As amazing as the characters and the storytelling are on Game of Thrones, the series really wouldn’t be the same without the brilliant battle scenes that can be found throughout the seasons. These battles are all the culmination of a massive amount of build-up and hype and they always deliver.
Sure, some may seem a bit improbable but they still deliver the moment expertly.
These battles are extremely tense and anxiety inducing, especially for our main characters. This is because despite how much we may love the characters in this story, none of them are guaranteed to survive till the end, even more so through these battle sequences, which undoubtedly gives far higher stakes to each of these confrontations. So, let’s rank the 10 best battle scenes in the show!
10. The Greyjoy’s Naval Battle (Season 7, Episode 2)
Though season 7 wasn’t even a good season, this battle was pretty exciting. They completely ruined Euron and went in an opposite direction from the books as a character for the most part towards the end of the show, but this battle scene served really well to tell the viewers how unhinged and maniacal he actually was. The set pieces of ships fighting each other, with destruction, confusion and explosions going on in the background really give this battle a unique and destructive feel.
The reason that this battle even came to fruition was when Dany got her fleet and she sent them on a separate mission to complete some task for her in getting the Iron Islands to side with her. Upon their mission, they are set upon by Euron and his absolutely massive and imposing fleet which absolutely decimates Dany’s. This scene ends with Euron having captured Yara, all while staring menacingly at Theon who is forced to run away after this crushing defeat.
9. Battle of the Goldroad (Season 7, Episode 4)
Though this scene isn’t as much of a battle due to how one-sided it is, it is still a huge spectacle to watch and is one of the only good things about the entire 7th season. This scene comprises of Dany and much of her Dothraki army fighting a section of the Lannister army, who are defending a train carrying supplies, arms and scorpion crossbows.
The scene itself is hectic and filled with chaos, with many close calls for fan favorite characters like Dany, Jaime and Bronn. The battle scene itself pits the Lannisters against the Dothraki and as they’re seen to be fighting in the background, Dany is destroying the train with her dragon, Jaime is fighting and Bronn has one of his best moments where he rides through the destruction to get to a scorpion, where he is able to greatly wound and ground Drogon. The scene ends with a nail biting scene of Jaime rushing Dany but almost dying until Bronn has to save him.
8. Raid on Craster’s Keep (Season 4, Episode 5)
The show has always been brutal in all the stories that it has told and all the characters that it has introduced, to the point where it leaves many viewers very frustrated and angry. This is very prevalent in one of the first seasons of the show, where some of the worst members of the Night’s Watch rebel against the Lord Commander and end up killing him and taking over Craster's Keep.
Fast forward to season 4, where Jon Snow is the one to lead the remaining members of the Watch back to Craster’s Keep and defeat the turncloaks. It leads to a very brutal battle scene where Jon and his brothers are able to successfully avenge Jeor Mormont and kill the leaders of the rebellion. Jon kills Karl Tanner, the mastermind behind what they did and proves himself to be a great leader.
7. Battle Beyond the Wall (Season 7, Episode 6)
Though the entire reason behind these characters going beyond the wall in the first place and the circumstances of them being there are just very stupid, I can’t lie, it was just very fun to see all these specific characters together. What starts as all these characters being together and having fun back and forth banter quickly turns into a high stakes life or death situation as the party is set upon by the forces of the White Walkers.
The following scene is very fantasy driven, but not in a totally bad way as this small party of adventurers has to defeat an impossibly large number of ice zombies. As well as they’re doing, the sheer numbers of the dead are just far too great, leading to them eventually being overrun until Dany and her dragons come and save them. These dragons burn the dead alive very quickly and efficiently, giving the heroes just enough time to escape. However, The Night King is able to kill Viserion and add him to his army in the process. A true nail-biter from start to finish.
6. Dany Kills the Slavers (Season 6, Episode 9)
Much like most of the encounters Dany has with any adversaries, this isn’t exactly a battle, it’s more just an absolute wash. That tends to happen when you are the only person on the planet who happens to have this world's equivalent of nuclear weapons while the others can do nothing but watch.
This happens upon the masters continuously breaking their deal with Dany, to which she replies in kind and shows them absolutely no mercy. She refuses to listen to their pleas and proceeds to completely burn down their entire fleet without suffering a single casualty to her side. It is absolutely glorious as she ensures her victory and also ensures that Slavers Bay will be ruled properly in her absence.
5. Loyalists vs. Rebels (Season 6, Episode 3)
When it comes to battles in this show, this one is very tame in the sense that it doesn’t pit 2 armies against each other, rather it puts a few warriors against each other.One side is Ned Stark and his comrades against Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Oswell Whent, who are 2 of the best swordsmen in the entire world at this point. This battle happens outside the Tower of Joy and is a brutal and heavily entertaining clash of expert fighters.
As Ned was on a mission to save and retrieve his little sister, he fought Arthur and Oswell, who were able to completely defeat Ned’s entire party almost effortlessly. At the end, when it was Arthur vs Ned, Bran made it clear to us as the viewer that Ned was way outmatched and was going to die if it wasn’t for Howland Reed backstabbing Dayne. This entire fight was a treat to watch as it showed the level and class of warriors and how skilled they were.
4. Battle of the Blackwater (Season 2, Episode 9)
The Battle of the Blackwater was the highlight of the second season of the show and was built up beautifully. It pitted the Lannisters and the armies of the Crown against the forces of Stannis Baratheon, who was the rightful heir to the throne after the death of his older brother Robert, as Joffrey had been exposed as a bastard.
The battle scene was epic, it showed how much of a valuable asset Tyrion really was to his family as he was the one who was responsible for destroying Stannis’s entire fleet due to his trick with the Wildfire. This was invaluable because the naval forces are what the Crown lacked as compared to Stannis. On top of this, we saw incredible fight scenes and super tense moments. Great character moments from Tyrion, Davos and even Sandor Clegane.
3. Hardhome (Season 5, Episode 8)
Hardhome was one of the best episodes and overall moments in Game of Thrones history. It was the perfect combination of badass fighting and absolute hopelessness as it pitted Jon and his Wildling comrades against the innumerable and unstoppable forces of the dead. Through and through, this battle was a win for the White Walkers.
As Jon and Tormund make their way to Hardhome to recruit the remaining Wildlings to join their cause against the Walkers, it is made very clear that the cause is getting desperate. During their talks, the entire Hardhome encampment is then overrun by Wights and White Walkers. This entire battle has intense moments such as Jon killing a White Walker with his Valyrian Steel Sword. However, the real kicker is at the end where only a few people make it out alive, with The Night King staring at Jon as he resurrects every single person who died in this battle,
2. The Watchers on the Wall (Season 4, Episode 9)
This battle is one of the most tense moments in the entire run of the show, where the entire Night's Watch has come face to face with the forces of the Wildlings and they have to save Castle Black from falling to the enemy. There are a lot of great moments that are just simply too incredible to be forgotten and this battle is arguably the most important moment when it comes to deciding for Jon to be the next Lord Commander.
It has so many memorable moments from Jon killing the Magnar of Thenns, to Grenn dying while defending the main gate from the giant, to even Sam pulling his weight as a fighter and killing many Wildlings using his crossbow. The most emotional moment, though, comes when Ygritte dies in Jon’s arms while they both slowly talk and caress each other. Couple all this with brilliant fight scenes and you have one of the best battle scenes ever put on a screen.
1. Battle of the Bastards (Season 6, Episode 9)
Honestly, could it have been anything else? The Battle of the Bastards is arguably the best battle scene in TV show history, despite not making the most sense from a battle strategic viewpoint. This battle takes many aspects of how wars and battles are fought in real life and shows them in a very deadly and claustrophobic setting. Every single moment is uncomfortable and filled to the brim with action, but never in a heroic light. It truly shows the horror of war.
It is also the culmination of Ramsay’s entire storyline and finally puts the false ruler of Winterfell against the true ruler, Jon Snow. Jon and his side are very barely able to get the better of Ramsay and as the battle ends, there is very little celebration as everyone is tired and bears the scars of war. This is precisely why this battle is the best in the show, because it is best able to convey the true way a war is fought and the ways that it truly is.
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