This page is just one part of an entire guide series. Visit Strategy Guide for an overview of other parts of this guide.
Early Gameplay[]
Welcome to Idle Slayer! You're just getting started - you've got a fun game ahead of you!
Use this period to familiarize yourself with the Ascension Tree and general game mechanics. Make use of the Ascension Tier List when making decisions about the order in which to spend your Slayer Points (SP). This period ends when you unlock the Bow and minions in the Ascension Tree, and have unlocked the Gloves equipment, which should come at about the same time you get your first few minions.
One thing to quickly wrap your head around as you play is that both coins and, quickly in the game, SP earned increase every time you ascend. Your total SP increase your bonus Coin per Second (CpS) earning dramatically, and after unlocking Soul Reaper, every SP increases the number of souls you earn as well. For each SP you get, you need four more souls to get the next SP, so it is a good strategy to ascend often. The game is a little deceptive: coins seem like the thing you want. Ultimately, they’re not: you want SP.
Ascend often! It's never not the right time to ascend!
Equipment[]
Unlock equipment to increase your CpS. Each equipment item can be upgraded when they reach level 10, and then every multiple of 50 afterwards. Each of those upgrades will add 100% earning to that item at this stage in the game, so upgrade as often as possible. Your most recently purchased equipment will be doing the heavy lifting for CpS gain, so focus there.
The Chain Mail of Greed is a huge purchase at 5.00e8 (500M) coins. It will give you a CpS boost for every total level of all your equipment. For this reason, it's valuable to level up all your equipment as much as possible. After purchasing the Chain Mail of Greed, first level your most recently acquired piece of equipment as high as you'd like. Then, simply purchase "Max" for the rest of the items down the list.
Certain items will also contain game play boosts at various levels. The equipment levels you'll want to reach at this stage for these upgrades are:
- Sword, Lvl 300 - Fetch Me Their Souls (increase souls gained from enemies)
- Armor, Lvl 50 - Magnet Power 1
- Helmet, Lvl 150 - Magnet Power 2
- Boots, Lvl 200 - Mega Boost
For the complete list, consult this page.
In addition, depending on what you’ve unlocked in the ascension tree, your sword, dagger and ax will be giving you a bonus for every level. Upgrade these three as high as possible if the corresponding weapon's Edge upgrade is unlocked.
Quests[]
Throughout the game, quests will help level up your slayer and progress the game. Click here for a list of quests. After finishing Tiers 1 and 2 in the Ascension Tree Tier List, start focusing on quests. You should attempt to be finished with Beginner Quests by the time you complete this stage in the game.
Portals[]
You'll use the portal to take you to different dimensions. They'll quickly become essential for progressing in quests. Consult this guide regarding portal cycles.
However, it should be noted that the Hills dimension (where you start) benefits from having the Hill's Giant. Many other dimensions have giants, but they won't be unlocked for a while. As a result, Hill's is by far the best place to farm souls and SP in the early game. Camp here for a while - maybe even until the Legendary Belt (Tier 3). It'll be great to keep progressing through your quests,
Minions/Bow[]
Which upgrade should you get first? This is a controversial question, with some people saying the bow and others saying minions. The Bow is really good for active players, while Minions are good for not so active players. If, on average, you play for less than 30 minutes a day, then get the White Knight and Dark Wizard before the Bow. If you play between 30 minutes to an hour, get the White Knight then the Bow. And if you play for more than an hour a day, get the Bow before the Minions.
Farming and Basic Play[]
Generally speaking, you don’t need to consider farming SP or coins at this stage in the game. Focusing on quests, after leaving Hills, will progress your SP gain well enough, and SP gain will drive coin gain. But, the best SP map at this stage is likely the Haunted Mansion, and the best coin stage is likely the Jungle.
Your basic play strategy is to use the portal whenever quests in that dimension have finished, and keep buying what you can. Ascend often!