Everything We Know So Far About House of the Dragon Season 3

This is another deep dive into Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. We’re breaking down everything we currently know about House of the Dragon Season 3, now that the story has fully entered the most brutal phase of the Targaryen civil war—the infamous Dance of the Dragons.

At this point in the timeline, the slow collapse of House Targaryen is no longer looming in the distance. It’s already happening. And according to showrunner and head writer Ryan Condal, Season 3 is set to adapt four major events from George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood—all of them pivotal, destructive, and absolutely massive in scale.

Season 3 Will Open With One of the Bloodiest Battles in Westerosi History

HBO has already confirmed that Season 3 will open with the Battle of the Gullet, a naval conflict infamous in the history books as the deadliest sea battle Westeros has ever seen. That alone should tell you the tone this season is aiming for—dark, chaotic, and merciless.

Beyond the Gullet, there’s strong reason to believe we’ll also see other legendary clashes brought to life, including:

• The Fishfeed
• The Butcher’s Ball
• The First Battle of Tumbleton

Any one of these would be a standout moment, but together they suggest Season 3 is going to be stacked with large-scale warfare and devastating consequences.

The Fall of King’s Landing and a Major Power Shift

One of the most expensive and visually ambitious sequences is expected to be the fall of King’s Landing, when Daemon Targaryen and Rhaenyra finally seize the capital and the Iron Throne.

This moment represents a major turning point in the war and the balance of power—and it’s almost certainly going to be treated as one of the season’s centerpiece episodes.

It’s also been confirmed that Ryan Condal personally wrote the Season 3 premiere, just as he has done with the opening episodes of previous seasons, which suggests HBO is putting a lot of trust in his vision for how this chapter begins.

A Conceptual Episode Focused on One Character?

One of the more intriguing confirmations is that Season 3 will include a conceptual episode, likely centered almost entirely on a single character.

Fans are divided on who that might be:

• Some believe the episode will focus heavily on Aegon II, especially as his arc takes a darker and more resilient turn.
• Others are convinced it will spotlight Daeron Targaryen, whose role in the war becomes increasingly important.

At this stage, it could realistically be any major figure. Whoever it is, expect something more intimate, psychological, and character-driven than the usual battlefield spectacle.

New Valyrian Steel, a Glass Candle, and Lost Magic Returns

Season 3 will also introduce three brand-new Valyrian steel artifacts, along with something fans of the books have been waiting to see for years—a glass candle, which never appeared in the original Game of Thrones series.

Confirmed Valyrian steel weapons include:

• Vigilance, the ancestral sword of House Hightower, wielded by Lord Ormund Hightower
• Orphan-Maker, carried by Ser Jon Roxton

These aren’t just flashy props—they carry deep symbolic and historical weight, reinforcing how ancient power and legacy continue to shape the conflict.

Aegon II and the Rise of Sunfyre

Despite his catastrophic defeat at Rook’s Rest, Aegon II and his dragon Sunfyre are far from finished. Season 3 will highlight Sunfyre’s almost unnatural resilience, reinforcing the idea that while battles may be lost, the war itself is still very much alive.

Sunfyre’s survival mirrors Aegon’s own arc—broken, scarred, but refusing to disappear quietly.

Daemon, the Riverlands, and the March South

Meanwhile, Daemon Targaryen and Caraxes will align with the Riverlords and Northmen, marching south to confront the Hightower host led by Lord Ormund Hightower and Prince Daeron.

We’ve already seen set photos hinting at this campaign, and a major new location will be introduced:

Tumbleton Enters the Story

The market town of Tumbleton will become a key setting where much of the action unfolds. Alongside it, familiar strongholds like:

• Dragonstone
• Harrenhal
• King’s Landing

will remain central pillars of the narrative.

The Isle of Faces and the Green Men

One of the most exciting reveals is that Season 3 may finally take us to the Isle of Faces, the mysterious sacred island at the center of the Gods Eye.

This ancient location—where the First Men and the Children of the Forest forged their alliance—has been referenced for years but never shown on screen. Even more intriguing, leaks suggest we may finally see the Green Men in the flesh.

We’ve already had hints of this mysticism during Daemon’s visions in Season 2, but new photos suggest actual interactions may take place this time.

Harrenhal, Aemond One-Eye, and Alice Rivers

Much of Season 3’s psychological intensity appears to revolve around Aemond Targaryen during his time at Harrenhal, alongside the mysterious Alice Rivers.

Leaks claim Aemond will experience disturbing hallucinations, including a vision where he beheads Otto Hightower before the Iron Throne—a moment likely meant to foreshadow future betrayals and doom.

Alice Rivers may play a key role in these visions, possibly even teaching Aemond how to peer into the weirwood network, further blurring the line between prophecy and madness.

Aemond vs Criston Cole: A Fatal Split

As the war worsens, Aemond and Ser Criston Cole fundamentally disagree on strategy.

• Criston argues for marching south to regroup with Daeron and the Hightower forces.
• Aemond refuses, seeing retreat as cowardice and insisting that Vhagar alone can crush Rhaenyra’s dragons.

Their rivalry—possibly intensified by Alice Rivers—eventually leads them to part ways. Criston marches south with the army, while Aemond chooses to wage war from the skies, unleashing dragonfire across the Riverlands in a campaign reminiscent of Aegon the Conqueror himself.

Dragonfire, Devastation, and the True Cost of War

With no army to restrain him and no castle to anchor him, Aemond becomes pure destruction incarnate, burning villages, castles, and river lords alike.

Harrenhal is left behind—soon claimed by Lady Frey—where only Alice Rivers remains, claiming to carry a dragon’s child and speaking in unsettling prophecies beneath the weirwood trees.

Whether truth or madness, her words linger like smoke after flame.

Why Season 3 Is Make-or-Break for House of the Dragon

With all of this in mind, Season 3 has the potential to be the most thrilling—and most divisive—season yet.

Fans are already split over how Season 2 ended, and this next chapter will determine whether House of the Dragon fully earns its place alongside Game of Thrones or falters under its own ambition.

Personally, I hope the writers stay true to the core structure of Fire & Blood, even if changes are inevitable. The foundation is already there—it just needs to be respected.