13 Most Powerful Dragons in 'House of the Dragon,' Ranked

Image via HBO Updated Aug 6, 2026, 6:36 AM EDT Born with Autism (formerly classified as Asperger syndrome), Tyler B. Searle has been obsessed with storytelling since he was old enough to speak. He gravitated towards fairy tales, mythology, the fantasy genre, and animated movies and shows aimed at family audiences. When not writing, Tyler enjoys watching more cartoons and reading fantasy books in his home in Ontario, Canada. Sign in to your Collider account House of the Dragon has proven to be a rousing success among fans of fantasy shows. This prequel to the beloved Game of Thrones is based on the book Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin and focuses on a civil war within House Targaryen over who will succeed King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) as king or queen of Westeros. On one side is Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), whom Viserys chose to be his heir; on the other, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), whose Hightower relatives pushed him to rule as Viserys' eldest son. While the show is full of interesting political intrigue and character relationships, the stars are the mighty dragons through which House Targaryen ruled unchallenged for over a century. The show has greatly expanded the roster of dragons from the three in Game of Thrones and given them many moments to show off their majesty and power. However, some are undeniably stronger than others. These are the most powerful dragons in House of the Dragon, providing enough action and lore to satisfy audiences' cravings to see a true clash of titans. 13 Tessarion Rider: Prince Daeron Targaryen Image via HBO Called the Blue Queen for her vibrant sapphire scales, Tessarion is the dragon of Prince Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), the youngest child of King Viserys and Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). Unlike his siblings, who lived in King's Landing, Daeron lived in Oldtown with his Hightower relatives, allowing him to grow along a completely different path. Now that Tessarion is large enough to ride, Daeron flies her above the Hightower army as they march to war. Tessarion has yet to demonstrate her combat effectiveness, but she shows a lot of promise. Her design is more light and nimble, meaning she can be quick in the air, and though Daeron has never flown her to war, his uncle, Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), mentions that he is skilled in combat. The two also possess a strong bond despite the efforts of Daeron's guardian and cousin, Ormund Hightower (James Norton), meaning that, when the time for battle comes, they'll be more in sync and a deadlier duo. 12 Vermax Rider: Prince Jacaerys Velaryon Image via HBO It is customary for Targaryen babies to have dragon eggs placed in their cradles in the hopes that they will hatch and grow up as a bonded duo. Such was the case with Rhaenyra's eldest son, Prince Jacaerys (Harry Collett), and his dragon, Vermax, which proved his Targaryen heritage despite the rumors surrounding his true father. During the Dance of the Dragons, Vermax bore Jacaerys to Winterfell to treat with Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor), the Twins to treat with the Freys, and into the Battle of the Gullet, where he was killed alongside his rider. As the eldest of the younger generation of dragons, Vermax was the best suited for war. Though not yet fully grown, he was at that size where he was large enough to threaten an entire armada, aid Jace in diplomacy, and be quick enough to evade enemy projectiles. The fact that he was shot down was a poor roll of the dice, and goes to show how unpredictable war can be. 11 Moondancer Rider: Lady Baela Targaryen Image via HBO The eldest daughter of Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Lady Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell), Baela (Bethany Antonia), was given a cradle egg that hatched into Moondancer. By the time of the Dance of the Dragons, she is large enough for Baela to ride, and is one of the more nimble young dragons. Her primary role is as a scout and escort for the Velaryon fleet during the early stages of the war, but Moondancer gets some combat experience during the Battle of the Gullet. Moondancer is a good example of how the designers of House of the Dragon try to make the dragons more visually distinct. Her head is adorned with a very distinct frill, while her green body is broken up by black stripes. This pairs well with her rider's more adventurous and reckless personality, and makes one eager to see what they can get up to. 10 Syrax Rider: Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen Image via HBO Named after one of the Gods of Old Valyria, Syrax has been the longstanding companion to Rhaenyra, who enjoyed flying her every chance she could. The two share a very close bond, with Syrax often roaring in distress or anger whenever Rhaenyra feels such extreme emotions. She has also joined Rhaenyra in motherhood, laying several clutches of dragon eggs to ensure the future of the Targaryen dragons. Despite being an adult-sized dragon, Syrax is untested in battle and rarely goes out hunting. This makes sense since she is the queen's own mount, but it does mean she can be overwhelmed by more battle-hardened dragons, as seen when she clashed with Sheepstealer. Still, an adult dragon is nothing to scoff at, and since Rhaenyra loves to fly with her, Syrax's skill on the wing could make up for her lack of martial prowess. 9 Sunfyre Rider: King Aegon II Targaryen Image via HBO Considered the most beautiful dragon ever hatched by House Targaryen, Sunfyre was so named for his shining golden scales and pink wing membrane. He was eventually claimed by Aegon II, and the two formed a particularly close bond even among dragon riders. Unfortunately, when Aegon flew Sunfyre to Rook's Rest, he was savaged in battle with Meleys before falling from the sky after being burned by Vhagar. Though Sunfyre's first venture to war left him broken and presumed dead, he still held his own for a while against Meleys, rather than instantly dying to the larger dragon. Miraculously, he survived his wounds and weeks with no food, and was later roused by Aegon's bravery against Rhaenyra's followers. This demonstration is the greatest show of durability seen from any dragon in any Song of Ice and Fire show, and time will tell how Sunfyre will perform in future battles. 8 Dreamfyre Riders: Princess Rhaena Targaryen and Queen Helaena Targaryen Image via HBO Born during the reign of Aegon The Conqueror, Dreamfyre was the beloved dragon of his eldest grandchild, Princess Rhaena. She toured all of Westeros with her rider and, after Rhaena's death, was kept in King's Landing's dragonpit, where she laid several eggs that would hatch into dragons for future Targaryen children. She was eventually claimed by Viserys and Alicent's daughter, Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban). However, unlike her relatives, Helaena doesn't ride Dreamfyre too often. Despite being perhaps the third-oldest living dragon, Dreamfyre's time in the dragonpit has prevented her from growing as large as the ancient dragons who dwell on Dragonstone. That said, she is still a fierce and formidable creature, and there is no denying that she could kill younger dragons and carve a path of destruction if she were let out of the pit. However, she likely won't stand up to the other large dragons who have seen more battles and spent more time on the wing than underground. Collider Exclusive · Game of Thrones Personality Quiz Which Game of Thrones House Do You Belong To? Stark · Lannister · Targaryen · Baratheon · Tyrell Five great houses. Five completely different answers to the same question: how do you hold power in a world that will take it from you the moment you stop paying attention? Eight questions will determine where your loyalties — and your nature — truly lie. 🐺Stark 🦁Lannister 🐉Targaryen 🦌Baratheon 🌹Tyrell FIND YOUR HOUSE → 01 Someone powerful is acting dishonourably and everyone knows it. What do you do? In Westeros, the answer to this question has ended more than one great house. ACall it out, openly and on the record. If honour means anything, it has to mean something when it's costly. BUse it. Information about someone else's dishonour is leverage — and leverage is power. CAct decisively to correct it — with or without the approval of those around me. DChallenge them directly. Strength settles disputes more honestly than courtroom manoeuvring. ENavigate carefully — build alliances, apply quiet pressure, and create a situation where the right outcome becomes inevitable. NEXT QUESTION → 02 What is the source of your power? Every house endures because of something. What is it for yours? AThe loyalty of people who trust me — earned over generations, not bought with gold. BWealth, intelligence, and the willingness to use both without sentiment. CA legacy so fearsome and a vision so total that opposition becomes unthinkable. DPhysical strength, military force, and the respect that comes from being the kind of person nobody wants to fight. ECharm, connection, and the ability to make powerful people feel that my success is also theirs. NEXT QUESTION → 03 Who do you truly fight for? Strip away the banners and the words. The honest answer tells you everything. AMy family and my people — those who depend on me and have kept faith with me through everything. BMy family — the ones who share my blood, even when they exhaust me, even when they disappoint me. CMy cause — a vision larger than any single person, including me. DMyself, and those few who've proven themselves worth fighting beside. EMy house — its name, its future, the position I intend to leave it in when I'm gone. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you deal with your enemies? A house's method reveals its character as clearly as its words ever could. AHonestly — I face them directly, and I give quarter when it's warranted. BThoroughly — I don't leave loose ends, and I don't make the same enemy twice. CDecisively — fire answers questions that diplomacy only delays. DHead-on — I'd rather meet a threat on the battlefield than behind closed doors. EElegantly — I prefer to make former enemies into allies, or at least into people who owe me something. NEXT QUESTION → 05 What kind of ruler do you believe in? Westeros is full of answers to this question. Most of them end badly. AA just one — someone who serves the realm rather than using it, who leads by example rather than fear. BA capable one — someone smart enough to navigate the game, ruthless enough to win it, and realistic about what winning costs. CA transformative one — someone who doesn't just rule what exists but reshapes what's possible. DA strong one — someone whose authority is beyond question because the alternative is obviously worse. EA wise one — someone who understands that the realm is fed by more than armies, and that a full stomach keeps more peace than a sharp sword. NEXT QUESTION → 06 You suffer a devastating loss. How does your house respond? How a house handles defeat tells you more about it than how it handles victory. AWe grieve, properly and together — and then we endure, because endurance is what we do. BWe adapt. We reassess. And we ensure that whoever caused this loss comes to regret it completely. CWe burn hotter. Setbacks don't soften us — they clarify what needs to happen next. DWe hit back. Grief and revenge are the same motion in our house. EWe regroup quietly, rebuild our position, and return when we're ready — on our terms, not theirs. NEXT QUESTION → 07 Which of these truths about Westeros do you most believe? Every house has a philosophy. This is yours. AThe lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Nothing matters more than the people you protect. BA Lannister always pays their debts — in gold or in kind. Reputation is built on consistency. CI am the blood of the dragon. Some destinies are written before the person who carries them is born. DOurs is the fury. When we move, we move completely — and we don't stop until it's done. EGrowing strong means knowing when to bloom and when to wait. Patience is its own kind of power. NEXT QUESTION → 08 The Iron Throne is within reach. What do you do? The answer reveals not just your ambition — but your character. AClaim it only if the realm needs me to — and rule in a way that makes it worth having. BEnsure someone who owes us sits in it. The power behind the throne is safer than the throne itself. CTake it. It was always meant to be mine — I feel that in my bones and in my blood. DSeize it — with both hands, without hesitation. Opportunity in Westeros does not wait to be asked. EPosition my house to be indispensable to whoever sits there — influence outlasts any single reign. REVEAL MY HOUSE → The Maester Has Spoken Your House Is…Your answers point to the great house whose words, values, and way of surviving in Westeros match your own. Bend the knee — or don't. That's very much up to you. 🐺 House StarkWinter is Coming — and you have always known it. You prepare not out of fear but out of duty, because the people who depend on you deserve someone who takes the long view. You lead with honour even when it costs you, because you understand that a reputation built on integrity is the only one worth having. Your loyalty to family and people runs deep — not as sentiment but as a code that doesn't bend when things get difficult. The North endures because Starks endure — not by being the cleverest players in the game, but by being the kind of people others are willing to follow into the cold. You are that kind of person. The pack survives. The lone wolf dies. You already know which one you are. 🦁 House LannisterYou understand the game — its rules, its exceptions, and exactly when the rules become the exception. You play it without illusions and without apology. You are sharper than most people realise, and you have learned to use that gap to your advantage. A Lannister always pays their debts — and you always keep your word, because your word is an instrument of power, and instruments must be kept in working order. You love your family with a ferocity that sometimes blinds you, and you know it, and you do it anyway. The lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of sheep. Neither, in the end, do you. 🐉 House TargaryenYou carry a sense of destiny that is difficult to explain and impossible to ignore — the feeling that you are not simply participating in the world but meant to reshape it. You are capable of extraordinary things, and you know it, and that knowledge is both your greatest strength and your most dangerous quality. Fire and blood are not just words to you — they are a philosophy about what change requires and what it costs. The Targaryens at their best were transformative rulers who broke chains and defied the limits of what anyone thought possible. At your best, so are you. The dragon has three heads. You are one of them. 🦌 House BaratheonYou are a force — direct, powerful, and difficult to ignore when you enter a room or a conflict. You do not negotiate with challenges. You meet them. Ours is the fury — and yours is a kind of intensity that commands attention, respect, and occasionally fear from those who underestimate what's behind it. You value strength and straight dealing. You'd rather know where you stand in a fight than navigate a web of courtly whispers. The Baratheons built their house on the back of one of the greatest military victories in Westerosi history — and then struggled with what came after. The lesson of your house is that winning is not the end of the story. Governing is. You are learning that too. 🌹 House TyrellYou understand that power does not always announce itself — that sometimes it arrives with flowers, good wine, and a smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes. Growing strong is your house's motto, and you live it: patiently, strategically, always investing in the relationships and resources that will matter most when it counts. You are charming by choice and calculating by nature — a combination that makes you one of the most effective players in any room you enter. The Tyrells fed King's Landing and shaped its politics without ever sitting on the Iron Throne — and they were arguably more powerful for it. You know that the person who controls the food controls the kingdom. And you always know where the food is. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 7 Silverwing Riders: Queen Alysanne Targaryen and Ulf White Image via HBO One of the largest Targaryen dragons, Silverwing, was bonded to Queen Alysanne, the sister-queen to Westeros' longest-serving king, Jaehaerys I Targaryen (Michael Carter). She bore Alysanne all across Westeros, even as far north as the Wall itself, but refused to fly beyond it. After Alysanne's death, she remained in her cave on Dragonstone until a Targaryen bastard named Ulf (Tom Bennett) stumbled into her lair and bonded with her. Silverwing is another large dragon who hasn't seen combat, but since she didn't remain in the dragon pit like Dreamfyre, she has grown to an impressive size. Normally, Silverwing is known for being friendly and calm, but when roused, she can be just as ferocious as any other dragon. The fact that she is the mate of Vermithor also adds complications, especially with how much of a wildcard Ulf is. 6 Seasmoke Riders: Ser Laenor Velaryon and Addam of Hull Image via HBO The beloved dragon of Ser Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan), Seasmoke accompanied his rider into battle in the Stepstones with Laenor's father, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), against the forces of Prince Craghas "The Crabfeeder" Drahar (Daniel Scott-Smith). Years later, he was separated from Laenor when he faked his death and fled across the sea. Eventually, Seasmoke grows restless, and after incinerating Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan), he seeks out Laenor's bastard half-brother, Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty). Seasmoke might not be as large as some of the other dragons, but his time with Laenor has seen him gain a good few years of combat experience. Despite this, he is very sociable and actively seeks out his choice of a new rider rather than wait for one to find him. This makes Seasmoke very protective of his rider, and he will even bare his teeth against his allies, like Rhaenyra, to keep them safe. 5 Sheepstealer Rider: Lady Rhaena Targaryen Image via HBO While most dragons have taken at least one rider in their lifetimes, some dragons grow up on Dragonstone and never know a rider. One of these wild dragons, called Sheepstealer, leaves Dragonstone for the mountains of the Vale to look for food. Eventually, Lady Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell) goes to the Vale and, upon finding evidence of Sheepstealer, sets off to claim the dragon. Life in the wild with little to no human assistance has turned Sheepstealer into a harsh, volatile dragon. The fact that he has lived in the wild long enough to grow to maturity shows that he is a skilled and experienced hunter, and though he has never flown to war, he is strong enough to endure attacks from three adult-sized dragons. While this does make him a ferocious opponent, he is comparable to a berserker relying on brute force, unlike other dragons who have more refined combat experience. 4 Meleys Rider: Princess Alyssa Targaryen and Princess Rhaenys Targaryen Image via HBO Called the Red Queen, Meleys was originally ridden by Princess Alyssa Targaryen (Emeline Lambert), the mother of Viserys and Daemon. After her death, Daemon tries to claim Meleys, but she rejects him for his cousin, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen aka the Queen Who Never Was (Eve Best). When the Dance of the Dragons begins, Meleys is the largest dragon on the Black's side and gets to prove her valor in the Battle of Rook's Rest, though she sadly doesn't survive. Meleys was a powerful dragon, able to take down Aegon's Sunfyre and wound Vhagar to the point where she needed to return to King's Landing to heal. Though killed in action, Meleys showed that she was skilled in combat, as her strategy allowed her to deal good damage to Vhagar before she was taken out in an ambush. She also had a very strong bond with Rhaenys and seemed to be in sync with her every thought.