The Dragonfire shield is an upgraded anti-dragon shield, made by combining one with a draconic visage. It needs 75 Defence and Dragon Slayer I started to wield, gives strong defensive bonuses (+20 stab, +25 slash, +22 crush, +22 ranged defence uncharged) plus +7 strength, and keeps full dragonfire protection. It's one of the best shields in the game behind the elysian spirit shield and Dinh's bulwark. The ~4M price shown is the uncharged, tradeable form.
Equipment bonuses
The Dragonfire shield's defining numbers are its well-rounded melee defence — +20 stab, +25 slash, +22 crush — alongside +22 ranged defence, +10 magic defence and a rare-for-a-shield +7 strength bonus. Those are the uncharged stats; it requires 75 Defence and is worn in the shield slot.
Attack bonuses
Defence bonuses
Other bonuses
Charging the shield adds +1 per charge up to +50 to its stab, slash, crush and ranged defence (the magic defence and strength bonuses don't change), so a fully charged shield reads +70/+75/+72/+72 — but the bonus table above shows the uncharged numbers that match the tradeable item priced on this page.
Grand Exchange price history
How to get the Dragonfire shield
The Dragonfire shield is created, not dropped — you build it from an anti-dragon shield and a draconic visage. You also need to have started Dragon Slayer I. There are two ways to combine them:
- Smithing: with 90 Smithing (boostable), use a hammer on an anvil to fuse the anti-dragon shield and draconic visage into the Dragonfire shield. This grants 2,000 Smithing experience.
- Oziach: if your Smithing is too low, take both items plus 1,250,000 coins to Oziach in Edgeville and he'll assemble it for you.
The draconic visage is the expensive part — it's a rare drop from various dragons and dragon-themed bosses — which is why most players simply buy the finished, uncharged shield off the Grand Exchange. See the Smithing guide for levelling, or grab the parts on the GE price tracker.
Charges and the dragonfire discharge
The Dragonfire shield is a charged item, and that's why it has two forms. It holds up to 50 charges, gained by absorbing adult-dragon dragonfire or wyvern icy breath while it's equipped (one charge per attack blocked), or instantly by using a single bottled dragonbreath on it. Each charge raises its melee and ranged defensive bonuses by +1 — up to a maximum of +50 on top of the base stats, taking the shield to +70 stab, +75 slash, +72 crush and +72 ranged defence when full. The magic defence and strength bonuses stay the same.
The shield is tradeable only when completely uncharged, so the live price and chart on this page — around 4M — track that uncharged form. To sell a charged shield you right-click Empty to release all charges at once (this gives no refund), then trade it. A quick way to top it back up is fighting iron and bronze dragons in the Catacombs of Kourend behind an antifire potion, which fills it in under a minute.
The shield also has an activated attack. Right-click Activate on the equipped charged shield to discharge a blast of dragonfire at a target, hitting up to 25 damage over a 10-tile range. It costs one charge, has a cooldown of about 1 minute 56 seconds, and its accuracy rolls your Defence level against the target's Magic defence. It won't work on chromatic dragons, metal dragons, wyverns, frost dragons or some bosses, and a target with its own dragonfire protection takes far less (as little as 3 damage against an anti-dragon shield).
Is the Dragonfire shield worth it?
For its price, the Dragonfire shield is excellent value. It offers the best all-round defensive bonuses of any reasonably affordable shield, adds a rare +7 strength for a defensive item, and bundles in full dragonfire protection plus partial protection against wyvern icy breath — meaning you can drop the antifire potion or anti-dragon shield in many dragon fights and still wear a real defensive piece.
It is one of the best shields in the game behind the elysian spirit shield and Dinh's bulwark, both of which cost vastly more (the elysian) or fill a different niche (the bulwark). For the overwhelming majority of players the Dragonfire shield is the practical pick. Check where it fits across your fights with the boss gear finder, or browse the wider melee gear and prayer gear setups.
Dragonfire shield FAQ
What level do you need for the Dragonfire shield?
You need 75 Defence to wield it, and you must have started Dragon Slayer I. To make one yourself by Smithing you also need 90 Smithing (boostable), or you can pay Oziach 1,250,000 coins to assemble it at any Smithing level.
How do you make a Dragonfire shield?
You combine an anti-dragon shield with a draconic visage. Either use a hammer on an anvil with 90 Smithing (granting 2,000 Smithing xp), or take both items plus 1,250,000 coins to Oziach. You must have started Dragon Slayer I either way.
How do you charge the Dragonfire shield?
Equip it and absorb dragonfire from adult dragons or icy breath from wyverns — one charge per attack blocked, up to a maximum of 50. You can also fully charge it instantly by using a single bottled dragonbreath on it. Each charge adds +1 to its melee and ranged defensive bonuses.
What does the Dragonfire shield's special attack do?
It has an activated discharge rather than a percentage-energy special attack. Right-click Activate on the equipped charged shield to fire a dragonfire blast for up to 25 damage over 10 tiles. It uses one charge, has a roughly 1m 56s cooldown, and its accuracy rolls your Defence against the target's Magic defence. It doesn't work on chromatic/metal dragons, wyverns, frost dragons or some bosses.
Why is the Dragonfire shield tradeable but has charges?
The shield can only be traded when completely uncharged, so the live price here — around 4M — is that uncharged form. If yours has charges, right-click Empty to release them all (no refund) before selling. The charged shield gives stronger defensive bonuses but can't be traded.
Is the Dragonfire shield still good?
Yes. It's one of the best shields in the game behind the elysian spirit shield and Dinh's bulwark, and far cheaper than the elysian. Its mix of strong all-round defence, +7 strength and built-in dragonfire protection keeps it a staple defensive shield for melee.
How much is the Dragonfire shield worth?
The uncharged, tradeable form sells for around 4M on the Grand Exchange. Check the live chart above for the current price.
Does the Dragonfire shield protect against dragonfire?
Yes. It keeps the full dragonfire protection of the anti-dragon shield it's made from, and also gives partial protection against the icy breath of wyverns. Note that since 5 July 2018 you must have started Dragon Slayer I for the anti-fire protection to work.
Update history
Discharged attacks from draconic shields now give only Defence experience instead of Magic and Hitpoints (Poll 80 Wilderness Changes & More).
Players are now required to have started Dragon Slayer I in order to use the shield's anti-fire protection (Game Integrity Changes: Dragonfire).
The uncharged version was made darker to distinguish it from charged versions (The Queen of Thieves & The Depths of Despair).
The Dragonfire shield no longer has stats on free worlds (The Dragon Defender).
Players with uncharged Dragonfire shields are no longer warned that the shield will lose its charges if dropped (Patch Notes).
Source: OSRS Wiki — Dragonfire shield (Changes).
