Best Dragon Attacks In Game Of Thrones

Highlights

Daenerys Targaryen becomes a powerful protagonist after hatching dragon eggs and regains control of Meereen, abolishing slavery.
Daenerys demonstrates her power by burning Lord Varys alive and leading a dragon attack to save Jon Snow and other key characters.
Daenerys wreaks havoc on the Iron Fleet and the Golden Company, leading to the destruction of King's Landing in a lethal dragon attack.

Dragons are intertwined with Daenerys Targaryen's arc in Game of Thrones, and she's interchangeably referred to as the Mother of Dragons and the Dragon Queen. Though Daenerys learns to take the reins of Drogo's Khalasar early on in Game of Thrones, the fact remains that she becomes one of Thrones' powerful protagonists only after hatching dragon eggs.

Feature image showing Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow in Game of Thrones.

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The three ferocious dragons, namely Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal encompass the totality of Daenerys' arc. They aid her throughout her Game of Thrones journey, keep her company, and protect her if need be. Daenerys and her dragons inflict massive damage on their enemies in a score of extraordinary dragon attacks seen in Game of Thrones.

1 Second Siege Of Meereen

Season 6, Episode 9 "Battle of the Bastards"

Drogon Viserion and Rhaegal burning ships in Game of Thrones.

In the Second Seige, Daenerys regains control of the ancient city of Meereen and destroys the coalition of Masters who seek to restore slavery. Queen Daenerys abolished the appalling practice in the former Slaver-cities, namely Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen, but that led to an insurgent war by an underground group named the Sons of the Harpy.

In Game of Thrones' "Battle of the Bastards," Daenerys' aides communicate terms of surrender to the slaver emissaries. She and her dragons take to the skies and set fire to the slavers' warships and their men. Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal cause massive damage to the harbor while Daenerys remains steadfast. This dragon attack proves that the Mother of Dragons and her children are a force to be reckoned with.

2 The Burning Of Lord Varys

Season 8, Episode 5 "The Bells"

Daenerys Drogon and Jon Snow in Game of Thrones.

Drogon breathing fire at Lord Varys had a chilling effect on Daenerys' aides, and rightly so, as she needed to demonstrate how to deal with traitors. Daenerys had already denounced her Master of Whisperers, Varys, as a turncoat and threatened him with dire consequences if caught:

I swear this: If you ever betray me, I'll burn you alive.

Daenerys had Grey Worm shackle Varys in the dead of night and brought out on the shores of Dragonstone. Tyrion confessed to turning him in, and he knew it was time. Daenerys commanded Drogon to burn him alive:

Lord Varys, I, Daenerys of House Targaryen, First of My Name, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons, sentence you to die.

With that, she commanded, "Dracarys" and Drogon appeared from behind and burned Varys in one go.

3 Daenerys Beyond The Wall

Season 7, Episode 6 "Beyond the Wall"

Daenerys' dragons set fire to Wights Beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones.

Jon gets antsy after learning the Night King and the Dead are marching toward Eastwatch, meaning they are likely to make it past the Wall. Daenerys is reluctant to step away and join him in the North, but Tyrion suggests they could if they convince Cersei to declare a temporary truce. To that end, Tyrion tells Jon to bring a Wight to King's Landing from Beyond the Wall. Foolish plan, but Jon agrees, and he, Ser Jorah, Gendry, Beric Dondarrion, the Hound, Thoros of Myr and a few Free Folk, most notably Tormund, go raiding. Helpless and under attack, Jon dispatches Gendry to Eastwatch to request Daenerys' help. He and the men fall back to a frozen lake, but the Dead begin to walk towards them. Daenerys arrives in the nick of time and her dragons pour fire on the Wights below.

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Daenerys' first battle against the Dead sees her on a spectacular rescue mission beyond the Wall. She flies atop Drogon, who burns hundreds of Wights on the ground. The Night King watches the dragons destroy his army until one of his lieutenants hands him an ice spear that hits Viserion in the throat. Nonetheless, the dragons inflict major damage and Daenerys saves the key characters.

4 Destruction Of The Iron Fleet

Season 8, Episode 5 "The Bells"

Euron Greyjoy watches Drogon destroy the Iron Fleet in Game of Thrones.

Having lost her second dragon, Rhaegal to Scorpion bolts, Daenerys, more furious than ever, wreaks havoc on the Iron Fleet. The unthinkable incidents, such as Ser Jorah's death, and Missandei's execution, coupled with the revelation of Jon's parentage, turn her increasingly paranoid.

The Iron Fleet, moored in the Blackwater Bay, was destroyed by Daenerys atop Drogon. As Euron awaited her, she appeared out of nowhere, dodged the Scorpion bolts, and set fire to the ships and Scorpions. Euron jumped into the waters but Daenerys' lethal attack on King's Landing had just begun. She and Drogon made a lethal duo who brought the city to its knees.

5 Destruction Of The Golden Company

Season 8, Episode 5 "The Bells"

Drogon burns the city gates in Game of Thrones.

Daenerys' gigantic army, led by her commanders Jon Snow, and Grey Worm, faces the Golden Company led by Harry Strickland outside the city gates. After an eerie silence, Drogon blasts the city gates from behind, killing most of the sellswords. Though it is an easy strike for the serpentine beast, the dragon attack remains memorable as it takes everyone by surprise.

Split image showing Scorpions and Daenerys burn King's Landing in Game of Thrones.

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The Golden Company turns out to be useless, the city gates are breached from the inside and the Dothraki and the Unsullied follow Daenerys' command from the skies.

6 The Battle Of Winterfell

Season 8, Episode 3 "The Long Night"

Jon Snow and Rhaegal fight the Undead Viserion in Game of Thrones.

Daenerys promises to join Jon in the fight after witnessing the mayhem beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones Season 7. Enraged about Viserion's death at the hands of the Night King, and her growing feelings for Jon, she declares:

We are going to destroy the Night King and his army. And we will do it together. You have my word.

Jon calls her his Queen, and together they arrive at the titular destination in Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 1. At this point in the story, Daenerys has two of her dragons and the North readies for battle. The Battle of Winterfell takes place after the Night King uses the undead Viserion's blue flame to melt the Wall. The Dead are outside Winterfell at the end of Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2 "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

In Game of Thrones' "The Long Night," Jon and Daenerys remain on a nearby mountaintop as they seek to engage the Night King in a battle. Jon rides Rhaegal, Daenerys has Drogon and the Night King has the undead Viserion. Jon and Daenerys take time surveying the battle and unleash dragonfire on the Wights from time to time. In one of the epic scenes, they fly side by side, away from Winterfell looking for their enemy when Viserion's blue flame cuts through the clouds. The Night King makes a dramatic entrance and Jon intercepts them and the two dragons use their claws and fangs in the fight. It's a spectacular moment in the battle and soon Daenerys and Drogon sweep in and manage to dismount the Night King.

7 The Battle Of The Goldroad

Season 7, Episode 4 "The Spoils of War"

Daenerys rides Drogon in the Goldroad ambush in Game of Thrones.

In this dragon attack, Drogon's combat skills outshine the other two dragons. It takes place immediately after Daenerys' ally in Westeros - the Tyrells' fall, and their seat, Highgarden, is sacked. The Unsullied and their commander, Grey Worm, are trapped on Casterly Rock, thanks to Tyrion's plan, and she decides to take matters into her own hands:

The right plan? Your strategy has lost us Dorne, the Iron Islands and the Reach!

Daenerys atop Drogon and her Dothraki army ambush the combined Lannister-Tarly field army at the Crossing of the Blackwater Rush. The Dothraki screamers rush onto the battlefield, and Drogon sets fire to the infantry formation on the ground. Daenerys burns the supply train that Jaime was transporting to King's Landing. At the end of the battle, she rounds up the survivors, most of whom submit to her authority. She has Drogon burn Randyll Tarly and his son Dickon and the remaining prisoners of war yield in this famed Game of Thrones episode.