Game Of Thrones' Rhaegal Is Officially Back With A Vengeance

There was no shortage of controversial moments in HBO’s final seasons of Game of Thrones, but arguably the most devastating and divisive of them all was the tragic slaying of Rhaegal, the second of Daenerys’s dragons to suffer a horrible end. His death at the hands of Euron Greyjoy’s Iron Fleet was particularly upsetting after fans were left traumatized by the Night King taking down Viserion in the previous season and returning as an undead Wight dragon in the prior episode.

Rhaegal’s death left a rotten taste in many viewers’ mouths given the somewhat absurd way he was taken down, with the Iron Fleet’s scorpions suddenly firing off with pinpoint accuracy and Daenerys somehow not seeing Greyjoy’s ships behind a few rocks. To make matters worse, showrunner David Benioff’s infamous explanation for Rhaegal’s death was that Dany “kind of forgot about the Iron Fleet,” a statement that continues to infuriate the fanbase still to this day.

Because Game of Thrones‘ final seasons are not based on any established narrative from George R. R. Martin’s original work, many fans have been holding on to hope that Rhaegal will have a much different fate in the eventual novels. But fortunately, they don’t have to wait any longer, as Rhaegal is back for revenge thanks to a brand-new release (via GoT Conquest).

Rhaegal is officially returning to Game of Thrones: Legends as part of Zynga’s ongoing overhaul of the game’s Alliance Legendary Assault mode, bringing a completely redesigned boss encounter centered around his aggressive fighting style. Game of Thrones: Legends is a free-to-play match-3 RPG for iOS and Android that lets players build teams of iconic characters from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, with dragons serving as some of the game’s most challenging endgame encounters.

Unlike previous versions of the encounter, Rhaegal has been rebuilt as a fast, single-target boss that relentlessly hunts the player’s strongest champion. He now gains stamina every turn, forcing players to carefully construct teams around a designated tank while managing the dragon’s constant pressure.

Rather than relying solely on raw damage, the redesigned fight encourages stacking Bleed and Fire effects, with Bleed inflicting bonus percentage-based damage due to Rhaegal’s rapid attack cycle and Fire rewarding players who can continually reapply the status effect after the boss periodically clears debuffs.

The update also highlights several champions that synergize particularly well against Rhaegal. Nymeria Sand excels by keeping Bleed active while boosting the team’s Dodge chance, allowing allies to evade many of Rhaegal’s attacks. The recently ousted Criston Cole from HOTD is also back for revenge alongside Rhaegal, becoming a powerful counter to the dragon thanks to his frequent counterattacks and ability to repeatedly apply Fire to the dragon.

These changes are part of a broader redesign of the Legendary Assault system, with Zynga aiming to improve dragon encounters as a core part of the experience. If you haven’t had a chance to play Game of Thrones: Legends, it’s a highly rated mobile game that fans of the franchise hail as highly addictive and well worth checking out if you enjoy match-3 games and/or RPGs.