Gauntlet™: Slayer Edition Strategies

Hello, friend(s)!

This has facts, combos and other useful tips for playing. It’s a guide made from personal experience. After months (of grinding for gold, completing masteries plus achievements, and collecting capes), I’ve come up with these things after independently combining moves and observing how others have played plus trying out what I learned. I don’t claim to be the best at Gauntlet Slayer Edition and certainly won’t ever be; but, hopefully, this will help out beginners and advanced players alike. All of these are better applied so practice makes perfect. By the way, this covers "five" of the characters that can be used.

Note: I'll tell you upfront that this contains some spoilers so be responsible enough to decide to carry on or otherwise. This, too, doesn’t have pictures and is filled with terminologies (click here) for convenience. I haven't also suggested specific Relics to characters since I respect the unique preferences of players.

Warrior

In-game Details

Weapon: Axe
Health: High
- Strong Melee Fighter with Wide Attacks
- Likes to rush into the thick of battle

• Thor
  
  • For temporary invulnerability, you can try using the Weapon Ability. When you’d do so, not only  would you be momentarily invincible but also can’t be interrupted.
  • The Smash Attack may let you evade being damaged but not all the time so use it wisely and mostly when you destroy Spawners or Summoning Stones. It’s also ideal for stopping big monsters like the Monstrous Mummies, Skeleton Defenders, Skeleton Commanders, Orc Juggernauts, Spider Warriors and Demon Imps which can’t be paralyzed or killed easily.
  • When destroying Summoning Stones, if you’re going to do several Slash Attacks, you better count. After three or four consecutive Slash Attacks, Thor does a stronger Slash Attack.
  • To escape from being crushed by a horde, you ought to Rush and use whichever Weapon Ability you’d select… or the other way around.
  • Of course, you can do a Leap Attack too. Or even a Super Slash Attack. Just work on your timing.
  
  • The Destructo-Spin is great if you’re starting out or just want to have a moment to think while attacking. The move takes a while to complete so you’d have the benefit of being able to make calculations.
  • The Call to War is something I don’t frequently use. However, when you’d pick the weapon for it or the Herald of the War, you’d have an axe that you could throw. Go for this if you want a Weapon Ability that’s helpful in team play and if you want a ranged weapon.
  • The Demonic Cleave is a straightforward Weapon Ability that does a massive damage. Through it, you can kill certain enemies instantly or even hordes. It can only let you cleave one direction, though, so be mindful of that when using Murder.
  • The Turbo-Slam is ideal for causing heavy damage. Once you’d use this with timing, it would be easy for you to spread out enemies and possibly even kill them. It can let you deal a lot of damage and escape so it’s a two-in-one deal kind of Weapon Ability.
  
  • It’s pretty easy to understand how Thor's Crummy Necklace can be used so you just have to throw potions right.
  • As for the Bottomless Jug, you may want to only use this if you’re worried about getting killed or are helping out a friend because of the Manifest Hunger. Turkey lovers, this one’s for you.
  • For more damage, obviously, go for the More of Thor. The Prize is also ideal if you’re in a hurry to finish levels.

Valkyrie

In-game Details

Weapon: Sword, Spear and Shield
Health: Medium
- Swift Melee Fighter with Strong Defense
- Can stand her ground against any foe

• Thyra
  
  • Combine the Sword, Spear and Shield and you’ll be fine. This means that it would be best for you to play using all three.
  • For close range, use the sword but be mindful of the number of Slash Attacks that you make since after the third or fourth one (strong Slash Attack) you’ll be compelled to deal with a bit of delay.
  • The Spear Thrust is great for escaping and for dealing instant death to enemies. You should also go for this to stop Monstrous Mummies, Skeleton Defenders, Skeleton Commanders, Orc Juggernauts, Spider Warriors and Demon Imps.
  • You should definitely remember to do Shield Block. Do it while you walk or run forward, backward and sideways to protect yourself from harm. Also, do it to make groups of foes become toppled down and unconscious.
  • Of the four Weapon Abilities, the ones that would leave you vulnerable to attacks are the 
  Shield Throw and the Smite. The other two can let you be temporarily invincible and rest.
  
  • When you’d use Shield Throw, remember to focus not on the shield or enemies being damaged or killed but on making Slash Attacks and Spear Thrusts.
  • The Freedom Protector is great for escaping and sprinting altogether.
  • Instead of running directly towards a horde to use it, you may want to do a Spear Thrust and then Extreme Prejudice. This is great for getting lots of kills and therefore for completing masteries and achievements. Of course, you could also Shield Block and wait for enemies to come near before you do Extreme Prejudice.
  • The Wrath of the Heavens is one that needs practice since it has a unique technique to it. It does let you emit electric currents that damage or instantly kill enemies only after doing Slash Attacks that has the strong Slash Attack on the third strike but you’d have absolute control over which to deal massive damage to when you'd use Smite. Smite Summoning Stones, Monstrous Mummies, Skeleton Defenders, Skeleton Commanders, Orc Juggernauts, Spider Warriors, Demon Imps and bosses since they’re the ones that need to be eliminated as soon as possible.
  
  • The Righteous Retribution can only let you swing in one direction so you should be precise. If there aren’t many enemies or for bosses, this one is dependable. Thyra’s Vow is basic so you’ll definitely know it well.
  • For team play, it’s Divine Aegis. For training, this may be ideal too. When you can’t be hit, you could make better combos so using this makes sense.
  • Add the Summon Valkyries to the Ring of Mirrors and you’ll definitely become a force to be reckoned with. If you want an army of Valkyries then gather as much potions as you can and then use them all at once.

Wizard

In-game Details

Weapon: Arcane Magic
Health: Low
- Complex but Versatile All-round Fighter
- Combines Elements to select Spells

• Merlin
  
  • In my opinion, no school is the best. They’re there to change play style. Merlin's Spellbook may be basic but it’s reliable. Unlike the The Hollow Chapters, it can let you create a Static Sphere that does damage and protects. Although you can’t shield yourself when you’d use The Hollow Chapters, you would at least have temporary Invicibility.
  • Using Merlin's Spellbook, Sinister Sentience and The Hollow Chapters, you can escape when in trouble or travel faster through Fire Serpents.
  
  • You ought to execute the Orb of Winter when you can and when you’d see hordes in front, or a Summoning Stone or several Spawners nearby so that you could slow monsters and make kills faster. Orb of Winter combined with Ice Beam can really slow down and get enemies killed by you or your allies.
  • Ice School Moves are useful since they’re perfect for offense (Ice Beam) and defense (Flash Freeze). From a distance, you could hit enemies with the Ice Beam and try the Flash Freeze when they become too close.
  • Some of the Demon School combos that I’ve made are Searing Blast + Thunderburst, and doing a Burning Orb and then executing Fire Serpents to get into the center of it. In the mix, you can add Static Sphere so you can do Hellfire. You could also release a Burning Orb where the enemies are and then go near it to it unleash Hellfire directly into the orb for superior damage.
  • For the Channeling School, it’s Storm Barrage for protection and direct damage + Repeater Bolts and then add Rift Jump to escape or wreak more havoc. Be careful with the Rift Jump since it can be unreliable when it comes to teleporting.
  • The Void School combo that I would say is common would be Vacuum to gather enemies + Flash Freeze to make sure that they stop + Flaming Mortar for complete annihilation. Before the said combination, you could choose to use Dark Torrent so that monsters would be significantly slowed.
  
  • For a direct approach to spreading out enemies or killing monsters immediately, you could try utilizing the Arcane Blast. This one is a no-brainer.
  • Although it isn’t that accurate or can't be controlled, the Active Magicite is pretty useful. It’s great for farming gold and also getting more health points. It can transform all monsters except for huge bosses. In fact, it can make your life easier when battling a Demon Horror.
  • For defensive play, you could go for the Mercury Vial. It’s nice for team work and it has longer duration than the Static Sphere. Using this Weapon Ability can let you become instantly invincible but should stay inside the barrier for absolute protection from regular monsters. The large barrier can't shield you from what special spawners in the Colosseum can hit you with. Plus objects and other things in the game like spikes and fire can damage the barrier. 

Elf

In-game Details

Weapon: Bow and Arrows
Health: Low
- Agile, Long-range Fighter
- Good at taking out important targets

• Questor
  
  • Questor uses bow and arrows so it’s pretty obvious that he’s great for long ranged offense and hitting specific targets. He can also Tumble at ease past hordes of monsters. If you’re going to use him, though, you should do Quick and Sniper Shots. Practice Aim mode (Sniper Shot) instead of just doing Quick Shots to dominate.
  
  • Magic Bomb is great for killing lots but to take advantage of it you’d have to have timing when you’d Tumble and be brave enough to get near foes. Just before it explodes, dive or Tumble right into the monsters. This is great for having more kills. If you’re not willing to be within enemies’ reach, you can always choose to do Explosive Shots.
  • The Bow of the Deep Woods is great for solo and team play. Doing Sniper Shot can let you pierce and also even eliminate several enemies. The Root Shot, on the other hand, can only stop foes so it does little damage and can’t really contribute much in taking down Spawners.
  • The Shadowstrike can let you hide and make easy kills. Plus, through Shadow Shot, you could deal lots of damage using Elf. To gather gold fast in Easy, Normal, Hard and Endless Mode, this is the one that may significantly help you out. Plus, the Smoke Bomb does damage enemies too so it’s trustworthy.
  • The Messenger can let you do Vault Shot which is great for killing or hurting monsters that are chasing you. It can also give you the opportunity to really destroy Summoning Stones and enemies fast by Mortar Shot. Although you can do Mortar Shot from a distance, in destroying Spawners, you may want to be really near when you do a Sniper Shot.
  
  • Questor's First Arrowhead works much like doing Sniper Shot using Bow of the Deep Woods. Instead of the Root Shot, you get something far more superior or deadlier. To make the most of this, you could try being in front of two Summoning Stones. Through this or by aligning two Spawners, you could destroy multiple structures with one shot. When the Ultimate Arrow hits monsters, though, more than a dozen may be completely destroyed.
  • Spirit Guardians are great for practice and serious play. Try filling up your potions and using them all up at once and you'll be your enemies' worst nightmare.
  • For team play, you could try using the Dryad's Flute instead. However, it doesn't weaken enemies or stop Spawners from producing more monsters so you ought to go for this if you have strong allies or are willing to kill foes fast when opportunities for killing would surface.

Necromancer

In-game Details

Weapon: Skeletons
Health: Low
- Medium Range Melee Fighter
- Drains Souls to Summon Undead

• Lilith
  
  • Alternating Skeleton Slash and Smash should be helpful but doing more of Skeleton Smash is fine. Before and immediately after Ghostwalk, it would be best for you to use Skeleton Smash and Slash or Summoning Ability (provided that you have enough Soul Power).
  • For some reason, the monsters are drawn to the skeleton that comes out when you'd use Skeleton Smash while having Lilith's Sceptre, Necrotic Vessel or Sceptre of the Vampire King on.
  • Basically, going for Summon Skeletal Soldiers may work well for you if you’re not used to doing Ghostwalk and it’s basic too.
  • If you wish to do ranged attacks fast and can Ghostwalk to evade, you could pick Summon Shades so that you could deal damage fast. This one is ideal when there are large groups of foes available.
  • If you can kill lots of monsters via Skeleton Smash, you’d have no issues getting Soul Power. To make the most of it, you could try Summon Skeletal Archers. Through this, you can have five, ten or even more Skeletal Archers to fight for you. Though these archers are vulnerable and can be killed easily, they are great for offense.
  • The Sceptre of the Vampire King, for me, is great for team play since it can let you use Dominate to convert enemies into allies temporarily. Since you may not be able to count just how many or choose which of the foes that you have can be controlled, you could just Ghostwalk into the crowd of monsters, use Dominate and then Ghostwalk out of there to be safe.

Gameplay Tips

The Obvious and Otherwise

• Be considerate if you're playing online or even couch co-op multiplayer. This means be mindful not only of your health, gold, potions and screen but others' as well (even if others just do as they please). Likewise, try to asses the skill levels of other players. But, of course, this is just a suggestion as there are no fixed rules in Gauntlet Slayer Edition except those written in Section 4 of the Steam Subscriber Agreement. Being friendly may let you gain friends so it can be a plus.
  
• When you see explosives, it would be best for you not to destroy them right away since they may unlock secrets which may aid you during your quests. Also, it's possible that one area has more to offer so you may want to check out the walls for cracks.
  
• Explosives can be carried and thrown.
  
• Food may be needed by those who are low in health but some players may also need to destroy them for the completion of one of the masteries. That's just a fact that may result to friendship or conflict. Just deal with whatever happens to the Turkey or Ham and move on.
  
• To get past Blade and Spike Traps, monsters or fires in the Burning Temple of Dur easily or travel faster, you may bear in mind that Warrior can Rush; Valkyrie has the Spear Thrust and can Intercept; Wizard can do Fire Serpents, Rift Jump and Invicibility; Elf can Tumble and has the Smoke Bomb; and Necromancer can Ghostwalk.
  
• For you to move on from one place to another quickly, during encounters, you may want to concentrate first on eliminating foes that can attack you from a distance or strong ones that can't be killed immediately. Of course, you can choose to destroy Summoning Stones or those that release Ghosts or Demon Fiends (like the Lich or Demon Horror, respectively) before anything else if by doing so your play would improve.
  
• People from different parts of the globe are playing Gauntlet Slayer Edition so you may encounter folks who are conversing using their national language or native dialects. Although many speak English or another type of specific language, not everyone does.

Lastly...

If you're not comfortable with how a player plays or how he or she interacts with you, you can use the "kick" option. Though I personally don't encourage kicking someone just so you could give a slot to someone whom you know or a complete stranger who can be a replacement, as the host of a room you have every right to take advantage of the said option. Moreover, leave a room if you feel that you're better of elsewhere or if you're harassed. Always consider your goals and also the STEAM® SUBSCRIBER AGREEMENT, STEAM™ ONLINE CONDUCT, and other related legal documents while you play and you'll do just fine.

[OMG My Profile Name Does Not Fi]

Thanks for this - was very useful!

[champster]

Thanks.

[Siopilos]

Nice work!

[champster]

Thanks.

[$ymphony]

great guide!