Are Mithril Dragons Worth It in OSRS? Let’s Dive Deep (and Maybe Get Rich)
Are you wondering if Mithril Dragons are worth your time? In the Grand Exchange and taverns, this question echoes. Let’s explore the Ancient Cavern and see if Mithril Dragons yield treasure or are just fire-breathing nuisances.
In Old School RuneScape, time equals money. Each click matters for your GP/hour. When it comes to Mithril Dragons, we must ask: Do they justify your time and resources?
Mithril Dragons: The Rundown
First, let’s meet our metallic foes. Mithril Dragons dwell in the Ancient Cavern, a place expected to be filled with loot. They do not drop Armadyl godswords frequently, but they hold a special place in OSRS.
Are Mithril Dragons Worth Killing in OSRS?
This is the million-gold-piece question. The answer is: it depends. Mithril Dragons will not make you a RuneScape millionaire instantly. They lack the profitability of Zulrah. Still, their unique drops can be valuable under certain conditions.
They drop chewed bones. Chewed bones may not seem appealing, but they hold value in OSRS. Why? They are essential for obtaining the dragon full helm. Use chewed bones on a pyre ship to call a barbarian spirit. Defeat this spirit for a chance at the helm. Who wouldn’t want a dragon full helm? It’s a classic.
The
Best Setup for Mithril Dragons in OSRS
If you’re ready to face them, prepare your gear. Mithril Dragons hit hard and breathe fire, so come prepared.
Here’s a setup guide for dragon slaying:
- Weapon: Melee is preferred. A Ghrazi Rapier is excellent if you’re rich. It’s not just a top stab weapon; it’s highly regarded. On a budget, a Dragon Hunter Lance (DHL) is ideal against dragons. The
Dragon Hunter Lance is crafted using a hydra claw and a Zamorakian hasta, making it perfect for slaying. If even more budget-friendly, dragon or rune scimitars will work, but kills will be slower. - Armour: You need decent melee armour. Justiciar armour offers top defensive bonuses but is expensive. If that’s not viable, Bandos armour or fighter torso and obsidian platelegs can provide solid alternatives.
- Shield: An anti-dragon shield is essential. You need protection from dragonfire. A dragonfire shield provides extra defense, but the anti-dragon shield suffices.
- Helmet: Your helmet choice is flexible. A Neitiznot helmet is reliable for its balanced stats. The Armadyl helmet is stylish but rare – it’s one of the hardest helmets to find.
- Boots and Gloves: Dragon boots and Barrows gloves are solid choices.
- Amulet and Ring: An amulet of fury boosts combat stats. Rings like a berserker ring (i) or a warrior ring (i) can enhance damage output.
- Inventory: Bring plenty of food (like sharks), prayer potions, and perhaps an antifire potion for extra protection against dragonfire. A rune pouch with high alchemy runes can help convert unwanted drops into cash.
Best Spell for Mithril Dragons? Earth Spells to the Rescue!
Here’s an interesting fact: As of May 29, 2024, Mithril Dragons have a 50% elemental weakness to earth spells. Yes, earth spells! That dusty earth staff in your bank might be useful now.
The best earth spells are Earth Wave or Earth Surge. Use an earth staff to boost spell damage. This weakness makes magic a viable option, especially if you prefer fighting from a distance.
Mithril Dragon Weakness: Exploiting Earth’s Fury
Mithril Dragons’ weakness to earth spells means you’ll hit harder with them compared to other attacks. It’s like discovering your enemy has a ridiculous phobia – fighting them becomes much easier.
Prayer Against Mithril Dragons: Protect Yourself!
Prayer is crucial when battling Mithril Dragons. They use melee and dragonfire attacks. Knowing what to pray against is vital for survival. Generally, use Protect from Magic. Their dragonfire attack is magic-based, so this reduces damage significantly. If using melee armour like Verac’s or Justiciar, Protect from Magic is key.
If you’re ranging or maging, consider Protect from Missiles for their ranged attack. Test what works best for your setup. Prayer flicking can conserve points, requiring focus and timing.
Mithril Dragon Drops: Chewed Bones and Dragon Full Helms
Mithril Dragons have valuable loot. We discussed chewed bones and the dragon full helm, but let’s explore further.
- Chewed Bones: Dropped exclusively by Mithril Dragons at a rate of 3/128. They’re used in pyre ships to summon spirits that can drop the dragon full helm. Chewed bones also hold value at the Grand Exchange.
- Dragon Full Helm: The rare drop from Mithril Dragons. It can also be obtained from spirits summoned with chewed bones. It’s iconic OSRS gear, not BiS for anything specific, but valuable nonetheless.
- Other Drops: Mithril Dragons drop various dragon bones, mithril bars, rune items, and more. These add up over time and improve your profit per hour.
Mithril Dragon Location: Ancient Cavern Awaits
Mithril Dragons hide in the Ancient Cavern, located under Baxtorian Falls in northeast Kandarin. Getting there requires navigating underground tunnels and obstacles. It’s not the easiest place to reach.
but hey, treasure hunting never is right?
Mithril Dragons vs. The Dragon Multiverse: A Comparison
OSRS has many dragons of all shapes, sizes, and types. How do Mithril Dragons compare to their counterparts?
Rune Dragons: Metal Dragon Overlords
Rune Dragons are the strongest metal dragons. You access them after completing Dragon Slayer II. They drop the very rare Dragon metal lump. For serious challenges and loot, choose Rune Dragons. They are tougher than Mithril Dragons.
Black Dragons: Wilderness Wonders
Black Dragons are found in many locations, including Taverley Dungeon and Wilderness Slayer Cave. They vary in combat levels. The King Black Dragon is the toughest in his lair. Players look for dragonhide drops to profit. Beware of player killers!
Green Dragons: Weakest of Chromatic Dragons
Green Dragons are the weakest dragons, with a combat level of 63. They breathe fire in RuneScape. Lower-level players target them for training. They drop basic dragon bones and dragonhide. They are appetizers compared to Mithril Dragons.
Brutal Green Dragons: Frosted Upgrades
Brutal Green Dragons are stronger variants found in the Ancient Cavern, sharing space with Mithril Dragons. They offer better drops than regular Green Dragons, increasing difficulty and rewards.
Blue Dragons: Visage-less Wonders?
Blue Dragons do not drop the draconic visage. Despite this, they drop blue dragonhide and bones. You can find them in places like Taverley Dungeon. They are tougher than Green Dragons but easier than Mithril Dragons.
Red Dragons: Corsair Cove Comfort
Red Dragons lurk in the Corsair Cove Dungeon, near a bank after completing Dragon Slayer II. Brutal Red Dragons hang out in Kourend’s Catacombs. They are stronger than Blue Dragons but not as difficult as Mithril Dragons.
Lava Dragons: Riches and Risks
Lava Dragons live on their fiery isle in the Wilderness, levels 36-42. They drop valuable items and bones and offer risks in player-killing areas. Killing them can earn serious GP if you can evade player killers.
Drakes: Wingless Wonders
Drakes are dragons without wings, found in various zones with different elemental types. They are weaker than adult dragons like Mithril Dragons, presenting mid-level challenges.
Mithril Mania: Equipment and Mining
Mithril signifies more than a dragon; it’s vital in RuneScape’s economy for mining, equipment, and smithing.
Mithril vs. Adamantite: Metal Hierarchy
Adamantite is stronger than mithril, and weaker than rune. Mithril occupies the mid-tier metals, balancing strength and accessibility. It sures steel and is a step towards adamantite or rune gear.
Mithril vs. Black: Axe Comparisons
A mithril axe is stronger than a black axe, but weaker than an adamant axe. This trend applies to most mithril and black gear—mithril often sures black in stats for better performance.
Mithril Pickaxe: Mining Requirements
To use a mithril pickaxe, you need an Attack level of 20 and a Mining level of 21 to mine effectively. It serves as a mid-tier pickaxe and is faster than lower tiers for mining mithril ore.
Mithril Arrows: Ranged Options
Mithril arrows require level 45 Fletching for creation and need a willow bow or better for shooting. Stronger than steel arrows, they benefit mid-level rangers. Create mithril arrows by using mithril tips on headless arrows.
Mithril Ore Mining Locations
The Dwarven Mines under Falador are popular for mining mithril ore. The Hinterlands in Hypixel Skyblock is regarded as the top farming zone for mithril within that game.
Mithril Bars: Smithing Needs
You need mithril ore, coal, and level 50 Smithing to smelt mithril bars. Either a standard or blast furnace works. Interestingly, as of August 31, 2024, using a normal furnace results in profit loss while the blast furnace generates profit. Always check prices before smelting!
Related Riches: Dragon Hunter Lances and More
Now let’s discuss some iconic OSRS items related to dragons or high-level gameplay.
Dragon Hunter Lance (DHL): Dragonbane Dominance
The Dragon Hunter Lance (DHL) combines a hydra claw and a Zamorakian hasta. It is an excellent dragon-slaying weapon needing level 78 Attack to equip. If you’re serious about hunting tough dragons like Rune Dragons or Vorkath, the DHL is vital.
Dragon Pickaxe: Mining Mastery
The dragon pickaxe sures rune pickaxes with a 5.88% mining speed boost. It ranks among the second-strongest, second-fastest pickaxes along with the 3rd age pickaxe, only below the crystal pickaxe. If you mine, the dragon pickaxe is a great choice.
Twisted Bow (Tbow): Ranged Power
The Twisted Bow (Tbow) is costly due to its power against monsters with high magic levels or accuracy bonuses. Bosses like Commander Zilyana fall prey to it. While not linked to Mithril Dragons, the Tbow represents peak ranged weaponry in OSRS.
Justiciar Armour: Defense Excellence
Justiciar armour provides top defensive bonuses for melee and ranged combat in OSRS. It’s incredibly durable and suited for survivability requirements during boss or Slayer tasks.
Armadyl Helmet: Rarity Defined
The Armadyl helmet ranks among OSRS’s rarest helmets. While it has good stats, its rarity marks it more as a collector’s item or status symbol than for practical use.
Crystal Axe: Axe Mastery
The crystal axe is the the dragon axe, representing the strongest and fastest axe in OSRS alongside the 3rd age axe. If you seek efficiency in woodcutting, look no further than the crystal axe.
Ghrazi Rapier: Top Stab Weapon
The Ghrazi Rapier stands out as OSRS’s best overall weapon, especially for stabbing. Its speed and accuracy excel across various combat scenarios including dragon slaying. If possible, the Ghrazi Rapier is a premier melee choice.
Hypixel Skyblock Interlude: Mithril Reimagined
Mithril also exists in Hypixel Skyblock’s blocky realm for those venturing beyond Gielinor.
Tasty Mithril: Gourmand Event Gains
During the Mithril Gourmand event, players get Tasty Mithril by mining it in Dwarven Mines. There’s a 30% chance of it dropping during this event. Tasty Mithril is given to Don Expresso. Turning in at least 10 Tasty Mithrils awards rewards and +50 Mithril Powder for each.
Mithril Powder: HotM Perk Boost
Mithril Powder upgrades HotM (Heart of the Mountain) perks from Tier 1 to Tier 3. Higher tiers ask for Gemstone Powder and Glacite Powder too. It also helps unlock Core of the Mountain levels 2 and 3.
Best Mithril Farming Spot in Hypixel Skyblock
The Hinterlands is known as the prime location for efficient Mithril farming.
Powder in Hypixel Skyblock. If you’re a multi-game adventurer, your Mithril knowledge may span different realms!
Combat and Training Tales
Mithril Dragons feature combat encounters. Let’s touch on combat training strategies in OSRS.
Best Enemy to Train On
For efficient training in OSRS, train on crabs (sand, rock) for AFK training. Engage in Slayer for combat and skill. Use the Nightmare Zone (NMZ) for customizable training. These methods offer better XP rates and drops than just Mithril Dragons.
Cannoning Ice Trolls
Cannoning Ice Trolls can train Ranged effectively. You may earn 60,000-100,000 XP per hour. It depends on your Ranged level and cannonball supply. Profit is possible too. While not dragon-related, it is worth considering as a combat training method.
OSRS Oddities
Let’s discuss some OSRS trivia.
Most Expensive Item
The most expensive item in OSRS currently costs 10.5 billion GP. What is this ultra-rare item? It remains a mystery, but it is truly exceptional and tough to obtain.
Rarest Item in OSRS
The Uncut Onyx from a Bag Full of Gems is the rarest drop. This is for players who mine at the Motherlode Mine. It shows extreme luck and persistence. Collectors value it highly.
Rarest 99 Skill
As of March 1, 2025, Runecrafting is the least common skillcape. Only 93,644 players have achieved level 99. It’s known for being slow and tedious, making it a badge of honor.
Most Profitable Skill
Pickpocketing Vyrewatch is the most profitable skilling method. It nets 4,318,000 GP per hour. Other profitable skills include Crafting sunfire runes and double nature runes, along with the Wilderness Agility Course. They are top contenders for making money.
Mithril Musings
Here are a few final tidbits.
Mithril Properties
Mithril is known as Moria-silver or true-silver. It has unique properties: strength, lightness, and malleability. In fantasy lore, it is highly prized, associated with dwarven craftsmanship and elven elegance.
OSRS Gold Value
The price of OSRS gold fluctuates. On average, 1 million coins cost around $0.20 to $0.25 in real currency. This indicates your in-game wealth’s real-world value.
Dragon Defense 101
A couple of FAQs wrap things up.
Dragonfire Protection
When fighting adult dragons, including Black Dragons, you should have protection from dragonfire. An anti-dragon shield is essential, but dragonfire shields or antifire potions provide better protection. Unprepared adventurers face swift defeat.
Draconic Visage Drops
Blue, green, red dragons, brutal green dragons, bronze dragons, revenant dragons, Fossil Island wyverns, baby dragons, and quest bosses like Elvarg and Galvek do NOT drop the draconic visage. Focus on higher-level dragons for visage hunting, like black, iron, steel dragons, or brutal black dragons.
Mithril in Reality?
Fun trivia: Mithril is not a real-life metal. It is a fictional element from fantasy literature, linked with Tolkien’s Middle-earth and Kazadum. We may not mine Mithril in reality, but we can mine it in OSRS and Hypixel Skyblock!
So, Are Mithril Dragons Worth It?
Back to our main question: are Mithril Dragons worth it? The answer is nuanced. They aren’t top-tier for money-making but offer a unique niche. If you seek chewed bones for dragon full helm attempts and enjoy fun combat, yes, they can be worthwhile.
However, if maximizing GP per hour and efficiency matters most, more profitable and faster methods exist. High-level bossing or dedicated skilling might be better. But if you want a change of pace with dragon slaying and classic OSRS items, Mithril Dragons deliver an engaging experience. Bring your earth spells and anti-dragon shield to find some mithril loot (or at least a decent pile of chewed bones).
