The Anti-Dragon Shield stands as an essential item in RuneScape: Dragonwilds. This guide will walk you through the complete process of obtaining and crafting your own Anti-Dragon Shield. Locate the hidden Dragonkin Vault, unlock the shield’s ancient recipe, and gather rare materials to craft your own powerful defense.
How to Get Anti-Dragon Shield
If you are progressing through the Dragon Slayer main quest in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, they will be directed to the Whispering Swamp zone, where a hidden Dragonkin Vault awaits. To find it, head towards the northeastern part of the swamp. Along the way, you will encounter a blue glowing door, marking the entrance to the Vault.
Upon entering the dungeon, they’ll need to navigate through various sections until they reach a secret area, which is filled with traps and guarded by three Vault Guardians. The layout of the zone is distinctive, with a three-pronged section that has two dead ends. The only viable path leads to the backroom of the Vault.
Unlocking the Anti-Dragon Shield Recipe
As you continue, you will face two more Vault Guardians. A good tactic is to lure them into the traps to make the battle easier. Once all the enemies are dealt with, you should approach a statue with a glowing orb in the background. Interacting with the orb will unlock the recipe for the Anti-Dragon Shield.
Gathering Materials to Craft the Shield
To craft the Anti-Dragon Shield, you will need to gather several rare materials, including: 12 Blightwood, 4 Wild Anima, 4 Hard Leather, 6 Opal, 8 Vault Shards, and 1 Vault Core. Vault Shards and Cores can be obtained from Dragonkin Vaults, so you should already have a decent supply.
To gather Blightwood you’ll need to head into Bloodblight Swamp. It’s filled with high-level enemies. To reach Bloodblight Swamp, travel north from Bramblewood Valley, make your way through the narrow paths of Whispering Swamp, and then head east once you arrive at Fractured Plains. Bloodblight Swamp is filled with poison, so make sure to bring plenty of Anti-Poison Potions to survive while you’re gathering wood in the toxic terrain.
Wild Anima is a magical material you can craft by smelting Anima-infused Bark, which comes from the vibrant purple and blue Anima Trees scattered throughout the Fractured Plains. To start, head to this level-three zone by going northeast from the starting area, past the Whispering Swamp.
Once you arrive, look for the large Anima Trees and chop them to collect the infused bark. You’ll need at least four pieces, but there’s plenty around if you want to stock up. After gathering the bark, teleport back to safety and head to your Kiln to smelt the Anima-infused Bark to create Wild Anima.
However, you should be cautious, as the area is filled with poisonous water and enemies. Bringing along Fortifying Crunchies or Kebabs for poison resistance is highly recommended. Wild Anima can be extracted from Anima-Infused Bark, which is gathered from sparkling trees scattered throughout Ashenfall. To extract the Anima, simply place the bark in the Kiln and begin the process.
For Hard Leather, you must hunt Tier 3+ animals, such as Wolves, and use a Tanner’s Kit to process the hides. Blightwood can be harvested by cutting down trees near Bloodblight Swamp, specifically from the whitened roots that emerge from the ground.
You can randomly find Opals while mining certain ores, with the best chances coming from Copper, Tin, and Mining Stone. Just make sure you’re using a Bone Pickaxe, as Stone Pickaxes won’t cut it. You can find all three ores in the Fractured Plains, and to speed things up, consider using the Rocksplosion and Detect Ore+Clay abilities.
Remember, even with all the right tools and plenty of mining, Opals are still incredibly rare. To improve your chances, try unlocking the Gem Prospector ability once you hit Level 16 in the Mining skill tree. Also, the gem drop rate seems to decrease once your Mining level hits the max, so it might be smarter to stay below Level 50.
Vault Shards are rare and valuable resources and are found only inside Vaults scattered across the map. These shards are crucial for crafting essential structures like the Furnace, which is needed to smelt metal bars for weapons and gear. You can collect Vault Shards by opening chests or defeating powerful Vault Sentinels inside the Vaults.
There are six Vaults in total, located in key areas like Temple Woods, Bramblemead Valley, Whispering Swamp, Fractured Ruins, Bloodblight Swamp, and the Stormtouched Highlands. Each Vault has its own unique boss and offers high-tier rewards like hidden recipes. Vaults respawn over time, so you can revisit them to farm Vault Shards and Cores.
Vault Cores, another rare item found inside Vaults, are used to build Lodestones, structures that let you fast-travel across Ashenfall. To find a Vault Core, enter a Vault, fight your way past the Vault Sentinels, and check the altar inside. Some Cores may even be hidden in secret rooms that require specific spells to access.
Once you have a Core, you can build a Lodestone using Stone, Rune Essence, and the Core itself. These Lodestones make traveling across the map much easier and also unlock the Summon Shelter perk, giving you added survival advantages as you progress through the game.
Additionally, it’s important to note that players will need to use a Smithing Anvil which must be placed under a roof to craft the Anti-Dragon Shield. This shield offers 39 Block and provides partial protection against Dragon Breath attacks, a useful defensive item for navigating a land filled with dragons.
