Warhammer Online: Bitter Rivals - The Dwarf Slayer!

Written by: Jesma • Edited by: M.S. Smith
Published Feb 28, 2009 • Related Guides: Warhammer Online | DPS

It's been in the works for months now, but on March 3rd the official Warhammer Online patch 1.2 will go live, bringing with it two new playable classes! Here we'll take a closer look at the Dwarf Slayer.

Overview

The new playable classes, which will fill significant gaps in the career choices for each race, will be introduced in the midst of an in-game live event, called the Call to Arms: Bitter Rivals. The event will focus in on the lore behind the Dwarven and Greenskin races and bring out the deep seated mutual hatred each has for the other. The Slayers and Choppas represent the ultimate brutality in the rival's animosity, each being summoned forth for the soul purpose of waging a savage war against the other.

About the Dwarf Slayer - Lore

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The Slayer career will fill the gap in the Dwarf career options for melee DPS. In the classic Warhammer Lore, the Slayer has an important and fascinating role. The Dwarven race, as a whole, holds their word and their honor in the highest regard. While most reasonable individuals hold commitments as long as the terms are still reasonable, the Dwarves will stick to their word in the face of anything. If, for some reason, a Dwarf fails to fulfill an oath they have taken, their shame is so great that their only choice left in life is to take the Slayer's oath: To atone for their shame by earning an honorable death on the battlefield. Slayers, in the most real way possible, have a death wish. As such they seak out greater and greater challenges in battle until one, ultimately, brings about their end.

The appearance of the Dwarf Slayer is a bit different than that of other Dwarves. To set themselves apart, a Slayer forsakes his combat armor, shaves his head into a mohawk, and tattoos himself. His only real adornment is battle trophies in the form of Troll's teeth and other similar trinkets, along with heavy battle boots and a massive axe. The fiery orange hair is a traditional mark of a Slayer.

Dwarf Slayer Class Mechanics and Playstyle

As for actual gameplay, the Slayer uses a rage mechanic to fuel their attacks. Once the Slayer enters combat, they begin to build up up Rage on a dial. There are two points on the rage dial to be aware of: Furious, and Berserk. At the Furious level, the Slayer gains a bonus to attacks but is still enough in control of himself to be concerned with tactics. It is at this state that the Slayer can launch massive finishing moves against his enemies. If the Rage dial reaches the Berserk level, then the Slayer essentially loses all sense of himself. His attacks gain massive damage bonus, but he is not so much in control as to be able to pull off the devastating finishing attacks. However, the Slayers three Mastery Paths add utility to the varying Rage levels so that the player can craft the ultimate ideal Slayer build for their unique playstyle, while still sticking to the lore of the class.