Full spoilers for The Rings Of Power Season 2.

Quick answer: Eregion falls after Adar leads an Orc army against the Elven realm to destroy Sauron, who is hiding inside the city as Annatar. The Orcs block the river, cross the exposed riverbed, breach the walls, and overwhelm Elrond’s defenders. The Dwarven reinforcements never arrive because Durin IV must stop his father from awakening the Balrog beneath Khazad-dûm. Celebrimbor is killed by Sauron, Adar is betrayed by his own Orcs, and Sauron takes control of the surviving army. Elrond, Galadriel, Gil-galad, Arondir, and the surviving Elves retreat to the refuge that becomes Rivendell.

The fall of Eregion is the point where Sauron’s private manipulation becomes an open war. He destroys the city without commanding the army attacking it. Adar believes he is marching to free the Orcs from Sauron. Elrond believes he is defending one of the greatest Elven realms in Middle-earth. Celebrimbor believes he is completing the work that can save its peoples.

Sauron uses every one of those goals. By the time the battle ends, Celebrimbor is dead, Eregion has been destroyed, Adar has lost the Orcs he wanted to protect, and Sauron possesses both the Nine Rings and the army he needs for the next stage of his war.

For the complete surrounding story, visit our Rings Of Power Season 2 recap and episode guide. You can also read what happened to Celebrimbor and our guide to the Three, Seven, Nine, and One Ring.

What Is Eregion?

Eregion is an Elven realm located west of Khazad-dûm. Its chief city is Ost-in-Edhil, although The Rings Of Power usually refers to the city and surrounding realm simply as Eregion.

Celebrimbor rules Eregion and leads the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, the brotherhood of Elven jewel-smiths responsible for creating the Rings of Power. Their forge makes the realm one of the most important centers of knowledge, art, and craftsmanship in Middle-earth.

Eregion also maintains an unusually close relationship with the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm. Celebrimbor works with Narvi, while Elrond’s friendship with Durin IV helps connect the two kingdoms. The western doors of Khazad-dûm and the cooperation surrounding mithril grow from that relationship.

The realm’s strength becomes the source of its vulnerability. Eregion possesses the smiths, materials, and knowledge Sauron needs to turn the Rings into a system of control.

Why Does Adar Attack Eregion?

Adar attacks Eregion because he believes Sauron is hiding inside the city.

At the beginning of Season 2, Sauron returns to Mordor in the form of Halbrand and allows Adar to imprison him. He persuades Adar that Sauron has returned and offers information that directs him toward Eregion.

Adar previously used Morgoth’s crown to destroy Sauron’s physical body. He knows that Sauron survived and fears that the Dark Lord will reclaim control of the Orcs. His siege is intended to kill Sauron before that can happen.

Galadriel attempts to convince Adar that they should work together. Adar possesses Morgoth’s crown and believes Nenya could help break Sauron’s magical control. Their goals briefly overlap, but Adar does not trust the Elves to leave the Orcs or Mordor in peace after Sauron is gone.

He therefore decides to attack the city himself. Adar accepts that Eregion and its Elves may have to be destroyed if that is the price of freeing his children from Sauron.

The battle creates an unusual moral arrangement. The Orc army is attacking an Elven city, but its commander is trying to destroy Sauron. The Elves are defending their home, but many of them are unknowingly protecting the person corrupting Celebrimbor and forging the Nine.

How Does Sauron Cause The Siege Of Eregion?

Sauron creates the conditions for the siege while remaining inside Eregion as Annatar.

He gives Adar enough information to identify Eregion as his destination, then returns to Celebrimbor before the Orc army arrives. That allows him to control both sides of the conflict without openly commanding either one.

Outside the walls, Adar applies military pressure. Inside the city, Sauron uses that pressure to isolate Celebrimbor and accelerate the creation of the Nine Rings.

Annatar controls messages entering and leaving Eregion, undermines Celebrimbor’s authority, and convinces the city’s guards that their lord is becoming unstable. As the siege begins, Sauron traps Celebrimbor inside an illusion in which Eregion remains peaceful.

Celebrimbor continues forging while the city burns around him. The battle gives Sauron urgency, confusion, and access to a frightened population. It also prevents the people most capable of recognizing his deception from reaching Celebrimbor in time.

Sauron does not need to personally knock down the walls. He ensures that Adar’s army, Elven pride, Celebrimbor’s ambition, and the Dwarves’ crisis all collide at exactly the moment he needs them.

How Do The Orcs Cross The River?

Eregion is protected by a river that prevents Adar’s army from reaching the walls in large numbers.

The Orcs initially fire their siege weapons toward the mountains rather than directly at the city. The bombardment causes a massive rockslide that blocks the river upstream.

With the water redirected, the riverbed empties and creates a path toward Eregion. Adar’s forces can now move siege equipment, Orc soldiers, and the hill-troll Damrod across the exposed ground.

The tactic changes the battlefield before the Elves understand what the Orcs are doing. Eregion’s natural defense becomes the road used to reach its walls.

Why Does Elrond Stop The Elven Cavalry Charge?

Elrond arrives with Gil-galad and an army from Lindon just as Adar’s forces are preparing their assault.

The Elven cavalry charges toward the Orc line, creating what initially looks like the familiar last-minute rescue associated with the battles of Middle-earth. Adar stops the charge by revealing Galadriel inside a cage.

Elrond cannot continue without risking her life. He enters Adar’s camp to negotiate and learns that Adar wants Nenya in exchange for Galadriel.

Elrond refuses to surrender the Ring. During his farewell to Galadriel, he secretly gives her a pin she can use to escape. The kiss disguising the exchange is a tactical act designed to fool Adar and his guards.

Elrond continues the battle because he believes the Dwarves will arrive at sunrise. His strategy depends upon surviving long enough for Durin IV’s army to attack Adar from another direction.

What Happens During The Battle Of Eregion?

Elrond’s forces attempt to hold the riverbank and prevent Adar’s siege engine from reaching the weakest section of Eregion’s wall.

Adar unleashes Damrod, a hill-troll who tears through Orcs and Elves alike. His willingness to sacrifice his own soldiers begins disturbing Glûg and the other Orcs, who have followed Adar because he promised to treat them as children rather than disposable weapons.

Elrond, Arondir, and Gil-galad eventually work together to kill Damrod. His death does not stop the assault. The Orcs continue operating the ravager designed to pull apart the city wall.

The Elven archer Rían is mortally wounded while trying to destroy the device. She uses her final arrow to ignite it, buying the defenders more time. The sacrifice damages the siege engine but cannot reverse the battle.

Adar defeats Arondir and later overpowers Elrond. The wall is breached, the Orcs enter Eregion, and the remaining Elven defenses collapse.

Prime Video describes “Doomed To Die” simply by stating that Eregion’s fate is decided. The battle deliberately denies Elrond the reinforcing army he expects and leaves him repeating that Durin will come while his soldiers are overwhelmed.

Why Don’t The Dwarves Save Eregion?

Durin IV intends to help Elrond. He rallies the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm and prepares an army to march to Eregion.

Before they can leave, Durin learns that King Durin III has returned to the forbidden mithril mine. The Dwarven Ring has magnified the king’s greed, certainty, and belief that every resource beneath the mountain belongs to him.

Durin IV must choose between helping Elrond and stopping his father before he destroys Khazad-dûm. He remains inside the mountain.

The decision is understandable and devastating. Durin protects his people from an immediate threat, but Elrond’s defense was constructed around reinforcements that never arrive.

Durin III breaks into the chamber containing the Balrog and sacrifices himself against the creature. Khazad-dûm survives the moment, while Eregion is left without the force that might have changed the battle.

The failure also damages the relationship between Elves and Dwarves. Elrond knows Durin would not abandon him lightly, but he experiences the absence from inside a battlefield where his people are dying.

What Is Happening To Celebrimbor During The Battle?

Celebrimbor spends much of the siege trapped inside Sauron’s illusion.

He believes Eregion remains peaceful while he completes the Nine Rings intended for Men. Small repetitions eventually reveal that the world around him is false. The same conversations, movements, and sounds occur again because Sauron is controlling his perception.

When Celebrimbor breaks through the illusion, he sees the city burning outside his forge. He finally understands that Annatar is Sauron and that the siege has been used to keep him working.

Celebrimbor completes the Nine but attempts to remove them from Sauron’s reach. He gives them to Galadriel and stays behind to delay the Dark Lord.

Sauron captures and tortures Celebrimbor for their location. Celebrimbor refuses to reveal that Galadriel has them and provokes Sauron into killing him before the torture can break his resistance.

Read our complete guide to Celebrimbor’s death, Annatar’s deception, and his final warning to Sauron.

How Does Eregion Finally Fall?

The breach allows Adar’s army to enter the city. Elven soldiers and civilians are killed or captured while the remaining defenders search for a way out.

Sauron orders the city’s destruction after completing his work with Celebrimbor. He no longer needs Eregion’s forge or its people. The place that created the Rings has become evidence of his deception and a symbol of Elven resistance.

Galadriel escapes with the Nine. Elrond, Gil-galad, and Arondir survive the battle, although Elrond is defeated and Adar takes Nenya from him.

Adar wears Nenya, and the Ring temporarily heals the physical corruption inflicted upon him by Morgoth. His original Elven appearance returns, helping him recognize how completely the war has consumed both him and his children.

He gives Nenya back to Galadriel and agrees to withdraw his forces after they destroy Sauron. The realization arrives too late.

Sauron has already turned the Orcs against their father. Glûg and the others stab Adar in a repetition of the assassination they once carried out against Sauron. Sauron reclaims Morgoth’s crown and assumes command of the army.

Adar begins the siege to prevent Sauron from enslaving the Orcs. The siege ends by delivering those same Orcs into Sauron’s service.

Who Wins The Battle Of Eregion?

Sauron is the true winner.

Adar’s army captures the city, but Adar loses his life and control of the Orcs. Elrond saves some of the survivors, but Eregion and its forge are destroyed. Celebrimbor finishes the Nine, but Sauron eventually takes them from Galadriel.

Sauron gains everything he needs:

He removes Celebrimbor, destroys one of the great Elven realms, acquires the Nine Rings, claims Morgoth’s crown, takes command of the Orc army, and forces the surviving Elves into retreat.

The victory demonstrates Sauron’s preferred method. He allows other people to spend their lives, armies, and relationships pursuing goals he has quietly arranged. By the time they recognize the design, their choices have already built his power.

What Happens To The Survivors Of Eregion?

Elrond leads the surviving Elves away from the destroyed city. Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Arondir join the refugees after surviving their confrontations with Sauron and Adar.

They gather inside a hidden valley protected by the power of the Three Rings. This refuge becomes Rivendell, also known as Imladris.

Rivendell is not the rebuilt city of Eregion. It is a new stronghold founded by Elrond after the survivors retreat to another location.

The distinction matters because the two places represent different approaches. Eregion is built around creation, ambition, trade, and the belief that extraordinary craft can preserve Middle-earth. Rivendell becomes a refuge built around memory, healing, counsel, and resistance.

Official Season 3 information confirms that five years after Eregion’s fall, Rivendell and Lindon remain among the few Elven realms capable of resisting Sauron under the protection of the Three Rings.

Does Eregion Become Rivendell?

No. Eregion and Rivendell are separate places.

Eregion is the Elven realm destroyed during the Season 2 siege. Rivendell is the hidden refuge Elrond establishes after retreating with the survivors.

Some of Eregion’s people become part of the new community, which creates a direct historical connection between the fallen realm and Rivendell. The city itself is not renamed or transformed into Elrond’s future home.

How Is The Show’s Fall Of Eregion Different From Tolkien’s Story?

The broad outcome remains the same: Eregion is destroyed, Celebrimbor dies, Elrond retreats with survivors, and the disaster leads to the founding of Rivendell.

The route to that outcome changes substantially.

In Tolkien’s history, Sauron forges the One Ring and reveals his intention to control the other Rings. The Elves remove their Rings, and Sauron launches the War of the Elves and Sauron to seize them. Sauron himself commands the army that sacks Eregion.

Celebrimbor is captured and tortured. Sauron takes the Nine and learns the location of the Seven, but Celebrimbor refuses to reveal where the Three have been sent. Celebrimbor is killed, and some accounts describe Sauron using his arrow-filled body as a banner.

Gil-galad sends Elrond to defend Eregion. Forces from Khazad-dûm and the Elves connected to Lórinand attack Sauron’s army from behind, helping Elrond escape. Elrond retreats north and establishes Imladris.

The Prime Video series has Adar command the attacking Orcs because he wants to destroy Sauron. Sauron controls the battle from inside Eregion, the Dwarven army fails to arrive, and Celebrimbor dies protecting the Nine rather than the Three.

The adaptation rearranges the military history around the relationships developed during the series. Adar’s love for the Orcs, Elrond and Durin’s friendship, Galadriel’s history with Sauron, and Celebrimbor’s dependence upon Annatar all become parts of the city’s destruction. Tolkien’s version likewise ends with the realm destroyed, Celebrimbor dead, and Elrond establishing Rivendell.

Why The Fall Of Eregion Matters

Eregion’s destruction ends the age in which Sauron can operate primarily through secrecy.

The Rings are complete. Celebrimbor is dead. The Orc army belongs to Sauron. The surviving Elves understand that the enemy has returned and that open war has begun.

The battle also exposes the cost of division. Elrond and Durin care deeply about one another, but the crises in their kingdoms prevent them from standing together. Adar and Galadriel both want to destroy Sauron, but distrust prevents a lasting alliance. Celebrimbor wants to heal Middle-earth, yet his need to complete the work isolates him from the people he intends to save.

Sauron wins by making every group face its danger alone.

The creation of Rivendell provides the first answer to that strategy. Elrond’s refuge will become a place where different peoples can gather, share knowledge, recover from loss, and form alliances.

Eregion falls because its connections are broken. Rivendell survives by becoming a place where connections can be rebuilt.

What Does Eregion’s Fall Mean For Season 3?

Season 3 begins five years after the destruction of Eregion. Sauron’s armies have conquered large parts of Middle-earth, while Rivendell, Lindon, and Khazad-dûm remain among the isolated strongholds beyond his control.

Sauron has completed Barad-dûr and is attempting to forge the One Ring. He possesses the Nine and can begin turning mortal rulers into his Ring-servants.

The surviving Elves now fight without Eregion’s forge, armies, or Celebrimbor’s knowledge. Their resistance depends upon the Three Rings and their ability to build alliances with people who have their own losses, fears, and political divisions.

Follow our complete Rings Of Power Season 3 guide for every release date, episode recap, podcast, character update, and explainer.

What Happened To Eregion FAQ

What happened to Eregion in The Rings Of Power?

Adar’s Orc army breaches and destroys Eregion while Sauron manipulates Celebrimbor inside the city. Celebrimbor dies, and the surviving Elves retreat with Elrond.

Why did Adar attack Eregion?

Adar believed Sauron was hiding inside Eregion and wanted to kill him before he could regain control of the Orcs.

Who won the Battle of Eregion?

Adar’s army captured the city, but Sauron was the true winner. He took control of the Orcs, acquired the Nine Rings, killed Celebrimbor, and destroyed a major Elven realm.

How did the Orcs cross the river?

They caused a rockslide that blocked the river upstream. The empty riverbed gave Adar’s army a path to the walls.

Why did Elrond stop his cavalry charge?

Adar revealed Galadriel inside a cage, forcing Elrond to stop and negotiate rather than risk killing her.

Why didn’t Durin and the Dwarves save Eregion?

Durin IV remained in Khazad-dûm because King Durin III was mining toward the Balrog under the influence of a Dwarven Ring.

Who killed Damrod?

Elrond, Arondir, and Gil-galad fight Damrod together and kill the hill-troll before he can completely destroy the Elven defense.

Does Celebrimbor die during the fall of Eregion?

Yes. Sauron tortures and kills Celebrimbor after the smith refuses to reveal the location of the Nine Rings.

Does Adar survive the battle?

No. Adar survives the initial siege but is betrayed and killed by his own Orcs after Sauron turns them against him.

Does Sauron get the Nine Rings?

Yes. Celebrimbor gives the Nine to Galadriel, but Sauron takes them after their confrontation outside Eregion.

Does Eregion become Rivendell?

No. Elrond establishes Rivendell in a separate hidden valley after retreating with survivors from Eregion.

Who survives the fall of Eregion?

Elrond, Galadriel, Gil-galad, Arondir, and a group of Elven refugees survive and gather in the future Rivendell.

Is Eregion destroyed in Tolkien’s books?

Yes. Sauron’s army destroys Eregion during the War of the Elves and Sauron. Elrond retreats and establishes Rivendell afterward.

Continue Through Middle-earth With Mary & Blake

Revisit the entire conflict through our Season 2 recap and episode guide, then read Celebrimbor’s complete story and death explained.

Our guide to every Ring of Power explains what Sauron and Celebrimbor created inside Eregion and why the One Ring will complete Sauron’s plan.

You can also use our complete recap before Season 3 or the master episode guide to follow the full story in order.

Listen to Mary & Blake’s “Doomed To Die” recap and reaction and “Shadow And Flame” finale recap for our complete discussion of the siege, Celebrimbor, Sauron, Adar, Elrond, and the Dwarves.