Slayer Build and Best Skills

The Slayer Warrior Build is a build you can create for the Slayer specialization in Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Learn the best skills to get, the best weapon and armor to use, the best companions to bring, and more!

Warrior Guides
Best Builds	Skill Tree & Priority	All Equipment
Champion Builds	Reaper Builds	Slayer Builds

The Best Slayer Build for Dragon Age: Veilguard

Early-Game Slayer Build

Skills	1. Driving Kick 2. Fury of the Forge 3. Whirlwind 4. Flashing Fists
Main	Woodsong Cleaver +10% Weapon Damage
Off-Hand	Captain's Heater +25% Stagger
Alt. Weapon	Winged Glaive +10% Weapon Damage
Helmet	Carastes Double-Hat +20% Resistance (Any)
Armor	Brawler's Decorated Leathers +20% Resistance (Any)
Belt	Reinforced Binding
Amulet	Heart of Andraste +15% Critical Damage
Ring 1	Biting Thumb +25% Rage Generation
Ring 2	Amaranthine Loop +25% Rage Generation
Runes	1. Besiege 2. Ravage 3. Upend
Companions	Bellara: Fade Bolts Replenish (Bellara) Enfeebling Shot
	Harding: Soothing Potion (Harding) Adrenaline Rush (Harding) Shred

The Early Game Slayer's build functions mostly on stacking raw damage buffs and Rage Generation, as most of their abilities need Rage to use.

As with most Early Game set-ups, the enchantments used do not matter too much as the early build relies more on whether or not the player can get higher-stat items for the time being.

Endgame Slayer Build

Skills	1. Heroic Leap +75% Critical Damage 2. Driving Kick +25% Ability Stagger 3. Whirlwind +25% Ability Critical Damage 4. For Gold and Glory
Main	Woodsong Cleaver +20% Armor Damage
Off-Hand	Fade-Touched Bulwark +20% Barrier Damage
Alt. Weapon	Elven Rockbreaker +15% Charged Attack Damage
Helmet	Field-Commander's Helm +10% Ultimate Generation
Armor	Brawler's Decorated Leathers +20% Advantage Duration
Belt	Warping Wrap
Amulet	All-Mother's Copse +15% Critical Damage
Ring 1	Biting Thumb +25% Rage Generation
Ring 2	Twin Palladium +25% Smash Ability Damage
Runes	1. Fortify 2. Escalate 3. Ravage
Companions	Harding: Soothing Potion (Harding) Adrenaline Rush (Harding) Shred
	Neve: Icebreaker Blizzard Glacial Pace

By Late Game, the Slayer should have plenty of overall buffs spread out on their kit, with emphasis on Rage Generation, Ability Damage, and Charged Attack Damage.

At this point, most of the Slayer's equipment and abilities should be able to deal high stagger damage to frequently open up enemies for takedowns.

Slayer Skill Priority

Skill Tree Progression

Order	Skill	Description
1	Counterblow (Core)	Deflect your enemy’s attack and perform a powerful counterattack.
2	Downfall (Core)	Jump attacks guarantee Critical hits if the target is Knocked Down.
3	Fury of the Forge (Weapons)	Burning steel blades rain down on your enemies. Applies Burning on impact.
4	Velocity (Weapons)	Stagger from weapon attacks: +20%
5	Guardian's Reprieve (Lord of Fortune)	Performing a Takedown heals you for 250 health and grants Deflect.
6	Concentration (Lord of Fortune)	Charged attack damage: +10%
7	Flames of Victory (Lord of Fortune)	Gain Flaming Weapons on a successful Takedown. You generate 25% more Stagger from weapon hits while Flaming Weapons is active.
8	Bulwark (Lord of Fortune)	Physical Resistance: +10%
9	Concussive Smash (Lord of Fortune)	Hitting enemies with a Smash Ability permanently reduces their Defense by 20.
10	Whirlwind (Lord of Fortune)	Unleash a whirlwind of steel that damages everything it hits and ends with a final massive blow. The final hit deals increased damage and Stagger. It is also highly likely to disrupt enemies.
11	Staggering Charge (Lord of Fortune)	Stagger from Charged attacks: +20%
12	Overhand Smash (Lord of Fortune)	Smash Abilities now deal an additional 50% damage vs. Armor and deal 50% more Stagger.
13	Precision Strikes (Lord of Fortune)	Hitting enemies with a Strike Ability deals increased damage equal to 50% of your base Weakpoint damage.
14	Heavy Hitter (Lord of Fortune)	Heavy attack damage: +10%
15	Blunt Force (Lord of Fortune)	Enemies are Knocked Down when their Armor breaks.
16	Bulwark (Lord of Fortune)	Physical Resistance: +10%
17	Executioner's Gaze (Lord of Fortune)	Final attacks are Critical hits vs. enemies with Low Health.
18	Determined Death (Weapons)	You can now hold down your Final attacks, strengthening their impacts. Releasing with perfect timing adds a powerful effect based on your weapon type.
19	Wrath (Weapons)	Critical damage: +10%
20	Dazzle (Weapons)	Hitting multiple enemies with a single Area Ability grants Quickened.
21	Rolling Thunder (Lord of Fortune)	After Charged attacks, use a Light attack or Heavy attack to follow up with an additional powerful Charged attack.
22	For Gold and Glory (Slayer)	Glory favors the bold. Leap into the fray. Deals very high Stagger to enemies within range.
23	Heroic Leap (Slayer)	Leap forward and deal heavy damage to any nearby enemies. Deals high Stagger and is likely to disrupt enemies. Detonates Weakened.
24	Incite Violence (Weapons)	Generate 15% more Rage from weapon attacks. This value is doubled vs. enemies suffering from an Affliction.
25	Sharper Edge (Slayer)	Penetration: +15%
26	Charged Smash (Slayer)	Smash Abilities are now Charged attacks. For Whirlwind, this applies only to the final hit.
27	Determination (Slayer)	Physical damage: +10%
28	Striking Precision (Slayer)	Hitting an enemy with a Strike Ability grants Precision. The duration of Precision resets if it is already active.
29	Concentration (Weapons)	Charged attack damage: +10%
30	Bloody Vengeance (Weapons)	Charged attacks with Swords or Axes apply Bleeding to enemies. Charged attacks with Mauls or Shields deal 15% bonus damage vs. Bleeding enemies.
31	Wear and Tear (Weapons)	Damage from Area Abilities gain 30% Penetration.
32	Two-Handed Wind-Up (Slayer)	Charged attacks with your Two-Handed Weapon can be charged even further, unlocking a powerful new attack and greatly increasing its effectiveness.
33	Decisive Finish (Slayer)	Agile attack damage: +10% Charged attack damage: +10% Final attack damage: +10%
34	Furor (Slayer)	Charged attacks generate more Rage relative to Charge level.
35	Blindside (Slayer)	After a short delay, Charged attacks deal an additional 150 Physical damage.
36	Shellbreaker (Abilities)	Damage vs. Armor: +20%
37	Critical Power (Abilities)	Gain Enhanced Damage on Critical hit kill.
38	Wrath (Abilities)	Critical damage: +10%
39	Arm's Reach (Abilities)	The effects of Smash Abilities cover a greater distance. The distance depends on the Ability.
40	Depth of Fury (Weapons)	Maximum Rage: +50
41	Decisive Finish (Weapons)	Agile attack damage: +10% Charged attack damage: +10% Final attack damage: +10%
42	Arc of Destruction (Slayer)	After a Sprint Attack, use a Light attack or Heavy attack to follow up with an additional Final attack.
43	Harder Hits (Slayer)	Weapon damage: +10% Ability damage: +10%
44	Double-Edged (Slayer)	Bonus Ability damage also applies to Weapon damage at 20% of its value. Bonus Weapon damage also applies to Ability damage at 20% of its value.
45	Violent Catharsis (Slayer)	Expending Rage heals you for 100% of the Rage spent.
46	Quick Strikes (Lord of Fortune)	Defeating an enemy with a Strike Ability replenishes 25 Rage.
47	Shellbreaker (Lord of Fortune)	Damage vs. Armor: +20%
48	Critical Leverage (Weapons)	Strike Abilities are guaranteed to do Critical damage vs. enemies more than 10 meters away.
49	Underestimated (Weapons)	Light attack damage vs. health: +10%
50	Punisher (Weapons)	Damage dealt by Strike Abilities vs. enemies with Low Health increases by 25%.
51	Triple Threat (Lord of Fortune)	Equipping an Ability of each damage type increases Ability damage by 20%.
52	Fighting Dirty (Weapons)	Hitting enemies with a Strike Ability applies an Affliction aligned with the Ability's damage type.
53	Spill Blood (Weapons)	Maximum Bleeding stacks: +1
54	Desolate Malady (Weapons)	Affliction damage: +10%
55	Staggering Finale (Weapons)	Stagger from Final attacks: +20%

Early Game Progression

The Set-up for an Early Game Slayer is based on unlocking as many direct damage and ability buffs while making your way to the Slayer Tree.

While this build foregoes defensive options and essentially makes Rook a direct-confrontation glass cannon, it makes up for it by giving the player the ability to shred most enemies they will come across.

Best Warrior Builds

Late Game Progression

By Late Game, the Slayer should invest into plenty of Ability Upgrades that upgrade either Smash or Area abilities, as all three of their basic abilities are Smash-focused, with Whirlwind being an Area ability.

Skill Breakpoint

Slayer does not have any hard Skill Breakpoints as the power gain is incremental instead of sudden, meaning that every upgrade counts towards improving Slayer's damage over time.

Best Slayer Weapons

	Early Game	Endgame
Main Weapon	Woodsong Cleaver Enchantments: +10% Weapon Damage	Woodsong Cleaver Enchantments: +20% Armor Damage
Off-Hand	Captain's Heater Enchantments: +25% Stagger	Fade-Touched Bulwark Enchantments: +20% Barrier Damage
Alt. Weapon	Winged Glaive Enchantments: +10% Weapon Damage	Elven Rockbreaker Enchantments: +15% Charged Attack Damage

As much as possible, use any weapon that boosts your overall damage as specific weapon choices really do not have too much of an effect in the early game.

By Late Game however, a Slayer's arsenal is incredibly versatile, as most of their damage will come from abilities. Despite that, Elven Rockbreaker stands out as a solid choice due to the high damage and stagger numbers.

Best Slayer Gear

	Early Game	Endgame
Helmet	Carastes Double-Hat Enchantments: +20% Resistance (Any)	Field-Commander's Helm Enchantments: +10% Ultimate Generation
Armor	Brawler's Decorated Leathers Enchantments: +20% Resistance (Any)	Brawler's Decorated Leathers Enchantments: +20% Advantage Duration
Belt	Reinforced Binding	Warping Wrap
Amulet	Heart of Andraste Enchantments: +15% Critical Damage	All-Mother's Copse Enchantments: +15% Critical Damage
Ring 1	Biting Thumb Enchantments: +25% Rage Generation	Biting Thumb Enchantments: +25% Rage Generation
Ring 2	Amaranthine Loop Enchantments: +25% Rage Generation	Twin Palladium Enchantments: +25% Smash Ability Damage

When building your Slayer for the early game, you might want to focus on the Warrior's main drawback of being locked out to abilities at the start of a fight due to sub-par Rage Generation.

By Late Game, Field-Commander's Helm drastically changes the build, as it allows Slayer to use all of their Rage abilities for free, setting them up to have cooldowns instead, as well as empowering their damage using the rage bar.

Best Slayer Runes

	Rune	Pros & Cons
Early Game
	Besiege	• Probably the best rune to slot in the early game. • Bypasses Barrier attack damage penalty altogether, making sure you are breaking it the fastest way possible. • Use this if enemies have the blue barrier meter up.
	Ravage	• A straight up damage boost against enemies. • Deals +50% damage when the enemies are reduced to their red health. • Great for finishing off enemies.
	Upend	• Gives you additional bonuses to damage that scales with how much defensive stats you originally had. • Good as an early-game glass cannon option once you stagger an opponent.
End Game
	Fortify	• Grants invulnerable for a brief period which is useful for keeping Rook alive in key moments of a fight.
	Escalate	• Enhances your next ability with more damage. • Passively gives +10% Ability Damage. • Great for maxing out the damage of your abilities.
	Ravage	• Flat damage boost when damaging Health. • Deals 50% more damage for all attacks/spells when you are damaging their health. • Ideal for finishing off enemies.

The Slayer's early rune setup is meant to give them straight increases to damage against multiple types at the cost of survivability.

When reaching endgame however, the Slayer's Late Game Rune setup consists of Fortify for the invulnerability window, and Escalate and Ravage for the damage buffs, with Escalate in particular being a good rune to look out for.

Best Slayer Companions

Early Game Companions

Companion	Build
Bellara	Skills: Fade Bolts Replenish (Bellara) Enfeebling Shot Equipment: Main Weapon: Storm Armor: Utility Dress
Harding	Skills: Soothing Potion (Harding) Adrenaline Rush (Harding) Shred Equipment: Main Weapon: My Regards Armor: Scout's Compassion

For this build, we suggest bringing Harding and Bellara because of both of them being able to trigger Sundered, and Bellara being able to apply Weakened, which can be detonated by Rook's Driving Kick.

Harding's role in the fight is to either keep Rook topped up on health and buffs, or apply Sundered onto opponents, while Bellara detonates Sundered using Fade Bolts, or prime the Weakened status with Enfeebling Shot.

Endgame Companions

Companion	Build
Harding	Skills: Soothing Potion (Harding) Adrenaline Rush (Harding) Shred Equipment: Main Weapon: My Regards Armor: Scout's Compassion Trinket: Bianca's Bolt
Neve	Skills: Icebreaker Blizzard Glacial Pace Equipment: Main Weapon: Winged Locus Armor: Gabardine Overcoat Trinket: Exhaustive Notes

By Late Game, keep Harding but swap out Bellara for Neve as she will be able to contribute more personal damage and a way to trigger Weakened passively.

The rest of Neve's kit can be changed as needed to fit the scenario, and you can opt to replace Blizzard or Icebreaker with her Supportive Ability instead.

How to Play the Slayer

The Slayer's main bread-and-butter is being able to abuse Rage generation to spam their abilities and deal heavy health and stagger damage to multiple opponents.

With that, the Slayer needs to be hyper-aggressive to take full advantage of the rage generation, the damage they let Rook do, and the utility they bring.

• Quickly Fill Up Rage
• Heroic Leap for High Stagger
• Driving Kick Weakened Opponents
• Whirlwind Against Groups
• For Gold and Glory As a Nuke

Quickly Fill Up Rage

Regardless of whether or not you are using the Field-Commander's Helm, your main priority should be to generate rage via attacks and general aggression.

During the early game, use your main weapons to shred foes, and shield to stagger them. By Late Game, rage should be easier to generate, making its benefits easier to activate.

Heroic Leap for High Stagger

Heroic Leap becomes one of your general-use abilities that inflict high stagger and knocks down smaller opponents with the impact.

Use this as a way to either start fights if Driving Kick is on cooldown, or weave it during your attacks to potentially open up opponents for takedowns.

Driving Kick Weakened Opponents

Neve or Bellara can apply weakened onto opponents, allowing you to use Driving Kick on them to not only send them flying and deal high stagger, but also prime them as a traveling explosive.

Apply weakened with your allies and aim the afflicted opponent into group with Driving Kick for heavy AoE damage.

Whirlwind Against Groups

Whirlwind is a powerful tool for dealing damage to swathes of opponents, as well as knocking them back and keeping Rook invulnerable for its duration.

It should be noted that Whirlwind can be cancelled early by hitting the attack button, though it is advised to let it run for the entire duration.

For Gold and Glory As a Nuke

For Gold and Glory is a powerful ability that annihilates most of the enemies that are unlucky enough to be its target. Use this whenever available as a high-damage and high-value nuke.

If it is available before a fight starts, you may opt to cast this as the opening move on a high priority target, as this will either kill them or set them up to be finished off by the rest of your abilities.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Related Guides

All Classes, Specializations, and Best Builds

List of Class and Specialization Builds

Warrior Class
Champion	Slayer	Reaper
Mage Class
Death Caller	Spellblade	Evoker
Rogue Class
Duelist	Veil Ranger	Saboteur