Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time season 3 needs to introduce five new locations from the book series to do justice to Robert Jordan’s massive fantasy world. The Wheel of Time has already introduced some critical locations from Jordan’s novels, such as Cairhien, Tar Valon, Falme, and Fal Dara, but it has barely scratched the surface of the gargantuan world Jordan builds over the 14 volumes in his series. In order to do justice to this fantasy world, The Wheel of Time needs to continue to steadily introduce the best locations from the books.
The Wheel of Time makes some drastic changes to the source material, but it has at least done a fair job of integrating iconic characters and locations from the book series. It’s no small task adapting such a huge book series, so it’s understandable that a lot of story changes are required, but the series needs to continue building out Jordan’s world to stay true to the spirit of his work. The end of The Wheel of Time season 2 sets up several key stories from the books, and these stories should be used to integrate five of the best locations from this fantasy world.
5 Rhuidean
Rhuidean is a mystical city hidden within the Aiel Waste that plays a vital role in the story. The city itself has been abandoned for centuries during the main series, and it’s covered by a mysterious fog that makes it difficult to see from the outside. The Aiel use this city as a rite of passage for men who want to be clan chiefs and women who want to be Wise Ones because it contains a ter’angreal that provides visions of the Aiel’s origins during the Breaking of the World. The city is also littered with powerful objects of the One Power, and it contains Avendesora, the Tree of Life.
Rand is poised to enter the Aiel Waste in The Wheel of Time season 3, so Rhuidean needs to be introduced during this season. The city provides the opportunity to explore the Aiel’s history and explain who they are to show-only fans. This is also an opportunity to make up for Rand’s disappointing fight with Ishamael in The Wheel of Time season 2 by fighting Asmodean, or another Forsaken, in the city. In the books, Rand has a massive fight with Asmodean in Rhuidean that changes the Aiel forever, and he finds the most powerful sa’angreal ever made.
4 Tear
Tear is the name of an important nation in The Wheel of Time, but it’s also the name of the capitol city therein. The city is critical to The Wheel of Time‘s story, especially the massive fortress at its heart known as the Stone of Tear. The Stone of Tear is where Rand obtains a sa’angreal called Callandor, which will be crucial in his fight against the Dark One. Rand visits Tear for the first time in The Dragon Reborn, the third book in Jordan’s series, and although season 2 is purported to cover that book, it mostly focuses on its predecessor, The Great Hunt.
With that in mind, it’s extremely likely that Rand makes his way into Tear on his way to the Aiel Waste in The Wheel of Time season 3. He will have to go there at one point or another since Callandor is so important, and since Rand journeying to the Waste is one of the stories The Wheel of Time season 2 set up, it would be easy to send him through Tear on his way there. The outskirts of Tear are briefly shown during The Wheel of TIme season 1’s Siuan Sanche flashback, but it needs to be properly introduced in season 3.
3 Tanchico
Tanchico is the capitol city of Tarabon, a nation on the western edge of the continent. If the show follows the books, Nynaeve and Elayne should be traveling here in season 3 to hunt down the Black Ajah. Tanchico is a brilliantly conceived city, and its coastal environment would be beautiful on-screen. It’s also one of the oldest cities in this world, and it’s where the domination band (an a’dam for men) first surfaces. Tanchico is also one of the first cities to be taken over by the Seanchan after their defeat at Falme.
If Nynaeve and Elayne do end up traveling to Tanchico, this is also where Nynaeve will come into her own as a channeler, battling and temporarily defeating The Wheel of Time‘s new Forsaken member, Moghedien. This is a huge moment for Nynaeve, so it needs to happen in the show in some way as well. Ideally, it will occur in Tanchico and line up with the books, but even if not, Tanchico should still be shown in some capacity during season 3.
2 Al’cair Dal
Al’cair Dal is a location in the Aiel Waste where clans come together for important meetings. Its name means “the golden bowl” in the Old Tongue, which refers to the bowl-like shape of the canyon. In Al’cair Dal, the shape of the canyon creates an echo that makes it possible for someone to stand in a certain place, talk in their normal voice, and be heard by thousands of people crowded into the structure. This is where Rand rallies the Aiel to his side, and while his strategy splits them somewhat, he convinces most of the Aiel to join him here.
This is a gorgeous location in the books, and it would be another jaw-dropping location if the show brought it to life on-screen. While it would be possible to have Rand rally the Aiel in another place, like Rhuidean for instance, Al’cair Dal is the best option. Including this location could be a valuable opportunity for The Wheel of Time to prove its commitment to faithfully adapting the books.
1 Cold Rocks Hold
The Wheel of Time season 3 needs to focus on explaining who the Aiel are and how they live. Including Cold Rocks Hold would be a great way of showing how so many people are able to survive in such a hostile environment. There are hundreds of thousands of Aiel in the Waste, and if the series doesn’t show audiences how they manage to maintain such a large population in a desert wasteland, it will inevitably cause some backlash.
Cold Rocks Hold is the perfect place to show how the Aiel create shelter and do a small amount of farming in certain areas in the Waste. It’s also a place that can demonstrate how they manage to get enough water to maintain their population. There is also some fantastic action in Cold Rocks Hold that The Wheel of Timecould lean on. While staying here, Rand is attacked by trollocs and draghkar, and the fight here could be used to show Rand’s budding ability with the One Power while conveying how deadly the Aiel are in battle.
