History of Hellslayer

September 29th, 2023

Hello everyone and welcome back to another short history of an item that has appeared in multiple Diablo games. Today we are going to take a look at Hellslayer. This item first made its appearance in Diablo I as a unique battle axe. Although this item doesn’t have a specific monster that will guarantee a drop it can be found in both single player and multiplayer modes in both Diablo I and Diablo II. As the name suggests, you would think it was given a boost against demons but it wasn’t!

In Diablo I the Hellslayer axe has a base item type known as a battle axe which has a base damage of 10-25. The only other base axe type in Diablo I that does more raw damage than the battle axe is the great axe which also has a unique that is in multiple Diablo games but more on that another time. Let's take a look at the stats for the Hellslayer axe from Diablo I shall we?

Hellslayer (Diablo I)

Battle Axe

Damage: 10-25
+8 to Strength
+8 to Vitality
+100% Damage
+25 Hit Points
-25 Mana
Requirements: 65 Strength
Durability: 60

While there might be bigger and better weapons to slay demons with, the Hellslayer sure is a beast that can deal out a ton of damage. If you manage to find this weapon, and like two handed weapons, I’m sure you will get some good use out of this one. I almost forgot, there is another unique battle axe in Diablo I so even if you do find a unique battle axe drop in Diablo I it might not even be the Hellslayer! The other unique axe is called The Celestial Axe which is only found in Diablo I and is very lackluster with its stats. It only increases hit points and chance to hit very slightly.

Next up is the Diablo II version of the Hellslayer. Like other items that have been found in multiple Diablo series games this too has changed a fair bit from one game to the next. This unique axe is no longer a battle axe but is now a unique Decapitator axe and has some major damage added to it. It still follows a lot of the same theme as the Hellslayer from Diablo I by giving it tons of damage, strength, vitality and life. Let's take a look at the stats and see how they have changed.

Hellslayer (Diablo II)

Decapitator

Two-Hand Damage: 98 to (278-680)
Required level: 66
Required Strength: 189
Required Dexterity: 33
Durability: 40
+100% Enhanced Damage
+(3 Per Character Level) 3-297% Enhanced Maximum Damage (Based On Character Level)
Adds 150-250 Fire Damage
+(0.5 Per Character Level) 0-49 To Strength (Based On Character Level)
+(0.5 Per Character Level) 0-49 To Vitality (Based On Character Level)
+25 to Life
10% Chance To Cast Level 16-20 Fire Ball On Attack

Personally, this axe has been one of my favorites to use from Diablo I and Diablo II. There’s just something about cleaving demons with this huge 2 handed axe that feels so right. I have used this axe as the Warrior from Diablo I and as a Whirlwind Barbarian and a Fury Druid from Diablo II with a lot of success. There isn’t another one of these in Diablo III or Diablo IV but it was amazing to have such an awesome experience with this axe while it was around. If you haven’t had the pleasure of using it and are still playing either Diablo I or Diablo II then try it out some time! Until next time, have a wonderful day.