Dragon Crossbow OSRS Guide: 5 Easy Steps To Make A Dragon Crossbow

If you have wandered through the old and retro settings of Old School RuneScape, then you would’ve come across crossbows. An integral part of the game, this weapon allows players to engage in ranged combat only if they are at a certain level.

You will find almost fifteen types of crossbows in the game with different combat styles, attack bonuses, and other features.

Amongst them is the dragon crossbow—infused with intricate accuracy and significantly more damage. But don’t confuse it with the dragon hunter crossbow from the Chambers of Xeric.

On that note, have you been wondering what a dragon crossbow in OSRS is and how you can acquire one? Then this guide will walk you through everything about the dragon crossbow for all your OSRS quests!

Why are crossbows important in OSRS?

Crossbows essentially allow you to engage in ranged combat, with many types of crossbows available to help you fight an assortment of enemies. You will need a specific ranged level to acquire some combat crossbows. These uniquely designed weapons differ from the regular bows in one aspect—the use of bolts instead of arrows.

Usually, a free-to-play player can wield two crossbows when in level 1. These have a +6 ranged accuracy with the capability of harnessing bronze bolts.

Besides, a crossbow’s anatomy allows you to hold it in one hand. Their horizontal texture eases the way you wield them. You can even hold a shield on your other hand for an enhanced defense bonus.

Every crossbow will need bolts as ammunition while firing at an average attack speed of 6. Moreover, every type of crossbow, including the dragon crossbow, has a cooldown time of 36 seconds.

A regular crossbow will have an attack range between 7 to 9. Some crossbows house a whopping attack range of 8 to 10.

But the catch is—even though crossbows are great defensive weapons, only members have access to the extremely strong ones, like the dragon crossbow. So, if you have just started playing OSRS, it would be best for you to stick to relatively stronger bows.

Introduction to the dragon crossbow

Now that you know what crossbows are in OSRS, let’s delve deeper into the workings of a dragon crossbow. The game’s developers introduced this weapon on 4 January 2018 with the nickname “Dcb.”

In its essence, this special crossbow has a stronger power than the already famous rune crossbow. In addition, it has an attack range of 7 that increases to a 9 when turned into a long-range weapon.

You will require a 64 ranged level to wield this weapon. But just like the regular crossbows in OSRS, the dragon crossbow also requires bolts to function.

Being a “dragon” crossbow, this weapon can operate on dragon bolts, which need a 61 ranged level for wielding. The dragon crossbow is a members’ weapon that players cannot acquire from quests. So, you will need to make it through Fletching skills. To make a dragon crossbow, you will need a skill level of 78. 

This is a tradable weapon, which means you can sell it to your friends. You can easily acquire this crossbow from your inventory. However, it is non-stackable.

The Values of the Dragon Crossbow

The dragon crossbow has a static value of 54,000 coins, which Jagex decided. Using the non-combat spell High-Level Alchemy to acquire this item will cost you 32,400 coins. The standard Low-Level Alchemy spell will get you the dragon crossbow at 21,600 coins.

The bow weighs 6 kgs, which will affect how your player moves. So, if you have equipped a dragon crossbow, your gameplay will deplete your player’s energy.

This weapon is listed in the Grand Exchange Market Watch at 554,037 coins with a buy limit of 70 and a daily volume of 1,184. All of these data allude to the popularity of wielding this weapon in the game!

Making a dragon crossbow in five simple steps

As mentioned earlier, you will need a Fletching skill of 78 to make a dragon crossbow effectively. Once you reach that level, you can follow the steps given below.

Step 1: Getting magic logs from magic trees

You will need to find magic trees and then cut them using your woodcutting skills to acquire magic logs.

When you cut the wood for your crossbow, the activity will feed on 250 woodcutting experience points. Consequently, you will need a 75 level to be able to cut magic trees.

Step 2: Cutting magic stock from magic logs

After filling your inventory with a substantial number of magic logs, you need to cut one magic stock.

Moreover, when you need a magic stock, you will use your knife to cut it, granting 70 experience points. Your player also needs a Fletching level of 78 to pursue this quest.

Step 3: Adding dragon limbs

Here you need to use your hammer and add dragon limbs in the stock. These limbs will come from Orikalkum and will act as crossbow limbs for your weapon.

Now you have a dragon crossbow (u) at your disposal.

You will need a 78 Fletching level, and this activity will yield 135 experience points to your quota. Once you have mixed it, you will have a dragon crossbow layout without any strings.

Step 4: Creating the strings 

You can create crossbow strings by using traditional roots from the trees you harvest. Consequently, using this sinew on spinning wheels to get a strong crossbow string.

Creating strings does not require any specific Fletching level.

Step 5: Adding the strings to your unstrung dragon crossbow

The final step towards creating a dragon crossbow is stringing it.

It will yield a 70 experience point bonus once you have successfully infused crossbow strings in your dragon crossbow.

Furthermore, once you have created a dragon crossbow using raw materials, it will grant you a total of 275 experience points. 

Is building a dragon crossbow worth it?

You might ponder over the question, “is the dragon crossbow worth it?” Well, the answer to that is very subjective.

Getting a dragon crossbow might not be ideal if you have the funds to get the Dragon Hunter or Armdayl crossbow. But with a dragon crossbow, you can maximize the use of dragon bolts, unlike with the rune crossbow.

You can fire enhanced powerful bolts and deal damage when using them for player vs. player combat. It might not be an excellent choice for player vs. monster quests due to its lower bonus. Even then, the dragon crossbow is a great option for players who can afford it.

The attack bonus on the dragon crossbow is +94, making it better than the rune crossbow. However, the Armdayl crossbow has a +100 bonus.

It means that the dragon crossbow is a better than average weapon in OSRS.

Due to its decent functionality, you will find this weapon used by most players in your world. Why? Because it is comparatively cheaper and deals a lot more damage than regular crossbows.

In addition, there are some specialties infused into the workings of the dragon crossbow.

The uniqueness of the dragon crossbow

What has intrigued every OSRS player about the dragon crossbow since its inception is the special attack it houses.

This special attack is called Annihilate, and rightfully so! This attack aims to strike and deal extra damage to the enemies. Moreover, you can activate it by using the special attack bar on your interface.

Utilizing this action will drain 60% of this bar, but it can generate explosive damage.

Using this during combat can hit at least nine enemies in front of you in a 3×3 area. Furthermore, when you perform Annihilate, you can generate damage between 0 to the usual maximum. The damage range will vary based on the regular attacks you complete.

So, the enemy you aim at will become the target and will witness 20% extra damage. However, the other enemies will have damage that is 20% lesser. Well, it does sound confusing.

Take a look at this example to understand the special attack of the dragon crossbow better.

Suppose you have rolled a hit of 30. Then, your primary target will have 36 damage, and you will deal 24 damage to other enemies.

You can even use the effect called enchanted bolts. Here, you can use this gem-tipped enhancement to trigger a secondary effect in your dragon crossbow. Moreover, if you use Annihilate in a single combat area, the attack will work, but only hit one target with 20% damage.

So, that is how the unique Annihilate dragon crossbow works. You can harness this damage boost ability to dominate any combat in OSRS, although you should pick your primary targets wisely.

Combat styles of the dragon crossbow

The combat options or styles you can find in the dragon crossbow are:

• Long-range
• Accurate
• Rapid

Each of them has a ranged attack style with enhanced accuracy and damage. Therefore, you will have an attack bonus in the ranged category of +94. The dragon crossbow itself cannot deal with any defense bonuses.

So, you can use a shield to safeguard yourself from enemy attacks.

The anatomy of the dragon crossbow

In their anatomy, a dragon weapon is the most powerful in the game. Since this crossbow falls under the dragon weaponry category, the powerful metal used in the process is a dark-red color. It is compact and has an easy hand-held mechanism.

This structure makes the weapon easy to maneuver and use. As mentioned earlier, the dragon crossbow weighs 6 kgs, a total that can affect your player’s movement.

The bolt compatibility of the dragon crossbow

Once you have acquired this weapon, you will need to get compatible bolts to make it functional. You can take a look at the table to understand the types of basic bolts you can utilize:

The Bronze Bolts

The Blurite Bolts

The Silver Bolt

Other than these basic bolts, the dragon crossbow is compatible with all types of Mithril and steel bolts. You can use all types of regular dragon bolts and dragon diamond bolts to deal explosive damage to your enemies.

You can even use the royal bolts if you have a level of 80. However, advanced bolts like the Ascension or Bakriminel are not compatible with the Dragon crossbow.

The power of the dragon bolts

The Solve Amulet Void Setup used with a diamond bolt in this crossbow will have a special attack hit of 68. In doing so, you will be minimizing 60% of the specs bar. Moreover, a proc hit will deal damage of 65.

The dragon stone dragon bolt (e) in the spec hit will have a 68 damage, and in proc hit will deal a 79 damage. A regular or standard dragon bolt will deal damage of 67, making it a marginally lower hit.

In the Maximum Hit PvP setup special attack, the diamond dragon bolt will hit 60 damage points. Consequently, you can proc damage of 57 using it. A dragon stone dragon bolt (e) will damage 60 on players in the spec hit setting. However, in a proc hit, it will deal damage of 72.

The standard dragon bolt in a proc hit will deal 70 damage to your enemies. All of these bolts will have a 122-strength bonus.

The opal dragon bolt having the lucky lightning spell was a debated topic in terms of damage bonus. Initially, it was thought to have a 10% damage bonus when used in a dragon crossbow. However, players figured out that it was 35%, making it an overpowered option.

So, the special attack hit can deal damage of 68, and you can deal another 68 damage with a proc hit. Even the PvP setup for this combination is the same, but the proc hit comes up to about 61.

On that note, be sure to practice all of these bolts and use the one that suits you the best.

The Rune Crossbow Vs. Dragon Crossbow

The rune crossbow is popular due to its measly 10,000 coins cost. Most players use it in PK-ing due to the range bonus of +90. However, it does not have any special attack.

On the other hand, the dragon crossbow is popular for the bonuses players can reap from it. It has a range bonus of +94 along with its unique spec Annihilate. It does not come with any additional strength bonus but costs around 54,000 coins.

The rune crossbow and the dragon crossbow are non-degradable but have a price difference of about 500%!

You can acquire both these weapons by building them in your world.

The Dragon Hunter Crossbow vs Dragon Crossbow

You cannot build a dragon hunter crossbow, unlike the Dragon crossbow. Moreover, it costs 80,000 coins as compared to the 54,000.

The former has a ranged attack bonus of +95, and the latter packs a +94 damage. Both have an attack range between 7 to 9, depending on the long-range capability. You will need a 65 ranged level to wield the dragon hunter, and a 64 level to use the dragon crossbow.

The dragon hunter crossbow was specially designed for hunting dragons. But you can use the dragon crossbow for PvP combat as well. 

The dragon crossbow has a special attack. However, the other one does not.

The Armadyl Crossbow Vs. Dragon Crossbow

You will love using the Armadyl crossbow due to its +100-damage point. You will need a ranged level of 70 to use this weapon. However, it has a price of 990,000 coins instead of the 54,000 range of the dragon crossbow.

It will have a prayer bonus which makes it a good choice to use during a PvM fight. The attack range on this crossbow is higher than the dragon crossbow – 8 to 10!

Both of these crossbows have a special attack. However, the Armadyl Eye increases accuracy and has an enchanted bonus while in combat. Even then, players prefer the dragon crossbow over this one, mainly because of the price and minimal damage increase.

The Dragon Crossbow – At A Glance

FAQs about the Dragon Crossbow OSRS

Before you invest on such a weapon for OSRS combat, it’s best to clarify all your doubts. So, take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions about the dragon crossbow OSRS.

Summing Up

This dragon crossbow OSRS guide took you on a comprehensive journey of analyzing the abilities of this weapon.

It has immense potential to reap effective combat strategies if the player utilizes them properly. The crossbow deals an attack bonus of +94, which is almost as much as the best weapon in the game. Moreover, it comes with a special attack that you can use to enhance the damage by 20%.

Making the crossbow is easy as you only require three raw materials from your world. Furthermore, the dragon crossbow is a moderately powerful weapon that works great in PvP combat.

Yielding this crossbow requires a Fletching skill level of 78 and a 64 ranged level. So, if you are in that level and still have not gotten the crossbow, go ahead and build this majestic weapon!

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Our team of Runescape fans has been playing this MMO for almost 2 decades. We've poured 1000's of hours into this game, completed many, many quests & have accrued some of the rarest items in the land of Gielinor!

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