3 High Fantasy Shows to Watch With Major Battles if You Miss House of the Dragon, With a Combined 72 Episodes

Skip to content It hasn’t been that long since House of the Dragon‘s third season came to an end, and after all the war sequences we’ve seen throughout the series so far, it’s hard not to want more of that while we wait for it to return. These days, though, it’s difficult to find a show that comes close to the energy of the Game of Thrones spin-off (especially in the world of high fantasy), but there are a few really good options that can get pretty close and deliver that same sense of scale you get from a story with major battles. Some of them throw magic and supernatural creatures into the mix, and others prefer to spend more time developing their characters before finally putting armies against each other. Still, don’t worry — these are all high-quality fantasy productions that know how to go big.

We’ve picked 3 shows that, when the story finally reaches the point where everyone is brought together on the battlefield, know exactly how to keep you glued to the screen. And we’re talking about battles that actually have a real impact on the story.

Nowadays, it’s hard to talk about The Witcher without thinking about its history of recasting Geralt, but because of that, a lot of people have ended up forgetting the series actually has quite a bit to offer on its own, especially when it comes to political intrigue that eventually turns into war. The story follows the monster hunter, who gets caught up in the fate of Ciri, the princess of Cintra, and the sorceress Yennefer, as the kingdoms of the Continent become involved in a massive conflict against Nilfgaard. And why is it so good? Even though it has moved away from the source material, the thing that makes the experience so fun to watch is still there: the mix of intensity across all its different storylines.

In one episode, we can see Geralt fighting some strange monster in an isolated village, but in the next, the show starts dealing with wars between kingdoms, sorcerers, and political interests that put Ciri at the center of everything (the Battle of Sodden Hill and the Battle of Aretuza are perfect examples of this). And, well, The Witcher varies in pace, but it still delivers plenty of tension between its different realms and factions. It’s not the show on this list with the most battles, but it’s a good pick for anyone who wants the political side of HOTD mixed with monsters, magic, and a few large-scale confrontations. For anyone who dropped it because of the cast changes, it’s worth remembering that there’s still an engaging story here.

Yes, The Wheel of Time was canceled, so it wouldn’t really make sense for it to be on this list. However, if you’re looking for a high-fantasy series that takes its epicness seriously, it’s still one of the best options out there. It may take a little more time to show why it has the kind of things that turned some people into fans, but it’s worth the wait. Its story begins when Moraine, an Aes Sedai, arrives in a small region looking for a young man who could be the Dragon Reborn, someone destined to face a threat capable of destroying the world. In theory, it would be a simple journey, but it starts to involve entire kingdoms going to war, Trollocs, channelers, and different groups fighting over the future of the world.

Here we’re talking about armies, creatures, and magic being used in battle that really make you understand what high-scale fantasy looks like — the Battle of Falme, for example, is already massive, but the Battle of Emond’s Field later on takes things to another level. If you’re about to start The Wheel of Time, just keep in mind that it doesn’t have an ending, but that doesn’t mean you’re wasting your time, since the three seasons we got are genuinely a gold mine. The show’s mythology is some of the most interesting we’ve ever seen on TV. It’s true that it never managed to reach the level of the adaptations of George R. R. Martin’s universe, but from the beginning, it always deserved more credit.

This is where things get controversial, since The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is highly divisive (and that’s why some people might not even agree with having it on this list). Set thousands of years before Peter Jackson’s movies, the show follows characters like Galadriel, Elrond, and other inhabitants of Middle-earth as Sauron begins to return and the events that will eventually lead to the creation of The Rings of Power start to unfold. And, sure, the first season had problems with its pacing and the number of storylines happening at the same time — but that doesn’t make it a series that starts off so badly that it’s unbearable to watch. Try to wait for the next season, because everything starts to fall into place.

In fact, it’s in Season 2 that the scale really increases, giving us a good dose of the war and the kind of spectacle many people had been eagerly waiting for. After spending the first batch of episodes introducing the universe, this is the season that turns the show into something much closer to that fantasy with armies, Orcs, Elves, and a battle that takes up multiple episodes. In that sense of building toward and eventually delivering on its major events, The Rings of Power gets pretty close to what HOTD does, so much so that the Battle of Eregion is one of the biggest battles TV has ever seen in the genre. It’s not a completely perfect show, but it’s definitely one that makes you want to keep watching when it comes to fantasy warfare (especially now with the events of the upcoming Season 3).