The 10 Strongest Knights in House of the Dragon Season 3, Ranked

House of the Dragon season 3 releases tomorrow, and the Dance of Dragons will finally be upon us. While the first two seasons have mostly been about alliances and the build-up to the legendary war, the upcoming season will see the strongest knights face off against each other and spill blood on the battlefield.

While some knights who will fight the war were introduced in seasons 1 and 2, many will appear for the first time in season 3. These are the knights we have known in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. The knights will be ranked not just on their training and strength but also on their strategic thinking and their place in Westerosi history. 

Here are the ten strongest knights in House of the Dragon Season 3.

10 Ser Gwayne Hightower Commands Loyalty

The brother of Alicent Hightower is fiercely loyal, but it might be his own undoing. Ser Gwayne Hightower has traveled with Ser Criston Cole and seen the costs of this war. He has personal stakes in the Dance of Dragons, but he is still a less-experienced warrior. While he tries his best to make up for it with his training, a war is no joke.

Ser Gwayne ranks lowest in the list despite his loyalty and strength because of his association with the Hightowers. His war is more in the strategic rooms than on the battlefield, especially as Alicent’s influence wanes.

9 Ser Adrian Redfort Is the Queen’s Guard’s Quiet Sword

Ser Adrian Redfort is a new addition to House of the Dragon season 3 and is one of the most interesting ones. A knight from House Redfort and a loyal member of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard, Redfort was reportedly recruited by Lord Commander Lorent Marbrand and has sworn himself fully to the queen’s protection.

Ser Redfort one of the final lines of defense to Queen Rhaenyra. Hence, he might not be there on the battlefield all the time, but he is extremely important to the war. Quiet and precise, the knight’s actions will define the victor in this war and the efficacy of his protection. Since he is not technically always on the battlefield, he ranks 9th.

8 The Giant Ser Luthor Largent Punches Warhorses

Ser Luthor Largent’s reputation precedes him, and it is one weird reputation. He is a giant of a man, standing seven feet tall, and has apparently punched a warhorse. Odd but effective in striking fear into any soldier’s heart. He is the captain of the City Watch and will be inside King’s Landing during the war, establishing order in a chaotic city.

Due to his absence from the actual war, Ser Largent ranks 8th, but he is no soft knight. He is brash and ruthless in all the right ways, and if anyone has to deal with a bunch of wartime citizens, it is him.

7 Ser Torrhen Manderly Leads the Fall of King’s Landing

Ser Torrhen Manderly may not instill confidence at first glance, and is described as a glutton in Fire & Blood. However, he will soon become one of the most consequential figures in Westerosi history with his actions during the war. 

As a powerful representative of House Manderly, one of the great Northern families closely allied with House Stark, Torrhen brings Northern steel and Northern loyalty to the Black cause. In the novel’s storyline, he is essential during the fall of King’s Landing. However, will season 3 follow the books to the letter? We don’t know yet, so he ranks 7th.

6 Lord Roderick Dustin Becomes a Legend of Westerosi History

Lord Roderick Dustin, better known by his fearsome epithet Roddy the Ruin, may be the most purely ferocious fighter introduced in Season 3. Leading a massive Northern army known as the Winter Wolves for the Black cause, Roddy the Ruin’s battlefield exploits are so extraordinary that he becomes a figure of legend in Westerosi history.

In Fire & Blood, the Winter Wolves tip the scales of the war when they join Rhaenyra’s cause. Roddy the Ruin is a great ally to have, and while there are more important knights in the war (hence, he ranks at 6), he is one of the historical knights in Westeros.

5 Ser Jon Roxton’s Blade is Called The Orphan-Maker For a Reason

Knights with cool sword names are the best. Ser Jon Roxton’s Valyrian blade is called the orphan-maker, and that is reason alone for him to be near the top. However, he is one of the strongest knights even without it, with the orphan-maker only helping him become his most brutal self. He fights to kill, and everyone knows it.

A staunch supporter of King Aegon II, Jon Roxton fights for Team Green with the kind of savage energy his nickname suggests. According to the novel, he is tied to some of the most infamous moments from the war. Hopefully, we’ll get to see it in House of the Dragon season 3.

4 Ser Criston Cole Commands the Green Armies

Fabien Frankel’s Ser Criston Cole already has a reputation among fans as a brutal person, but with the war, he is about to take it up to eleven. As Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and Hand of the King, he serves as Aemond’s right hand and the primary military architect of Team Green’s campaign.

More than his training, it is his scrappy personality that makes him dangerous. He is a survivor, rising from humble origins in the Dornish Marches of the Stormlands. He even unhorsed Prince Daemon Targaryen and made him yield at a royal tournament. Now, he is traumatized and disturbed, which might just make him stronger.

3 Lord Ormund Hightower Is Great as a Noble and on the Battlefield

Another Hightower on the list, but he is not as inexperienced as Ser Gwayne. Lord Ormund is Alicent and Gwayne’s cousin and is the perfect military leader for Team Green. He commands a powerful army from Oldtown and the Reach, leading the Hightower forces marching on the realm, and he carries a Valyrian steel sword of his own, called Vigilance.

Lord Ormund will have a lot to do this season as House of the Dragon goes into war mode. His ambition to be the one who wins Team Green the war is what makes him one of the strongest knights in the realm.

2 Prince Aemond Targaryen Is the One-Eyed Terror of the Dance

What’s worse than a strong warrior is the one who has a taste for blood. Prince Aemond Targaryen is that guy and is the most feared human combatant in the entire Dance of the Dragons. The prince who was stabbed in the eye will be pushed to his extreme in season 3, and we do not know how high he can really fly (literally and figuratively).

He has already killed Lucerys Velaryon, severely maimed his own brother Aegon II at Rook’s Rest, and murdered Rhaenys Targaryen. Now, with Aemond holding effective power as Prince Regent, his ruthlessness is unchecked. Season 3 will see him burning the Riverlands and pushing the war toward its most catastrophic phase.

1 Westeros Should Fear Prince Daemon Targaryen

All knights aside, Prince Daemon Targaryen is one of the most ruthless characters in House of the Dragon. Last season, he was sort of out of commission after being stuck in Harrenhal. He is in war mode in season 3 and is out for the kill. 

Daemon wields Dark Sister, a Valyrian steel blade passed down through the Targaryen bloodline, and rides Caraxes, one of the fiercest battle-dragons alive. His military career is insane, and he is the strongest knight at the moment in the show. Fire & Blood described his confrontation with Aemond as one of the fiercest battles in history. The stage is set for this war.

Character	Actor	Key Strength
Daemon Targaryen	Matt Smith	Impressive military career and ruthless mentality
Aemond Targaryen	Ewan Mitchell	Taste for blood and dragonriding
Lord Ormund Hightower	James Norton	Impressive strategic skills and ambition
Ser Criston Cole	Fabien Frankel	Surviving skills and an incredible career trajectory
Ser Jon Roxton	Joplin Sibtain	Valyrian sword called the Orphan Maker
Lord Roderick Dustin	Tommy Flanagan	Leads the Winter Wolves and is a ruthless warrior
Ser Torrhen Manderly	Dan Fogler	Essential knight at a historic moment
Ser Luthor Largent	Tom Cullen	Great height and ruthless leader of the City Watch
Ser Adrian Redfort	Barry Sloane	Loyal Queensguard
Ser Gwayne Hightower	Freddie Fox	Loyal to Alicent Hightower

Which knight in House of the Dragon do you think is the best? Comment below.

House of the Dragon season 3 premieres on June 21, 2026.