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Desert strykewyrm icon

Desert strykewyrms are Slayer monsters located east of Al Kharid, through the east gate. They may only be killed if a player is assigned to kill them by a Slayer master (level 77 Slayer required). You cannot use temporary boosts, as you need to be assigned these from your master.

Although they are located in the Kharidian Desert, only the southern periphery of the area they reside in is affected by desert heat. As such, waterskins are only needed on a narrow stretch. Luckily the monsters drop waterskins (4) quite often and there are Kharidian cactii to refill them without needing to go back to to Al Kharid to find some water source.

A wyrm initially appears as a mound on the ground; the mound may be still or be moving about. Before battle can be initiated with the wyrm, a player must investigate the mound by clicking on it. This causes the player's character to perform the Stomp emote, after which the wyrm bursts out of the ground.

Desert strykewyrms are an excellent source of various noted items, and the occasional focus sight, which is needed to create a full slayer helmet. If the player is not currently assigned a desert strykewyrm task, investigating the mound still causes the player's character to perform the stomp emote, but the wyrm does not burst forth. Instead, the character will then perform the Think emote.

Players should use a Mask of the Yellow Wyrm (or its helm variant Helm of the Parched Wyrm) when killing these, especially on a slayer assignment, to take advantage of its benefits.

Killing a strykewyrm is one of the elite Desert achievements. The player must be equipped with an ancient staff and full slayer helmet. A single strykewyrm can be killed without a slayer assignment if the assigned equipment is used.

Attacks[]

Desert strykewyrm location

The desert strykewyrm's standard attacks are Melee and Ranged. The wyrm will usually use melee and only occasionally use ranged when the player is not within melee range. This attack however, rarely hits and even if it hits, it usually does not hit over 100.

The desert strykewyrm also has a special attack which consists of it burrowing under the ground, moving toward the player fighting it, and then bursting out of the ground which can deal 500-2000 damage. Running over the strykewyrm right as it bursts out of the ground will hit the player twice with its special attack, possibly adding up to 4000 damage.

The special attack may be avoided by running 2-3 squares away from where the player was standing when the wyrm starts to burrow. Timing is important; hesitating a moment when the wyrm burrows could cause the wyrm's special attack to hit. Many players run directly away from the wyrm when it burrows, but depending on your reaction time, this might not be a good idea, so running to the sides is a good idea for those with laggy computers or if they are too slow to react to the attack.

Sometimes the desert strykewyrm will be stunned when it emerges from the ground. It will not be able to use its special attack until this wears off.

Tips[]

When running away from the special attack, it is best to click on the ground itself instead of the minimap, as the player can react to the tactical situation in the area. A player should not click on another mound when trying to get away, as the player will run up to (not onto) the mound and stop, which might leave the player too close to the surfacing wyrm.

Desert strykewyrms have a high amount of health for their level, but have low defence, making it quite easy with powerful weapons to cause a large amount of damage. The wyrm's special attack can be disabled by standing near any kind of obstacle. There are cacti and bushes around their area, but they are relatively spread out and few in number.

This special attack occurs on average once every 15-20 attacks. Depending upon how fast the player can kill a desert strykewyrm, the special attack may or may not occur with each wyrm battle, but one special attack per 2 or 3 wyrms is very likely.  

For players who have difficulty moving out of the way in time, it is advised to range strykewyrms from a distance. Range them at the maximum distance of your crossbow/shortbow/shieldbow so that you will have more time to spot and avoid their special attack. Desert strykewyrms are more resistant to ranged than they are to melee, but the ranged attack they use at a distance will also deal very low damage to a player wearing ranged armour.

It is also possible for players to avoid the desert strykewyrm's special attack by using the Escape ability. This requires a good reaction time, as the player will be sent back a few squares, thus wasting good combat time.

While on slayer task, Tuska's Wrath is a recommended ability. Activating Tuska's Wrath manually when the desert strykewrym is at or near to full health will give maximum advantage and potential instakill.

Drops[]

Charms[]

No charmGold charmGreen charmCrimson charmBlue charm
80–81%4%2%12%0.9–1.1%
Represents a 90% confidence range based on a sample of 44,333 kills.
1 charm is dropped at a time.
Add data to the log (requires JavaScript).

Main drop[]

Item Quantity Rarity GE price
Death runeDeath rune15Uncommon3,480
Water runeWater rune[1]2–100Uncommon50–2,500
Law runeLaw rune15Uncommon8,550
Air talismanAir talisman1Uncommon498
Earth talismanEarth talisman1Uncommon185
Fire talismanFire talisman1Uncommon209
Body talismanBody talisman1Rare407
Mind talismanMind talisman1Rare203
Water talismanWater talisman1Very rare2,528
Mithril battleaxeMithril battleaxe1–2Uncommon3,550–7,100
Rune hatchetRune hatchet1Uncommon9,120
Focus sightFocus sight1Rare[2]15,687
Cadantine seedCadantine seed1Common1,438
Avantoe seedAvantoe seed1Uncommon375
Kwuarm seedKwuarm seed1Uncommon12,857
Toadflax seedToadflax seed1Uncommon9,872
Irit seedIrit seed1Uncommon1,018
Watermelon seedWatermelon seed1Uncommon3,590
Ranarr seedRanarr seed1Uncommon976
Poison ivy seedPoison ivy seed1Uncommon302
Belladonna seedBelladonna seed1Uncommon1,007
Cactus seedCactus seed1Uncommon1,016
Lantadyme seedLantadyme seed1Uncommon726
Dwarf weed seedDwarf weed seed1Rare822
Maple seedMaple seed1Very rare8,519
Magic seedMagic seed1Very rare52,464
Grimy guamGrimy guam1–4 (noted)Common709–2,836
Grimy marrentillGrimy marrentill1–4 (noted)Uncommon2,307–9,228
Grimy lantadymeGrimy lantadyme1–4 (noted)Uncommon7,551–30,204
Grimy avantoeGrimy avantoe1–4 (noted)Uncommon1,043–4,172
Grimy cadantineGrimy cadantine1–4 (noted)Uncommon4,322–17,288
Grimy dwarf weedGrimy dwarf weed1–4 (noted)Uncommon8,476–33,904
Grimy harralanderGrimy harralander1–4 (noted)Uncommon741–2,964
Grimy toadflaxGrimy toadflax1–4 (noted)Uncommon11,250–45,000
Grimy iritGrimy irit1–4 (noted)Uncommon5,008–20,032
Grimy kwuarmGrimy kwuarm1–4 (noted)Uncommon11,782–47,128
Grimy ranarrGrimy ranarr1–4 (noted)Uncommon1,860–7,440
Grimy tarrominGrimy tarromin1–4 (noted)Uncommon105–420
Coins 1000Coins[3]200–440; 1,201–4,500Common200–4,500
Waterskin (4)Waterskin (4)2Common950
Super defence (2)Super defence (2)1Common4,780
Potato cactusPotato cactus3; 5–18 (noted)Common15,747–94,482
Yew logsYew logs10 (noted)Common1,670
Pure essencePure essence120 (noted)Common3,600
SwordfishSwordfish2Uncommon314
Adamant barAdamant bar(noted)Uncommon5,283
Goat horn dustGoat horn dust[1](noted)Common8,700
Uncut sapphireUncut sapphire[4]1Common809
Uncut emeraldUncut emerald[4]1Uncommon2,555
Uncut diamondUncut diamond[4]1Very rare4,843
Uncut rubyUncut ruby[4]1Rare1,842
Rare drop tableRare drop table1RareNot sold
  1. ^ a b Always dropped with a seed
  2. ^ Estimated at 1/484 using gathered Adventurer's Log data as of 18 September 2012.
  3. ^ 200 coins will always be dropped along with the yew log drop.
  4. ^ a b c d Dropped with a noted herb

Tertiary drops[]

Item Quantity Rarity GE price
Court summonsCourt summons1RareNot sold
Spirit sapphireSpirit sapphire1RareNot sold
Spirit emeraldSpirit emerald1RareNot sold
Spirit rubySpirit ruby1RareNot sold
Starved ancient effigyStarved ancient effigy1Very rareNot sold
Sealed clue scroll (hard)Sealed clue scroll (hard)1RareNot sold
Sealed clue scroll (elite)Sealed clue scroll (elite)1Very rare[d 1]Not sold
  1. ^ There is a 1% chance of this being a sealed clue scroll (master) instead

Rare drop table[]

This monster has access to the rare drop table.
Luck-enhancing items such as a ring of wealth or luck of the dwarves are not required to access the table.
Show/hide rare drop table
Item Quantity Rarity GE price
Coins 250Coins250–500Common250–500
Uncut sapphireUncut sapphire1Common809
Uncut emeraldUncut emerald1Common2,555
Uncut rubyUncut ruby1Common1,842
Uncut diamondUncut diamond1Common4,843
Uncut diamondUncut diamond45–55 (noted)Rare217,935–266,365
Loop half of a keyLoop half of a key1Common11,053
Tooth half of a keyTooth half of a key1Common11,538
Uncut dragonstoneUncut dragonstone1Uncommon12,077
Uncut dragonstoneUncut dragonstone45–55 (noted)Rare543,465–664,235
Dragon longswordDragon longsword1Common56,212
Dragon spearDragon spear1Rare35,861
BattlestaffBattlestaff180–220 (noted)Rare542,160–662,640
Rune javelinRune javelin5Rare905
Rune platebodyRune platebody1Uncommon37,480
Rune platebodyRune platebody15–25 (noted)Rare562,200–937,000
Shield left halfShield left half1Rare64,399
Dragon helmDragon helm1Uncommon58,601
Rune arrowheadsRune arrowheads113–137Common14,916–18,084
Onyx boltsOnyx bolts135–165Very rare1,003,725–1,226,775
Chaos talismanChaos talisman1Rare1,923
Nature talismanNature talisman1Rare1,473
Water talismanWater talisman65–82 (noted)Rare164,320–207,296
Earth talismanEarth talisman65–82 (noted)Rare12,025–15,170
Fire talismanFire talisman25–35 (noted)Rare5,225–7,315
Raw lobsterRaw lobster135–165 (noted)Common47,655–58,245
Raw sharkRaw shark225–275 (noted)Uncommon321,075–392,425
Big bonesBig bones68–82 (noted)Uncommon13,804–16,646
Dragon bonesDragon bones180–220 (noted)Rare384,480–469,920
CoalCoal200–1,100 (noted)Uncommon22,400–123,200
Gold oreGold ore90–110 (noted)Common52,830–64,570
Adamantite oreAdamantite ore180–220 (noted)Uncommon40,860–49,940
Adamant barAdamant bar14–16 (noted)Common24,654–28,176
Adamant barAdamant bar135–165 (noted)Rare237,735–290,565
Runite oreRunite ore90–110 (noted)Rare127,710–156,090
Rune barRune bar(noted)Common8,955
Rune barRune bar45–55 (noted)Rare134,325–164,175
Grimy torstolGrimy torstol90–110 (noted)Uncommon485,010–592,790
Grimy snapdragonGrimy snapdragon90–110 (noted)Uncommon161,010–196,790
Super restore (4)Super restore (4)45–55 (noted)Uncommon125,910–153,890
Prayer potion (4)Prayer potion (4)45–55 (noted)Uncommon130,950–160,050
Lantadyme seedLantadyme seed14–16Uncommon10,164–11,616
Dwarf weed seedDwarf weed seed14–16Uncommon11,508–13,152
Magic seedMagic seed4Uncommon209,856
Palm tree seedPalm tree seed10Rare396,000
FlaxFlax450–550 (noted)Common43,200–52,800
Molten glassMolten glass45–55 (noted)Common27,585–33,715
Soft claySoft clay450–550 (noted)Uncommon188,550–230,450
Yew logsYew logs68–82 (noted)Uncommon11,356–13,694
Yew logsYew logs675–825 (noted)Rare112,725–137,775
Teak plankTeak plank45–55 (noted)Uncommon16,740–20,460
Mahogany plankMahogany plank270–330 (noted)Rare356,670–435,930
Blurberry SpecialBlurberry Special1Uncommon12,008
Vecna skullVecna skull1Very rare*124,871
Hazelmere's signet ringHazelmere's signet ring1Very rare*1,432,268,388
Brawling gloves (Melee)Brawling gloves (Melee)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Magic)Brawling gloves (Magic)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Ranged)Brawling gloves (Ranged)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Agility)Brawling gloves (Agility)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Cooking)Brawling gloves (Cooking)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (FM)Brawling gloves (FM)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Fishing)Brawling gloves (Fishing)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Hunter)Brawling gloves (Hunter)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Mining)Brawling gloves (Mining)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Prayer)Brawling gloves (Prayer)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Smithing)Brawling gloves (Smithing)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (Thieving)Brawling gloves (Thieving)1Very rareNot sold
Brawling gloves (WC)Brawling gloves (WC)1Very rareNot sold
Crystal triskelion fragment 1Crystal triskelion fragment 11Very rareNot sold
Crystal triskelion fragment 2Crystal triskelion fragment 21Very rareNot sold
Crystal triskelion fragment 3Crystal triskelion fragment 31Very rareNot sold

Universal drops[]

Universal drops are dropped by nearly every monster outside of Daemonheim.
These drops are dropped alongside main drops.
Item Quantity Rarity GE price
Key tokenKey token1RareNot sold
Mimic kill tokenMimic kill token1Very rare5,575

Trivia[]

  • Using the stomp emote to attract the strykewyrm is possibly a reference to the sandworms (Shai'Hulud) from Frank Herbert's Dune novel series, which share some common characteristics.
  • The release of strykewyrms was hinted at by the Twitter hint, "Three strykes and they're out!" Additionally, the encrypted message from the Chaos Elemental in Chaos Elemental Letter 14 contained the phrase 'from beneath you, it devours' - this possibly relates simultaneously to the burrowing nature of the strykewyrms and also that they were slayer-related content. 'From beneath you, it devours' is a recurring phrase in season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
  • Desert strykewyrms, along with the rest of the strykewyrms, were the first monsters in RuneScape that made use of 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 will not count towards a kill, and it has not been fixed yet.
  • As of 1 February 2018, the highest kill count for this monster was 29,724 kills.[1]
    • This had increased to 30,593 by 6 May 2018.[2]
  • There was a bug where the desert styrkewyrm's ranged attack would always miss, regardless of the player's armour rating. This was patched on 16 April 2018.

References[]

  1. ^ Mod Shauny. Top 10 killers per Boss. 2 Feb 2018. "Here are the top 10 kills for each Slayer creature in RuneScape, be aware that we've not listed display names for privacy purposes however if you wish to brag about one number being yours then we won't stop you!"*
  2. ^ Mod Shauny. Top Slayer Killers - 6th May 2018. 6 May 2018. "Here are the top 10 kills for each Slayer creature in RuneScape, be aware that we've not listed display names for privacy purposes however if you wish to brag about one number being yours then we won't stop you!"*
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