I wanted to share some thoughts on how the
Slayer could be refined during the upcoming DPS overhaul.
The goal is to strengthen the Slayer’s identity as a relentless melee powerhouse — one who becomes stronger and more dangerous the closer he gets to death — while also making his core abilities more impactful and reducing the mechanical restrictions that currently hold him back.
---
1. New Finisher: Throwing Axe
The Slayer needs a
strong finisher with a ranged component — something that lets him strike down an escaping enemy and feel the full weight of his rage even when out of melee reach.
Concept:
- A Throwing Axe Finisher that hits enemies outside melee range.
- Scaling damage based on the target’s current HP — the lower their health, the higher the damage.
- Includes a crowd control element: Snare and/or knockdown (depending on rage level).
- Serves as the signature finisher of the Trollslayer tree — flashy, brutal, and unmistakably “Slayer”.
This gives the class a much-needed answer to kiting while enhancing its fantasy — a dwarf who
will have your head, no matter how far you run.
---
2. Exhaustive Blow System Revision
Right now,
too many of the Slayer’s utility tools are locked behind the Exhaustive Blow system, which limits creativity and flexibility.
Proposal:
- Only three abilities remain Exhaustive, one per mastery tree:
- Throwing Axe (Trollslayer)
- Deathblow (Giantslayer)
- Wild Swing (Skavenslayer)
- All other utilities become non-Exhaustive, freeing up the class flow.
This keeps the system meaningful but removes unnecessary friction from the gameplay loop.
---
3. Deathblow – The True Slayer Finisher
Deathblow should feel like the ultimate execution strike of a Slayer pushed to his limits.
Proposal:
- Berserk grants +50% Critical Damage Bonus
- Guaranteed Critical Hit if the target is below 50% HP
- Finisher abilities restore Rage if they kill an enemy, maintaining the Slayer’s momentum
- Visually and audibly impactful — a true moment of rage and release
This makes Deathblow feel like the climactic “moment” every Slayer build should strive toward.
---
4. Wild Swing – Brutal, Relentless, Rewarding
Wild Swing should capture the chaotic fury of a Slayer who loses himself in battle.
Proposal:
- Increased base damage and higher chance to critically hit <25% health.
- +25%, +50% strikethrough depending on rage.
- Further increased AoE while Berserk
A satisfying and thematic Skavenslayer finisher — wild, reckless, and brutally effective against weakened foes.
---
5. Fierceness – Risk and Reward, Simplified
Fierceness already fits the Slayer’s high-risk design, but it can be tuned to make the tradeoff more meaningful in the current meta.
Proposal:
- Increases Critical Hit Chance
- Increases chance to receive critical hits
A straightforward risk–reward buff that fits perfectly with the Slayer fantasy.
---
6. Even the Odds – Reactive and Thematic
Currently,
Even the Odds feels outdated and disconnected from the Slayer’s defensive theme.
It should provide reactive, short-term survivability that fits Dwarf resilience.
Proposal:
- Instead of scaling Toughness by nearby enemies, it now scales based on the number of direct hits taken within it's duration.
- Grants a secondary defensive bonus:
- Slayer: +Disrupt (reflecting dwarfs’ natural magical resistance)
- Choppa counterpart: +Dodge (fits their physical, agile theme)
This makes the ability reactive, flavorful, and lore-consistent.
---
7. Mobility & Inevitable Doom Replacement
If the current community consensus remains that
Inevitable Doom is overtuned or unhealthy for the game, it could be replaced with a new, more dynamic mobility tool:
Proposal:
- Replace Inevitable Doom with a Leap Ability.
- On impact, causes a small AoE damage burst and a mini-punt / interrupt.
- Functions as the Slayer’s answer to the Choppa’s pull.
This would dramatically improve Slayer’s mobility and teamfight presence, while preserving balance and role symmetry with his Greenskin counterpart.
---
Summary Table
| Ability | Change | Purpose |
|----------|---------|----------|
|
Throwing Axe (new) | Ranged finisher, scaling damage + knockdown/snare | Solves kiting issues |
|
Deathblow | +50% crit dmg, guaranteed crit <50% HP, restores Rage on kill | Core Giantslayer finisher |
|
Wild Swing | More strikethrough, better chance to crit low health enemies, more range | Core Skavenslayer finisher |
|
Exhaustive Blow System | Only 3 Exhaustives (1 per tree) | Frees utility, keeps structure |
|
Fierceness | +Crit chance / +Crit vulnerability | Classic Slayer risk–reward buff |
|
Even the Odds | Toughness + Disrupt (Slayer) / Dodge (Choppa) based on hits | Reactive defense, lore-consistent |
|
Inevitable Doom (rework) | Replaced by AoE Leap with mini-punt | Mobility and symmetry with Choppa |
---
Closing Thoughts
These changes aim to:
- Strengthen Slayer’s identity as an unrelenting berserker;
- Make his finishers truly satisfying and skill-defining;
- Remove needless mechanical friction from his kit; and
- Provide a more dynamic and reactive playstyle that rewards aggression and precision.
This isn’t about power creep — it’s about
clarity, impact, and flavor.
Each mastery tree gets one signature finisher, while the class as a whole becomes more fluid, responsive, and faithful to the Slayer ideal.
WAAAGH? No. GRUDGES. 
[Slayer] DPS Rework Wishlist
Throwing Axe (New Finisher) 
Deathblow 
Wild Swing 
Exhaustive Blow System 
Even the Odds 
Mobility / Inevitable Doom Replacement 
5. Fierceness – Risk and Reward, Simplified
7. Mobility & Inevitable Doom Replacement
Summary Table
Summary of why this whole rework could backfire:
