House of the Dragon dragons, ranked by strength
Fourteen dragons scored on size, fire, combat record and agility. Vhagar wins. The second-largest dragon alive finishes fourth, and here's why.
Fourteen dragons, four measures, one score.
Size and fire are worth 25% each. Agility is worth 15%. Record — what a dragon has beaten in a fight with another dragon — is worth 35%, because it is the only one of the four that has been tested rather than estimated.
Vhagar came first. She was always going to. The argument is at fourth, where the second-largest dragon in the world finishes below three smaller ones.
Six more sit outside the ranking and cannot be scored — most have barely appeared, if at all. They are dealt with at the bottom, with the reason in each case.
Rider skill is not scored. The question is which dragon is strongest, not who is flying it.
A note on Record
Record only counts fights against other dragons.
Burning an army does not count. That is Fire, and every dragon on this list can do it. Silverwing razed Tumbleton and killed two commanders, which tells you her breath works. It tells you nothing about what happens when something bites back.
That produces an odd result, and it is worth being upfront about. A dragon that fought and lost has shown you where its limit is. A dragon nothing has ever touched has shown you nothing at all. So untested scores slightly above beaten — not because it is better, but because there is less evidence against it.
Which is how Vermithor finishes fourth. He is second only to Vhagar for size and fire, and no dragon has ever put teeth in him. Silverwing is sixth for the same reason.
Weight Record lower and both climb. That is a different list and a reasonable one. This one is about what has been proven.
Where the order is a coin flip
Ranks four, five and six sit inside two points of each other. Ranks nine through twelve sit inside four. On scores eyeballed from a screen, gaps that small are not findings, and the order inside those bands is a judgement call.
The shape worth remembering: three dragons that have actually beaten something, a twenty-point drop, and then everybody else.
Vhagar
Two dragon kills and full-field fire. Nothing else is close.
- Size25% of score100She dwarfs everything else here, and her landing collapses part of Harrenhal.
- Fire25% of score100The Rook’s Rest and Harrenhal blasts have the widest footprint anything has shown.
- Record35% of score95Two dragon kills — Arrax and Meleys — plus the wound that cripples Sunfyre.
- Agility15% of score34Slow through the turn. She wins by arriving, not by out-flying anyone.
The only two confirmed dragon kills on screen belong to Vhagar, and that settles first place before size and fire are counted. Aemond’s approach and timing create the opening against Meleys, but the killing is the dragon’s. Speed is the one thing she does not have, and Meleys is the only opponent who has made that matter.
On screen
- Hesitates at Laena’s repeated command, then engulfs her in a single blastS1E6
- Runs Arrax down through the storm, comes up above the clouds, and bites dragon and rider in halfS1E10
- Blasts Meleys and Sunfyre while they are locked together, then takes Meleys by the neck on the next passS2E4
- Lands on Harrenhal hard enough to shake the ruins and burns everyone in the courtyardS3E2
In the books
Rook’s Rest is a planned ambush with Sunfyre, without Aemond firing through his own brother. Vhagar and Caraxes later kill each other above the Gods Eye — an ending the show has not yet adapted.
The case against
Both kills are ambush finishes on smaller dragons, and Meleys forces her into the ground first. Discount surprise and the lead narrows.
Meleys
Beats Sunfyre, drops Vhagar once, then loses.
- Size25% of score76A large adult, but carrying far less than Vhagar, Vermithor or Silverwing.
- Fire25% of score77Clears broad strips of infantry without matching the oldest dragons’ reach.
- Record35% of score83Takes Sunfyre apart, then puts Vhagar in the ground before losing the rematch.
- Agility15% of score95The sharpest dives, reversals and recovery turns anything has shown.
Rook’s Rest decides second place on its own. Meleys dismantles Sunfyre during the clean one-on-one, survives Vhagar’s first pass and drives the larger dragon down. Her speed keeps finding angles the others cannot answer. Rhaenys’s decision to turn back and Aemond’s concealment change the ending, and neither is scored as the dragon’s doing.
On screen
- Comes up through the Dragonpit floor into a coronation, faces the whole Green court, and burns nobodyS1E9
- Rakes fire down Criston Cole’s front line, then climbs to meet SunfyreS2E4
- Hooks Sunfyre from below, opens his chest and sends him spinningS2E4
- Grapples Vhagar and drives her into the ground, then is caught by the neck on the next approachS2E4
In the books
The coronation escape is show-only. On the page she meets Vhagar and Sunfyre together in a planned ambush and badly wounds Sunfyre before she dies.
The case against
Her Vhagar result is an advantage she never finishes, followed by her death. Score the whole exchange as a loss and Caraxes has a case for second.
Caraxes
One mauling proves more than years of threat displays.
- Size25% of score72Exceptional length hiding a lean frame — less mass than Meleys or Silverwing.
- Fire25% of score81Clears a beach and later breaches Tumbleton’s fortified gate.
- Record35% of score78Subdues Sheepstealer decisively after Syrax and Seasmoke have softened it.
- Agility15% of score89The narrow body pivots, launches and grapples fast for an adult dragon.
Agility, fire and an actual dragon fight put Caraxes third. He takes over against Sheepstealer and leaves the wild dragon unable to fly, though two dragons had already engaged it. Daemon sends Seasmoke away and then lets Sheepstealer go, which changes both the difficulty and the ending. No completed kill keeps Record below Vhagar and Meleys.
On screen
- Burns a pirate-held beach and ship, stomps a captive, and pulls out under massed arrowsS1E3
- Appears with Silverwing and Vermithor around Ormund’s army, which surrenders without a shotS3E3
- Takes over from an injured Syrax and Seasmoke, mauls Sheepstealer, stops short of killing itS3E7
- Burns Tumbleton’s battlements and the children blocking the entrance, then goes through the gateS3E8
In the books
Caraxes never fights Sheepstealer and is not at First Tumbleton. He mortally wounds Vhagar above the Gods Eye and dies of the duel.
The case against
Sheepstealer had already fought two dragons before Caraxes took over. Treat the result as heavily assisted and his margin over Sheepstealer shrinks.
- Ranks 4–6 · within 1.95 points · effectively tied
Vermithor
The second-biggest dragon alive, and nothing has ever tested him.
- Size25% of score92Visibly the second-largest thing on this list.
- Fire25% of score90Cavern and Red Sowing blasts fill enormous enclosed spaces and keep going.
- Record35% of score15Untested. No dragon has ever made contact with him.
- Agility15% of score50Heavy through the turn, with almost no close-quarters evidence either way.
Vermithor’s body and fire suggest something close to Vhagar’s peer. Almost everything he has been pointed at is a trapped civilian or a man trying to claim him, and under this rubric that is Fire, not Record. Hugh’s absence leaves even the finale pursuit unresolved. Fourth is what happens when a list ranks proven results above obvious capacity, and it is the clearest illustration on the page of what that costs.
On screen
- Answers Daemon’s song with a blast that fills the cavern, then walks out through the smokeS1E10
- Incinerates Silver Denys, sweeps the dragonseeds, kills dozens, and then accepts HughS2E7
- Joins Caraxes and Silverwing surrounding Ormund’s army, which surrenders without a fightS3E3
In the books
He fights at the Gullet and takes part in the Two Betrayers’ turn at First Tumbleton. At Second Tumbleton, riderless, he kills scores of men, then tears Seasmoke’s head off — and collapses moments later, his wings too tattered to carry his own weight.
The case against
Fourth almost certainly understates what he would do head-to-head. It is the unavoidable consequence of giving 35% to tested results when a dragon has none.
Sheepstealer
Mauls Syrax, throws Seasmoke, survives Caraxes — barely.
- Size25% of score69More mass than Syrax or Seasmoke, less than Caraxes.
- Fire25% of score72Burns several ships in sustained passes, with no target control at all.
- Record35% of score30Wins exchanges against Syrax and Seasmoke, then loses the engagement to Caraxes.
- Agility15% of score74Water-skimming flight and fast ground work offset a bulky, irregular frame.
The four-dragon fight is his whole case. He nearly kills Syrax, dislodges Seasmoke, and lasts long enough to face Caraxes alone before ending up unable to fly. At the Gullet, Rhaena cannot control what he burns, which turns useful firepower into a hazard for both fleets. He is the only dragon below the top three with real peer-combat evidence, and he still lost.
On screen
- Lowers himself for Rhaena, gallops with her clinging on bareback, and leaps into flightS3E1
- Skims the Gullet burning Triarchy and Velaryon ships alike, ignoring Rhaena entirelyS3E1
- Tears into Syrax, fights off Seasmoke, survives Caraxes and limps away unable to flyS3E7
In the books
Ridden by Nettles, he fights the Triarchy at the Gullet and hunts Vhagar with Daemon. He never attacks the Black dragons.
The case against
He survives the four-dragon fight, he does not win it. Score survival lower and Seasmoke goes past him.
Silverwing
Tumbleton proves her fire, not her ability against dragons.
- Size25% of score83Only Vhagar and Vermithor carry more.
- Fire25% of score84Sustained passes at Tumbleton burn an army, two commanders, and the town.
- Record35% of score15Untested. Both chases — Vhagar, then Caraxes — end without contact.
- Agility15% of score62Smooth in the air for her size, though her combat turns stay broad.
Size and fire keep her competitive and the Record rule drops her behind dragons that have physically fought. She kills two opposing commanders and burns both the attacking army and the town in continuous passes — which is what Fire measures. Every encounter she has had with another dragon has ended before anything touched her. Ulf chooses her targets; the scale of what she does to them is hers.
On screen
- Accepts Ulf after he stumbles into her cavern, then carries him low over King’s Landing with Vhagar behindS2E7
- Comes down with Caraxes and Vermithor around Ormund’s army, which surrenders without a dragon attackS3E3
- Burns the Black army, sweeps into Tumbleton, and incinerates Ormund and Roderick moments after their duelS3E8
In the books
She fights at the Gullet, then Ulf and Hugh betray Rhaenyra together at First Tumbleton. She is the only one of the four dragons at Second Tumbleton to survive it, and one of only four dragons still alive when the Dance ends — she goes wild afterwards and is never seen again.
The case against
Sixth may badly understate what she could do. The rubric refuses to turn capacity into a result, and this is the entry where that refusal bites hardest.
Seasmoke
Battle-tested fire and speed, no solo dragon win.
- Size25% of score57A solid middleweight, clearly under Sheepstealer and the old war dragons.
- Fire25% of score68The Stepstones work and Steffon’s instant death show controlled, lethal breath.
- Record35% of score26Briefly restrains Sheepstealer and frees Syrax, then is thrown off with nothing settled.
- Agility15% of score81Excellent at low attack, fast pursuit and close grappling.
Seasmoke has the most varied war experience of anything below the old dragons. The Stepstones prove coordinated ground attack; the Sheepstealer fight proves he can grapple something larger without immediately folding. Sheepstealer throws him off anyway, and Daemon pulls him out to escort Rhaenyra before it resolves.
On screen
- Comes in behind the Crabfeeder’s exposed army, burns its escape and scatters men out of the cavesS1E3
- Appears to accept Steffon Darklyn, then burns him and a dragonkeeper without warning, and hunts Addam down the beachS2E6
- Takes Sheepstealer from the opposite side to free Syrax, then escorts Rhaenyra outS3E7
In the books
He fights at the Gullet, then dies at Second Tumbleton — Vermithor locks teeth into his neck and tears his head off. He had spent the fight before that circling Tessarion in a duel the chroniclers said looked more like courtship than combat.
The case against
His dragon record is one brief assist before he is thrown off. Drop Record to single figures and Syrax passes him.
Syrax
Adult size, one bad fight, almost nothing proven.
- Size25% of score53An adult, above the juveniles and well below the war dragons.
- Fire25% of score54Her clear fire is ceremonial or brief. No battlefield sweep.
- Record35% of score28Opens well on Sheepstealer, is mauled, and needs two dragons to get her out.
- Agility15% of score67Competent in the air, and loses the close ground exchange.
Rhaenyra’s dragon spends most of the war being flown rather than fought. Her first real dragon fight starts with an effective attack on Sheepstealer and ends with her bitten around the neck and pulled out by Seasmoke and Caraxes. Rhaenyra then uses her to extract Rhaena rather than press. The low score is missing evidence, not a penalty on the rider.
On screen
- Lights Aemma and Baelon’s pyres with a single controlled columnS1E1
- Comes out of the Dragonstone cloud behind Otto’s party while Rhaenyra takes the eggS1E2
- Attacks Sheepstealer first, is badly bitten around the neck, and gets out carrying both Rhaenyra and RhaenaS3E7
In the books
She never fights Sheepstealer. She dies after descending into the mob during the Storming of the Dragonpit — the fifth and last dragon killed that night.
The case against
Her side wins that engagement; she loses her part of it. Credit the team result and she moves above Vermithor and Silverwing.
- Ranks 9–12 · within 3.90 points · effectively tied
Sunfyre
Survives Rook’s Rest and still owns no dragon victory.
- Size25% of score49Young, and visibly outweighed by Meleys and Vhagar.
- Fire25% of score63Covers groups of soldiers without the older dragons’ range or volume.
- Record35% of score18Burns Black troops and loses the only dragon fight he has been in.
- Agility15% of score71Turns and grapples competently before the injury. Visibly impaired after it.
What keeps Sunfyre from the bottom is that Rook’s Rest does not finish him. He comes back, burns soldiers, and eventually carries Aegon to Harrenhal on a body that should not fly. The fight record is still poor: Meleys controls him throughout, and it is Vhagar’s fire that puts him down. Aegon picks the fight and Aemond does the worst damage, and neither changes what the dragon showed.
On screen
- Breathes on Meleys, locks claws, is torn open, takes Vhagar’s blast and crashesS2E4
- Comes up behind Aegon’s captors and burns the Black soldiers as they runS3E7
- Recovers enough flight to carry Aegon into Harrenhal and surprise AemondS3E8
In the books
Broken and half-rotten, he kills Grey Ghost, then kills Moondancer in the worst state of his life, and finally kills Rhaenyra. Rook’s Rest is a planned joint attack with Vhagar rather than the accident the show makes of it.
The case against
There is no durability axis, and durability is his one real strength. Cut the other way, judge only completed victories and Moondancer moves ahead of him.
Tessarion
The Blue Queen, and nobody ever let her fight.
- Size25% of score52A young adult, above the juveniles and below the war dragons.
- Fire25% of score58Glimpsed rather than shown at scale. Estimated from her size.
- Record35% of score15Untested. She is kept out of every fight she is near.
- Agility15% of score79Young and light, and quick in the passes we get.
Tessarion is the clearest case here of a dragon scored on what she was not allowed to do. She is young, fast and visibly capable, and the show keeps her at the edge of frame — distant flybys, background, sitting out Tumbleton while it burns a short flight away. The score is honest about the evidence. It is not a claim that she is weak.
On screen
- Flies with the Hightower host, at distance — S2
- Held back while Tumbleton burnsS3E8
In the books
At Second Tumbleton her rider dies at the start and she goes up riderless. She and Seasmoke fight a running duel the chroniclers describe as more a mating dance than a battle — circling, feinting, never closing, once vanishing into cloud to reappear behind him. When Vermithor rises she joins the brawl, and the sources cannot agree which side she was on. All three dragons die. She is last, mercy-killed by an archer after failing three times to get off the ground.
The case against
Tenth is a placeholder. She has the material to sit much higher and no evidence to put her there.
Dreamfyre
Old, large, and never once let off the chain.
- Size25% of score74An old dragon and a large one — bigger than her screen time suggests.
- Fire25% of score45Almost never shown. Low because it is unevidenced, not because it is weak.
- Record35% of score15Untested. She has never been in a fight on screen.
- Agility15% of score48Old, heavy, and chained for most of her appearances.
Dreamfyre is one of the oldest dragons in the story, and she spends the series in a pit. Helaena will not ride her. Nobody else tries. The size score reflects a genuinely ancient animal. Everything else reflects a dragon the show has never taken outside.
On screen
- Chained in the Dragonpit, seen at rest — S1
- Helaena refuses to take her into the warS2E8
In the books
She is the only dragon to break her chains during the Storming of the Dragonpit. She gets into the air inside the dome, rains fire on the mob, and kills more of them than Shrykos, Morghul and Tyraxes put together. A crossbow bolt nicks one of her eyes. Half-blind and maddened, she flies straight up into the stone ceiling and brings it down on herself and everyone underneath.
She kills no dragons. It is the largest thing anything on this list does to people, and under this rubric it is still only Fire.
The case against
Fifteen for a dragon that dies fighting harder than anything else in that pit is the rule refusing the obvious answer. She has never faced a dragon, so there is nothing to score.
Moondancer
Gullet precision, outranking dragons many times her size.
- Size25% of score29Among the smallest dragons large enough to enter a fight at all.
- Fire25% of score57Burns ships in fast passes, covering less ground per blast than Vermax.
- Record35% of score16No dragon fight, but she cleanly defeats an anti-dragon weapon.
- Agility15% of score93Low flight, the cable cut, and tight sea-level turns. Exceptional precision.
The Gullet is her whole case and it is a good one. She attacks ships and cuts a weighted harpoon cable in flight before it can drag Vermax into the sea. Baela picks the moment; the speed and the precision are the dragon’s. Size and the absence of any dragon fight stop the agility carrying her further.
On screen
- Spots Cole and Gwayne from altitude, pursues them low across open ground, loses them under the treesS2E3
- Burns Triarchy ships, then dives on Vermax’s first harpoon and severs the cable mid-flightS3E1
- Flies low over the Gullet wreckage looking for Jace, then carries his body homeS3E2
In the books
She is not at the Gullet. She attacks Sunfyre at Dragonstone when he is already half-destroyed, dies in the fight, and leaves him the wounds that eventually kill him.
The case against
A rescue and some ship attacks are not wins against comparable opponents. Cut Record and Vermax goes past her.
Vermax
Burns ships, survives one harpoon, not the second.
- Size25% of score38A juvenile — bigger than Moondancer and Arrax, under every mature dragon.
- Fire25% of score55Sets several galleys alight with relatively narrow breath.
- Record35% of score3No dragon result, and he loses to the second harpoon.
- Agility15% of score76Quick at sea level, though repeated low passes become predictable.
The Gullet is nearly all the evidence there is. He burns several ships and survives the first harpoon only because Moondancer cuts the cable. Jace’s pause after recognising Rhaena puts him beside the ship that fires the second, and that is the rider’s decision, not the dragon’s. Youth caps both mass and fire.
On screen
- Sweeps the Triarchy line with Moondancer, setting multiple ships alight on low runsS3E1
- Caught by one weighted spear and freed by Moondancer, then takes a second through the belly and goes downS3E1
In the books
He burns galleys at the Gullet and crashes after flying too low — possibly a bolt, possibly a grapnel. Sheepstealer and Rhaena have nothing to do with it.
The case against
Record is near the floor because the only comparable threat kills him. Count ship kills and he climbs, but that is the Fire double-count again.
Arrax
One harmless attack, and then Vhagar’s jaws.
- Size25% of score18The smallest dragon scored, and completely dwarfed by Vhagar.
- Fire25% of score38His blast covers Vhagar’s face and does nothing visible.
- Record35% of score2Beats nothing, and his one attack invites the counterattack that kills him.
- Agility15% of score87Small enough to climb and turn quickly in the storm, before losing the straight chase.
The size gap settles last place before Record is even counted. Arrax uses the storm and the cloud well and briefly loses Vhagar in it, then fires against Luke’s command and gives away exactly where he is. Aemond also loses control. It does not matter — Vhagar’s answer ends it immediately.
On screen
- Climbs through driving rain out of Storm’s End, slips under Vhagar and disappears into cloudS1E10
- Fires into Vhagar’s face against Luke’s command, then is bitten apart above the cloud layerS1E10
In the books
Nothing the books add changes the picture. Screen and page agree.
The case against
Agility 87 is generous for a dragon that gets caught. Cut it hard and he is still last.
Not ranked
- Tyraxes — Carried on screen and glimpsed. No fire, no flight, no fight.
- Stormcloud — The same, and more briefly.
- Morning — Never identifiably appears through the finale.
- Grey Ghost — Has not appeared.
- The Cannibal — Has not appeared.
- Balerion — A skull and a reputation. Dead roughly thirty-five years before the Dance.
The weights are a choice. Drop Record to 15% and Vermithor is third. Count surviving three attackers as a win rather than a loss and Sheepstealer goes past Caraxes. Both of those are arguable.
The top is not. Vhagar has killed two dragons on screen. Nothing else here has killed one.
This ranks the dragons as the television series has shown them, through the Season 3 finale. Book material is a separate continuity and is labelled wherever it appears — it never feeds a score.
Season 4 will move some of this. Vermithor and Silverwing have never been in a dragon fight on screen, and both have one coming. Tessarion and Dreamfyre have almost nothing to score. Any of the four could climb a long way on a single episode, and Vhagar's own book ending is still unadapted. We will rescore the list when that happens rather than quietly edit around it.
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