If they are fought without complete dragonfire protection, it is recommended to stay in melee range and use Protect from Melee, to reduce the amount of dragonfire damage taken. With the completion of the Elite Karamja Diary, Iron dragons killed in Brimhaven Dungeon will have their iron bars noted. Their defence is also high, so ranged (with range boosting prayers/potions), magic, or a stabbing weapon like the Zamorakian hasta are effective in taking them out. Melee users are recommended to use the Protect from Melee prayer, as they can hit very hard.

Magic/ Ranged is a common method of killing these creatures since they will not attempt to close in the distance to Melee, thus rendering the character invulnerable as long as they keep their dragonfire protection (with both an antifire potion AND an anti-dragon shield). Having only one form of protection will result in some dragonfire damage being inflicted onto the player. A dragonfire shield, or an anti-dragon shield, coupled with an antifire potion is necessary for full dragonfire protection.

Although they are the second weakest of the six, it is especially dangerous to kill them as with all metal dragons, due to their ability to shoot long-range dragonfire. Iron dragons are one of the six types of metal dragons.

Runescape wiki iron dragon old school