When is The Rings of Power season 3 set? The Lord of the Rings timeline explained
Piecing together the tales of Middle earth.
Prime Video
- Trent Cannon
Published: Tuesday, 10 November 2026 at 10:00 pm
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Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Rings of Power season 2.
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As we all dive back into Prime Video’s The Rings of Power season 3, it is time for a little Middle-earth history lesson.
The series has always taken a somewhat loose approach to the expansive timeline that Tolkien set out for The Lord of the Rings, so we’ve done our best to figure out exactly when The Rings of Power season 3 takes place.
Last we saw, Sauron had cast off subterfuge and brought open war to Middle-earth. The Rings of Power season 3 starts with that war in full swing and the Elves struggling to keep Sauron’s Orc forces at bay.
When is The Rings of Power season 3 set on The Lord of the Rings timeline?
Charlie Vickers as Sauron in The Rings of Power season 3. Prime Video
The simplest answer to when The Rings of Power season 3 is set is that it takes place five years after the events of season 2. However, the entire show takes place across the entirety of Middle-earth’s Second Age, which started with the fall of Morgoth (Sauron’s former master) and ends with The Siege of Barad-dûr, where Isildur cuts the One Ring from Sauron’s finger and set the events of The Lord of the Rings into motion.
It is worth noting that the Second Age in Tolkien’s writing is over 3000 years long, but these events have been condensed significantly for The Rings of Power. Many of the human characters, such as Isildur and Elendil, are alive hundreds of years before they should be in Tolkien’s writing. For example, the One Ring is crafted between Second Age 1500 and 1700, while Isildur isn't born until closer to Second Age 3400. However, both the One Ring's creation and Isildur are present in The Rings of Power season 3.
The reason for this change is that only elves like Elrond and Galadriel would have a long enough lifespan to feature in each series of The Rings of Power, with a rotating cast of short-lived humans and dwarves around them. To prevent this, the showrunners condensed 3400 years of Tolkien lore into a few years, with the approval of the Tolkien estate.
Is Gandalf in The Rings of Power?
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One of the big reveals from The Rings of Power season 2’s final episode was that The Stranger, who had been a recurring character throughout the show so far, was, in fact, Gandalf. Technically, Gandalf doesn’t play a major role in Middle-earth until the Third Age, but his presence here is consistent with Tolkien’s narrative, as Istari, angelic beings commonly known as wizards, had already visited Middle-earth before the initial fall of Sauron.
Is Legolas alive in Rings of Power?
Unless they make a dramatic change to Tolkien’s established timeline, Legolas won’t feature in The Rings of Power. He wasn’t born until several hundred years into the Third Age of Middle-earth, which is well after the events depicted in The Rings of Power.
When does Sauron create the One Ring in The Rings of Power?
A major plot point of The Rings of Power season 3 will be Sauron’s efforts to craft the One Ring. We don’t yet know if he’ll complete this task before the end of the season, but it feels likely that the finale will include this iconic object being completed, turning the tide in the war between Sauron and the Elves.
The Rings of Power season 3 releases on 11 November on Prime Video.
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Trent Cannon
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