7 Greatest Battles in ‘House of the Dragon’

Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 6.The fight for the Iron Throne continues in House of the Dragon Season 3. Set about 200 years before Game of Thrones—specifically 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke)—the series chronicles the events that led to the decline of House Targaryen, culminating in the infamous war of succession known as the Dance of the Dragons. What begins as a dispute over the line of succession eventually spirals into one of the bloodiest conflicts in Westerosi history.

Over the course of the series, House of the Dragon begins as an internal conflict over who should inherit the Iron Throne after the death of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine). Although Viserys names Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy) his heir, her claim is challenged after he marries her closest confidante, Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke), and fathers sons of his own. As each side continues to take the lives of the other’s family members, this family feud erupts into a realm-shattering civil war — pinnacling in the greatest battles of House of the Dragon, ranked.

7

Shipbreaker Bay

Season 1, Episode 10 “The Black Queen”

Image via HBO

Shipbreaker Bay proves that bloodshed and family grudges are generational—especially when young royals are involved. Sent as Rhaenyra’s envoy, Prince Lucerys Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) arrives at Storm’s End to secure Lord Borros Baratheon’s (Roger Evans) allegiance, only to find Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) already there. Still consumed by the childhood incident that cost him his left eye, Aemond pursues Lucerys through a violent storm atop the colossal Vhagar, while Lucerys flees on his much smaller dragon, Arrax.

The chase is hopelessly one-sided, but Lucerys uses the storm and narrow cliffs to evade the massive Vhagar. Everything unravels when the terrified Arrax disobeys Lucerys and breathes fire at the ancient dragon. Enraged, Vhagar ignores Aemond’s commands and tears Arrax apart with Lucerys still aboard. Horrified by what he has unleashed, Aemond realizes he never intended to kill his nephew. Lucerys’ death becomes the spark that ignites the Targaryen civil war and the infamous vow of vengeance: “An eye for an eye, a son for a son.”

6

Cargyll vs. Cargyll

Season 2, Episode 2 “Rhaenyra the Cruel”

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Cargyll vs. Cargyll is one of the most tragic duels in House of the Dragon because it never should have happened. Twin brothers Ser Erryk Cargyll (Elliott Tittensor) serves Queen Rhaenyra, while Ser Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor) remains loyal to King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney). In retaliation for Prince Jaehaerys’ murder, orchestrated by Daemon (Matt Smith), Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) orders Arryk on a near-suicidal mission: infiltrate Dragonstone by impersonating his twin, enter Rhaenyra’s chambers, and assassinate her. Arryk initially refuses, but Criston exploits his sense of duty and shames him into accepting.

By the time Arryk reaches Rhaenyra’s chambers, Erryk arrives to stop him, forcing the brothers into a brutal sword fight. Erryk ultimately kills Arryk, but the grief proves too much. Devastated by the fact that he has slain his own brother, he takes his own life not a second later. The mission ends with no victors, only two needless deaths that accomplish nothing beyond further fueling the war. It also just goes to show Criston’s recklessness, poor strategic vision, and his tendency to act based on past grudges.

5

Fall of King’s Landing

Season 3, Episode 2 “Queen’s Landing”

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Although there is not much bloodshed, the Fall of King’s Landing in House of the Dragon proves that strategy can triumph over brute force. When Aemond and Ser Criston Cole leave King’s Landing for Harrenhal with Vhagar, the capital is left heavily unprotected. Meanwhile, Alicent stays behind, already determined to surrender the city to Rhaenyra, even ordering the guards to put down their weapons before Rhaenyra and Daemon arrive on their dragons.

The only major confrontation occurs when Rhaenyra and Daemon encounter Green loyalists, whom Daemon swiftly kills. Even when more troops arrive to challenge them, they are surprised when Daemon’s former City Watch, now known as the Gold Cloaks, turns up to support Rhaenyra’s claim. As for Aemond, although he successfully burns Harrenhal, his victory is short-lived when one of Ser Simon’s sons strikes him through a gap in his armor, leaving him bleeding heavily and injured.

4

Butcher’s Ball

Season 3, Episode 6 “Faceless Men”

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The Butcher’s Ball uses such a deceptively simple trap that it’s baffling Criston and the remnants of the Green army fall for it. Stranded in the Riverlands, Criston and his men stumble upon a camp where everyone appears to be dead. As they investigate, the corpses suddenly spring back to life, revealing they had been playing dead as part of a carefully planned ambush. Just when the Greens think they have regained control, they find themselves surrounded by forces led by the young Ser Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes) and Ser Garibald Grey (Mark Oldridge).

Realizing death is only moments away, Criston still tries to argue that continuing the battle will only claim more lives. Garibald refuses, reminding him that House Tully has already vowed to build a sept from traitors’ bones. Roddy the Ruin (Tommy Flanagan) declares he would rather die with a sword in hand than surrender. Criston offers single combat, but his request is denied. Instead, Alysanne Blackwood (Annie Shapero) kills him with three arrows, triggering the massacre that follows immediately.

3

The Battle of Rook’s Rest

Season 2, Episode 4 “The Red Queen and the Gold”

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The Battle of Rook’s Rest is Season 2’s biggest heartbreak of a battle. With Criston Cole leading 1,400–1,500 troops to surround Rook’s Rest and intimidate Lord Staunton (Michael Elwyn), Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) takes Meleys into battle to defend one of the Blacks’ strongest allies. Even when Aegon joins the fight on Sunfyre, he struggles against Meleys, with Rhaenys steadily gaining the upper hand against the inexperienced king and his younger dragon.

The course of the battle changes instantly when Aemond arrives on Vhagar, blindsiding everyone by unleashing dragonfire on Meleys and Rhaenys—but also on Aegon and Sunfyre, severely burning the king and crashing to the ground. From there, the fight becomes hopelessly one-sided, as Vhagar’s sheer size gives him a decisive advantage over Meleys after a long, hard-fought, yet clearly mismatched battle. Rhaenys, the Queen Who Never Was, dies alongside her dragon, while Aegon’s catastrophic injuries leave him unfit to continue ruling, allowing Aemond to assume power as Prince Regent instead.

2

War for the Stepstones

Season 1, Episode 3 “Second of His Name”

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The War for the Stepstones was a conflict over control of the Stepstones, waged by Prince Daemon and Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) against the Triarchy, a confederation of the Free Cities led by the vicious Craghas Drahar (Daniel Scott-Smith). Lasting nine years, the war dragged on largely because of King Viserys’ complacency. Fearful of “ruining the peace,” he refused to intervene and instead focused his attention on his new son from his marriage to Alicent.

Fed up with the Triarchy hiding in the caves and frustrated by his brother’s inaction, Prince Daemon marched into the Stepstones alone carrying a white flag, seemingly signaling his surrender. The ruse lures Crabfeeder and his troops out into the open, only for Caraxes to rain fire down on them while Corlys’ forces charge in to wipe out the remaining soldiers. Amid the chaos, Daemon pursues Crabfeeder into the caves before emerging with his body split in half, bringing the brutal war to an end.

1

The Battle of the Gullet

Season 3, Episode 1 “Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood”

The Battle of the Gullet is arguably House of the Dragon‘s most unforgiving battle to date. First, there’s the factor of it being a naval war, meaning the Blacks and the Triarchy must also contend with Mother Nature as they steer their ships through danger. There’s also the Triarchy’s massive 90-warship fleet, which is divided into two pincers to blind the Velaryon ships by taking advantage of the morning sun’s glare.

But most dangerously, because of the Triarchy’s history with Daemon in Season 1, they now know exactly how to counter dragons. By fashioning heavy scorpion crossbows equipped with grappling hooks, they can bring down even the largest dragons. This weapon ultimately takes down Prince Jacaerys (Harry Collett) and Vermax, with the dragon dying from blood loss while Jacaerys is struck by arrows while struggling in the water. The battle only brings more losses than victories, destroying two wealthy port towns and, more importantly, taking Queen Rhaenyra’s son—a loss that shapes her rule afterward.