OSRS Drakes Slayer Task Guide for Efficient Kills and Rewards

OSRS Drakes Slayer Task Guide for Efficient Kills and Rewards

Drakes in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) are a mid-to-high-level Slayer task that can be both challenging and rewarding. Found in the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon, these wingless dragonkin require level 84 Slayer to kill and offer decent loot, including unique drops like drake claws and teeth. This guide covers everything you need to know to tackle a Drakes Slayer task efficiently, from requirements and strategies to gear setups and rewards. Whether you’re aiming for profit or Slayer XP, read on to optimize your approach.

What Are Drakes?

Drakes are aggressive, dragon-like creatures located in the middle level of the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon on Mount Karuulm. Created by the Dragonkin Karuulm as an experiment, they lack wings and suffer from painful sores, making them highly aggressive. Unlike true dragons, drakes don’t require dragonfire protection, but their volcanic breath attack demands careful attention.

Why Do Drakes Slayer Tasks?

Drakes are worth considering for their valuable drops, especially when on a Slayer task, as unique items like drake claws and teeth have a higher drop rate (1/512 vs. 1/2,000 off-task). They also provide decent alchables and stackable items, making them profitable for mid-to-high-level players. However, their high hitpoints and slow kill times can make tasks tedious, leading some to block them for faster Slayer XP.

Requirements and Preparation

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Slayer and Combat Requirements

To kill drakes, you need:

  • Level 84 Slayer: Required to receive drakes as a task from Slayer masters like Duradel, Konar, or Nieve/Steve.
  • High combat stats: Recommended 80+ Attack, Strength, Defence, and Hitpoints for melee; 75+ Ranged; or 85+ Magic.
  • 70+ Prayer: For Piety (melee) or Augury (magic).

Access to Mount Karuulm and the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon is also necessary.

Protective Footwear

The dungeon’s heated floors will damage you unless you wear:

Alternatively, completing the Elite Kourend & Kebos Diary negates the need for specific boots, allowing any footwear. You can purchase boots of stone from Konar, who is near the dungeon entrance.

Getting to the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon

Drakes are exclusively found in the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon. Here are the fastest ways to get there:

  • Fairy Ring (CIR): Teleports you south of Mount Karuulm.
  • Rada’s Blessing 3 or 4: Direct teleport to Mount Karuulm (requires Kourend & Kebos Diary progress).
  • Skills Necklace: Teleport to the Farming Guild, then run west.
  • Battlefront Teleport: Head northwest after teleporting.

Using Rada’s Blessing 4 paired with a house teleport (for ornate pool banking) is ideal for quick banking and return trips.

Combat Strategies for Drakes

Drake Mechanics and Special Attacks

Drakes have high hitpoints (250) and moderate defensive stats, making kills slow without optimal gear. They use two main attacks:

  • Ranged attack: A standard projectile that can be fully blocked with Protect from Missiles.
  • Volcanic breath: After seven auto-attacks, drakes launch a fiery projectile dealing 6–8 damage over four hits (24–32 total). Move one tile away to dodge it, or use a super antifire potion to negate damage.

Guardian Drakes, a superior variant, may spawn if you’ve unlocked the Bigger and Badder perk (150 Slayer points). They have higher stats and a melee attack that can hit over 30 and briefly stun you.

Melee Strategy

Melee is the most efficient for Drakes due to the Dragon Hunter Lance (DHL), which boosts damage against draconic creatures. A cannon can speed up kills but is less effective in the dungeon’s large rooms.

Recommended Melee Gear:

Slot Item
Head Slayer Helmet (i) (on task)
Cape Fire Cape or Infernal Cape
Weapon Dragon Hunter Lance
Shield Avernic Defender or Dragon Defender
Body Bandos Chestplate
Legs Bandos Tassets
Amulet Amulet of Torture
Ring Berserker Ring (i)

Ranged Strategy

Ranged is viable with a Dragon Hunter Crossbow (DHC) for draconic bonuses. It’s slower than melee but safer for dodging volcanic breath.

Recommended Ranged Gear:

Inventory Setup

Your inventory should include:

  • 4–6 Prayer Potions: With a holy wrench for efficiency.
  • Super Antifire Potion: To negate volcanic breath damage.
  • Super Combat Potion (melee) or Ranging Potion (ranged).
  • Herb Sack: For herb drops.
  • Rune Pouch: With Fire and Nature runes for High Alchemy.
  • Bonecrusher: If not collecting drake bones.
  • Teleportation: House tabs or Rada’s Blessing.
  • Food: 6–8 sharks or monkfish per trip.

Adjust food and potions based on your combat level and trip length.

Drops and Rewards

Notable Drops

Drakes offer a mix of guaranteed and rare drops:

  • Drake Bones: Guaranteed, worth ~5k each and slightly better Prayer XP than dragon bones.
  • Drake’s Claw: 1/512 on-task, used to craft boots of brimstone (~1M).
  • Drake’s Tooth: 1/512 on-task, used to craft devout boots (~500k).
  • Herbs: 5/85 chance of 1–3 herbs (noted or unnoted).
  • Alchables: Rune items and other high-value items (~400k–500k per task).

Guardian Drakes drop Eternal Gems and Imbued Hearts at 1/368, but only on-task.

Average Loot Value

An average task of 75–140 drakes yields ~400k–600k in alchables and stackables, with bones covering prayer potion costs. Unique drops can push profits to 1M+ if you’re lucky. Tasks take 60–90 minutes, depending on gear and cannon usage.

Pros and Cons of Drakes Slayer Tasks

Why You Should Do Drakes

  • Profitable drops: High alchables and unique items make tasks worthwhile.
  • Decent Slayer XP: 50–70 kills per hour yield ~20k–30k Slayer XP.
  • AFK potential: With DHL and super antifire, tasks can be semi-AFK.

Why You Might Skip or Block Drakes

  • Slow kills: High hitpoints make tasks time-consuming.
  • High Slayer requirement: Level 84 limits accessibility.
  • Special attack management: Dodging volcanic breath requires attention without antifire.

Many players block drakes to prioritize faster XP tasks like abyssal demons or hydra, especially when using Konar for milestone tasks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Drakes worth killing? Yes, for profit-focused players, especially on-task due to better drop rates. Block them if prioritizing Slayer XP.

Do Drakes require dragonfire protection? No, but super antifire potions are recommended to negate volcanic breath damage.

Can you safe-spot Drakes? No, drakes cannot be safe-spotted; you must engage them directly.

How many Drakes per task? Typically 75–140, depending on the Slayer master.

With the right gear, strategy, and preparation, Drakes Slayer tasks can be a profitable and engaging part of your OSRS journey. Equip your Dragon Hunter Lance, stock up on potions, and head to the Karuulm Slayer Dungeon to take on these wingless beasts!