ByDanielD
The Stormlight Archive series features a unique magic system, in which there are 10 orders of Knights Radiant. These Knights swear Oaths, bond Spren, and gain incredible powers — but not all powers are created equal, and some Spren are kinda lame. While there is still a lot to be learned about the Radiants and their powers, we now know enough to at least argue about which Orders are the coolest, which would totally win in a fight, and which ones we’d rather be.
This article serves two purposes. It lists all of the Radiant Orders and summarize their powers, bonded Spren, and Oaths. Perhaps more importantly, it ranks all of the Radiant Orders based on how cool they are, and how much we’d want to be in each order.
So, with that in mind, here’s our ranking of the 10 Knights Radiant orders:
Read on for details on each order, and a completely serious and objective justification for the ranking!
I will reach my potential
Are we a little biased because Jasnah is so badass, and the most competent Radiant we’ve seen thus far in the series? Probably. But even ignoring the fantastic feats of the thicc Queen of Alethkar, the Elsecallers seem the obvious choice for the number one slot.
The Surge of Transportation — the ability to move in between the Physical and the Cognitive Realm at will — is incredibly useful. Even if you don’t want to visit Shadesmar, the advantage of being able to enter the Cognitive Realm at will cannot be overstated. You’re safe from any threats that don’t exist in both realms, able to escape at a moment’s notice. You can travel vast distances in the Physical Realm by going a much shorter distance in the Cognitive Realm — or even travel between planets.
The Surge of Transformation, which allows the knight to Soulcast objects from one substance to another, is just as useful — and even cooler. Being able to turn any object or element into any other object or element is a power useful in any context, from combat to art. Jasnah has shown the power of this surge on multiple occasions, especially when she defends the breach in Thaylen City’s wall by herself.
Inkspren seem alright, as far as Spren go. They look really neat, and the fact they can be super tiny or human-sized is convenient — you can have a cute lil’ mini-friend in your pocket, or full-size companion. They do seem uptight, but for the powers you’d get, the tradeoff is worth it.
Pros: You can go wherever you want, and turn things into whatever you want.
Cons: Your spren talks funny.
I will protect
It’s hard to be objective when it comes to the Windrunners, as popular main character Kaladin is part of this order. But beyond the fact that it’s the order of one of our faves, there is still a lot that makes being a Windrunner awesome.
The surge of Adhesion allows the user to apply Stormlight to an object or surface and make it adhere — stick — to other objects. Isn’t one of the most impressive abilities available to Radiants, but it’s useful in many situations. It makes the surgebinder very OP against non-Invested entities (who can resist Adhesion), allowing Windrunners to stick a bunch of enemies to a floor. Adhesion synergizes nicely with Gravitation, which can be used to fling people or objects into a surface that has been painted with Stormlight.
Gravitation is probably the second best surge available to Knights Radiant, however. It lets you fly! Specifically, Gravitation allows the user to change the strength and direction of gravity’s pull on any object or person. This lets the Radiant send objects in any direction, and at what seems to be almost any speed they choose — assuming they have enough Stormlight. In addition to the utility and sheer awesomeness of being able to fly, the fact you can also fly your allies and objects around has almost limitless applications in and out of combat.
Honorspren are a mixed bag, with Syl and Rua being more playful than some of their stolid cousins. The honorspren willing to form Nahel bonds seem more likely to be cool, however, and the core personality of honorspren — caring about honorable actions, oaths, and behavior — is something we can definitely get behind.
Pros: You’ve got serious hero energy.
Cons: Your boss might be kinda moody.
I will remember
This might be a hot take, especially with how divisive main character Edgedancer Lift is. But as far as we’re concerned, being able to Jet Set Radio Future your way around is almost as good as flying — as is keeping people alive.
Abrasion lets the Knight change the friction between surfaces. We haven’t seen this used to increase friction yet in-universe, so the common use for this ability is allowing the Edgedancers to slide across surfaces, moving the way ice skaters do. Abrasion can make the user, or a surface, incredibly slippery, or make objects impossible to hold by anyone besides a fellow surgebinder with Abrasion. Like Adhesion, creative uses of this surge abound.
The Surge of Progression allows the user to heal living things, or cause them to grow rapidly. Being able to heal people is a fantastic ability, especially when it’s this powerful — so long as the soul hasn’t yet left the body, Progression can bring that body back to life, soul intact. Who doesn’t want to keep their friends, loved ones, and random strangers alive? The growth aspect of Progression isn’t well-explored in the books yet, but it seems likely that this growth can be controlled by the Radiant, allowing plants or other living things to be grown into useful shapes.
Pros: You can save people from life-threatening injuries while sliding around like Tom Cruise in Risky Business.
Cons: Your spren might think collecting chairs is really cool.
I will seek justice
This was a tough one to put so high — the Skybreakers are the “bad guys” relative to the protagonists. But even if one can sympathize with the Singer position, it’s not easy rooting for the Radiant order that is teaming up with Odium and the Fused. Despite this, well… Skybreakers can fly, so they’re still number four.
The surge of Division grants the user control over the forces of destruction and decay. This ranges from being able to turn a person to dust, to burning a beautiful design in a wooden table. We haven’t seen this ability used much yet, but it sounds scary and powerful. Still, it isn’t a particularly exciting surge, even if the relative power level of Division is high.
What is exciting is Gravitation — all the reasons it’s cool when Windrunners use Gravitation apply here as well. Although the synergy between Gravitation and Division isn’t on the same level as with Adhesion, being able to Lash something that’s on fire into your enemies is a magical spin on a classic move.
We’ve only met two highspren so far, and the one in Wind and Truth won’t even give Szeth it’s name. The first time we hear it speak, it tells him to stop being happy he’s back in Shinovar because showing emotion isn’t dignified. This would put the Skybreakers lower on the list, but Aux from Sunlit Man seems really cool, so it’s a wash so far with the highspren.
Pros: You can fly.
Cons: Laws can be pretty stupid sometimes.
I will speak my truth
Halfway down the list we’ve got the Lightweavers, the order of main character Shallan and one that many fans rate quite a bit higher — whether it’s because they are Shallan fans or think illusions are cool, we couldn’t say. Either way, they’re wrong and we’re right.
Illumination is the signature Lightweaver surge, allowing the Radiant to create illusions from Stormlight. These illusions can remain for as long as the Stormlight powering them lasts, and can move and make noises. They can be used as disguises on top of a person’s face or clothes as well. The applications for this when it comes to espionage are unparalleled, and it’s useful in combat as well — Shallan’s army of Lightweavings during the Battle of Thaylen field being perhaps the best example of this.
Lightweavers share the surge of Transformation with Elsecallers, and while we haven’t seen any cool combos yet with this surge and Illumination, it seems like there’s real potential here. Soulcast a lake into oil, use a Lightweaving to make it look like solid ground, then wait for enemies to march into the lake and do ’em like poor Evi got done.
Cryptics are interesting — they seem the least “human” of all the True spren we’ve met so far. Despite their fascination with lies, Cryptics themselves are terrible liars, and seem easier to get along with than many of the other Nahel bond capable spren. Additionally, their curiosity about the world and its underlying fundamental mathematics is something most fantasy-reading nerds can probably get down with.
Pros: You’re a ton of fun at parties.
Cons: Being honest with yourself about yourself can get uncomfortable.
I will unite
The Bondsmiths were the hardest to rank on this list, as their powers are still largely unknown; one Bondsmith is either still a secret or doesn’t exist yet, as we don’t know if anyone has bonded the Nightwatcher. The basic surges Bondsmiths have aren’t that exciting, and the while the powers of Bondsmiths are incredible, they are incredible in a “this really changes the book’s plot” way more than a “this would be really fun” way — being able to open a perpendicularity is powerful, but it seems more like a chore than, say, flying.
Bondsmiths share the Adhesion surge with Windrunners, and sticking things to other things is pretty neat. The surge of Tension, which allows the Radiant to change the stiffness of an object, is pretty boring, but by combining it with the strong Connection Bondsmiths have, incredible feats of repair can be achieved — Dalinar fixing the destroyed temple in Thaylen City, for example.
Each Bondsmith have unique abilities that seem simultaneously really cool and kind of a lot to deal with. The Stormfather’s Bondsmith can ride the highstorm, seeing what the storm sees and even influencing when and where it appears. He is also able to open Honor’s Perpendicularity, bringing in Stormlight and opening a path to Shadesmar. The Sibling’s Bondsmith is part of the tower of Urithiru, and can feel and influence the many fabrials within.
Perhaps most exciting is the potential for how the Bondsmiths powers interact with the powers of other Radiants. The map Dalinar makes with Lightweavers, for example — it stands to reason there are other interesting interactions with other orders.
The Stormfather seems like he’d be pretty annoying as far as Nahel bonds go. The Sibling started out that way, but her and Navani appear to be getting along fairly well at the start of Wind and Truth. The Nightwatcher is definitely a wildcard here.
Pros: You’re a main character.
Cons: Watch out — you’re a main character.
I will seek truth
With no direct combat abilities, and no way to fly, the Truthwatchers aren’t particularly exciting as far as Knight Radiants go — but that doesn’t mean their powers aren’t useful or interesting. It also seems that Truthwatchers can get glimpses of the future, though currently it isn’t clear if this is only a feature of Truthwatchers who have bonded a spren enlightened by Sja-anat, or if this is a Resonance between Illumination and Progression the entire order has.
We’ve discussed both surges above, and the points still stand. Being able to heal people, or heal yourself faster, is a wonderful tool, but reactive in nature. Illumination has a lot of cool potential applications, though once people become more aware of how Radiant powers work, this seems like one of the abilities that suffers the most from that knowledge.
If Truthwatchers can indeed see the future regardless of their spren being corrupted by Sja-anat or not, then we’d have to move this order up a bit in the ranking. For now, they’ll stay down here with the other more boring options.
Pros: Your chances of winning the lottery increase significantly.
Cons: You’ll have to learn to use your Shards if you want to battle Fused.
I will seek self-mastery
If this was a pure power ranking, the Dustbringers would almost certainly be higher on the list. Combining the mobility of an Edgedancer with the Lethality of a Skybreaker is scary, and while being able to fly is inherently more flexible than sliding around, in many contexts Abrasion is almost as good — and in some contexts, arguably better.
Dustbringers share the surge of Abrasion with Edgedancers. Being impossible to hold onto, and skating around solid ground like Tanya Harding, have lots of combat application. Sliding around with the surge of Division — which allows Dustbringers to destroy things with Stormlight — has even more combat application.
There’s no doubt Dustbringers are very effective combat Radiants, but their powers are so focused on destruction that they feel more generic than the other orders.
Pros: You’re incredibly dangerous.
Cons: You might end up on Odium’s team.
I will seek freedom
The fact Willshapers can enter Shadesmar saves them from being last on the list — but just barely. While being able to enter Shadesmar on your own is useful, its paired with the weakest, most niche surge of the ten, Cohesion.
Cohesion allows the user to change the shape of solid objects, making them soft and malleable while reforming them — this is called Stoneshaping. It’s not that this has no applications, and a clever Stoneshaper would be great in combat and construction alike. But most of the Radiant powers can be used in any context, with or without a surface or object that could be reshaped in a useful fashion.
It might seem strange to have this order so low when our number one slot has the surge of Transportation, but Cohesion is just that lame. Sure, you can go to Shadesmar as a Willshaper, but if you can’t do cool Soulcasting once you’re there, it isn’t nearly as exciting.
Pros: You can visit Shadesmar whenever you want.
Cons: If you don’t like sculpting, your other power is useless.
I will be there when I’m needed
There isn’t much to say about the Stonewards, as we’ve already covered their surges (they share Cohesion with Willshapers, and Tension with Bondsmiths). Both surges allow you to manipulate physical objects, changing their shape and rigidity — but that’s all you can do. You could build some awesome defenses before a battle — and even alter those defenses as necessary during the battle — but the other Radiants will be flying or sliding around actually slicing up Fused with their Shards.
Pros: You can make your house exactly the way you want it.
Cons: You’re given all the menial labor tasks.
A sincere apology to anyone who got Stoneward in the Official Radiant Quiz. Agree or disagree with our rankings? Let us know in the comments!
All the art on this page is by Steve Argyle
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