I would like to know who do you guys think are the top 10 most powerful characters in middle earth during the 3rd age (preferably between the hobbit and lotr time) since this is the time the game takes place. It doesn't matter if they are good or evil, just a simple question for fun.
Mine (not in order of power):
*Glorfindel
*Shelob
*Gandalf
*Elrond
*Galadriel
*Smaug
*Witch king
*Balrog
*Beorn
*Necromancer
Put Saruman in Shelob's place and Tom Bobandil in Beorn's place and you have my top ten.
I could place the other 3 wizards in the list(they are also maiar) but i left them out of the list just because we know little about their acts in Middle Earth and i wanted to add the more active characters from the books.
In no particular order. Off the top of my head.
Sauron
Balrog
Smaug
Tom Bombadil
Galadriel
Celeborn
Witch King of Angmar
Gandalf
Saruman
Glorfindel
Edited by DjenniDepends on your definition of "power". Strength of physical force is very different from influence or charisma, as is strength of will.
Just for fun, here's my list, in order, I think:
10. Lagduf
9. Ufthak
8. Gorbag
7. Grishnakh
6. Great Goblin
5. Bolg
4. Ugluk
3. Shagrat
2. Gothmog
1. Ghulat! That bloke has heads dangling from his armor... heads!
Actually he has skulls dangling from the armor, and one head in his hands.
Oh and don't forget about the Great Eagles of Manwe.I am sure they are more powerful than Beorn. 
Sauron, Gandalf and Saruman were Maiar, and therefore more powerful than any elf, though Galadriel, Celeborn and Glorfindel were featured elves...
My top ten... ( I consider only main characters )
1.Sauron
2.Gandalf
3.Saruman
4.Balrog
5.Smaug
6.Glorfindel
7.Galadriel
8.Elrond
9.Witch King
And...Tom Bombadil in an unknown position of the list...
not sure Sauron should be in these lists, I mean he has no power. He is just a presence that can kind of influence people. Not really god like if you ask me, and the original rules specifically stated the 3rd age...
- Radagast
Doesn't Radagast just run around with a bunny chariot and poo on his head? 
I thought he was a attunement of mother nature?,, he is a Istari, we might have no seen him do anything, but he could.. he is still one of only 5 beings that are created out of the force of life itself and sent to middle earth by the Valar themselves.
I think it is safe to say he has some power... in fact, **** it.. I'm moving him higher!
Edited by boooredYeah, just messing The Hobbit film makes him look a bit silly, but he must have been a pretty powerful dude. Even if birds dump on his head.
Dude.. he has tamed the wild rhosgobel rabbits... he is a frickn BAD ASS no doubt!
not sure Sauron should be in these lists, I mean he has no power. He is just a presence that can kind of influence people. Not really god like if you ask me, and the original rules specifically stated the 3rd age...
I think rebuilding Barad Dûr, building an army of thousands, conjuring evil storms, brainwashing even Saruman and Denethor, powering the nazgul i'm pretty sure even though he has no physical appearance in the Lotr he still is one of the most powerful characters in the story at that time.
wasn't it Saruman that screwed with Denethor?
Anyway, imo he didn't "do" any of that stuff. His minions did, he couldn't do anything. Like he didn't do anything to Saruman, Saruman just gave in to his own desires for power and submitted to fear.
wasn't it Saruman that screwed with Denethor?
Anyway, imo he didn't "do" any of that stuff. His minions did, he couldn't do anything. Like he didn't do anything to Saruman, Saruman just gave in to his own desires for power and submitted to fear.
He didn't build the fortress himself brick by brick haha, don't you think it takes tremendous power to raise an army that large, build an epic empire of evil. I'm not talking about worthless physical power i'm talking about willpower, magic and the power of his mind. In that sense he was much stronger than almost everyone alive at that time. And yes he did turn Saruman, through the Palantir. You think he would've just gone mad on his own?
Edited by Djenni
- Witch King: Owns Gandalf like a ***** in seconds.
Only in the Peter Jackson alternate timeline. In the book, he stood up to Gandalf and neither of them flinched, but ultimately, the Witch King retreated to "deal with another threat". Could we read into this that he really didn't feel confident going against Gandalf on his own? If they did actually have to fight, what would have happened? I don't know the answer.
I personally think that no minion of Sauron's could challenge Gandalf single-handedly. He is a Maia after all. Sauron himself could, as could a Balrog, because of their nature and stature. Dragons, however, are a different matter since they were created and bred by Morgoth himself in the beginning. IMO
"Dangerous? And so am I, very dangerous: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord.
'Gandalf's words to the 3 hunters in the Fangorn forest'
.13. Sam Gamgee (the only non-Bombadil who was able to resist the direct temptations of the ring while it was in his hand, and on his own too)
Such a great point!
not sure he did resist it.. no one could resist it. In fact I would argue the allegory of evil in the world is that Sam is responsible for it. Everyone tainted by the ring is removed form middle earth by Carin that boat guy.. except Sam. So a seed of evil, of the taint remained to fester.
Thinking af the order I would place them just turne my head into a mess ... so without any order, by "race" and a few words
Sauron (obvious I guess)
Galadriel (Among the best of the Elves ever lived in middle earth)
Glorfindel (Great guy, **** on pet Jackson for turning arwen into a hero instead of him)
Celeborn (why all you guys forgett about this fellow ?)
Elrond (Obvious)
Saruman (well, chief of the Istari, he was named that for a reason)
Gandalf (need I explain anything?)
WitchKing (cause even his shriek terrored the hearth of everyone)
Shelob (like someone wrote, Ungoliants body was never found, Shelob was her daughter, so...)
Smaug (if there was not that little piece of armour and that totally lucky bowman shooting the arrow, we would all be dragons buy now)
sub : Balrog (nice guy, terrored the dwarves, destroyed Morria, what else could he do)
Tom Bombandil would be also a candidate as well as Radagast (guys, apart from the movie and the rabbiits, he was a Maiar after all)
Edited by Nickpesnot sure he did resist it.. no one could resist it. In fact I would argue the allegory of evil in the world is that Sam is responsible for it. Everyone tainted by the ring is removed form middle earth by Carin that boat guy.. except Sam. So a seed of evil, of the taint remained to fester.
There were a few who resisted the ring. Galadriel, Sam, Gandalf. They were tempted but did not give into temptation. Sam never gives into the temptation to wear the ring after Frodo is stabbed by Shelob and as the book recounts Sam gives the ring back to Frodo willingly unlike Bilbo.
not sure I agree. Gandalf was terrified of the ring, so much so we wouldn't touch it. Galadriel was the same.. she couldn't risk touching it either. They were never in a opportunity to be corrupted, as they surly would have been... and they new this.
Sam did touch it, and while he (like Bilbo and Frodo) had a incredible resistance to it, he.. just like Frodo was tainted, just like Bilbo was tainted.. the fact he had it do so short a time doesn't mean the taint didn't sit.
Then as he didn't leave middle earth like the other ring bearers the taint of evil stayed. To once again grow.
not sure he did resist it.. no one could resist it. In fact I would argue the allegory of evil in the world is that Sam is responsible for it. Everyone tainted by the ring is removed form middle earth by Carin that boat guy.. except Sam. So a seed of evil, of the taint remained to fester.
Sam did (maybe) pass over the sea in the end - it's in Appendix B, not stated as certain fact but a "tradition" believed by his descendants.
I didn't know this... any sources on that?