tips to use slayers

[Alexis]

So I've been playing dwarves for a long time now and in all my playthroughs I always found that slayers were complete rubbish. They die way too easily, even when against their favorite large type enemies. Honestly I mostly had to send two, even three Slayer stacks to take out certain monsters. They're just glass cannons in my opinion (and not that great of a cannon).

Anyway enough ranting, I'm playing Karak Kadrin now and though I could easily switch out slayers and just play my fav stacks, I really want to play slayers well and alot this time. I know that somewhere these guys can be amzing because everytime the AI fields 'em against me, they rack up tons of kills and mostly outlast till the very end of the battle when everyone else has already routed. Man the amount of damage they sometimes did to my Chosen... Not at the moment though, they got chewed up by goblin spears for christ sakes, thank The grungni for our artillery.

Tips anyone? I guess putting points in certain tree points of Ungrim but I want them to be good in other armies too.

[Wh♂♂par]

They need someone else to tank the main damage source for them. If you send them in, with a damage sponge, they'll do well. They're great in MP, because you don't have to care about, if they die or not for post-battle, since there's...no follow-up battles to be had. In SP, they have more issues, since, only really with Ungrim, the replenishment rate is good enough for a lot of Slayers in your army, or having them as your main frontline.

[TVMAN]

Originally posted by Wh♂♂par:

They need someone else to tank the main damage source for them. If you send them in, with a damage sponge, they'll do well.

Pretty much this. Karak Kadrin can get away with using mostly slayers in the beginning since you're up against nothing but orc boys, but once you start consolidating your position you'll really want to start swapping out your front line of slayers in favor of dwarf warriors.

With their (comparably) better mobility and high melee damage, slayers are the closest to an effective flanking unit the Dwarfs have. Use your heavily armored dwarf warriors to pin your target in place and send slayers to attack them in the rear.

[Mors Avis]

Slayers are your typical damage dealing/flanker, with some anti-large capabilities, but, like shock cavalry, you have to be careful with how you use them because they have no armor.

As others have said, your warriors, longbeards, ironbreakers, etc. should be tanking/holding targets in place before you charge in the slayers.

Also, remember, even though they are fast (by dwarf standards), they can't outrun cavalry ... and, for Grimnir's sake, watch for enemy missile units. Fast units that can shoot whilst moving will shred them to pieces, as will any archers that can reach them.

[Wyvern]

Slayers are largely pointless in SP(except as a pseudocav) because AI is just THAT bad at using its own large units. The main reason theyre good in MP is because human players can actually micro/utilize their heavy cav or single model monsters to the fullest, vs the braindead AI youre better off just using dwarf warriors/longbeards/ironbreakers while letting your shooting massacre the enemy cav, since the AI is never gonna force path through your infantry or even flank adequately to be a threat.

[Green Raven]

Understanding slayers is tricky. They have an incredibly high Melee Defence, but no Armour whatsoever.

Massive creatures like Giants and Shaggoths rely on single, earthshattering blows. The Slayers high defensive skill, however, means these blows wont land home.

On the other hand, swarm units like goblins rain dozens of blows per unit... and becouse theres no armour, those hits HURT.

Slayers, therefore, are uniquely suited to take out large, high value targets, but arent cost effective against run of the mill infantry.

[Smash]

Isn't a Slayer's defensive skill fairly mediocre at best?

[Green Raven]

Incredibly high was probably an overstatement ;P

[TVMAN]

Might be an overstatement but 32 MD is definitely high for its tier and price point.

[s†. Chris†opher]

The problem with Slayers is that to maximize their potential you need to activate deathblow. This is why in Multiplayer their role is to screen and defend cavalry and monsters; effectively trading for higher upkeep targets.

In singleplayer battles are more about sustainability/attrition rather than straight trading, and is the reason why ungrim has a very high casualty bonus to himself and slayers.

Even with Ungrim and his upgrades you only take a couple of slayers, to defend agains monsters and cav. There are much better damage dealers on their roster with higher survivability/durability; even thunderers deal with cav and monsters, if you screen with other units. For speed, rangers are just as fast with better defensive stats, shields and regen(bugman).

Obviously the easier the difficulty the more slayers you can take. But i would like to make a Legendary viable build with as many slayers as possible some time, but my most recent playthrough ended up being breakers, a few slayers, an organ gun and rest thunderers since gunfire was patched/fixed, fun times.

[Zane87]

You don't use them.
Thank me later

[Alexis]

thanks guys, I'll try to use em as cav-ish units for some starting battles and cycle 'em in as the hammer to my anvil, but I guess I'll swap em out eventually (or maybo hold two to get that extra anti-large if needed). First I'll need some more money for a good front and then I'll try your tricks.

still using 'em that way kinda hurts dwarfs static tactiic a bit no? And I would choose hammerers everytime to hammer (haha) in the back

[Pheen]

Originally posted by Alexis:

thanks guys, I'll try to use em as cav-ish units for some starting battles and cycle 'em in as the hammer to my anvil, but I guess I'll swap em out eventually (or maybo hold two to get that extra anti-large if needed). First I'll need some more money for a good front and then I'll try your tricks.

still using 'em that way kinda hurts dwarfs static tactiic a bit no? And I would choose hammerers everytime to hammer (haha) in the back

Dont use slayers as anvil, don't use anything dwarf as anvil even. Hold the line with your ironbreakers, nuke the sjit out of them with arti/gunners etc.

Depending on the faction, say vampires (or anything with fliers or summons) put a 2 or so groups of slayers to protect your arti/ranged.

Atleast, this is how I play dwarfs on vh/vh, then again, I always try to bait my enemies into an underground engagement.

[TVMAN]

Originally posted by Alexis:

thanks guys, I'll try to use em as cav-ish units for some starting battles and cycle 'em in as the hammer to my anvil, but I guess I'll swap em out eventually (or maybo hold two to get that extra anti-large if needed). First I'll need some more money for a good front and then I'll try your tricks.

Once you're up on your feet and able to recruit a more solid dwarf front line, I'd say there's no reason to take more than two slayers or giant slayers per stack.

I usually hold them back in reserve so they can counter cav movements and protect my ranged, then I send them into melee once the main lines have met and the enemy flanking force has been dealt with.

Two units of slayers and quarrelers with great weapons means you'll have a solid back line that can fend for itself while protecting your arty.

still using 'em that way kinda hurts dwarfs static tactiic a bit no? And I would choose hammerers everytime to hammer (haha) in the back

If you're going to make that argument, the same could apply to Gyros. No, having a handful of mobile options doesn't change the dwarfs main tactic of being a static bearded axe-covered fortress. Continuing with the castle analogy, your slayers would basically be the force that sallies forth to raid the enemy rear during a siege.

[Alexis]

thanks again ;)

[fenlander]

Slayers are only good vs large units. They are the Dwarven spearmen replacements. So send them up against cavalry units, and larger.

If going into a cavalry though make sure to send them in on a flank attack and aid a dwarven unit. If going up against trolls and other monester types they are good on their own.

I sent two units of slayers after two giants. The giants routed and fled the battle with the two slayer units following. Each time the giant rallied the slayers broke them. They managed to help keep the giants from wrecking my front line and allowed the artilary to do its job.