Waterfiend/Strategies

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This article contains information for players seeking to kill waterfiends, including the recommended equipment, inventory and strategies.

Waterfiends are weak to ranged attacks and very weak to bolts. With 80 or higher Ranged players can get over 300 kills per hour which also gives over 200 crimson charm and over 200k Ranged experience per hour. While waterfiends are weaker to crossbows and bolts, bows like the crystal bow can still be very effective.

Inventory
Mid-to-High-level inventory: Lower-level inventory :
 * Prayer potions and Prayer renewal potions - For using Anguish and or Soul Split
 * If using a familiar, Super restores or Summoning potions are optional, but may be useful to summon a new familiar once the previous timer elapsed.
 * Extreme Ranging potion
 * Overload
 * Ferocious ring to get to Kuradal
 * Dramen staff or Lunar staff - Not necessary if Fairytale III - Battle at Orks Rift is completed or if entering by whirlpool.
 * Games necklace to travel to Barbarian Outpost if entering by whirlpool (this can be deposited at Barbarian Outpost to save inventory space for drops).
 * Good food

Alternate location strategies
The most popular spot to kill waterfiends is the Ancient Cavern, as it is easily accessible. However, for those using combat familiars or a cannon, there are two viable alternative locations: the Chaos Tunnels and the Ghorrock Fortress.

Players who have the summoning level to use an Iron titan or Steel titan can kill waterfiends much more quickly in the Chaos Tunnels than in the Ancient Cavern, with consistent usage of the titan's scroll loaded into an enchanted helm. Using Soul Split, high level players can stay for a very long time (enough to make full usage of a Familiarisation triple-charm period). For those without the required stats and equipment (ideally 95+ summoning, prayer and defence plus extreme potions) this area should NOT be used, due to the large amount of waterfiends attacking the player at all times and thus dealing rapid damage, and the inconvenience of restocking.

In Ghorrock fortress, there are a number of waterfiends. After completing The Temple at Senntisten, they become level 115 (the same as at the other locations), but their drops are different from the norm; the waterfiends at Ghorrock have a lower charm drop rate, but drop two charms at a time. A cannon can be used there, which is useful for efficient Slayer experience. Note that if you are using a cannon, your accuracy is based on the accuracy of your melee/ranged weapon. Therefore, it may be advantageous to use a godsword rather than a zamorakian spear if you can do more than half of your damage with the cannonballs. A Saradomin godsword and cannon can save food and prayer, and allow most of your cannonballs to hit.

Extra Tips

 * It is also worth mentioning that while it may cost a certain amount to kill waterfiends through use of prayer potions, food or familiars etc., players can at least break even through picking up noted water orbs, noted snape grass, water talismans, ranarrs, lantadymes, items from the rare drop table, and even the reward from the level 3 clue scrolls they drop.
 * Some High Level Alchemy spells can be brought to alch valuable drops such as Water battlestaves or armour pieces like the Rune med helm and Adamant platebodies. Due to lack of space, many people may not want to pick up all items and usually only pick up the stackable items such as water orbs, mithril arrows, and various runes.
 * For those fighting Waterfiends in the Ancient Cavern, using the Fairy Ring (Code BJQ) is a much quicker route to stock up on food/potions than walking all the way from the Barbarian Outpost. Note that the Fairy Ring is only accessible after completing much of Barbarian Training, at least up to Pyre ships. Before the ring can be used, bittercap mushrooms must be planted there. With a Spade and 5 mushrooms in inventory, use one of the mushrooms on the 'enchanted lands' spot near the centre of the ring.
 * Waterfiends usually drop 1 water rune, 1 charm (typically crimson), and one other item or two grimy herbs. Sometimes the other item is 90 water runes. This means if a player examines the drop and sees only "charm" and "water rune", the odds are good that the player has received a charm and 91 water runes. If a player sees a charm, a water rune, and something else (like a shark), the water rune is 1 and not 91. The single water runes are not worth picking up.