Lothric Wyvern

Lothric Wyverns are enemies in Dark Souls III.

Locations

 * High Wall of Lothric
 * Found perched on a tower between the High Wall of Lothric and Tower on the Wall bonfires. Approaching a certain distance from the wyvern will trigger it to start breathing a stream of fire across the upper and lower floors.
 * Lothric Castle
 * Two can be found perched on each side of the castle's facade after the Dragon Barracks bonfire, near the bridge that leads to the main entrance.

Description
Lothric Wyverns are old and gigantic draconic creatures that have the ability to breathe fire onto their surroundings. The area covered by this attack usually catches fire and remains unsafe to traverse for several seconds. They react to the player's current location and if they move to a determined distance from them, they will unleash their fiery attack.

They have a considerable amount of health, although they are never seen moving from their perching positions. While they can be killed by normal means, they usually can also be dealt with by alternate methods that will consume less of the player's resources.

The first time the player encounters one, is while traversing from the first to the second bonfire in the High Wall of Lothric, in an event reminiscent of the Hellkite Dragon's appearance in Dark Souls. The wyvern will suddenly fly into the scene and perch itself on a tower. If the player approaches to a certain distance from the creature, it will unleash a powerful fire breath that will pass across the lower path and cover the whole floor above. The upper floor will remain covered in flames for a few seconds, making the lower path a safer choice for novice players.

Two more can be encountered later in the game, guarding the main entrance to Lothric Castle. The one on the left will appear to be dead at first, but once the player attempts to cross the bridge in front of them and make a run for the castle, it will suddenly wake up and attack in tandem with the other one.

These two wyverns are infected and possibly controlled by a Pus of Man each, which can be found growing on one of their feet in both cases. The white wyvern will eventually die as the player makes progress through the level, although its body will remain in place, blocking a couple of paths. Destroying the Pus of Man on each wyvern will kill them or, in the white one's case, just remove its body from the environment.

High Wall of Lothric
The first Lothric Wyvern is encountered while making way from the first to the second bonfire in the High Wall of Lothric. The creature will suddenly fly into the scene and perch itself on a tower located on the left side. The player will soon discover that approaching the creature will make it unleash a powerful stream of fire all across the area, burning everything and everyone into a crisp. The player is then presented with two options:
 * 1) Wait for the wyvern to finish breathing fire and make a run by taking the lower path.
 * 2) Run upstairs and make haste to enter the tower before the wyvern attacks again, while evading all enemies in the area.

While at first glance, taking the lower path would seem to be the obvious choice, venturing to risk it all and exploring the upper floor instead will yield the player with much better loot that will become very useful at that moment in their journey, including soul items, an Ember, a Claymore, and the opportunity to fight the first Mimic in the game, which yields a Deep Battle Axe and may even drop a Symbol of Avarice.

On the upper floor, the immediate area in front of the wyvern will remain covered in flames for several seconds once it has been sprayed with fire. Stepping onto the flames will deal small but constant damage, staggering the player with each hit and preventing them from drinking from their Estus Flask. If looting the area, it is still recommended to sustain the damage; the flames will eventually fade and provide a couple of seconds to heal before the creature attacks again. At that moment, it is advisable to face it and raise the shield, which will absorb part of the damage and provide a better opportunity to return to safety.

While this wyvern cannot be killed, it can be scared away; doing so will yield the player with a Large Titanite Shard. However, it may be advisable to refrain from attacking it at the beginning of the game, since it can be used for farming purposes (read below).

If desired, the wyvern can be safely subdued by damaging it with ranged attacks from the doorway found below the Tower on the Wall bonfire. Once its life bar has been reduced to about 20%, it will fly away and the shard will be automatically added to the player's inventory.

Farming
As mentioned above, scaring the wyvern away will make the zone safer to traverse. However, this wyvern can be used for farming souls, which can be very useful, especially in the early game, so it is advisable to let it alone until the player can find a better source for farming.

The player needs some sort of ranged attack, preferably a bow due to their low cost in ammunition. It is also advisable to procure and equip the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring before starting.

From the Tower on the Wall bonfire, make way downstairs and wait until the sword-wielding Lothric Knight exits the tower. Deal with the Hollow Assassin nearby and step outside (the small platform below the doorway is completely safe to stand upon and the player will not take damage from the fire as long as they don't step onto the main area). Take out the bow and shoot an arrow to the wyvern's tail. The wyvern will turn its head and unleash its fire breath on all the area in front of the player, killing the Lothric Knight and all other enemies in the vicinity.
 * Note: The wyvern may not attack immediately after being shot and more arrows may be needed. If the wyvern is taking too long to attack, it is advisable to turn back, rest at the bonfire and try again, lest the Lothric Knight returns from its round.

Once the first batch of enemies are dead, run down the first staircase and stand just to the right of the second one, behind the rampart's battlement (just in front of the crossbow-wielder). If done right, no enemies will come after the player. This spot is also safe and will trigger the wyvern to start breathing fire in front of it, killing all enemies on the upper floor and most of those on the corridor below.

If done correctly, the player will collect between 800 to 1,000+ souls per run.

Lothric Castle
Two wyverns can be encountered in this area, shortly after the Dragon Barracks bonfire. Both will be perched on either side of the castle's facade. While the one on the left will appear to be dead at first, as the player approaches them, it will wake up and attack in tandem with the other one.

It will soon become clear that trying to run across before they attack is not the wisest option. What the player needs to do, is drop under the bridge before they get incinerated and make way through the left path (beware of the couple of Pus of Man guarding the area).

After traveling around the building where the white wyvern is perched, the player will need to time it right between the fiery barrages unleashed by the red one and run across the area in front of the castle's main gate and into the next building. Taking the nearby ladder up (beware of the many ambushes prepared in this place), will lead them just behind the red wyvern's foot, which is infected by a Pus of Man.

There are some exploding barrels nearby that can be used to damage it, although a good bow or pyromancy will be more than enough to deal with it from a safe distance. Once the Pus of Man has been defeated, the red wyvern will die (the white one should also be dead at this moment), allowing the player to safely loot the area in front of the castle.

The player will eventually end up on top of the building where the white wyvern's corpse dwells. The Pus of Man infecting it can be heard below and be killed with ranged attacks safely from that spot. Once dead, the wyvern's body will disappear and the player may drop to explore the area, where they may fight another Mimic. The length of this fall is considerable, though, and equipping the Silvercat Ring or casting Spook is advisable.

Trivia

 * The Lothric Wyvern breathing fire in the High Wall of Lothric is reminiscent of the Hellkite Dragon's appearance in Dark Souls.