system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[LOTR] How Powerful, Exactly is Gandalf?
gpt
As with all "power level" questions - It sort of depends.

Gandalf is a Maiar, basically a low(ish) level Angel.  In terms of the divine heirarchy he plays on the same level as Sauron and the Balrog.  So in terms of raw horsepower... he's about the most powerful thing we see.

However - He's also massively limited by his mission.  His role is not to throw around magic and his power.. it's to help the mortal races of the world face down evil on their own.  So while he could totally go toe to toe with Sauron... doing so would defeat his whole purpose... so in another way he's just a pretty weird guy with centuries of experience and knowledge and a bit of magic.