The dragonfire shield is an anti-dragon shield that has been fused with a draconic visage. Requiring 70 Defence to equip; when charged the dragonfire shield is one of the best melee shields in the game. The shield surpasses the dragon kiteshield and is equivalent in strength to the Blessed Spirit Shield and Bandos warshield, although it lacks the prayer bonus that those two shields provide.
Much like the anti-dragon shield from which it is made, the dragonfire shield provides partial protection from dragonfire attacks; however, it also provides the same partial protection from the ice breath of skeletal wyverns that an elemental shield or equivalent would offer.
The dragonfire shield cannot be lent. Additionally, it can only be traded when completely uncharged.
Creation
The dragonfire shield is created by attaching a draconic visage to an anti-dragon shield at any anvil. The process requires 90 Smithing and a hammer, giving 2,000 Smithing experience and an uncharged dragonfire shield. There are 3 types of dragonfire shields you can smith, you will be given the option to choose either melee, range or magic dragonfire shield. Players who do not have the required Smithing level to make the shield may seek help through the Assist System; alternately, Oziach in Edgeville will smith the shield for any player at a cost of 1,250,000 coins.
It is possible to change between the different uncharged versions by using the dragonfire shield at the dragon forge located in the Ancient Cavern. A blast fusion hammer, which costs 1,000,000 gp, purchaseable from the Blast Furnace Foreman is required. This requires level 92 smithing.
The draconic visage is dropped by most high-level dragons, including black dragons, iron dragons, steel dragons, mithril dragons, frost dragons, skeletal wyverns, King Black Dragon and the Queen Black Dragon. However, green dragons, blue dragons, red dragons, bronze dragons, brutal green dragons, and all baby dragons do not drop the draconic visage.
For a time until an update on 16 June 2009, the shield itself was a possible drop from other players on PvP Worlds. Additionally, between 4 January and 11 January 2012, the draconic visage could be obtained from the Barrows minigame.
Dragonfire charges
Charging
A player charging the dragonfire shield.
As it absorbs the dragonfire attacks of adult dragons, the dragonfire shield builds charges. The shield can also be charged by absorbing the breath attacks of skeletal wyverns, although it will still discharge dragonfire. Each breath attack gives the shield one charge. The shield can hold up to 50 charges. While the shield is in the inventory, right-clicking the Inspect option can be used to check its current number of charges.
To charge the dragonfire shield, simply equip the shield and attack any dragon capable of breathing dragonfire. With the use of an Antifire potion, no damage will be taken. Note that after the Evolution of Combat update, the shield's special attack has been REMOVED and only one charge is required to provide the full stats. There are several ways to charge a dragonfire shield in complete safety.
- A steel dragon (POH) in a player-owned house's Treasure Room. If not using another player's POH, it costs 10,000,000 coins (10M) to build, and requires 95 Construction.
- A pit iron dragon in a player-owned house's Dungeon Pit. If not using another player's POH, it costs 7,500,000 coins (7.5M) to build, and requires 97 Construction and completion of Love Story.
- Elvarg in Dominion Tower, with 160 combat, Dragon Slayer and at least 19 other quests completed.
Players who do not have such options available can also charge the shield easily using one of the following:
- A Blue Dragon can be fought in the basement of the Heroes' Guild, which is easily accessed from the Burthope lodestone. Note that the Heroes' Quest needs to be completed for entry into the guild.
- Black dragons can be fought in the Evil Chicken lair in Zanaris. This requires Lost City to be complete.
- The Brimhaven Dungeon is easily accessible from the Karamja lodestone and contains some types of dragons that can be fought, but 875 coins need to be paid per entry unless the hard Karamja tasks have been completed.
Discharging
A player emptying all charges.
Players can drain all of the dragonfire shield's charges at once by right-clicking the shield in the inventory and selecting Empty. This will release all of the shield's charges in a harmless burst. This function is useful when selling or trading the shield, as it can only be traded when completely uncharged.
Also, if dropped on death in an unsafe environment, when recovered the dragonfire shield will be completely uncharged. This is not recommended as you may lose the shield.
Prices
| Item | Name | 
|
|
Class | GE price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncharged | Charged | Uncharged | Charged | ||||
|
Dragonfire shield | 170 | 297 | 750 | 1050 | ||
| Melee | 1,200,875 
| ||||||
| Magic | 1,198,964
| ||||||
| Ranged | 1,196,514
| ||||||
Bonuses
When bought or smithed, the shield will be uncharged. A partially charged Dragonfire shield will have the same defensive bonuses as a fully charged shield.
Uncharged
| Requirements |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
70  | |||||||||||
| Class | Slot | ||||||||||
 Melee |  | ||||||||||
| Tier | |||||||||||
| Unknown edit | |||||||||||
| Weapons | Main | Off | |||||||||
| Damage | - | - | |||||||||
| Accuracy | - | - | |||||||||
| Style | - | ||||||||||
| Range | - | ||||||||||
| Attributes | Damage reduction | ||||||||||
| Armour | 170 | PvM: 0% | PvP: 0% | ||||||||
 Life points | 750 | Style bonuses | |||||||||
 Prayer | 0 |  0 |  0 |  0 | |||||||
| [FAQ] • [doc] | |||||||||||
Partial or fully charged
| Requirements |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | |||||||||||
| Class | Slot | ||||||||||
| Melee | | ||||||||||
| Tier | |||||||||||
| Unknown edit | |||||||||||
| Weapons | Main | Off | |||||||||
| Damage | - | - | |||||||||
| Accuracy | - | - | |||||||||
| Style | - | ||||||||||
| Range | - | ||||||||||
| Attributes | Damage reduction | ||||||||||
| Armour | 297 | PvM: 0% | PvP: 0% | ||||||||
| Life points | 1050 | Style bonuses | |||||||||
| Prayer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| [FAQ] • [doc] | |||||||||||
Trivia
An up close view of the dragonfire shield's former special attack
- In November 2012, the Evolution of Combat was released and, with it, two new forms of the Dragonfire Shield - Dragonfire shield (magic) and Dragonfire shield (ranged).
- In July 2010, the shield's appearance was updated so that both sides of the shield, the parts that were not covered by the visage, were orange. Previously, one side of the shield was orange, and the other side was the same colour as the visage.
- Dragonfire shields will only stack in the bank when completely uncharged. Shields with any number of charges will each take up one bank space. Using the withdraw-all option in a bank will withdraw all dragonfire shields with matching charges even though they don't stack.
The dragonfire shield(uncharged) as of 6 March 2012.
A player discharging dragonfire from her dragonfire shield prior to the Evolution of Combat.
- Before the release of the Evolution of Combat, casting a dragonfire charge, if it hit, would cause a Magic attack on the foe and give Magic XP, despite dragonfire from chromatic and metallic dragons not having any type of combat style for their dragonfire (however protect from magic would significantly lower the damage done by a chromatic dragon's dragonfire).
- The dragonfire shield's appearance was updated on 6 March 2012 along with the armour graphical rework.
- When used at Kalphite King to provoke it, or if it is equipped when you're greened, the fire charge glow will change from orange to green.
- Prior to the Evolution of Combat, the dragonfire shield used to require a full 50 charges in order to receive the full benefits from it. Since the update, however, only a single charge is needed for the full status increase of the shield.
- Before the release of the Evolution of Combat, the dragonfire shield could be charged in just one dragonbreath of the Queen Black Dragon, which was unique as other dragons couldn't charge the shield in one dragonbreath at the time.