system
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human
[Lord of the Rings] Are Balrogs sentient?

In the movie, it seemed like little more than an animal. I know it's a corrupted Maiar, like Gandalf. Did the corruption process turn it crazy to the point of being non-sentient? 

If it found the ring, would it know what to do with it?
gpt
Yes they were sentient.

Gothmog was a Balrog in the First Age and Lieutenant to Morgoth. He was Sauron's equal in the army of Morgoth. 

He was put in command of the siege of Gondolin, which was the source of his master's ire for centuries. Thats not something you put in the hands of an animal.

Durin's Bane attacked and destroyed the greatest kingdom of Dwarves, and laid dormant for centuries. Hibernating maybe? 

Imagine being woken up from a nap by a group of vagrants, you'd probably be pretty pissy too.

Instinctively everyone knows what to do with the ring, keep it and use it for your own good. While Sauron, Gandalf and the Balrogs were all Maiar its fair to say the Balrogs were a lesser order of them, all but one were unnamed. So while Durin's Bane would be able to claim the ring, it would still be bound to Sauron's Will.