Game Of Thrones: Ranking Every Major Battle From Worst To Best

11. Battle Of The Whispering Wood

Yes, I know what you're thinking: there isn't really a battle here.

That, however, is the genius of the Battle of the Whispering Wood, which pairs up with the Green Fork but stands as the much better of the two without the need for high levels of action.

One of the first major conflicts of the War of the Five Kings, this shows that Robb might be green, but he's not an idiot: sending a small faction of men to Tywin (and, sadly, their slaughter), he keeps the bulk of his forces to spring a stealth attack on Jaime Lannister and his men.

Playing out much as it does in the book, with Catelyn Stark waiting anxiously for her son's return, before his forces spill out triumphant, a captured Jaime with them. When Thrones attempted to repeat the trick in Season 7 it didn't work, partly because of the epic battles that would come from Season 2 onwards, but here it was a unique trick to get around the budgetary issues of staging a battle, a huge win for Robb, and a major turning point for the war.

[JH]

James Hunt

Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.