OSRS: The 10 Best Shields for Every Class (Ranked)

What are the best OSRS shields for every class?

Although many players have their own personal favorites, some shields work better for specific classes than others.

While you may think that the key to OSRS is to maximize your strength bonuses to hit as hard as possible, there are some boss fights that not even the toughest builds can hold up against without a strong defense.

Whether you’re playing as a warrior, ranger, or mage, it’s important to know what shield types work best for your build so that you can vanquish anyone who dares stumble across your path.

An effective shield can save your life in OSRS, and to help make choosing your go-to shield a little bit easier and a little less trial and error, we’ve created a handy list to make finding your favorite shield a breeze.

OSRS: The 10 Best OSRS Shields For Every Class

Our ranked lists are created by researching and rounding up information from the most reputable web sources.

Here’s our list of the 10 best OSRS shields for every class:

10. Dragonfire Ward

The Dragonfire ward is one of the best shields OSRS offers to rangers and archers, and it requires a ranged level of 70, a defense level of 75, and Dragon Slayer I.

However, if you can meet these requirements, you’re in for a treat as the Dragonfire ward offers the second-highest ranged attack and ranged strength bonuses available for the OSRS shield slot.

Stats

While this shield works like a typical anti-dragon shield in that it can help keep your character safe from dragon fire, it also can protect against the icy blasts created by wyverns.

The Dragonfire ward is particularly useful for building up charges by absorbing Dragonfire and Wyvern attacks.

Each attack that is absorbed gives the shield +1 charge, which increases the ranged and melee defensive bonuses by +1, and up to a total of +50.  

This makes it similar to the elemental and Dragonfire shields you can also find in-game.

However, this benefit doesn’t extend to other draconic creatures like Vorkath and King Black Dragon, who can create similar damage effects.

How To Get It

To create the Dragonfire ward, you can attach a skeletal visage (dropped by Vorkarth) to an anti-dragon shield at any anvil you come across.

Keep in mind that you will need to have 90 in smithing and a hammer to create it.

If you don’t meet these requirements, Oziach can smith the Dragonfire ward for any player if you’ve got the coin. 1,250,000 GP, to be precise.

While this may not be the absolute best shield OSRS has to offer, it is definitely one that anyone with a ranger build should consider investing in.

9. Malediction Ward

The malediction ward has the potential to be a mage’s best friend as it offers the fourth-best magic attack bonus available for the off-hand slot.

If you’re specializing in the mage class and have at least 60 in defense, the Malediction ward isn’t something to turn your nose up at.

Stats

When it comes to stats, the Malediction ward provides the same amount of melee defense as the dragon square shield; only instead of ranged defense, it offers a good amount of magic defense at +15.

Along with this, the magic attack bonus that comes with it is substantial at +12, although the trade-off is a negative to both ranged and melee bonuses, a -12 and -8, respectively. 

How To Get It

To get your hands on this ward, you will need three key components, including all three malediction shards dropped by the Crazy archeologist, Scorpia, and the Chaos Fanatic.

Once you collect all of these shards, you can travel to the Volcanic forge, which lies in the farthest north-eastern part of the wilderness.

8. Mage’s Book

Next up, we have the Mage’s book, but don’t worry if you’re playing another class because we have plenty of the OSRS best shields coming up just for you.

However, if you’re a mage, you may have difficulty deciding between this shield and the Malediction ward because they both offer great benefits. 

Stats

Specifically, the Mage’s book caters to mages with a 60 in magic, and it ties with the Ancient Wyvern shield in terms of having the second-best magic attack bonuses in the game at +15.

Like the Malediction ward, it lacks melee and range defensive bonuses, but it makes up for it by having no required defense level to wield and a magic attack bonus of +15. 

How To Get It

If you want to grab Mage’s book, you’ll have to play through the Mage Training Arena, which can take an average of 11 hours of playtime.

However, if you’re able to play efficiently, you can not only acquire Mage’s book but a large profit of 2,119,536 GP.

7. Twisted Buckler 

The Twisted Buckler is a ranged-class shield that requires the player to have at least a 75 in both ranged and defense.

If you’re playing as a ranger, this shield isn’t something you’ll want to pass up.

Stats

In terms of the shield slot OSRS offers, the Twisted Buckler has the best-ranged strength and attack bonuses in the game, with +10 and +18, respectively.

It also provides a +58 to ranged defense and a +26 to magic defense.

How To Get It

To get your hands on the Twisted Buckler, you’ll need to complete the Chambers of Xeric, but keep in mind that this is a rare drop.

6. Ancient Wyvern Shield

Yet another shield that mages will want to give a second look at if you have a level 70 in magic, 75 in defense, and have started Dragon Slayer I.

The Ancient Wyvern shield is one of the best magic shields in the game, with stats that rival those of the Arcane Spirit Shield. 

Stats

The Ancient Wyvern shield comes with negative melee and attack bonuses but makes up for this by providing a +15 to magic defense and a +15 to magic attack. 

When charged fully, it provides a +72 to stab defense, a +80 to slash defense, and a +75 to crush defense.

The trade-off is a negative to ranged damage with a -5 when fully charged and a -55 when uncharged.

To fully charge the Ancient Wyvern shield, you will need to use nummulites or fossils, which you can obtain by completing activities and tasks on Fossil Island.

Keep in mind that different fossil types will provide different amounts of charge. For instance, unidentified fossils will only grant players a +1 charge, while large fossils will grant +3.

How To Get It

To create the Ancient Wyvern shield, you will need to find the strange machine in the House on the Hill.

Bring a wyvern visage, a hammer, and an elemental shield to this machine, and you can create the shield if you have a 66 in smithing and magic. 

If you need to grab a wyvern visage, you can find it being dropped by the fossil island wyverns found in the wyvern cave.

Skeletal wyverns will not drop a visage and instead will drop a draconic visage, so keep that in mind while hunting.

5. Spectral Spirit Shield 

The Spectral Spirit shield is one of the most highly sought-after shields in the game, and it is something that anyone looking for across the board defense bonuses should consider. 

Requiring 75 defense, 70 prayer, and 65 magic to wield, players with warrior or monk builds can benefit greatly from having this shield equipped, especially during some of the toughest boss battles.  

Stats

This shield offers the highest magic defense of any shield in the OSRS at +30.

While it may not have any attack bonuses, it provides impressive defense with +53 to stab defense, +55 to slash defense, +73 to crush defense, and +52 to ranged defense.

This makes its melee and ranged defense equal to the Blessed Spirit shield, but this shield also comes with a bonus passive effect that helps to set it apart. 

As a passive bonus, this shield reduces the effectiveness of all prayer drain attacks by half, except against other players.

This makes it particularly useful for specific battles, for instance, against the summon souls in the Cerberus fight. 

How To Get It

To get this shield, you will need to find and attach a spectral sigil — a very rare drop for a Corporeal Beast — to a blessed spirit shield. Doing this requires the player to have 90 prayer and 85 smithing.

If you don’t meet these requirements, you can talk to Abbot Langley, who can create the shield at the cost of 1,500,000 GP.

4. Crystal Shield

The Crystal Shield is another worthy inclusion for any warrior, and it provides one of the highest ranged defense bonuses, second only to the Elysian Spirit shield.

While it is degradable, that alone shouldn’t stop you from giving this shield a chance.

Stats

The Crystal shield provides a good range of defense bonuses, excluding magic.

With +80 to ranged defense, +53 to crush defense, +54 to slash defense, and +21 to stab defense, the Crystal shield’s stats are comparable to the defense bonuses provided by a dragon square shield. 

That said, this shield is degradable, meaning it will start with 2,500 charges and degrade by 1 for every non-zero hit while equipped.

Once the charges are depleted, it will revert to a crystal weapon seed and must be recharged before you can use it again. 

When the shield reverts to a seed, you have two options in order to re-equip it. Ilfeen can recharge your shield at the cost of 750,000 GP.

However, the price decreases by 150,000 every time you revisit her until you reach the minimum recharge cost of 150,000 GP, which happens after five recharges.

If you have completed Song of the Elves, you can use the crystal weapon seed, 40 crystal shards, a 78 in smithing, and a 78 in crafting on a singing bowl found in Prifddinas to charge it.

How To Get It

To get your hands on the Crystal Spirit shield, you will need to complete the Roving Elves quest, and it can be either found as a possible reward or bought after from Islwyn for 750,000 GP if you chose the crystal bow as a reward instead.

3. Arcane Spirit Shield

The Arcane Spirit Shield is the counterpart to the Spectral Spirit shield, but instead of providing a +30 to magic defense, it provides a +20 to magic attack.

To wield this shield, players will need a 75 in defense, 65 in magic, and 70 in prayer, making it a good choice for any class, particularly mages. 

Stats

This shield provides a great array of defense, and if you rely on magic attacks, the +20 attack bonus isn’t something to shy away from.

In addition to that, it also provides a +3 to prayer, +53 to stab defense, +55 to slash defense, +73 to crush defense, and +52 to ranged defense.

If you end up in a tight spot, this shield is something you’ll definitely want to have on hand. 

How To Get It

To grab this shield for yourself, you can either attach an arcane sigil, found as a rare drop from a Corporeal Beast, and combine it with a blessed shield if you have 90 prayer and 85 smithing, or you can visit Abbot Langley.

The Abbot, located in the Edgeville Monastery, can combine the sigil and the shield for 1,500,000 GP.

2. Dragonfire Shield

The Dragonfire shield is designed to be a warrior’s best friend, and it isn’t hard to see why.

As an upgraded version of an anti-dragon shield, the Dragonfire shield is one of the best shields you can grab in the game, second only to the Elysian Spirit shield.

To equip this bad boy, you need to have started Dragon Slayer I and have a defense of 75, meet these requirements, and you’re good to go. 

Stats

Retaining the same dragon fire protection that anti-dragon shields provide and coupling it with protection against the icy attacks of wyverns, when charged, the Dragonfire shield sports impressive defensive stats.

Gaining +1 defense bonuses per charge up to a maximum of +50, when fully charged, this shield provides +70 to stab defense, +75 to slash defense, +72 to crush defense, +10 to magic defense, and +72 to ranged defense. Along with this, you also benefit from a +7 to strength.

To charge the Dragonfire shield, you will need it to absorb dragon fire and icy breath attacks from adult dragons and wyverns. Each attack adds a +1 charge. 

Alternatively, you can also use a bottle of dragonbreath to reach a full charge instantly. 

How To Get It

To get this shield, you will need to obtain a draconic visage from a high-level dragon. Note that this can be a rare drop, but it’s worth it for the payoff. Once you have this, you can combine it with an anti-dragonfire shield if you have smithing of 90 at any anvil. Alternatively, you can pay 1,250,000 to Oziach and have it made for you.

1. Elysian Spirit Shield

As the last of the three Spirit shields, the Elysian spirit shield stands out as the OSRS best shield and one of the most impressive you will find.

Offering better defense stats, barring magic, players will need 75 in defense and 75 in prayer to wield it, making it a good choice for warriors who rely on prayer. 

Stats

This shield has superior melee and ranged defense, the highest crush defense in the game at +75, and a passive effect with a 70% chance of reducing incoming damage by 25%.

In terms of damage mitigation, this is the most powerful shield you can acquire in OSRS. 

How To Get It

To get this shield, you will need to attach an Elysian sigil, rarely dropped by the Corporeal Beast, to a blessed spirit shield.

This requires a 90 in prayer and an 85 in smithing. However, if you lack these skills, Abbot Langley can create the shield for you at the cost of 1,500,000 GP.

Summary

OSRS is a classic with thousands of dedicated players, and these 10 shields are our picks for the best you can use to make your character as effective as possible.

Each of these shields provides its unique benefits depending on your class, and all of them stand out for their ability to keep you alive during some of the toughest boss fights.

If you enjoyed this article, check out some of our other OSRS gear lists:

• OSRS: The 10 Best Melee Weapons (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Weapons of All Time (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Crush Weapons (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Gloves (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Rings (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Skillcapes (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Mage Helms (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Melee Helms (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Ranged Armors (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Foods for Healing (Ranked)
• OSRS: The 10 Best Mage Armors (Ranked)

What’s your favorite OSRS shield? Let us know in the comments below!