All Major Valyrian Steel Swords in Game of Thrones Ranked
Few objects in Westeros carry as much weight literal and symbolic as a blade forged from Valyrian steel. Rarer than gold, sharper than any smith’s finest work, and wrapped in centuries of bloodline politics, these weapons aren’t just props. They’re status symbols, murder weapons, and in more than one case, the only thing standing between the living and an army of the dead.
This list ranks every major got sword made from this near-mythical metal, from the forgettable to the unforgettable. Some blades barely see the light of day; others carve their way through entire storylines. Either way, if you’ve ever wanted a definitive game of thrones valyrian steel swords ranked rundown backed strictly by what’s actually shown and told in the source material this is it.
The Power and Mystery of Valyrian Steel
Valyrian steel isn’t just “better steel.” It’s a different category of weapon entirely. The metal carries a distinctive ripple pattern, and it’s both lighter and considerably stronger than anything a modern Westerosi smith could produce. Nobody fully understands how it was forged in the first place the process is believed to have relied on magic that vanished along with Old Valyria itself.
That mystery is precisely what makes it so valuable. You can’t simply commission a new Valyrian steel sword. What exists is what exists, and most of it has been sitting in noble family vaults for generations, passed down as heirlooms rather than traded like ordinary goods. Naturally, people get attached. As Arya Stark memorably points out, “lots of people name their swords” and these ten are proof of just how seriously that tradition is taken.
But not every blade on this list earns its reputation. Some swords barely leave their scabbards. Others become genuinely pivotal to the story. Ranking them means weighing history, screen time, and actual narrative impact not just the prestige of the metal itself.
10 Major Swords Ranked from Lady Forlorn to Longclaw
10. Lady Forlorn — Ser Lyn Corbray
Lady Forlorn is drawn exactly once, during a tense meeting of the Lords Declarant at the Eyrie, a gathering of nobles opposed to Littlefinger’s rule following the death of Lady Lysa Arryn. Ser Lyn Corbray threatens Ser Lothor Brune with it, the situation resolves peacefully, and that’s the entirety of its spotlight. A striking heart-shaped ruby in the pommel can’t make up for a sword that never actually gets to do anything.
9. Nightfall — Ser Harras Harlaw
Wielded centuries earlier by Dalton Greyjoy, a distant and unseen ancestor of Theon Greyjoy, Nightfall eventually resurfaces in the hands of Ser Harras Harlaw during the Taking of the Shields, where he uses it against Victarion Greyjoy amid Euron’s civil war for the Salt Throne. It’s a sword with genuine naval-battle pedigree, but its story is too thin and too removed from the main cast to rank any higher.
8. Widow’s Wail — Ser Jaime Lannister
Named by the sadistic King Joffrey Baratheon (even Lady Olenna Tyrell can’t resist mocking the choice), Widow’s Wail is a gift from his grandfather that Joffrey never once uses in battle. It eventually passes to Jaime Lannister, who at least puts it to proper use, but the sword never fully escapes the stench of its original, deeply unlikable owner.
7. Brightroar — King Tommen II Lannister
Brightroar never physically appears in the show or the books, which is almost the point. Lost when King Tommen II Lannister sailed to Valyria and never returned, it’s since become something of a Westerosi ghost story. Multiple Lannisters, including Tywin’s brother Gerion, have tried and failed to recover it. A sword that exists purely as legend has limited ranking potential, but the mystery earns it a spot above the merely forgettable.
6. Heartsbane — Grand Maester Samwell Tarly
Heartsbane spends most of its life mounted uselessly on a mantlepiece at Horn Hill, owned by the neglectful Lord Randyll Tarly, who treats his son Samwell with open contempt. Sam eventually steals it in a quiet act of defiance before leaving home with Gilly, and after his father and brother are later killed in battle, the sword becomes rightfully his. It doesn’t see much combat, but symbolically, it’s one of the more satisfying entries on this list.
5. Dark Sister — Prince Daemon Targaryen
One of several Valyrian steel swords circulating through House Targaryen, Dark Sister belongs to Prince Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. He wields it in a tournament against Ser Criston Cole, during his battle on the Stepstones, and most memorably to behead Vaemond Velaryon in the throne room. Daemon’s relatively passive role in the wider story keeps Dark Sister from climbing higher, but those two violent moments give it real teeth.
4. Blackfyre — Prince Aemond “One-Eye” Targaryen
Blackfyre carries arguably the heaviest legacy of any sword on this list: it once belonged to Aegon I Targaryen, the king who conquered Westeros and founded the Seven Kingdoms. In House of the Dragon, it passes from King Viserys I to his son Aegon II, and later to Prince Aemond Targaryen after Aegon II is wounded at the Battle of Rook’s Rest. Few House Targaryen swords invite comparisons the way Blackfyre and Dark Sister do, and its political symbolism alone puts it near the top.
3. Oathkeeper — Ser Brienne of Tarth
Forged from the same melted steel as Widow’s Wail, Oathkeeper has a far better run. Tywin Lannister commissions it for Jaime, who then gives it to Brienne of Tarth as a reminder of her vow to protect Lady Stark’s children. It’s with her when Jaime knights her, when she fights at the Battle of Winterfell, and when she eventually leads the Kingsguard. Few swords in the series are matched so perfectly to their owner’s character.
2. Ice — Lord Eddard Stark
No ranking of Game of Thrones swords is complete without Ice, the massive ancestral broadsword of House Stark. Ned Stark likely carried it through Robert’s Rebellion, and he famously used it to carry out executions in the North himself, believing that the one who passes the sentence should swing the sword. Ice is also the blade used to execute Ned himself, a brutal irony before it’s eventually melted down and reforged into Widow’s Wail and Oathkeeper. Its story is essential to understanding Ned Stark’s relationship to Ice and everything it represents about Stark honour.
1. Longclaw — Jon Snow
Longclaw takes the top spot, and it’s not close. Originally the Mormont family’s ancestral sword, it’s given to Jon Snow by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont after Jon saves his life from an undead wight, a reward and a vote of confidence rolled into one blade. Longclaw accompanies Jon from his earliest days at the Wall through to the finale, including his first kill of a White Walker. Even its design evolves alongside him: the original bear’s-head pommel, representing House Mormont, is later reworked into a wolf’s head to reflect Jon’s Stark blood. No other sword in the series is so thoroughly woven into its owner’s identity.
The History of Ned Stark Ice Sword and Jon Snow Longclaw
Ice and Longclaw deserve closer attention, because together they show just how differently a Valyrian steel sword’s story can unfold. Ice begins as a symbol of Stark strength and justice, carried by Ned Stark through his role as Warden of the North. Its fate, however, is tragic twice over: first used to execute Ned himself, then melted down entirely and reforged into two new blades for House Lannister. Ice never gets passed to a new Stark generation it simply ceases to exist in its original form.
Longclaw tells almost the opposite story. Rather than being destroyed or lost, it finds a second life with someone outside its original bloodline. Jeor Mormont gives it to Jon Snow not out of obligation, but recognition of character. When Jon later tries to return it to Jorah Mormont at the Battle of Winterfell, Jorah refuses, insisting the sword belongs with Jon. That moment cements Longclaw’s status as more than an heirloom it becomes a symbol of earned loyalty rather than inherited privilege.
House Targaryen Swords: Blackfyre and Dark Sister
Given their Valyrian origins, it tracks that House Targaryen would hold onto more than one Valyrian steel blade. Blackfyre and Dark Sister represent two very different flavours of Targaryen power. Blackfyre is overtly political tied directly to Aegon the Conqueror and passed along the direct royal line from Viserys I to Aegon II to Aemond. It’s a sword that represents legitimacy and claim.
Dark Sister, by contrast, is more personal. In Daemon Targaryen’s hands, it’s less about dynastic symbolism and more about his individual reputation as a warrior used in tournament combat, in battle at the Stepstones, and in a pointed act of political violence against Vaemond Velaryon. Both swords matter, but they matter in different ways: one for what it represents, the other for what its owner does with it.
Why Valyrian Steel Swords Matter Against White Walkers
All of this history would be purely decorative if Valyrian steel didn’t serve a function beyond prestige. Weapons forged from it are among the only known means of killing White Walkers, which transforms every sword on this list from a family trinket into a potential weapon against annihilation. Understanding how to kill white walkers with valyrian steel isn’t just lore trivia; it’s the reason characters like Jon Snow treat Longclaw as something closer to a lifeline than an heirloom.
That’s also what separates the swords near the top of this ranking from those near the bottom. Lady Forlorn and Nightfall exist mostly as historical curiosities. Longclaw and Ice are stitched into the central conflict of the entire series: the fight for survival against the dead. When a sword’s edge quite literally determines whether humanity gets to keep existing, its ranking on a list like this starts to feel a little more consequential.
Final Verdict
Valyrian steel swords are never just weapons in Game of Thrones, they’re inheritances, insults, apologies, and in some cases, death sentences. Ranking them means looking past the shine of the metal and asking what each blade actually did, who it belonged to, and what it meant for the story. By that measure, Longclaw earns its place at the top, Ice remains unforgettable despite its destruction, and the rest fall somewhere between legend and footnote. Revisit the series with this ranking in mind, and you’ll likely notice just how much narrative weight these ten blades are quietly carrying.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Valyrian steel swords?
Valyrian steel swords are legendary, ultra-sharp, and lightweight weapons crafted in the Freehold of Valyria using lost spells and blood magic.
Which Valyrian sword is best?
Longclaw is widely considered the best overall for its utility and screen time in Game of Thrones.
Who owns Valyrian steel swords?
In the Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire universe, Valyrian steel swords are rare heirlooms owned by specific noble houses and characters.
How many Valyrian steel swords are left?
According to Archmaester Thurgood’s Inventories in the A Wiki of Ice and Fire records, there are 227 Valyrian steel weapons remaining in Westeros, with thousands more estimated to exist across the wider world in Essos.
