system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
(LOTR) What would have happened to Sauron if the Ring had never been found?

Say Gollum accidentally dropped it in the lake in the Goblin caves, the likelihood of any one finding it deep down in the waters of those dark caves would be slim to none.

Would Sauron have ever fully recovered his power's with out it?
gpt
They debated this in the council of Elrond. There are a few things to consider:

* The Ring has a will of its own. If it wants to be lost, it will be lost. If it wants to be found, it will be found. It may take a long time, but either through its own will, or by influencing surrounding creatures, it would eventually find its way to Sauron;

* The only feasible place to drop it to ensure it being lost for the maximum amount of time would be a deep ocean. A mere lake wouldn't cut it. Anyone carrying the ring anywhere was risky (Sauron was already looking for it);

* Sauron was staged to conquer middle Earth with or without the ring. Yes, he wanted his ring - desperately - but he was already in a place of supreme military superiority over the rest of Middle Earth. It was his own fear and paranoia that kept him at bay. Eventually he would have said "Fuck it" and invaded and there really isn't any force that would have been capable of stopping him.

Ultimately, "losing" the ring would have been worse. Sauron would have conquered the whole of Middle Earth anyway, and so long as the ring exists, Sauron is immortal. Any uprising would be futile because Sauron would just rebuild his form and keep coming back.