All you need to know about Game of Thrones

With season seven of Game of Thrones on the way it's hard to remember where everything stands, so we're making things simple with TimeOut's guide to GoT.

Here's everything you need to know about who's dead, alive, making alliances, and everything you should be watching out for.

The season six finale:

Cersei locked everyone in the Sept and set them on fire. When Tommen saw his city burning, he threw himself from the window of the Red Keep and Cersei, the last woman standing, claimed the Iron Throne.

The alliances:

Team Targaryen:

After Margaery and Loras Tyrell died in the Sept, Lady Olenna Tyrell went to the Sand Snakes in Dorne and joined forces to overthrow Cersei. Varys, the master of gossip and gameplay, was also in Dorne, and aligned the Sand Snakes and the Tyrells with Daenerys and Yara Greyjoy.

Dany and Yara joined forces after Yara's uncle Euron stole leadership from her on the Iron Islands and she went to align with Dany before Euron could get the chance.

And don't forget: Dany already has Tyrion Lannister, the Dothraki, Unsullied and three dragons and they're all headed to Westeros.

Team Stark: Arya's back in Westeros and headed north, Bran levelled up in his training and is heading south to re-cross The Wall with his new warg powers, and Jon and Sansa rallied the Lords of the North - thanks to Lyanna Mormont - to their cause.
Jon also has Sam working to become a Maester at the Citadel, and last season confirmed the theory he is Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen's son, so his alliance with Dany seems to be a given.
And let's not forget that Sansa is probably still married to Tyrion (assuming her marriage to Ramsay Bolton was a total farce) so there's a ready-made alliance and perhaps a way for her to shake off creepy ol' Littlefinger.

The ones to watch out for:

- Melisandre is a powerful witch and now, a woman scorned after Jon banished her from the North for burning Princess Shireen at the stake - a move he will likely come to regret, particularly as she's the one who brought him back from the dead last season.

- Littlefinger vowed to take the Iron Throne with Sansa at his side (presumably by forcing her to marry him), with the goal of using her to take power from Jon as he is only a bastard child and Sansa is Ned Stark's true heir.

- Euron Greyjoy killed his own brother and tried to kill Yara and Theon. Now he looks to be taking the Iron Fleet to King's Landing so Cersei might have an ally after all, either that or he's hunting his niece and nephew. Or both. Either way, the actor who plays Euron (Pilou Asbaek) said in an interview: "After this season, Ramsay's gonna look like a little kid".

The dark horses:

- Arya is back and since landing in Westeros, has already killed the Frey children, baked them into a pie and served them to Walder Frey before slitting his throat.

- Jaime Lannister has been out of action of late, but in the new trailers for season seven he looks to be on the frontline of a fiery battle. There's also that old theory that he will be the one to kill Cersei, as per Maggy the Frog's prophecy.

- Ser Beric Dondarrion appears in the trailers alongside Jon Snow and wielding a flaming sword so he's clearly playing some big part - word on the internet is, he could be the real Prince That Was Promised, rather than Jon.

- And the eternal question: Where is Gendry? Ser Davos smuggled him out of Dragonstone and we have no idea what happened after that. He's Robert Baratheon's only heir and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Could Melisandre hedge her bets on him now Jon has forsaken her? Or will House Baratheon rejoin the Starks to fight "the common enemy" as the trailers suggest?

Plus: Could this be the season we finally get Cleganebowl?

Only one way to find out. Game of Thrones returns to SoHo on July 17.