OSRS Iron Dragons Guide: Slayer Task, Loots & Locations

Iron Dragons are a type of metal dragon, known for their metallic hide, powerful dragonfire, and high defensive stats. They are a common mid-to-high level Slayer assignment that requires specific gear to fight safely and effectively.

While often seen as a slow task, this guide will cover the best strategies and locations to make your Iron Dragon assignment as smooth as possible.

The Mandatory Requirement: Dragonfire Protection

This is the most important rule for fighting any dragon, and Iron Dragons are no exception.

  • The Attack: Their dragonfire breath can hit for over 60 damage if you are unprotected.
  • The Protection: You need two layers of defence to be safe.
    1. An Anti-dragon Shield (or Dragonfire Shield/Ward).
    2. An Antifire Potion.

With both a shield and a potion, you will take minimal damage from their dragonfire. You will still take a small amount of damage, so keeping your health up is important.

Locations

  1. Brimhaven Dungeon: A very popular spot with several Iron Dragon spawns. Be aware that you will need to pay an entry fee or have a Totem of Navigation.
  2. Catacombs of Kourend: The best location for players looking for extra loot. The dragons here are aggressive and can drop Ancient Shards and Dark Totem pieces.
  3. Isle of Souls Dungeon: A lesser-known and often empty location.

The Fight Strategy

Iron Dragons use both Melee and Dragonfire attacks.

  • The Prayer: The best strategy is to use Protect from Melee. This will block their most common attack.
  • The Weakness: Iron Dragons have very high Defence against most attack styles. Their primary weakness is Magic. However, most players still use Melee due to the high cost of casting spells.
  • Melee Strategy: If using Melee, you should use a weapon with a high Stab bonus, as this is their secondary weakness. A Zamorakian hasta is the best option.
  • Ranged Strategy: If using Ranged, Diamond bolts (e) are highly effective due to their armor-piercing special effect.

Because of their high defence, a Dragon Warhammer or Bandos Godsword special attack at the start of the fight can significantly speed up kills.

Notable Drops

Iron Dragons are known for their consistent bone and bar drops, but also have a chance at some very rare items.

  • Dragon bones & Iron bar: A 100% guaranteed drop.
  • Draconic Visage (1/10,000): An extremely rare drop used to create the Dragonfire Shield.
  • Dragon platelegs & plateskirt: A rare but valuable drop.

Conclusion: To Slay or to Skip?

Iron Dragons are a classic OSRS Slayer monster, but their high defence makes them a slow and often frustrating task for many players. For this reason, they are a common task to add to your "Block" list at a Slayer Master.

However, for those willing to gear up and take them on, they offer a steady supply of Prayer XP and a very slim chance at the legendary Draconic Visage.

Prefer to avoid slow, high-defence monsters? Let us handle your Slayer grind for you.

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→ For a more profitable metal dragon, check out our Rune Dragons Guide```