Bronn vs. Ser Vardis Egen
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
Bronn’s one-on-one fight with Ser Vardis Egen was one of the earlier fights in the first season of Game of Thrones and was the perfect way to introduce the cutthroat sellsword Bronn to viewers. Bronn wasn’t a knight, he was loyal to no house, and he didn’t come from a great family. He’s a rough and ready fighter who sees a chance to rise high in Westeros by representing Tyrion Lannister in a trial by combat.
Not only is this fight tense, but it also serves to show so much about Bronn’s character. Bronn is a survivor and, once he defeats his enemy, one of the onlookers cries “You don’t fight with honor!” to which Bronn sums himself up by pointing to his defeated enemy and saying: “No, but he did.” Smaller fights like these may not be as visually stunning to watch as later fights, but they are great at developing characters and testing their mettle for what’s to come.
Ned Stark vs. Jaime Lannister
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
By the time Lord Stark and Ser Jaime cross swords in season one, the viewer is already aware that Jaime is considered to be one of the best swordsmen in Westeros. Ned is also no pushover when it comes to combat and seeing these two warriors go head-to-head had us on the edge of our seats. The two fight fiercely but it’s clear that Jaime has the advantage over Ned.
Up to this point, we’ve seen that Jaime isn’t always the most likable character, but this fight shows that, behind the cockiness and Prince Charming-esque good looks, Jaime is deadly with a sword and even an experienced fighter like Ned struggles to keep up with him. As much as we love Lord Eddard, Jaime has just discovered his brother Tyrion has been kidnapped by Catelyn Stark, so it’s not hard to see why he’s irate. This battle shows how gray the morality of Game of Thrones is and how just being a good guy isn’t enough to stay alive.
Brienne of Tarth VS Jaime Lannister
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
Brienne has shown herself to be a capable fighter by the time she’s escorting Jaime as a prisoner back to King’s Landing, but how does she compare against a great fighter like the Kingslayer? When he grabs a sword and manages to free himself, we get the chance to find out.
Following his fight with Ned Stark, we already know what an excellent fighter Jaime is at this point, but he has been a prisoner for over a year. He’s malnourished and his hands are still in chains, meaning he’s not as mobile as he usually would be. There’s also a problem; Brienne swore to Catelyn she’d get Jaime to King’s Landing alive. As Jaime says: “If you kill me, you fail Lady Stark. But if you don’t kill me, I’m going to kill you.” Not only is it enjoyable to see how capable Brienne is at defending herself, it’s also interesting to see Jaime testing her and how her fighting abilities earn his begrudging respect.
Arya Stark and The Hound Tavern Fight
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
By the time Arya teams up with Sandor Clegane AKA ‘The Hound,’ she’s already a pretty tough cookie, but there are few warriors in Game of Thrones tougher than The Hound. With him, Arya learns more about the harsh realities of survival and finds that there’s more to the disfigured fighter than meets the eye.
Not only do we get to see The Hound kick ass (always a treat), but the scene also shows how Arya has gone from an innocent young girl and is slowly but surely turning into the cold-blooded killer she becomes. Her time with rough men like The Hound and Jaqen H’ghar has changed her and, although it was arguably justified, the gruesome revenge she takes on one of the soldiers who killed her friend was hard to watch. This scene makes it clear that Arya is no longer the young girl we knew in season one.
The Hound vs. Brienne of Tarth
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
Eager to fulfill her promise to Jaime, Brienne searches for Arya and eventually catches up with her and The Hound. After a seriously bad case of miscommunication, the lady of Tarth and the younger Clegane brother end up crossing swords. The result is brutal and almost sees two popular characters die at the other’s hands.
Both Brienne and Sandor were popular characters by this point and seeing the two locked in deadly combat was incredibly gripping. The bar fight with Sandor showed how his strength and size can give him the advantage in combat but what happens when he meets someone as big and strong as he is, and with the swordsmanship to match? It’s one thing to watch two characters dual with swords but it was hard not to look away as both Sandor and Brienne exchanged devastating blows to one another as they literally fight tooth and nail for victory.
Ned Stark vs. Ser Arthur Dayne
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
Throughout the seasons of Game of Thrones, we’d heard stories about the famed knight Ser Arthur Dayne and his legendary prowess with a sword. It seems like the rumors can’t really be true, but in this fight, we get to see that he more than lives up to his reputation.
Arthur Dayne proves that his swordsmanship is no mere rumor and wields two long swords as he cuts down Ned’s men without mercy. Even though we know that Ned survives the battle, Dayne’s incredible skills have us fearing for the young Wolf as he’s obviously outclassed. The battle scene reveals an important part of Ned’s past which leads to the revelation of Jon Snow’s true parentage and allows us to see that the legends about the great Ser Arthur Dayne were entirely true. It may not have been as big as some of the other battles in Game of Thrones, but you’ve never seen finer swordplay.
Oberyn Martell vs. Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
Oberyn Martell was first introduced in season 4 and, though he was killed off by the end of that season, he quickly became one of the most popular characters in Game of Thrones. Looking for justice for his murdered sister at the hands of Ser Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane, Oberyn has come to King’s Landing.
The battle is one of the tensest one-on-one fights we’ve seen in Game of Thrones and was made all the more difficult to watch by the fact a great character like Oberyn was horrifically killed by Ser Gregor. It was also interesting to see that, as well as being a charming and intelligent character, Oberyn could back it all up with fierce fighting skills different to the usual sword fights we see in Westeros.
Daenerys vs. The White Walkers
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
While it was more a quick extraction of Jon Snow and his men after their mission north of the Wall, Dany and her dragons saved Jon and co. from a fight they absolutely could not hope to win. Surrounded by thousands of the undead, the group’s only hope was that Dany would manage to get to them in time, and indeed she did.
Visually, the dragons looked amazing and were every bit as well realized as what you’d see on the big screen. Seeing the unstoppable undead army meet their match for once was enough to have fans jumping out their seats with excitement, too.
While we don’t see any of the main human characters fall, it was still a serious punch to the gut for viewers to watch as the dragon Viserion is felled by the Night King. Up until this point, Daenerys and her dragons had felt pretty invincible, so the relative ease in which one was felled by the Night King was certainly a reality check. This battle deserves its high place on the list for being both stunning to watch and still emotionally draining.
The Battle for Castle Black
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
Since the first season of Game of Thrones, we’d been hearing that a Wildling named Mance Rayder had managed to unite the clans and was planning to launch a full-scale attack on the Wall. Season 4 saw Jon Snow infiltrating the Wildlings before his cover was blown and he only just managed to get back to the Wall in one piece.
Not only was it hugely entertaining to see such a massive siege, it also featured plenty of character development. Jon embraces the role of a commander, Sam finds his courage, and Ygritte struggles with her feelings for Jon and her hatred for the Night’s Watch. The battle also featured plenty of action, including a fierce one-on-one fight with Jon against a bloodthirsty Thenn named Styr, Ed commanding the men atop the wall against the likes of giants and climbers, and plenty of heart-wrenching moments such as Grenn’s last stand and Ygritte’s tragic last words to Jon. Most of Westeros don’t realize this battle even happened, but viewers won’t soon forget.
Battle of the Blackwater
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
The Battle of the Blackwater was featured in the penultimate episode of season 2 and was the first large scale battle seen in Game of Thrones. Season 2 had slowly but surely been leading up to a battle between the forces of King Joffrey and, arguably the more rightful King, Stannis Baratheon. With Stannis laying siege to the city with an armada of ships, it was up to Tyrion to lead the outnumbered Lannister forces to victory.
Stannis earned the respect of many viewers by personally leading his men into battle, while Joffrey fled the battlefield as soon as things went south. Tyrion not only showed his skill as a keen strategist but also as a brave warrior, despite his obvious height disadvantage. Using Wildfire to strike a devastating blow against Stannis’ fleet, he then went on to show his courage when it fell to him to rally his men with a rousing speech and then personally lead a counter attack. He showed that the right words and strategies can be every bit as decisive in war as swords and soldiers. The Wildfire explosion was incredibly well realized with the help of CGI and this battle gave us a taste of the even larger conflicts to come.
The Battle of the Gold Road
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
Daenerys has shown herself to be one of the more morally ‘good’ characters in Game of Thrones as she has tried to be an effective but just ruler. It’s understandable that many of us are rooting for her to win the Iron Throne but her battle against the Lannister men showed us she certainly has a ruthless side. The battle is mainly shown from the side of the Lannister men and Drogon (Daenerys’ dragon) appears utterly unstoppable as he turns men to ash.
Viewers had waited to see Dany use her dragons in combat for years but, now we’re finally seeing them in action, it’s a lot more horrifying than we’d imagined as the air is filled with the screams of burning men. Not only was this a superbly shot battle sequence that showed how terrifying dragons would be in battle, it was also a big character moment for Jaime and Bronn. Jaime shows that, despite his many sins, he’s no coward and he refuses to abandon his men, instead doing his best to fend off the mounted Dothraki. He has seen what cruelty Targaryen rulers are capable of and is willing to sacrifice himself to prevent Daenerys from doing the same. Bronn’s loyalty to the Lannisters or gold is tested when he risks his life to man the ballista and delivers a wounding blow to Drogon. This battle shows just how much of a threat Dany appears to be from her enemies’ perspective and has us wondering if there’s more of her father in her than we’d thought.
Battle of the Bastards
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
The Battle of the Bastards was not only an epic showdown between two armies, but it was also a brilliantly shot sequence that brought home the true horror of war and made for tough viewing. Fantasy often depicts war as glorious, but there’s no glory to be had here. Ramsay Bolton FINALLY gets what’s coming to him and we were cheering for Sansa as the man who abused her was finally brought to justice.
The Battle of the Bastards is a superbly shot sequence which isn’t for the faint of heart. Watching Jon almost get crushed by corpses made for claustrophobic viewing and we certainly saw a justified but dark side to Jon when he lets loose and starts relentlessly beating on Ramsay. The only reason we’re not giving this first place is simply because it seemed a little predictable that the good guys would win that time. Regardless, it was still an incredible moment.
Hardhome
Every Major Game of Thrones Battle, Ranked
Hardhome not only featured many of our favorite characters kicking ass, but it also finally gave us a look at White Walkers in action, how they raise the dead, and just how goddamn creepy they are. While the fight showed off some seriously cool action shots, it was also incredibly tense and had some moments that seemed right out of a horror film.
Hardhome isn’t so much a battle as it is a desperate evacuation. There’s no hope of winning, the best our heroes can do is survive. The undead army is horrific to behold and who can forget the horrible way Karsi is butchered by several undead children? Watching the giant Wun-Wun in battle was awesome and we feared for the lives of secondary characters such as Dolorous Edd and Tormund.
This battle had us on the edge of our seats and we’re amazed that many fan-favorite characters managed to survive the ordeal given how much Game of Thrones enjoys killing them off. The battle was also beautifully shot and we loved the long shot of Jon charging through the battle and cutting down the undead. We also have to give big props to the actors, we can’t imagine how exhausting that scene was to shoot.
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