Skeletal Wyvern/Strategies

Skeletal Wyverns are dangerous foes. The below lists generally accepted strategies to make defeating skeleton wyverns easier.

Note that a Slayer level of 72 is required in order to deal damage to Skeletal Wyverns (notwithstanding the effects of a poisoned weapon). Otherwise, eating a wild pie at 67 Slayer will do, though kills will be extremely long.

Quick travel tip is Fairy Ring Code A I Q or Mudskipper point. Run north from fairy ring to the dungeon entrance.

Slayer Master Tip
"Well last time I fought skeletal wyverns I used fire spells and took them down effectively." "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."

Stats recommended
Higher stats are recommended because of their very high defence and ability to hit high and often. Even with a decent weapon, they may be hard to kill. It would be best to have at least: The life point boost from adding logs to a bonfire will help greatly. The boost lasts longer when higher levelled logs are used for the bonfire, so it is advised to use the best logs the player can to get a lifepoint boost before fighting the Skeletal Wyverns.
 * Attack
 * Strength
 * Defence
 * Ranged
 * Summoning

Shields
Skeletal wyverns have a special Dragonfire attack that cannot be protected against by Antifires or Super antifires. The only way to protect against this icy dragonfire is by wielding one of the shields below. It doesn't matter which of the shields you use, they all have the same protection against the dragonfires. Though a stronger shield may help against their normal attacks.

Ranged: Armadyl/Dragonhide armour
By far the best choice for players ranging Skeletal Wyverns is the Armadyl chestplate and Armadyl chainskirt, although black dragonhide armour will suffice. The player may then choose to add prayer bonus using a stole and Soul Wars cape / Ardougne cloak, etc. or to add accuracy and defence using an amulet of ranging, etc. A higher prayer bonus will save money on Prayer potions, while a higher Ranged bonus allows for faster kills. Using the Protect from Missiles/Deflect Missiles prayer is strongly advised.

Mage
Mage is the most efficient way to kill Skeletal Wyverns since EOC came out. Fire spells are what Skeletal Wyverns are most susceptible to. Master Wand is highly recommended for its one hand wielding along with a shield. Protect from Missiles/Deflect Missiles prayer is strongly advised. And use your best Mage gear ganodermic armor works well. Take 1 or 2 Prayer Potions or Flasks with you. Take 5 to 10 sharks with you, until you get used to killing these efficiently. Resonance in battle and Regenerate after each kill helps save on food. Bunyip or Unicorn Stallion are helpful but not really necessary. Tortoise or Pack Yak can make slayer tasks go very quickly as you don't have to bank as often.

A very efficient yet more dangerous than wand&shield is using staves or high level dual wield weapons. Robes of subjugation will be sufficient for this. In this set-up you won't be using any shield at all. Constant use of Protect from/Deflect Magic or Soul Split is necessary while doing so, or the player will sustain extreme amounts of damage. A player using a bonecrusher together with the demon horn necklace gives the player the ability to camp skeletal wyverns infinitively, at the cost of burying the bones. Otherwise one needs to bring along prayer / super restore potions. Note: This strategy is good for collecting crimson charms.

Melee
Whilst wyverns are not weak to melee as of the Evolution of Combat, it can still be used efficiently. At least Bandos armour or barrows armour is necessary to survive, as well as an appropriate shield and a strong one-handed weapon. At least an abyssal whip or chaotic weapon should be used, with drygore weapons being optimal.

As with magic, the player can also use two-handed or dual wielded weapons for higher damage output. Of course, this means sacrificing a shield, so constant use of Protect from/Deflect Magic OR Soul Split is required in order to survive. As with magic, however, it is possible to use a bonecrusher with a Demon Horn Necklace and/or Corruption/Salvation/Harmony aura to maintain prayer point levels.

Ranged
Wyverns are rather resistant to ranged, but if a strong weapon and good armour is used, a player can get a decent kill rate. At bare minimum, an armadyl crossbow with diamond bolts (e) or sagaies should be used, along with armadyl or royal d'hide.

Again, as with melee and magic, players can use 2-handed or dual wielded weapons for a higher kill rate, but again, this requires the player to constantly be using magic prayers or Soul Split, or face an extreme risk of death. The payout, however, is usually worth it, as the player can complete tasks much faster or pay for whatever potions or food they use by selling the bones (if they decide to pick them up).

The Dwarf Multicannon can also be assembled and used to speed up kills, but once again the wyverns are resistant to it and the cannon will cause multiple wyverns to attack at once, which may result in large and potentially fatal amounts of damage.

Familiars and Potions
It is possible to last vast amounts of time at wyverns collecting bones with a Pack yak familiar and Soul Split. By using the Pack Yak's "Winter Storage" scrolls to deposit bones into your bank, combined with a decent weapon (for example, a chaotic longsword), Deflect Melee, and Soul Split almost all the damage done by the wyverns can be negated.

If you cannot summon a Pack yak, then the Unicorn stallion or Bunyip familiar will most likely be the best option, as wyverns inflict damage quite reliably.

All melee strategies work best when combined with a super set or extreme set; rangers should also bring ranging potion.

Evaluation
There is no perfect method to kill skeletal wyverns. Players may have to sacrifice speed for cost and vice versa. All these methods have their own advantages and disadvantages and it is really up to the player to decide which method best suits them. However high Prayer and Summoning levels are certainly extremely beneficial.

Tips

 * Heal while frozen. You cannot move or attack, but can still eat food.
 * While ranging, it is possible to use a safespot. The safespot is the entrance cave, you can trap it on one side and range it from there.
 * If you are standing by the cave entrance, you can go through it while frozen, and simply wait safely for the effect to wear off.
 * Skeletal Wyverns are not vulnerable to the effects of the salve amulet. Although they are made of bones, they are not classified as undead creatures but rather as animated bones.
 * Dragon Slayer Gloves do not have any effect on Skeletal Wyverns because they are not classified as dragons (even though they drop the draconic visage).
 * The antifire potion has no effect on the wyvern's ice breath attack; neither do ice gloves. However, Protect From Magic and Deflect Magic do work (reducing damage to the low 200s), and are mandatory if using dual-wielded or two-handed weapons.
 * Always bring a healing familiar, such as a Bunyip, or a Beast of Burden to carry extra food. A Pack yak and Winter Storage scrolls allows for food to be carried while drops to be banked via the scrolls.
 * A bolt pouch may be useful, as the player can collect the dropped bolts in one inventory slot.
 * "Walk" the Wyvern, by constantly walking through it, to get it closer to the door ensuring a close emergency exit.
 * Try to find a good spot where you will only be attacked by one wyvern at a time. This prevents a second ice breath or ranged attack after you kill the one you are fighting against.
 * If ranging wyverns and protecting against ranged, try to get as far away from the Wyvern as possible. As the Wyvern's ice breath has a shorter range than its ranged attack, it will only use its range attack, which will be completely nullified by the protection prayer, therefore negating the need to eat food. However, bring a few pieces of food in case the Wyvern near you begins to attack you after another Wyvern has been killed, as the damage stacks.
 * There is a safespot for rangers where they can't attack you at all. That's because their ranged attack has a shorter range than your crossbow, and if you trap them you won't get attacked. (No longer true as of the EoC)
 * Cannons are allowed and will make your kills faster for the cost of less profit. However, this will also cause multiple wyverns to attack at once, and possibly result in your own death.
 * Dreadnips can be used to speed up kills. However, this is not recommended if you are using a cannon, as the kills will often be much shorter than 30 seconds, wasting the dreadnip.
 * Since there's no way to fully protect against a wyvern's atacks, it is highly recommended to utilize this fact by having Reflect and Vengeance activated to end battles faster.
 * If you chose to bring a Beast of Burden with you, do not bring a Spirit terrorbird or war tortoise. They tend to attack the wyverns, causing them to quickly get killed by the wyverns.