Game Of Thrones: The Unlikely Heir Announced, Marking Benjen Stark's Official Return

Published Sep 29, 2026, 7:35 AM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. 

Benjen Stark has always been one of the more enigmatic figures of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire. The younger brother of Ned Stark, Benjen serves as First Ranger of the Night's Watch when the story begins, helping introduce Jon Snow to life at the Wall before disappearing beyond it under mysterious circumstances. In George R.R. Martin's books, Benjen's fate remains unresolved, making his disappearance one of the saga's longest-running unanswered questions.

HBO's Game of Thrones eventually took the character in a very different direction, bringing Joseph Mawle's Benjen back years later as a mysterious undead figure who helps both Bran Stark and Jon Snow before sacrificing himself. That storyline gave the television version of Benjen a definitive ending, even as his literary counterpart remains missing. His unusual status across both versions of the story has kept fans fascinated for years, which makes Benjen Stark’s official return in The Unlikely Heir especially exciting.

Game of Thrones: Legends is preparing for a busy October, and one of the month's biggest surprises is the official return of Benjen Stark. The new Kingsroad season, The Unlikely Heir, begins October 12 and runs through November 9, giving players another month-long progression track built around Daily and Weekly Quests. Completing those objectives will advance players through Kingsroad tiers and award Champion Shards, Summoning Tokens, and additional rewards along the way.

Benjen is the real attraction, however. The First Ranger of the Night’s Watch is joining Legends as a new Legendary Champion, with his Champion Shards included as part of this season's Goldroad Pass. That does mean Benjen will not simply be available through the standard free Kingsroad rewards, as Zynga confirms his shards specifically require purchasing and unlocking Goldroad.

Still, for a character whose fate remains one of the biggest mysteries in George R.R. Martin’s novels, his arrival gives Stark-focused players a particularly notable new Champion to chase.

Benjen is only part of what is shaping up to be a packed October calendar for Legends. The Grand Melee will return every week throughout the month, beginning with Nymeria Sand from October 5-10 before shifting to Ormund Hightower, Mance Rayder, and finally Aerion Targaryen. The mode tasks players with helping its featured Champion defeat an opposing team while competing for leaderboard placement, effectively giving October four different featured characters across successive events.

Aerion is also at the center of another major announcement, the Brightflame summon, running October 21 through November 18. Appropriately named after Aerion "Brightflame" Targaryen, the summon includes Aerion alongside Osha, Walder Frey, Rhaenyra Targaryen, Alicent Hightower, and Egg, making it one of the more eclectic Legendary Champion pools announced for the month.

An earlier Lord of the Hightower Summon will similarly spotlight Ormund and Ser Gwayne Hightower beginning October 7. October will also cycle through major recurring quest events including Robb’s War, Battle of the Bastards, House of the Dragon, Battle of Blackwater Bay, and Assault on Rook’s Rest, each accompanied by its own limited summon.

New Iconic Items for Alliser Thorne and Catelyn Stark arrive October 14 and October 28 respectively, while the new PvP season beginning October 12 adds Gendry Baratheon Champion Shards to its tier rewards. Altogether, The Unlikely Heir may headline the month, but Game of Thrones: Legends is giving players plenty of reasons to keep returning throughout October.