Ice strykewyrm

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Ice strykewyrms are the second highest level slayer monsters outside of Daemonheim (after Ganodermic beasts) and require a Slayer level of 93 to kill. They were introduced into the game along with jungle and desert strykewyrms, and they are the only monster that drops the staff of light.

They can only be killed when assigned on a slayer task, with the exception of one kill needed to complete a Fremennik Elite Task.

Players must complete The Tale of the Muspah quest before Slayer Masters may assign these creatures. The only Slayer masters who can assign Ice strykewyrms are Duradel/Lapalok and Kuradal, with Kuradal assigning them more often than Duradel/Lapalok.

When ice strykewyrms were first released, there was also the restriction that they could only be assigned to players who own a fire cape. However, one month after their release, ice strykewyrms became available to slayers who wished to purchase the ability to fight them by using 2,000 Slayer reward points. Despite this, purchasing the ability does not allow players to kill ice strykewyrms outside of a slayer task; it merely unlocks the ability to be assigned them without owning a fire cape and the ability to kill them without wearing a fire cape. An update introduced the completionist cape, which can replace the fire cape as an item to kill ice strykewyrms. To obtain it you will need to have obtained a fire cape at least once plus other requirements. An update on February 28 included the ability to use a TokHaar-Kal to damage Ice Strykewyrms.

As of 3 March 2010, players wearing a Fire cape while fighting ice strykewyrms deal 2.0x damage with fire-based spells. Additionally, players wearing a Fire cape deal 40 extra damage with any combat style. For players not wearing a fire cape, the strykewyrm's maximum hit is slightly increased.

Killing one Ice Strykewyrm is one of the elite Fremennik Province Tasks. Players who have not completed this elite task are able to make an Ice Strykewyrm surface even if they are not assigned them as a slayer task, and even without the required slayer level. However, to do any damage, the player must have boosted to 93 slayer, such as by using wild pie(s), and either be wearing a fire cape or using a cannon to deal any damage to it. Players without a fire cape or cannon will not be able to deal any damage to it whatsoever, including by means of Deflect Curses, Vengeance, rings of recoil, and/or poison. While purchasing the ability to slay Ice Strykewyrms for 2,000 Slayer reward points is an option, this can only be done by players with at least 93 Slayer and is not boostable.

After killing an ice strykewyrm for the Fremennik Tasks, players will no longer be able to surface an ice strykewyrm without having them assigned as a current slayer task.

Like all strykewyrms, ice strykewyrms reside underground beneath mounds until provoked by a player with the necessary Slayer task. Slayer Masters claim that only those who have been assigned to hunt them may surface the strykewyrms due to the strykewyrm being able to smell the intent of the slayer. By investigating the mounds, the strykewyrm will surface and attack the player. However, the strykewyrm will not attack for about two to three seconds, so players may take advantage of this time to change their position or to get a few good hits in. Players without the necessary task to kill strykewyrms will not be able to surface the strykewyrm and will instead perform the think emote.

Getting there
The Ice strykewyrms are located in a cave to the east of room just before the cave in which Jhallan was frozen during The Tale of the Muspah.

The quickest way to get to the Ice strykewyrms is to use Fairy ring DKS, which is just south of the cave. The entrance to the Ice strykewyrms is the waterfall to the east; If there is water coming through, blocking the way, the player must use a Spade to dam the eastern river in cave where the Muspah was frozen. This will stop the water from coming through and allowing the player to use the entrance.

Attack styles
Ice strykewyrms have four types of attacks: melee, magic, freezing spell and burrow. If the player is within one square of a strykewyrm, it will use any of the four attack types. At a distance, the strykewyrm mostly uses its magic attack but will occasionally use its freezing spell (which looks like Ice Barrage), which renders the player unable to move for around three seconds and cancels the player's next attack. Simply clicking the strykewyrm will resume attacking immediately.

The Ice strykewyrm's strongest attack is when it burrows underground during battle and then pops back up, dealing 300 life points to only the person it is fighting. There was an update to prevent other players from getting hit by someone else's Ice Strykewyrm, but it does show an animation of that getting thrown out of the way, but not losing life points. The strykewyrm becomes invulnerable during this time, so attempting to attack it while it is burrowed is futile. This attack can be easily avoided by quickly moving two steps away in any direction. The further away the player is from the strykewyrm when it burrows (such as when maging from a distance) the easier it is to avoid this attack. It can also use the burrow attack if a player walks into its square and stays there for a couple of seconds, so it is recommended not to do this. The strykewyrm will not use the burrow attack at all if the player is standing next to an obstacle, such as the cave wall or a stalagmite. Some players believe moving away from the burrow is easier than trying to stand by an obstacle. However, other players believe it is easy to use obstacles. Ranged and Magic users can simply move to the nearest obstacle that is out of melee range when the strykewyrm surfaces. Melee users have to take a little more care, ensuring that when they investigate the mound there will be an obstacle they can stand next to and yet still can melee the strykewyrm. There are plenty of obstacles in the cave, so this is not very difficult to manage.

Strategies
Despite requiring level 93 slayer, these creatures have remarkably low defence and may therefore be killed effectively by many different methods. Using an Abyssal whip seems to be more effective than using a Godsword, as both weapons frequently hit high but the whip is significantly faster. However, using magic or ranged is safer than using melee. Some players report that the wyrms can deal damage at a faster rate than a player wearing a full Guthan's set and praying against magic is able to heal.

Ice strykewyrms are weak against fire. Wearing a Fire cape increases all damage dealt to a wyrm by 40. Furthermore, all fire spells hit for 1.5x damage (2x damage if the player is wearing a Fire cape). Fire Surge is apparently the most effective way to kill these creatures, but this spell requires level 95 magic. Players with lower magic levels can use Fire Wave instead as these spells also deal a fair amount of damage. It is also a good idea for mages to bring a Vecna Skull to boost the players magic level. This will further increase damage and may possibly allow for the casting of a more powerful fire spell until the boost wears off.

In some circumstances it is possible that a single magic spell cast will appear as two hit markers simultaneously. This is a special effect of the celestial surgebox.



Casting ice spells from the Ancient Magicks spellbook will heal the Ice strykewyrms instead of damaging them.

Mages should consider standing within melee distance of the wyrms, as their melee attacks are very inaccurate in comparison to their magic attacks. A combination of regular shark drops, Enhanced excalibur and the healing via the high damage output of Fire spells using Soul Split very quickly nullifies any damage accumulated.

A prayer-costlier, though entirely safe method is to use Protect from Magic or Deflect Magic as they stop all damage from the strykewyrm's magic and freezing attacks (although the freezing attack still immobilises the player) when standing at a distance. When using prayer, players should consider wearing armour with good prayer bonus, such as Dagon'hai robes set, to prolong their prayer points. If Protect from Magic or Deflect Magic is used and the player is standing at least one square away from the wyrm beside a wall or stalactite, no damage will be taken; when standing next to a wall or stalagmite, the strykewyrm is unable to burrow into the ground.

If using melee, players may find it more effective to Protect from Melee or Deflect Melee instead of Magic. While in melee distance, the strykewyrms rarely use their magic based attacks, but their melee attacks can quickly build up if the player is unlucky. If using a Protect or Deflect prayer (Magic or Melee), it is very helpful, and almost necessary that the player brings a healing weapon or familiar.

Players with 92 prayer or above can also use Soul Split to utilise the heavy damage dealt by wearing a fire cape and/or attacking with fire spells. Since a player can hit well over 1000 in one hit, they will recover over 200 life points. The player should beware when using this method, in case the Strykewyrm gets a string of lucky hits and the player gets a string of unlucky hits. The shark drops come in quite handy in this situation.

Weapons

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Runes/Talismans

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Ammunition

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Herbs
All herb drops are noted.


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Seeds

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Other

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Trivia

 * Ice strykewyrms, along with the other Strykewyrms, were the first monsters to incorporate particle effects.
 * If a player runs behind an obstacle just as a strykewyrm burrows into the ground, the strykewyrm will disappear. Although it will seem to respawn normally, it will leave no drops. This does not count as a kill for the player. This glitch has not been fixed.
 * Ice strykewyrms, along with Glacors and Salarin the Twisted, are weak to fire spells.
 * When attacking an Ice strykewyrm for the Fremennik Province Tasks, the Goliath gloves special effect is able to deal damage to it, making it possible to slay it at level 65 (the minimal requirement to obtain the gloves).
 * Despite having a magic-based attack, their magic attack is icicles that they shoot at the player, which would make it as a "ranged" instead of "magic" attack. This might be an oversight from Jagex.
 * When the TokHaar-Kal was given the ability to count as a fire cape when fighting Ice strykewyrms it did not give the bonus damage effect, it simply allowed players to deal normal damage the same way as the slayer reward, this was later fixed with an update on March 13.
 * When using a magical blastbox or a celestial surgebox to cast fire spells on an ice strykewyrm, the critical hit of the box is more than 25% of the normal damage, even sometimes more than it if the first hit is low (less than about 200). This could be explained as the critical hit being taken as another fire spell, and getting the same bonus damages. This also happens when fighting Glacors.

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