The climactic season two finale of HBO’s hit Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon left fans on the edge of their seats, with a collection of cliffhangers and developments that are sure to make the next chapter the show’s most explosive yet. As factions across Westeros position themselves for the looming civil war, it’s becoming clear the massive Battle of the Gullet teased all season will be the spark to set the realm ablaze.

Described in George R.R. Martin’s source material Fire & Blood as “one of the bloodiest sea battles in all of Westerosi history,” showrunner Ryan Condal has promised the Gullet conflict will take center stage in season three. “We were trying to give it the time and space it deserved to unfold on screen,” Condal told Entertainment Weekly, clearly anticipating the battle will become a standout moment for the hit prequel.

Judging by the finale’s closing moments, the stage is certainly set for warfare of unprecedented scale. The cunning Triarchy navy, reintroduced in the episode’s closing scenes, pledges to support the greens in breaking Prince Daemon’s stranglehold on shipments into King’s Landing. In a cunning move, Master of Whispers Larys Strong brokers their aid in exchange for an “unorthodox” deal involving the always entertaining Westerosi tradition of mud wrestling.

Back in the Red Keep, desperation grows as Queen Alicent and Princess Rhaenyra meet secretly, with the former proposing a conditional surrender. But Rhaenyra, never one to compromise on her claim to the throne, insists the death of Alicent’s sons Aegon and Aemond is the only way to end her family’s challenge for power. With peace off the table, armies from great houses including the Starks and Riverlands mobilize to throw their lot behind the emerging war’s competing queens.

Even characters merely mentioned until now are stepping into the fray. A brief shot provides fans their first look at Prince Daeron and his Valyrian steed Tessarion, while in the next scene a premonition at Harrenhal gives viewers a peek at events to come straight from original series lore. As Daemon communed with past, present, and future, showrunners drove home how prophecy continues guiding Targaryen ambitions.

With dragonriders itching for combat and naval forces amassing, the third season is sure to fulfill the large-scale political battles and thrilling fantasy sequences that made Game of Thrones a worldwide phenomenon. If the season two closer was any indication, 2026 can’t come soon enough to see these carefully woven plot threads at last collide in what’s certain to be the Dance of the Dragons’ most riveting act yet.