Skeletal Wyvern Guide



Attack Wyvern

"Skeletal Wyverns are extremely dangerous, and they are hard to hit with arrows as they slip right through. To stand a good chance of surviving, you'll need some elemental shielding from their icy breath." - Slayer Masters


 

Overview

Skeletal Wyvern Basic Facts (Bestiary Profile)
Combat Level: 198 Skeletal Wyvern Lifepoints: 2000 Maximum Hit:
Melee & Range:
139
Ice Breath: 500+
Attack Style(s): Melee, Range and Ice Breath
Experience Summary
As a result of their high defence and dangerous attacks, Skeletal Wyverns are not fought for experience. They are one of the better monsters to kill for Crimson charms, so in that sense they are good for Summoning experience.
Drops Summary
Skeletal Wyverns are rarely killed for money, however that's not to say their drops are bad. They drop the valuable and sought after Draconic visage. Other notable drops include Wyvern bones, Ancient effigies and Granite legs. However, the main reason they are killed is for their fairly frequent double Crimson charm drops.
Special Notes
Skeletal Wyverns have an icy breath attack which can hit you for over 500 lifepoints if you do not have a Dragonfire shield or a shield from the Elemental Workshop quest series equipped. Anti-dragon shields, antifire potions and super antifire potions have no effect on this attack.
Despite the Wyverns being both draconic and skeletal, the Crumble Undead spell, Salve Amulet and Dragon Slayer Gloves have no effect.

Skeletal Wyverns are one of the most dangerous monsters that are not considered boss monsters in Runescape and require 72 Slayer to kill. Wyverns should not be underestimated and as such you should not fight them in anything you are not prepared to lose. They can easily kill even the best players with their ice breath attack if appropriate precautions are not taken, and therefore it is highly recommended that one equips a Dragonfire shield or a shield from the Elemental Workshop quest series.

Wyverns have high defence and are fairly resistant to stab and slash attacks, however they are very vulnerable to crush attacks. Unfortunately the one-handed crush weapons available to players are not very powerful so in most instances a Chaotic longsword, Chaotic rapier, or Vine whip is preferred. Some players fight Wyverns with a Chaotic maul and use Soul Split to maintain their health, and while this method is highly dangerous, it is the most effective way of killing them.

Even though Slayer Masters advise against the use of Range to fight Wyverns, it is a viable method due to you being able to safe-spot them, meaning you only have to worry about their ranged attack. This is considerably slower than using melee, but it is safer and less food is consumed.

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Recommended Levels

72 Slayer is required before you can harm these creatures. If you attempt to fight them with less than 72 Slayer you will do no damage, however they can still kill you!


Recommended Requirements for Melee
  • 80 Attack and Strength for Chaotic weaponry
  • 80 Defence and Constitution for survival
  • 70 Prayer for Piety OR 96 Prayer for Turmoil and Soul Split if using a Chaotic Maul
  • 68 Summoning for Bunyip/War Tortoise
  • Enhanced Excalibur for healing and defence boost.

Recommended Requirements for Range
  • 85 Range for the Chaotic crossbow and damage
  • 70 Defence for Armadyl armour
  • 80 Constitution for survival
  • 44 Prayer for Protect from Missiles OR 68 Prayer for Deflect Missiles OR 74 Prayer if you have access to Rigour.

You can fight Wyverns with stats lower than this however your effectiveness will be reduced, as will your chances of survival. 43 Prayer is the minimum level you should have in order to protect against one of the Wyvern's attack styles.

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Getting There

Skeletal wyverns are found exclusively in the Asgarnian Ice Dungeon and there are four main routes you can take to get there:


Skeletal Wyverns Getting There
Bank Grand Exchange* or Draynor Village
Teleport Rimmington tablet**
Fairy Ring AIQ - Mudskipper Point

*If you are using the Fairy Ring network.
**After completing the Love Story quest.

The quickest means of getting to the Wyverns is by using the banks in Edgeville, the Grand Exchange, or Zanaris and then using the nearby fairy ring to teleport to Mudskipper Point and running north to the dungeon. A second, slightly slower option is to use a Rimmington tablet to teleport you to the Rimmington house portal and then running south east to the dungeon entrance. Other alternatives include walking from Falador, Draynor Village, the Clan Camp or Draynor cabbage patch. Wyverns are not particularly close to a bank so you should bring a means of teleporting away for banking if you do not have access to a Pack Yak and want to bank the bone drops. Even if you do not plan to bank bones it is a good idea to bring a teleport due to their distance from a bank.

Wyverns are found at the furthest point from the entrance to the dungeon, past the Muggers, Pirates, Hobgoblins, Ice Giants and Ice Warriors, none of which should pose a threat to you. When you arrive at the entrance to the Wyvern cave you are warned about the danger that lies beyond so you cannot accidentally go in. Be aware that upon entering the Wyvern cave you will be attacked almost immediately, so make sure you are fully prepared.

Skele Wyvern Warning
 

Set-Ups

Melee

Melee is the most effective way of killing the Wyverns, and there are four generally accepted methods:

Melee set-ups
Void Melee
Void Melee                Standard Melee                Proselyte
Wyverns Melee Pray
Helmet: Void melee helmet
Amulet: Amulet of fury > Amulet of glory
Body: Elite void knight top > Void knight top
Legs: Elite void knight robe > Void knight robe
Boots: Steadfast boots > Dragon boots
Gloves: Void knight gloves
Cape: Completionist cape (Max cape) > Fire cape > Soul wars cape > Ardougne Cloak 3/4
Ring: Berserker ring (i) > Berserker ring > Ring of wealth
Shield: Dragonfire shield > Elemental shields
Melee Weapon: Chaotic longsword > Chaotic rapier > Goliath gloves > Vine whip > Abyssal whip
Special Weapon: Enhanced excalibur > Dragon claws
Aura: Greater Reverence > Reverence
Familiar: Unicorn stallion > Pack yak > War tortoise = Bunyip > Spirit terrorbird


This set-up aims to maximise damage, but offers little defence which can cause problems if you do not have access to soul split. A Pack yak is used to bank the bone drops and can also be used to extend the duration of your trip by filling it with a combination of potions and food. Although it is not shown in the inventory, it is a good idea to bring a Dwarven Cannon as this will allow you to kill more but with less profit.


Inventory shown: Enhanced excalibur, pack yak pouch, winter storage scrolls, prayer potions, overloads, rocktails** and a teleport to house tablet.


**If you have access to soul split, neither food nor protect from range are required.


This final melee method is highly dangerous and should only be attempted by players who are very experienced with fighting Wyverns. You should not use this method with equipment you cannot afford to lose, as a bit of bad luck with the Wyvern's ice breath attack could kill you before you can react.

High Risk - Chaotic Maul
Skeletal Wyvern Maul
Wyvern Maul Prayer
Helmet: Full slayer helmet* > Torva full helm > Helmet of Neitiznot
Amulet: Amulet of fury > Amulet of glory
Body: Torva platebody > Bandos chestplate
Legs: Torva platelegs > Bandos tassets
Boots: Steadfast boots > Dragon boots
Gloves: Goliath gloves > Culinaromancer's gloves 10 > Regeneration bracelet
Cape: Completionist cape (Max cape) > Fire cape > Soul wars cape
Ring: Berserker ring (i) > Berserker ring
Melee weapon: Chaotic maul
Special Weapon: Enhanced excalibur
Aura: Greater Reverence > Reverence
Familiar: Unicorn stallion > Pack yak

*Only wear this if you are on a Slayer assignment.

This set-up is designed to maximise the damage you are doing to give soul split the best chance of keeping you alive while also providing a good defence. As you have no shield you will take heavy damage from the ice breath attack of the Wyvern, so a unicorn stallion is the best option, although a pack yak full of saradomin brews and additional overload and prayer potions is acceptable. This method should not be attempted without Turmoil and Soul Split. A chaotic longsword and chaos shield should be brought with you as a back-up incase you are taking too much damage to survive.


Inventory shown: Enhanced excalibur, unicorn stallion pouch, healing aura scrolls, saradomin brews, overloads, prayer potions, chaotic longsword, chaos shield, cannonballs, cannon and a teleport to house tablet.


Range

Ranging Wyverns is a slow but safe method due to you being able to 'safe spot' them. The maximum range of a crossbow is greater than that of the Wyvern's ice breath attack so it is possible to avoid taking damage altogether.

Standard Range
Skeletal Wyvern Range
Wyverns Range Prayer
Helmet: Full slayer helmet* = Focus sight* > Armadyl helmet > Any blessed god coif
Amulet: Amulet of fury = Amulet of ranging > Amulet of glory
Body: Armadyl chestplate > Black d'hide body
Legs: Armadyl chainskirt > Black d'hide chaps
Boots: Glaiven boots > Ranger boots > Snakeskin boots
Gloves: Mercenary's gloves > Culinaromancer's gloves 10
Cape: Completionist cape > Ava's Device (Accumulator/Alerter) or Soul wars cape
Ring: Archers' ring (i) > Archers' ring > Ring of wealth
Shield: Elemental shields > Dragonfire shield
Weapon: Chaotic crossbow > Rune crossbow
Ammunition: Diamond bolts (e) > Runite bolts
Aura: Greater Reverence > Reverence
Familiar: Pack yak > Unicorn stallion > War tortoise = Bunyip > Spirit terrorbird

*Only wear this if you are on a Slayer assignment.

This set-up is about maximising your offensive bonus as since you will be 'safe spotting' the Wyverns you should not need to worry about taking much, if any damage. The dragonfire shield has a negative range bonus so it is advised that you use one of the Elemental shields instead. Since you do not want to be luring Wyverns from all over the room to you, you should not be using the cannon or you will most likely take large damage from their melee and ice breath attacks.


Inventory shown: Enhanced excalibur, pack yak pouch, winter storage scrolls, prayer potions, extreme ranged potions, rocktails** and a teleport to house tablet.



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Strategies

Melee

Before entering the Wyvern lair it is a good idea to drink a dose of your potions and turn on Protect from Missiles as you will be attacked immediately. With protect from missiles active you will only take damage from the Wyvern's melee attack and ice breath attack, the latter being the main source of damage you will take. It is a good idea to keep your health above 500 lifepoints and only heal yourself when you have been frozen by the Wyvern's ice breath attack. Try to rely on your Unicorn stallion (if that is the familiar you brought) and Excalibur for healing and keep the food for emergencies. Wyverns also occasionally drop three cooked lobsters occasionally which can be useful if you are struggling to keep yourself healed.

Range

Again, before entering the lair it is a good idea to pot up and turn on your Protect from Missiles prayer and Rigour, as you will be attacked almost immediately after entering. Once you are in the Wyvern's lair do not move from the spot you are on and you should be attacked by the Wyvern in the north-east (see image below). This wyvern should be unable to get to within melee range so you can 'safe spot' it. Sometimes the wyvern that spawns to the west of the entrance also positions itself so it can be 'safe spotted'. If you are still taking damage from the ice breath attack then you can move backwards as your crossbow has a greater range.

Wyvern Safe

Unfortunately until the Wyverns become non-aggressive it is likely that others in the lair will attack you with melee which is why it is a good idea to bring a reliable means of healing. Once they become non-aggressive you should be able to kill the wyverns in the north east or north west corners without taking any damage.

Dwarven Multicannon

If you are more interested in charms and speed over profit then bringing a Dwarven multicannon to Skeletal Wyverns is advised if you are using melee. Even though the cave itself is single combat and Wyverns are fairly resistant to cannon fire (like they are to most things) it does speed up kills enough to warrant using it. The cannon is also useful for luring in other Wyverns and damaging Wyverns which may otherwise be out of your range, which is especially helpful if you get frozen. Using a cannon with Range is not advised as it will break your safe spot by luring Wyverns from around the room into melee range.

Cannon Wyvern

There are two locations that are good places to set up your cannon, the best one being in the far west of the dungeon, between the two Wyvern spawns in the northern alcove. This location normally allows your cannon to target four Wyverns. The second option is just east of the entrance to the lair which gives your cannon up to three Wyverns to attack.

Wyverns themselves are not very profitable unless you get lucky and get a visage drop so if you have brought a Pack yak with you then you should use it to bank the Wyvern bones you receive from killing them. This also helps to negate some of the cost of cannoning them.

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Closing

Skeletal wyverns are one of the best monsters to hunt for players without 99 Summoning, as their double crimson charm drops mean you should average a little over 1 charm per kill, but beyond that they are not a particularly attractive prospect for any player. However, their loot, particularly their bones, allow you to profit unlike their charm dropping rivals: Waterfiends and Black demons. They also have a higher chance of dropping the Draconic visage than most dragons.

Happy hunting!

Crimson CharmWyvern BonesGranite LegsDraconic VisageStarved Ancient Effigy
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Credits

Original Guide by: BloodAngel

Special Thanks to: Quyneax, Warriormonkx

Thanks to: Octarine19

Last updated by: Aurhora

Last updated on: 12-Apr-2012


RuneScape 2007
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