One of the biggest things that you can do in the world of Gilanor is to complete Old School RuneScape Slayer tasks. These give large levels of experience, pit you against powerful foes like the abyssal demon, and also allow you to rid the world of various monsters and other threats. Some of the biggest threats, of course, are the wyrms.
Wyrms are very similar to dragons like the iron dragon or black dragon in that they are draconic creatures, but don’t go into this fight thinking that they will be very easy to beat. If you need help defeating wyrms or just want some tips before you descend into the dungeon to battle them for the first time, here’s where our wyrm OSRS guide comes in.
What Are Wyrms?
The lore of wyrms in OSRS is that they were once a proud and numerous raise of creatures, but found their numbers drastically reduced when they participated in the God War, and were eventually forced into hiding inside the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon. It’s also said that a dragonkin named Karuulm attempted to resurrect the wyrms of old and those are the beasts you find and fight in the dungeon.
While we’ll get into the combat tactics later, the wyrms you will encounter will levitate off the ground and blast away at you with magical ranged attacks and melee attacks. They do not use dragonfire like the metal dragon, so you don’t need to worry yourself with that. You also need to be a level 62 slayer to fight wyrms.
They are also only found in the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon in the lower level, whether you are on a slayer task or not. Otherwise, you won’t encounter them out in the wild.
What Is the Best Guide For Fighting Wyrms?
First, as stated before the wyrms do not use dragonfire attacks, only melee and magic based ones. They will levitate off the ground and do battle with the player, and wyrms will attack with magic damage only if you battle them at range, and magic and melee if you battle them in melee.
One of the best ways to battle wyrms and prevent a lot of their damage is to attack them from ranged while wearing armor that protects you from magic attacks. They won’t attempt to chase you or close in on you, and you can simply weather their attacks and open fire with your ranged weapon.
Additionally, they are draconic creatures who are vulnerable to the dragonbane weapon type. These can include the Dragon Hunter Lance and the Dragon Hunter Crossbow. You can also battle them in melee, but due to the melee and magical attacks, you wouldn’t be able to make the most out of the damage resistance. If you want to just farm these creatures for their drops or the Slayer Task, then you probably want to go high damage with range and also heavy on the magic protection.
What Do They Drop?
Wyrms, like almost all monsters in the game, tend to drop something after you’ve slaughtered them. First, they will always drop wyrm bones that have a high price when sold, and also give prayer XP boosts whenever you bury them. First, you can just bury them and get the 50 prayer experience. You can also cast the spell sinister offering to give 150 prayer XP.
Offering the bones up at a gilded altar or at the Chaos Temple gives 175 prayer XP. Finally, 200 XP is offered whenever you grind them up into wyrm bone meal and offer them up at the Ectofuntus. So the wyrm bones alone are worth taking on the Slayer tasks if you feel the need to level up your prayer XP fast.
They also have the chance to drop standard weapons, runes, and herbs, along with other knick knacks. However, what most players really want are the 4 rare drops: The Dragon Sword, The Dragon Harpoon, The Dragon Knife, and The Dragon Thrownaxe. Let’s break each of these down.
The Dragon Sword
The dragon sword has an attack level requirement of 60, and it is one of two of the best shortswords available in the game, with the other being the leaf-bladed sword. This sword has a much higher strength bonus and has a special attack called Wild Stab. This attack consumes 40% of your special attack energy, but it does hit the target and gives plus 25% to your accuracy and damage.
The Dragon Harpoon
The dragon harpoon requires 60 attack to wield and 61 fishing to use. If you are using the harpoon to fish, you get a 20% increased catch rate, meaning more fish for you! In combat, it has the same stats as the dragon knife, although it is slower. This isn’t much of a combat weapon, but rather a fishing tool.
Even it’s special attack, fishstabber, gives you a +3 boost to your fishing skill while consuming 100% of the player’s special attack energy. So if you love to fish, this is the best weapon for you.
The Dragon Knife
The Dragon Knife, despite being a knife, is actually a ranged weapon and is the strongest throwing knife in the entire game. You need to have 60 ranged, and they can both be poisoned and also wielded with a shield or godbook in your hand for protection. The special attack duality consumes 25% of the player’s special attack energy and let’s you throw two dragon knives at once. Each knife has its own accuracy and damage rolls.
The Dragon Thrownaxe
This throwing axe is the most powerful throwing axe in the game, and you need at least 61 ranged to use it. The special attack for this weapon momentum throw consumes 25% of your special attack energy, and improves your accuracy by 25%. It also guarantees you will attack on the next game tick. So if you have the special energy available, you can keep attacking with guaranteed hits several times in quick succession.
What You Need To Have With You
Now, in addition to the gear and the weapons you need to battle against these wyrms and survive, you also need to go into the Mount Karuulm volcano! This means that you will need to wear the Boots of Stone, Boots of Brimstone, or Granite Boots to protect yourself from the fact that the floor is quite literally lava. It’s very hot.
Boots of Stone can be bought from any Slayer Master once you hit level 40. Boots of Brimstone can be created when you combine Boots of Stone with a Drake’s Claw, and Granite boots are found as a drop of wyverns in the wyvern caves. All of these boots have their own stats and benefits that would require another article to compare, so take a look to see which ones benefit you.
Now, if you end up completing the Elite level Kourend and Kebos diary, which has you performing various actions and tasks in the Kourend and Kebos Lowlands area, one of the rewards can help you. The reward not only gives you free teleportation to Mount Kaluum, but also allows you to walk onto the ground without being burnt or needing the special boots.
The Shadow Wyrm
Now, if you are the type of Slayer who really loves a challenge, then you can purchase the unlock ‘Bigger and Badder’ unlock from a Slayer Master and you can encounter the Shadow Wyrm. Despite having higher hit points and a much more intimidating form than the regular wyrms, they do have the same strategy.
You can battle them at range and simply deal with their magical attacks, or fight them in melee. Just make sure you are prepared for the increase in damage that they do to you, because they hit harder than their brethren every time.
The only main difference with their tactics is that they cannot be safespotted and will simply keep attacking you as their aggression is so high. Make sure you are prepared because you don’t want to get overwhelmed by a shadow wyrm! They’ll just keep attacking you until one of you is dead!
Getting To the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon
Finally, before you can battle whatever drakes you choose, you will need to get to the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon. You can use the fairy ring code CIR or teleport using the skills necklace. Then you need to get down into the lower layer of the dungeon and travel to the western room to fight the wyrms.
You can battle the other monsters inside the dungeon, but most of the time the gear you wear to fight wyrms is not something you want to use to fight other monsters. Avoidance is your best bet to not use up powerful items or gear before the fighting with the wyrms.
Make sure to take on the wyrms one at a time if you can, as there are a lot of wyrms inside the room and having them all gang up on you isn’t the best idea! Fight them using your ideal setup, melee or ranged, and then collect the loot!
Wyrms FAQ
Question: Are Their Other Ways To Get Dragon Weapons?
Answer: If you are specifically looking to get the 4 rare drops: The Dragon Sword, The Dragon Harpoon, The Dragon Knife, and The Dragon Thrownaxe, you might wonder if farming wyrms is the way to go. Well, only the wyrms drop the dragon sword and dragon harpoon, so you will need to go hunting for those weapons.
The dragon knife and dragon thrownaxe have different drop levels. The dragon thrownaxe can be dropped by wyrms, but also by drakes, hydras, and the Alchemical Hydra boss monster. While the dragon knife can be dropped by wyrms, drakes and hydras.
While the drakes, hydras, and the Alchemical Hydra are very tough creatures to beat, especially in the latter’s case, the wyrms are pretty easy. All you need is the right gear and you will be able to fight your way through the wyrms without any real trouble. So if you want to farm for all four pieces of dragon equipment, then you should start battling wyrms to do so. It’s much easier than going after the Alchemical Hydra over and over!
Question: Do I Need To Safe Spot The Wyrms?
Answer: That depends on how you play. Having a safe spot where the monsters can’t attack you but you can attack them can be a lifesaver if you draw too many towards you and need to retreat. On the opposite side, however, some players like to camp in spawn zones and simply blast away at the wyrms for no risk.
As long as you’ve prepared your weapons and armor appropriately, a level 62 slayer should be more than enough to take on most wyrms unless something crazy happens. You shouldn’t need a safe spot if you don’t like using it, or maybe you want to use it because that’s the type of player you are. It’s an option, but it’s up to you.
Question: How Do I Get Dragonbane Weapons?
Answer: If you find yourself tired of fighting wyrms over and over for that one drop or for that one Slayer quest, then having dragonbane weapons that can deal massive damage to these creatures can help. The dragon hunter lance is created by using a hydra claw on a zamorakian hasta, and you do need to pass a few quests and have a few skills to get the weapon.
For the dragon hunter crossbow, you can get it as a reward from the Chambers of Xeric Raid, although you might need to run the raid a few times to make sure that you receive it. Both of these weapons have a passive effect of 20% accuracy and damage for the lance and 30% accuracy and 25% damage for the crossbow against draconic creatures.
These buffs can stack with the slayer helm, giving you an edge against any draconic creatures. Dragon Hunter Weapons are not required to do battle against wyrms, but they can help. Especially if you are fighting against the Shadow Wyrm!
Looking for more interesting readings? Check out:
- Long Bone OSRS Guide: Take Advantage of Them!
- Heroes Quest OSRS Guide: Become a True Hero
- OSRS Pets Guide: Find The Best One For You!
This article was updated on 11/03/2022 by the Rune Fanatics editorial team. Our goal at Rune Fanatics is to provide the most up-to-date relevant quest information, walkthroughs, and tips. We updated some of the article text to give you better, more relevant information.
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