Wyvern

Wyvern is an unfortunately named (being that it would fit more into the Wyrm category) long, white chinese-dragon-like creature which appears at certain heights at Hardmode. Unlike Harpy(Note: harpies now CAN spawn above start point in hardmode, unconfirmed for normal mode), they can even spawn directly above the start point of a map.

The Wyvern attacks like a Devourer or Bone Serpent, making long, sweeping passes. Fighting them at high altitude and taking advantage of the lower gravity is useful for dodging, since they can do a lot of damage quite quickly. Weapons or Spells that strike a target multiple times (ex; Demon Scythe) are your best bet for fighting the Wyverns, as with any other worm.

Fighting the Wyvern
One approach that seems to work well when fighting this monster (especially on Large-sized maps) is to let one spawn and then fall downwards without moving to the left or right. The Wyvern will follow you, ending up in a perfectly vertical angle. You could then attack it with any high-damage, high-speed weapon, such as the Minishark, Muramasa or Megashark.

When fighting the Wyvern for the first time, it is recommended to use Rocket Boots in order to change altitude quickly to avoid its sweeping passes. Featherfall Potions could optionally be used to help avoid contact with any part of the body as it passes. While fighting, wait until the wyvern is visible flying at you, then use the Rocket Boots quickly to get as high as possible in the air, avoiding the pass. Having Featherfall on would make avoiding contact with the body easier. Once in the air and above the sweeping wyvern, blast away at it with your weapon of choice (Clockwork Assault Rifle or Shotgun recommended) until it passes you completely. Then allow yourself to land and repeat until the wyvern is dead.

Once the player has access to the Angel Wings or Demon Wings, simply repeat the process above, but using the wings to stay in the air easily. This makes fighting the wyvern far easier.

A warning about the Wyvern, unlike a worm, no matter where it is in can maneuver and change direction. This renders most of your attempts at dodging forfeit. Despite the aforementioned 'advantage' of low gravity, all it does is increase the window the Wyvern has to attack you while you have impaired motion. When fighting a Wyvern, it is best to have equipment that either allows a rapid kill, or extreme defense, instead of maneuverability.

Another method is to take advantage of it's attack pattern, which is highly predictable. The Wyvern will always sweep next from the opposite side it just attacked from. IE:If it just attacked from the left, it will attack from the right, and vice versa. With the rocket boots, jump and fly the same direction the Wyvern is going to attack from. It will be tricky at first but once you get the timing down you will be hit less often. Use the Grappling Hook or Ivy Whip to pull yourself back to the ground to quickly prepare for the Wyverns next sweep as well.

An easy way to farm Wyverns is to build a skybridge. Run on it until a Wyvern shows up. If you have the hermes/specter boots, he will be only slightly faster than you, and you can easily aim back with a high damage piercing weapon, such as the star cannon. When he gets close, simply jump over him and start running the opposite direction. Continue this until he is defeated!

Another easy way to beat the Wyvern without constructing anything is to find a floating island, and use a spear. When the Wyvern attacks from the left, run left and when it attacks from the right, run right. Don't go for the harpies until the Wyvern has stopped its attack. This method can be seen in the video at the right.

History

 * Early mentions:
 * Something unusual, something strange 22nd September 2011
 * Terraria 1.1 Trailer 25th November 2011