part of KDS' animation can be cut short, minimizing time spent locked into playing useless animations, or "animation lock".

Basically, the idea of animation canceling is to minimize downtime, get through rotations faster, and reduce the Slayer's vulnerability to damage. While animation canceling is a part of every class in TERA, it is especially important for Slayers, since OHS and Eviscerate can cancel almost every damage skill early, and after that, MS can cancel OHS early.

They're the same thing. With the release of the gunner class, En Masse decided for whatever reason to change any references of Crit Rate to Crit Factor. So if anything says Crit Rate in this guide, that's what's up.

Teradatabase.net

1. Slayer Skills and Glyphs

• 1.1 Damage
  
  • Combo Attack
    
  • Whirlwind (WW)
    
  • Knockdown Strike (KDS)
    
  • Overhand Strike (OHS)
    
  • Distant Blade
    
  • Fury Strike
    
  • Heart Thrust (HT)
    
  • Overpower (OP)
    
  • In Cold Blood (ICB)
    
  • Measured Slice (MS)
    
  • Eviscerate
  
  
• 1.2 Mobility/Evasion
  
  • Evasive Roll
    
  • Dash
    
  • Headlong Rush
    
  • Leaping Strike
    
  • Backstab
  
  
• 1.3 Utilty
  
  • Triumphant Shout
    
  • Retaliate
    
  • Startling Kick
    
  • Tenacity
    
  • Stunning Backhand
    
  • Exhausting Blow

2. Rotations

3. Equipment

• 3.1 Greatsword and Weapon Crystals
  
• 3.2 Cuirass and Armor Crystals
  
• 3.3 Gloves
  
• 3.4 Boots
  
• 3.5 Earrings and Earring Crystals
  
• 3.6 Rings and Ring Crystals
  
• 3.7 Necklace and Jewelry Sets
  
• 3.8 Brooch
  
• 3.9 Belt
  
• 3.10 Underwear

4. Consumables

• 4.1 Essential Consumables
  
• 4.2 Uncommon Consumables
  
• 4.3 Luxury Consumables

5. Dungeon-Specific Advice

6. Race-Specific Advantages and Disadvantages

Glyphs are graded on usefulness based on color:

indicates bad glyphs that are never used

indicates glyphs that have situational uses at best

indicates good glyphs that are useful everywhere

They appear in the same order as they do in the skill description. All glyph points listed are the point costs of advanced glyphs unlocked through glyph boxes, Sabex Armory, or Macellarius Catacombs.

Lower-level Slayers will find themselves using Combo Attack often, as skills and mana pools are limited. However, at the endgame, Combo Attack should be used as little as possible, since almost every skill the Slayer has does more damage, and because there are plenty of ways to restore mana.

Against some BAMs that summon groups of additional enemies, a single Combo Attack can restore huge amounts of mana, since each enemy hit by Combo Attack restores a flat amount of mana.

[6]Glyph of Power
This glyph is never useful at any point in the game. By level 20, the Slayer should have much better ways to kill things.

[4]Glyph of Spirit
There is not enough added mana regeneration to make this glyph worth it.

[4]Glyph of the Swift
There are much better ways to boost damage than this glyph. Having to use Combo Attack first before boosting the speed of other skills ruins the point of the glyph.



The Slayer’s first skill is also one of the most versatile in the entire kit. Whether it is used for mobbing or tearing through a BAM’s health, WW is one of the Slayer’s hardest hitting skills, especially after unlocking Glyph of Carving. WW is also one of the few attack skills that can be canceled early by Evasive Roll, meaning that the Slayer cannot be caught off guard while using this skill.

[4]Glyph of Brilliance
Don’t use mana cost reduction glyphs. There are so many ways to restore mana through both consumables and healer skills that it isn’t worth sacrificing damage.

[5]Glyph of Carving
One of the Slayer’s best glyphs on one of the Slayer’s best skills. This is a must on every PvE Slayer build.



This skill is important to consider for bosses that have interruptible attacks, such as Tantibus in Bathysmal Rise. Later, when In Cold Blood II is obtained, KDS is also a good way to get off a lot of Ultimate Overhand Strikes, since it is one of the skills that does not go on cooldown when it is canceled early enough.

Against BAMs, using KDS at a bad time can get the Slayer killed because of the animation lock. If they are fast enough, Slayers that are locked into the animation for KDS but desperately need to get out of the way of an attack can first cancel KDS with OHS or Eviscerate, then use Evasive Roll. If both OHS and Eviscerate are on cooldown, however, tough luck.

[5]Glyph of Powerlink (Whirlwind)
This glyph provides a very substantial damage bonus to WW, but it comes at the price of having to use KDS before WW for maximum effectiveness, which may not appeal to every Slayer.

[6]Glyph of Powerlink (Overhand Strike)
My personal testing has concluded that this glyph does not affect Ultimate Overhand Strike. If this is true, then this glyph would not be worth the six glyph points, since it only works when OHS resets many times in a row. If anyone has evidence otherwise, feel free to submit it to me.

[5]Glyph of Strength
This glyph is not useful. KDS does enough on its own.

[5]Glyph of Power
Flat damage increases are always nice to have, since they boost a skill’s base damage and make crits that much more powerful. Unfortunately, there just aren’t enough glyph points to fit this glyph into the build.

OHS is, in my opinion, the skill that defines the Slayer class. On top of being used for damage, OHS is also used to avoid lengthy animation locks, is one of the two links the Slayer has to Measured Slice, and can even be used for mobility when combined with Leaping Strike or Startling Kick.

With practice, Slayers can get through their rotations much faster by timing OHS to cancel other skills right after they apply their damage. At level cap, OHS can even become the Slayer’s hardest hitting skill after using In Cold Blood II. A good critical strike from Ultimate Overhand Strike can rival Measured Slice in damage.

[5]Glyph of Persistence
This glyph is what makes the Slayer the Slayer. The majority of the Slayer’s skills involve animation canceling with OHS/Eviscerate, so it would be ridiculous not to have this glyph selected.

[4]Glyph of Restoration
In party play, this glyph is usually not needed. However, for solo play, or if the healer simply cannot be trusted, this glyph can go a long way towards keeping the Slayer alive. Keep in mind HP is only restored if OHS damages an enemy.



Distant Blade has two main uses. The first is acting as a filler skill in a Slayer’s DPS rotation when the other heavier-hitting skills are on cooldown. The second is acting as a makeshift mobility tool in combat, since the Slayer takes a quick step forward after each shot of Distant Blade.

Most of the time, Slayers just use the first two shots of Distant Blade, since the third shot does not do enough damage to make it worth the animation lock. It can be used to some effectiveness if Roll is available to cancel the animation lock, but then the Slayer would be exchanging a valuable dodge for not that much damage. Not the best use of Roll, in my opinion.

[4]Glyph of Brilliance
Don’t use mana cost reduction glyphs.

[5]Glyph of Numbing
This glyph does not have much effect on BAMs. Against mobs, this glyph still doesn’t do much because Distant Blade only affects 1 target at a time.




Fury Strike does not find much use in PvE unless the Slayer is specifically built to take advantage of builds that rely on being below 50% HP. Most Slayers only use these builds in easy dungeons to get through them faster, however. Above 50% HP, Fury Strike is usually not worth using because of its large mana cost, and the fact that it does not chain into OHS/Eviscerate.

[4]Glyph of Blaze
Since Fury Strike cannot be canceled by any skill, using this skill to add speed to another one ruins the point of the glyph.

[4]Glyph of Restoration
There’s no way to reset the cooldown on Backhand, so this glyph is useless. Plus, if the Slayer intentionally is fighting at low HP, this glyph would actually work against the Slayer.

[5]Glyph of Power
Even without this glyph, Fury Strike can hit harder than both MS and UOHS when the Slayer is near death. Tack on 25% bonus damage and Fury Strike becomes an excellent skill for expert Slayers that want to finish a dungeon as quickly as possible.

Heart Thrust is the Slayer’s hardest hitting skill behind Eviscerate and MS, so it is the ideal combo starter in OHS/Eviscerate rotations. However, HT is infamous for being difficult to use on small targets. Because HT is a forward stab instead of a slash, its hitbox often fails to come into contact with enemies. Here is a visualization of the situation:



Unfortunately, there is no easy way to ensure HT hits accurately. Crosshair placement depends on many factors, including the Slayer's race, the size of the enemy, latency, as well as any animations the enemy is performing that may distort the player's view of the actual hitbox. Thus, I can only provide two general tips:

• HT is almost always easier to hit with when used a few meters away from the intended target.
  
• If aiming right at a target does not work, try aiming away to the sides, into the ground or air.

A more detailed discussion of HT usage can be found here:
http://tera-forums.enmasse.com/forums/slayer/topics/Step-Heart-Thrust-How-to-land-Heart-Thrusts-from-all-ranges?page=1

[6]Glyph of Power
[4]Glyph of Persistence
[5]Glyph of Carving
HT is one of the biggest sources of damage for the Slayer, so it makes sense to enhance it. However, some Slayers do decide to take off Glyph of Persistence when facing mobile enemies that don’t stay in one place very long, or when they participate in PvP.



Overpower adds a good bit of damage to Slayer combos, and is especially useful for destroying shields, but because of the animation it should not be used constantly. I will talk more about using Overpower in the Rotations section.

[3]Glyph of Brilliance
Don’t use mana cost reduction glyphs.

[5]Glyph of Carving
The added crit rate from this glyph helps ensure that the next skill will hit like a truck. It works particularly well with HT/Eviscerate, since those two skills already have a very high base damage value.

[5]Glyph of Boost
This is a decent glyph, but in my opinion, the five glyph points are better spent elsewhere. Slayers that use this glyph do so to specialize in burst damage, which is effective in PvP, and against BAMs with limited vulnerability windows.



This is the Slayer’s express ticket to DPS town. ICB is best used to get through difficult DPS checks, or when it is apparent that the target will remain stationary for a long time. Try to only use ICB when OHS is off cooldown. Even though UOHS does not have a cooldown, the Slayer still has to wait for OHS to become available in order to use UOHS. This would waste valuable time on ICB.

[3]Glyph of Brilliance
Don’t use mana cost reduction glyphs.

[2]Glyph of Blaze
It’s not the best glyph, but since my build only gives me two leftover points, I just put this in since there’s no other glyph that costs two points.



When Ultimate Overhand Strike is not available, Measured Slice will always be the Slayer’s hardest hitting skill. Thus, it is important to use it as many times as possible. As I will get into in the Rotations section, the Slayer’s main goal is to use Measured Slice every time it becomes available.

[6]Glyph of Carving
[6]Glyph of Power
MS does massive damage to enemies, and these glyphs make it do even more. Should be a no-brainer.

In terms of damage, Eviscerate is second only to MS/UOHS. Its glyphs also make the Slayer’s other skills more powerful, and to top it all off, it has a far shorter cooldown than HT. Just like MS, using Eviscerate as often as possible will maximize the Slayer’s damage potential.

[5]Glyph of Power
Higher base damage on one of the Slayer’s hardest hitting skills. Sign me up.

[4]Glyph of Powerlink (Overhand Strike)
Because the duration of this glyph is longer than the cooldown for OHS, making use of this glyph is extremely easy if the Slayer rotates through skills correctly.

[4]Glyph of Energy
Normally I don’t like using cooldown buffs, but this one in particular is effective because Eviscerate has high base damage, and because it is one of the two links to MS. It also helps against bosses that are vulnerable to knockdowns/staggers.

[3]Glyph of Powerlink (Measured Slice)
In PvE, I only use MS after OHS or Eviscerate, so it makes sense to add a damage bonus to MS on a skill that is almost always used before MS.

In addition to granting a small amount of mobility, Roll makes the Slayer essentially invincible for its duration. Skilled use of Roll is a foundation of high-level Slayer play, because Rolling through enemies allows easier access to their back, and because a dead DPS does no damage.

It can be hard to grapple with the idea of rolling through an attack, but the Basilisks at Oblivion Woods are a good enemy to practice against until it is time to move onto faster, more difficult BAMs.

Good Slayers should keep in mind that this invincibility cuts two ways, however. It is possible to “dodge” heals and buffs from Priests and Mystics, since Roll also makes the Slayer untargetable to spells such as Focus Heal, Healing Circle, etc.

[4]Glyph of Fleetfoot
This doesn’t do anything in PvE, as the Slayer already has enough mobility to deal with any situation. Relying on this glyph as a crutch would just lead to bad habits later on.

[4]Glyph of Persistence
This could actually be a decent glyph if it had a higher chance to activate. But 20% is too low, especially since the glyph only has one chance to activate, after the Slayer rolls twice within 4 seconds.

[4]Glyph of Powerlink (Fury Strike)
This glyph has to be only for the most hardcore Slayers, since Slayers that use Fury Strike builds already walk a very fine line. Sacrificing a safety net for even more damage on Fury Strike is highly risky, but can also pay off big-time.

[4]Glyph of Powerlink (Backstab)
Backstab barely does any damage to start with, making this glyph useless.



In combat, the difference between someone with Dash active and someone without it is clear as night and day. The massive speed boost provided by Dash has a variety of uses, from AoE dodging to chasing those annoying BAMs that jump all over the place.

[4]Glyph of Energy
The Slayer has enough mobility already. If mobility is a must, for whatever reason, I would rather take Glyph of Energy on Headlong Rush rather than Dash.



Rush makes up a large part of the Slayer’s mobility, but it can be also be used offensively.

Against BAMs that do not have wide area attacks that might need to be avoided, Rush can be used to speed up lengthy attack animations. When the Slayer is right next to a boss, Rush stops immediately, but the buff is preserved. A popular use of Rush is to speed up WW, KDS, or Resurrection Scrolls.

When Slayers need to use Rush to get away from BAMs, however, they should be careful not to place any of the BAM in the crosshairs before using Rush. It is never fun to die because Rush locked onto the wrong enemy. A good way to make sure that there is no target locked is to look down and away from any enemies that the Slayer needs to get away from.

[5]Glyph of Energy
Slayers already have enough mobility. It could be useful for those learning to fight against new BAMs, but it can also develop some bad habits if used for too long.

[4]Glyph of Powerlink
Useless. If, for whatever reason, more KDS damage was needed, then the Glyph of Power on KDS itself would be a much better choice.



Since BAMs rarely get knocked down, most Slayers just use Leaping Strike for its mobility. Leaping Strike is effective at escaping lethal AoE attacks, but it only works as a pure movement tool if OHS is available to use. Using Leaping Strike without OHS just for movement is ineffective, since waiting out the animation lock at the end of the skill ruins the point of using Leaping Strike in the first place.

[4]Glyph of Brilliance
Don’t use mana cost reduction glyphs.

Backstab has two main uses. If the Slayer is feeling confident against the enemy, Backstab can be used as a way to get in place for back crits quickly. Otherwise, the Slayer can save Backstab as an extra safety net.

Although the Slayer has to be aiming at a target to use Backstab, many inanimate objects with a health pool are technically considered “enemies” by the game, such as the gates in Corsair’s Stronghold, and Backstab can be used on them.

[5]Glyph of Energy
Does not reduce the cooldown of Backstab enough to make it worthwhile in place of a damage glyph.

[3]Glyph of Blaze (Heart Thrust)
[4]Glyph of Blaze (Knockdown Strike)
Not useful at all, especially since this glyph is on a skill with a 25 second cooldown.

Shout is not that remarkable of a skill, as Combo Attack restores a similar amount of mana, or more. However, it is still useful if the Slayer needs to keep mana bars up during long periods of downtime.

[3]Glyph of Spriit
Does not restore enough mana to make it worth the glyph points.

[3]Glyph of Energy
Still does not restore enough mana to make it worth the glyph points.

[5]Glyph of Grounding
I can’t remember the last time I had to use this glyph, but it could be useful in a select few situations, or if the healer/tank simply cannot be trusted to perform. Against some bosses, an extra 20% endurance could prevent an instant death.



For PvE, Retaliate can be used without much thought, since that are not many points in the game at which the cooldown of Retaliate matters, and because the Slayer has three different skills that grant brief immunity to knockdowns (WW, KDS, HT).

However, it is still a good idea to keep the cooldown of Retaliate in mind for certain situations such as fighting a swarm of mobs/minions. Smart use of Retaliate is especially important for Slayers that also participate in knockdown-heavy PvP battles, as knowing when to use Retaliate and when NOT to is the mark of an experienced Slayer.

[3]Glyph of Power
Retaliate is not a hard-hitting skill by any means. Even if it was, nobody should be using Retaliate to do DPS.

[5]Glyph of Powerlink
Leaping Strike doesn’t do that much damage either.

[4]Glyph of Energy
This glyph is not needed for PvE.



Kick does not do that much in PvE, since many BAMs are immune to crowd control. Still, there are a handful of fights in which chaining crowd control on mobs is important, such as the ghosts that Darkan summons in Sky Cruiser Endeavor.

Most of the time, though, Kick is used as a mobility tool, or as a combo starter for OHS/Eviscerate rotations. It can also be used to get to a target's back instead of Roll or Backstab.

[4]Glyph of Brilliance
Don’t use mana cost reduction glyphs.

[4]Glyph of Lingering
This glyph is only useful against the ghosts Darkan summons in Sky Crusier Endeavor. Even then, it is only really needed if the party lacks crowd control.

[4]Glyph of Blaze (KDS)
[4]Glyph of Blaze (HT)
[3]Glyph of the Swift
Not useful in PvE. The points are better spent elsewhere.



In PvE, Tenacity is only really useful for mana restoration, as there are few situations in which the stun resistance makes a difference.

[4]Glyph of Balance
As far as I am concerned, balance is a completely useless statistic. Even as a level 65 Slayer with good gear, I can still get knocked down by level 1 mobs. In TERA, attacks that are meant to knockdown targets can always do so, regardless of the target’s balance rating.

[3]Glyph of Energy
If a Slayer is truly strapped for mana, the next glyph would be a much better option.

[3]Glyph of Infusion
If the glyph activates, the Slayer gets a guaranteed 30% mana back, on top of the 480 MP Tenacity already provides. A pretty good glyph for when the healers are asleep.



For PvE, Backhand is pretty much the same thing as Kick, except that it does not have the mobility of Kick, and also does less damage than Kick. So, again, its usefulness is restricted to a few battles, and as a combo starter for OHS/Eviscerate rotations.

[3]Glyph of Power
Like the Glyph of Power for KDS, I’d like to have this glyph, but I just don’t have the points for it.

Like the skill description says, this skill does not do anything in PvE.

[4]Glyph of Power
[6]Glyph of Energy
This skill isn’t used in PvE, so there’s no point in putting any glyphs onto it.

Contrary to popular belief, the Slayer is not simply a “spacebar” class. Most high level players know this, though, and just say it to have a bit of fun trolling other people.

The main goal of a Slayer’s DPS rotation is to use skills in a way that allows the Slayer to get off as many Measured Slices, OHS, and Eviscerates as possible. This requires some foresight and advance planning, and in the heat of battle, it can be tough to stay on top of skill orders when both HT and OHS have a random chance to reset.

Basically, the Slayer's damage can be thought of less as a rotation, and more like a skill order. The randomness inherent in the Slayer's skill resets requires a much more freeform approach to skill usage.

Most Slayers open fights with this rotation:
This is always the rotation that will produce the most damage, so when HT, OHS, Eviscerate, and MS are up, this rotation will always be the most optimal.

Even when MS is on cooldown, however, good Slayers can continue to do DPS. The priority of skills to be used while MS is down looks like this:


*WW is a good skill to speed up with Rush

*KDS is a good skill to speed up with Rush
**If using WW Powerlink glyph, make sure to use KDS before WW


*Don't use Kick if OHS and Eviscerate are on cooldown.

*Don't use Backhand if OHS and Eviscerate are on cooldown.

Overpower enters the equation during downtime, or when, while working through the above skills, OHS/Eviscerate are on cooldown but are around a second away from becoming available. Using Overpower fills the brief period of time that that would otherwise be spent waiting for OHS/Eviscerate to recharge, and gets the most out of the Slayer's abilities.

Manipulating cooldowns like this to ensure OHS, Eviscerate, and Measured Slice are always in use is a surefire way to become top DPS. If OHS, Eviscerate or MS are ever NOT on cooldown, something is wrong.

When Kick and Backhand are the only skills left available, there are still several things a Slayer can do. If low on mana, this is a good time to use Combo Attack to restore mana. Or, the Slayer can use Distant Blade as a filler, and then use Overpower to prepare for the next attacks.

Remember when I talked about using Measured Slice as much as possible? Here’s where that foresight comes in. When Measured Slice has less cooldown time remaining than the next OHS or Eviscerate, it is actually better to save one of them so MS can be used right away. It can be difficult to resist using OHS and Eviscerate, but delaying MS multiple times during a fight can add up to a lot of lost DPS.

Now for rotations with ICB up.

After going through the Go-To rotation

It is possible to proceed as normal, just with guaranteed OHS resets. It is also possible to spam UOHS by using KDS, then canceling it with UOHS:


Basically, just spam UOHS as many times as possible. And when Eviscerate and MS come off cooldown, use those too. However, this burns through mana EXTREMELY quickly, so it may not be worth doing in situations where mana is tight.

Demonstration video and pictures coming SoonTM.

Since the launch of TERA, the availability of crit damage multipliers from weapon crystals and consumables has made critical hits the main source of damage for all DPS classes. The sheer amount of damage that can be done with criticals has always far exceeded the amount of damage that would be dealt through maximizing non-crit damage.

However, BAMs have gained crit resist over time, and with the introduction of level 68 bosses, it is harder than ever for DPS to score crits. Because of this trend, the optimal builds for DPS classes have moved away from maximizing power, towards maximizing crit factor. It is generally accepted that getting many smaller critical hits is preferable to only occasionally scoring a big critical.

Along these lines, I have found that 210 crit factor is a good minimum for Slayers. With 56 base crit factor, they should aim for at least 154 bonus crit factor through gear bonuses. This is a high number that involves getting crit factor from nearly every single piece of equipment, but the highest tier of equipment does have some leeway since it is possible to have over 200 bonus crit factor.


After achieving level 65 and finishing all the story quests available in Northern Arun, the Slayer will be granted a set of Idoneal equipment. This is basic gear given to all level 65 players.

Idoneal equipment can then be used to clear Bathysmal Rise Normal, which drops Fulminate equipment. Fulminate equipment can also be purchased from Vanguard Initiative credit vendors, but this is a waste of money in my opinion.

From worst to best, the relevant PvE equipment sets are:

• Idoneal
  
• Fulminate
  
• Wroth
  
• Schisma
  
• Lucid

Wroth and Schisma gear can be found in dungeons, but Lucid is only available through crafting. For PvE, Lucid gear is currently best-in-slot.

For more information on upgrading gear and gear bonuses, refer to nan0teck’s guide here:
http://teratoday.com/content/tera-guide/tera-general-guide/tera-fate-of-arun-enchanting-guide-nan0teck

New to the equipment in the Go Berserk update is the addition of a rerollable bonus for Schisma and Lucid tier weapons. Bonuses in this new rerollable slot include:

• Increase attack speed by 8% (9% Masterwork)
  
• Reduce cooldowns by 5.4% (7.2% Masterwork)
  
• Deal 7% more damage to enraged monsters (9.3% Masterwork)
  
• Increase Crit Factor by 14. (18 Masterwork)

The first three of the four possible bonuses for this slot are each very useful in their own right, while the fourth bonus - +18 crit factor - is less desirable, since there are many other ways to get bonus crit factor from gear.

Weapon Crystal Setups

• All Fine Niveots can be purchased from Vanguard Initiative credit vendors.
  
  
• The best Rare Dyad crystals are the same as those listed below, with either a Poisedly or Relentlessly prefix.
  (I don't suggest using Dyads in Wroth weapons, because they bind themselves to the first weapon they are equipped in.)

Wroth Greatswords

• Hackle's Edge can be found in Akeron's Inferno Normal, and rarely from Vault of Kaprima and Shattered Fleet.
  
  
• Hackle's Edge can also be purchased with Cosmoshards dropped in level 65 dungeons.
  
  
• Quarrelblade can be made by artisan weaponcrafters. The recipe is sold by crafting NPCs.
  
  
• I don't suggest using permanent level II or III etchings on Wroth weapons, because it is relatively easy to upgrade from Wroth to Schisma gear.

Schisma Greatswords

• Pastdivider can be found in Akeron's Inferno Hard and Timescape Normal, as well as in Schisma Weapon boxes from completing Akeron's Inferno Normal through the Instance Matching System.
  
  
• Secondsplitter can be made by master weaponcrafters. The recipe is a rare drop from level 65 dungeons.
  
  
• I don't suggest using permanent level III etchings on Schisma gear, because level III etchings are often more expensive than mid-tier gear.

Lucid Greatsword

• Crafting requires at least 400 weaponcrafting skill. Recipe is obtained from an item called "Ancient Smith Rune," which can be obtained from Timescape Normal or Hard.

Armor Crystal Setup

• All Fine Niveots can be purchased from Vanguard Initiative credit vendors.
  
  
• I don't suggest using Dyads in Wroth armor, because they bind themselves to the first cuirass they are equipped in.

Given a Slayer with a maximum HP value of 100,000, four Fine Hardy Niveots would give the Slayer effectively 124,400 HP against monsters. On the other hand, using four Fine Relentless Niveots would only raise the Slayer's HP to 121,736.

Hardy Crystals are even better when taking outside heals into consideration. Because they mitigate incoming damage instead of raising max HP, Hardy Crystals make incoming heals more effective. Going back to the previous example, a healer would only have to heal for 100,000 instead of 121,736 in order to restore the Slayer to full health.

The only time Relentless Crystals are useful, then, are for specific situations and attacks that hit for fixed amounts of damage. If a boss has a mechanic or attack that deals 50,000 damage no matter what, and a player only has 99,000 HP, then a Relentless Crystal could help the player survive three of these attacks rather than two.

Wroth Cuirasses

• Vexer's Vest can be found in Akeron's Inferno Normal, and rarely from Vault of Kaprima and Shattered Fleet.
  
  
• Vexer's Vest can also be purchased with Cosmoshards dropped in level 65 dungeons.
  
  
• Chafing Coat can be made by artisan armorcrafters. The recipe is sold by crafting NPCs.
  
  
• I don't suggest using permanent level II or III etchings on Wroth armor, because it is relatively easy to upgrade from Wroth to Schisma gear.

Slayer-specific Schisma Cuirasses

• Slashed Seacoat can be found in Akeron's Inferno Hard and Timescape Normal, as well as in Schisma Armor boxes in Akeron's Inferno Normal.
  
  
• Splintervest can be made by master armorcrafters. The recipe is a rare drop from level 65 dungeons.
  
  
• I don't suggest using permanent level III etchings on Schisma gear, because level III etchings are often more expensive than mid-tier gear.

Slayer-specific Lucid Cuirass

• Crafting requires at least 400 armorcrafting skill. Recipe is obtained from an item called "Ancient Smith Rune," which can be obtained from Timescape Normal or Hard.

Offense Wroth Gloves

• Surlymitts can be found in Akeron's Inferno Normal, and rarely from Vault of Kaprima and Shattered Fleet.
  
  
• Surlymitts can also be purchased with Cosmoshards dropped in level 65 dungeons.
  
  
• Outrage Gloves can be made by artisan armorcrafters. The recipe is sold by crafting NPCs.
  
  
• I don't suggest using permanent level II or III etchings on Wroth armor, because it is relatively easy to upgrade from Wroth to Schisma gear.

Offense Schisma Gloves

• Lifecounters can be found in Akeron's Inferno Normal/Hard and Timescape Normal.
  
  
• Corpsetakers can be made by master armorcrafters. The recipe is a rare drop from level 65 dungeons.
  
  
• I don't suggest using permanent level III etchings on Schisma gear, because level III etchings are often more expensive than mid-tier gear.

Offense Lucid Gloves

• Crafting requires at least 400 armorcrafting skill. Recipe is obtained from an item called "Ancient Smith Rune," which can be obtained from Timescape Normal or Hard.

Wroth Boots

• Umbrage Boots can be found in Akeron's Inferno Normal, and rarely from Vault of Kaprima and Shattered Fleet.
  
  
• Umbrage Boots can also be purchased with Cosmoshards dropped in level 65 dungeons.
  
  
• Boots of Resentment can be made by artisan armorcrafters. The recipe is sold by crafting NPCs.
  
  
• I don't suggest using permanent level II or III etchings on Wroth armor, because it is relatively easy to upgrade from Wroth to Schisma gear.

Schisma Boots

• Breaksteps can be found in Akeron's Inferno Normal/Hard and Timescape Normal.
  
  
• Roedancers can be made by master armorcrafters. The recipe is a rare drop from level 65 dungeons.
  
  
• I don't suggest using permanent level III etchings on Schisma gear, because level III etchings are often more expensive than mid-tier gear.

Lucid Boots

• Crafting requires at least 400 armorcrafting skill. Recipe is obtained from an item called "Ancient Smith Rune," which can be obtained from Timescape Normal or Hard.

Earring Crystal Setup

• All Vyrsks can be purchased from Vanguard Initiative credit vendors.

Edgetock Earrings

• Edgetock jewelry drops in Timescape Normal.
  
  
• Edgetock jewelry can also be purchased with Cosmoshards.
  
  
• Two pieces of jewelry with the same exact name cannot be worn at the same time.

Forcetock Earrings

• Edgetock jewelry drops in Timescape Normal.
  
  
• Edgetock jewelry can also be purchased with Cosmoshards.
  
  
• Two pieces of jewelry with the same exact name cannot be worn at the same time.

Ring Crystal Setup

• All Vyrsks can be purchased from Vanguard Initiative credit vendors.

Edgetock Ring

• Edgetock jewelry drops in Timescape Normal.
  
  
• Edgetock jewelry can also be purchased with Cosmoshards.
  
  
• Two pieces of jewelry with the same exact name cannot be worn at the same time.

Forcetock Ring

• Edgetock jewelry drops in Timescape Normal.
  
  
• Edgetock jewelry can also be purchased with Cosmoshards.
  
  
• Two pieces of jewelry with the same exact name cannot be worn at the same time.

Edgetime Necklace

• Drops in Shattered Fleet.
  
  
• Can also be purchased with Cosmoshards.

As the table makes apparent, players who were fortunate enough to obtain good Deathwise Cascades and Signets before the Go Berserk patch will enjoy a small advantage over those that only have access to Edgetime/Forcetime jewelry. Deathwise Cascades and Signets can also be obtained from Ghillieglade and Alliance Vaults, but they are rare.

For those lacking the older Deathwise jewelry, the two viable setups are 3 Edgetime/2 Forcetime, or Pure Edgetime. Based on my past experiences, however, using subpar jewelry in order to maximize Crit Factor actually hurts DPS if the player gets enough crit factor from other sources.

The Pure Edgetime loadout trades 22 power for only 26 additional crit factor. It really isn't a great ratio, but for new Slayers who do not have access to a lot of crit factor, going with the Pure Edgetime setup may be necessary.

Not enough testing has been done yet that proves one brooch is clearly superior to the other. Both have their pros and cons and are quite viable. The Quickcarve Brooch will lead to more mana usage, but the added attack speed alone can do a lot to boost DPS when the player has very precise timing for animation canceling.

Fortunately, the Simple Brooches are fairly easy to obtain, so it should be easy to get both a Simple Empowered Brooch and a Simple Quickcarve Brooch. Experiment a bit before deciding on crafting or buying a superior Crafted Brooch.

Simple Brooches

• Simple brooches drop in many level 65 dungeons. (More exact description WIP)

Crafted Brooches

• Crafted brooches can be made by master weaponcrafters or armorcrafters. Recipes are a rare drop from level 65 dungeons.

Wroth Belt

• Belt can be found in Akeron's Inferno Normal.
  
  
• It can also be purchased with Cosmoshards.

Schisma Belt

• Belt can be found in Timescape Normal.

Lucid Belt

• Belt can be found in Timescape Hard.

Superior quality underwear offers miniscule improvements over rare quality underwear, and are definitely not anywhere near worth the added cost. Those who don't have the money to min-max can stick with rare underwear.

Rare underwear can sometimes be found for cheap at the trade broker, so keep an eye out.

• Rare drop from underwear boxes bought with Goldfinger Tokens

• VERY rare drop from underwear boxes bought with Goldfinger Tokens

• Rare drop from Unyielding box of Inner Armor, bought from EMP Store

• VERY rare drop from Unyielding box of Inner Armor, bought from EMP Store

The power of consumables should never be underestimated. The wide range of combat supplies available in TERA provide substantial benefits for all classes. As a DPS class, the Slayer uses many of the consumables that other DPS classes use.

I'll be breaking consumables into three different categories: essential, uncommon, and luxury consumables.

Essential consumables are cheap, but very potent. They are considered staples of high level play, and any party worth their salt will be seen with these consumables active.

Uncommon consumables are more expensive, but still provide very helpful boosts that can only make dungeons easier to clear.

Luxury consumables are either very expensive to use, or difficult to obtain outside of limited-time events.

Charms are burned at a campfire. Charms used at a purple Charming Campfire last for 30 minutes instead of the usual 15.

All players near the campfire that are not in combat and have 48% or higher stamina receive the buff. The strength of the buff depends on the player's own stamina level.

Greater charms can be purchased at specialty stores.

• Greater Power Charm: Increases Power by 18 at 120 stam, or by 21 at 135 stam.
  
• Greater Enduring Charm: Increases Endurance by 15 at 120 stam, or by 18 at 135 stam.
  
• Greater Infused Charm: Restores 6.5% of max MP every 5 sec at 120 stam, or 7.8% at 135 stam.

Nostrums provide cooldown reduction.

Level V nostrums can be purchased from regular merchants
Level VI nostrums can be crafted by artisan alchemists.

• Nostrum of Energy V: Decreases cooldown of melee attack skills by 15% for 5 minutes.
  
• Nostrum of Energy VI: Decreases cooldown of melee attack skills by 15% for 15 minutes.

Provide added offensive power. Different kinds of Onslaught Scrolls cannot stack, so 99% of the time, Crit Power scrolls are used, as they provide the most benefit in the majority of cases.

Level VI scrolls can be crafted at skill level 450 alchemy.
Level VII scrolls can be crafted at skill level 800 alchemy. (Requires artisan specialization)

• Onslaught Scroll - Crit Power VI: Increases Critical hit multiplier by 1.38x for 15 minutes.
  
• Onslaught Scroll - Crit Power VII: Increases Critical hit multiplier by 1.42x for 15 minutes.

Potions come in two flavors: potions and elixirs. They share the same cooldown, so only one can be used at a time.

Potions restore less total HP/MP than elixirs do, but act instantly rather than over time. Draughts and Restoratives are the same things as Potions and Elixirs respectively, but are much more potent and have a longer cooldown.

In my opinion, it is better to have HP potions and draughts, and MP elixirs and restoratives. HP Potions and draughts provide instant health, and can be used on demand to save a character from certain death.

On the other hand, because the Slayer does not use large chunks of mana at a time, MP elixirs and restoratives are better because they restore more mana in total.

Level IX potions can be crafted at skill level 450 alchemy.
Level X potions can be crafted by artisan alchemists.

• Healing Potion IX: Instantly restores 14,000 HP.
  
• Healing Potion X: Instantly restores 18,200 HP.
  
• Healing Draught IX: Instantly restores 28,000 HP.
  
• Healing Draught X: Instantly restores 36,400 HP.
  
• Mana Elixir IX: Restores 114 MP per second for 10 seconds.
  
• Mana Elixir X: Restores 131 MP per second for 10 seconds.
  
• Mana Restorative IX: Restores 218 MP per second for 10 seconds.
  
• Mana Restorative X: Restores 250 MP per second for 10 seconds.

Panaceas instantly restore stamina, for those who aren't able to recover their stamina at a campfire. Remember to use these after being revived from death, or during a long fight.

Arunic panaceas are uncommon drops from monsters.
Combat panaceas can be purchased from regular merchants.

• Arunic Panacea: Restores stamina to its maximum level, but can't be used in combat.
  
• Combat Panacea: Restores 40% stamina, and can be used in combat.
  
• Battle Panacea: Restores stamina to its maximum level, and can be used in combat.

Res scrolls can revive dead players, but have a hefty 30 minute cooldown in between uses. Because of this, they are usually only used to revive dead healers. Only use rapid resurrection scrolls, not regular ones.

Scrolls of Rapid Resurrection can be purchased at regular merchants.

• Scroll of Rapid Resurrection: Creates a small circle in front of the player. After channeling is finished, the closest player is revived.

These are needed to use charms.

Every type of campfire can be found by killing BAMs, and clearing dungeons. They can also be bought with Vanguard Initiative credits, but I don't suggest doing this.

Crystalbinds prevent crystal breakage upon character death. Without crystalbinds active, players risk losing vyrsks whenever they die, which can get pricey real fast.

Crystalbinds are dropped from many BAMs.
Complete Crystalbinds can often be found in Masterwork Alkahest boxes from Vanguard Initiative credit vendors.

• Crystalbind: Crystalbinds are consumed whenever their user dies, and a crystal would have broken. Instead of the crystal breaking, the Crystalbind is consumed instead. Multiple Crystalbinds can be stacked.
  
  
• Complete Crystalbind: CCBs are not consumed early when a crystal breaks; instead, they prevent ALL crystal breakage for their complete duration (12 hours in-game time)

Noctenium Infusions are a straightforward but pricey way to boost DPS.

While activated, most of the Slayer's skills will consume one infusion, and deal around 8% increased damage. Distant Blade will consume 1 infusion per shot.

Players can collect 200 infusions per day by completing the daily alliance solo vault quest. Also look for infusions in Noctenium infusion boxes.

They can also be crafted by combining Noctenium Tissue from mobs in Alliance Territories with Noctenium Powder from Daily Alliance Quests. The item needed to combine these items is sold by Alliance Quartermasters.

Players with active Elite memberships have easy access to these potions, but those without Elite will have to do a bit of grinding to build up a good supply. Canephora and Bravery potions do not stack.

Bravery Potions can be found in Bravery Boxes, found in many end-game dungeons.

• TODO

Eclipse potions reduces aggro generation from damage. This helps tanks do their jobs, but don't expect an Eclipse Potion to do all the work; the tank still has to play the game.

Level V Eclipse Potions can be crafted at 400 alchemy.

• Eclipse Potion V: Attacks generate 25% less aggro.

Warding Scrolls provide an instant shield based on the item's level. They also prevent any knockdowns and staggers while they are active, so they are guaranteed to block at least one knockdown or stagger per use.


Goddess' Blessings are the only means in-game for dead players to revive themselves. When channeling is finished, players are resurrected with full HP, MP, and Stamina. Goddess' Blessings also grant complete invulnerability for a brief period, but it ends early if any skill is used.

There are different "types" of Goddess' Blessing. One is called "Goddess' Blessing"