Slayer Weapons
Slayer Weapons
A Slayer Weapon is a weapon (or, in modern UO, a Spellbook, Songbook, or other usable item) carrying a Slayer property that grants it double damage against creatures of one specific group, plus the chance of fear-flee behavior on those creatures, but at the cost of double damage taken from creatures of the opposing slayer pair. Slayer Weapons are one of the oldest and most permanent damage-multiplier mechanics in UO — predating the modern percentage-property system entirely — and they remain build-defining for any character planning to fight a single creature type repeatedly. The companion article Slayer covers the slayer-property mechanic itself in full detail; this article documents the weapon-side practicalities: what slayer weapons exist, how to acquire each, and how to use them in different combat templates.
Quick mechanics summary
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Damage to slayer's prey | ×2 (double damage) |
| Fear-flee chance on prey | ~10% (fast running away on hit) |
| Damage taken from opposing pair | ×2 (double damage taken) |
| Stacks with other DI bonuses | Yes — additive with most modifiers |
| Carry weight | None — slayer is a property, not a separate item |
| Bypasses Resists | No — slayer multiplies the final damage |
The fear-flee chance and the 2× damage to the prey is the primary value. The 2× damage from the opposing-pair creatures is the trade-off that mandates a different slayer for different prey — you cannot carry a single "all-slayer" weapon. (No such property exists.)
Slayer groups
There are two tiers of slayer property. Lesser Slayers target a narrow species; Super Slayers cover a thematic family.
Super Slayers (broader; group includes many creature types)
| Super Slayer | Covers | Opposing pair |
|---|---|---|
| Repond (humanoid) | Orcs, Ogres, Trolls, Lizardmen, Ratmen, Centaurs, Cyclops, Titans | (none — Repond has no opposing pair) |
| Reptile | Dragons, Wyverns, Drakes, Lizardmen (overlap with Repond), Serpents, Hydras, Lava Lizards | (none) |
| Demon | Demons, Daemons, Imps, Succubi, Balrons, Arcane Daemons, Iron Beetles | Holy Slayers carry as Demonic-pair counterweight (mostly fictional usage; see below) |
| Undead | Skeletons, Liches, Zombies, Wraiths, Bone Daemons, Bone Knights, Mummies | (no opposing pair in the modern game) |
| Elemental | Fire/Water/Earth/Air Elementals, Blood Elementals, Snow Elementals, Acid Elementals | (none) |
| Arachnid | Spiders, Dread Spiders, Giant Spiders, Terathans, Solen, Spider Queens | (none) |
| Fey (added later) | Pixies, Wisps, Treefellows, Sprites, Eyrie | (none) |
Lesser Slayers (narrower; specific species)
| Slayer | Targets | Opposing pair |
|---|---|---|
| Orc Slayer | Orcs only (Orc Captains, Orc Mages, Orc Brutes, Orc Lords) | None directly (Repond is the broader group) |
| Troll Slayer | Trolls | None |
| Ogre Slayer | Ogres, Ogre Lords | None |
| Lizardman Slayer | Lizardmen | None |
| Ratman Slayer | Ratmen | None |
| Daemon Slayer | Daemons, Demon Knights, Imps | None |
| Gargoyle Slayer | Gargoyles | None |
| Dragon Slayer | Dragons (Greater Dragons, Wyverns, Hydras qualify) | None |
| Spider Slayer | Spiders | None |
| Scorpion Slayer | Scorpions | None |
| Snake Slayer | Snakes, Snake-form NPCs | None |
| Terathan Slayer | Terathans only | None |
| Ophidian Slayer | Ophidians (Lost Lands species) | None |
| Skeleton Slayer | Skeletons only | None |
| Lich Slayer | Liches | None |
| Mage Slayer | Casting NPCs (specific tag) | None |
| Air Elemental / Earth Elemental / Fire Elemental / Water Elemental / Blood Elemental / Snow Elemental / Poison Elemental Slayers | Specific elementals only | None |
The full list is approximately 35 distinct slayer types. Each "lesser" slayer is a subset of one super-slayer.
Slayer weapons in modern UO
| Source | What you get |
|---|---|
| Random monster loot | Slayer-tagged weapons drop with random properties; common at all skill levels. |
| Champion Spawn drops | Theme-matching slayers drop disproportionately at certain spawns (Repond at orc spawns, Undead at the Lord Oaks Champion Spawn, etc.) — see Champion Spawn theme tables in Champion_Spawn. |
| Treasure Map chests | Slayer weapons in level 4+ chests, randomized. |
| Imbuing | The Slayer property can be imbued onto weapons. Resources required: 5 Enchanted Essence + 10 of a specific gem + 10 of a slayer-themed reagent. Imbued slayers cap at the standard slayer intensity. |
| Spellbook slayers | Slayer property on Spellbooks — useful for Mages who can't wield a weapon. Same damage multiplier on spells targeting the slayer's prey. |
| Songbook slayers | Bardic Slayer property — affects Provocation/Discordance/Peacemaking against the slayer's prey. |
Imbuing a slayer
To imbue a Slayer property on a weapon:
| Property | Resource cost (typical) |
|---|---|
| Lesser Slayer | 5 Enchanted Essence + 10 specific gem + 10 reagent + Imbuing skill ≥ 50 |
| Super Slayer | 10 Enchanted Essence + 10 Relic Fragment + 10 reagent + Imbuing skill ≥ 100 |
Specific gem/reagent depends on slayer type — Repond uses Bloodspawn + Brain, Undead uses Daemon Bones + Bones, etc. Check the in-game Imbuing menu for full reagent table.
The imbued slayer is always a single named slayer. Stacking two slayers on one weapon is not possible.
Slayer + Champion Spawn farming workflow
A pure-slayer farming template:
- Choose a Champion Spawn and identify the dominant creature type (e.g., the Lord Oaks spawn = Wisps and undead-like fey; Barracoon = ratmen with a Repond bias).
- Imbue or acquire the matching slayer (or super-slayer for broader coverage).
- Run the spawn at full speed — the 2× damage cuts kill-time per creature in half.
- The fear-flee chance breaks creature pile-ups: enemies on slayer-pair flee, scattering and re-engaging at staggered intervals, reducing the burst-AoE damage you take.
See also
- Slayer — the slayer-property mechanic in full
- Vanquishing — pre-AoS damage prefix; not the same as slayer
- Imbuing — modern slayer-imbue source
- Champion_Spawn — slayer drop source by theme
- Treasure_Map — slayer chest drops
- Repond · Undead · Demon · Reptile · Elemental · Arachnid · Fey — Super Slayer group articles