The Elder Scrolls Online gets a new class called “Warden” in the first addon Morrowind. It is a mix of ranger and druid. Find out here what the Warden can do.
The Elder Scrolls Online gets a new generation of heroes on June 6th. On this date, the first major ESO addon Morrowind will be released, which will not only continue the story but also includes a new region, another PvP mode, and that additional Warden class.
Warden, what can you actually do?
The Warden is a class that has been sorely missed in The Elder Scrolls Online: A ranger with a pet and a nature magician like a druid. While the pet aspect could at least roughly be fulfilled by the magician with his Daedra creature, nature spellcasters have been rather scarce. This now changes with the Warden.
The new hero comes – like all ESO classes – with three unique skill trees: Animal Handling, Ice Magic, and Nature Spellcasting. All other skills depend on his race and the chosen weapons, armor, and guilds. As is common in ESO, you can equip the Warden as you wish and give him, for example, heavy armor or a staff. But what are the special characteristics of the new class? We were live at ZeniMax and learned everything about the abilities and gameplay of the Wardens.
My friend, the problem bear – The DD skills of the Warden
Like all ESO classes, you can skill the Warden as a primary damage dealer. To do this, you primarily use the animal handling skills of the class. Here, the Warden offers various abilities with which he can summon animals that then trigger attacks or effects.
For example, by attracting an underground beast that then lunges forward in a cone, dealing damage from below. Or you summon a Netch bull that grants buffs. On the other hand, there’s also a deadly swarm of insects that inflicts damage over time. If you want to troll your enemies hard, you spam them with cliff racers. The flying pests were already a nightmare in the original Morrowind, and in ESO you can use them as screeching dive bombers.
All these creatures bow before the king of animal companions: The Black Bear! This furry colossus is your ultimate ability and summons that very bear to your side. The shaggy fur stays with you permanently until it is killed. In the meantime, it hits hard and creates a lot of commotion. Therefore, the furry companion is also good as a tank. You can further enhance Master Petz, either as an “Endless Problem Bear,” which is automatically summoned again after its demise, or as a “Damage Bear,” which, in addition to its already powerful claw strikes, has its own ultimate attack. Bear hug!
“I can tank without a bear!” – The tank skills of the Warden
Those who do not like bears and prefer to control the battlefield can take the Warden as an Ice Mage. This skill tree grants the Warden skills that make him tougher as well as abilities that hinder and stop enemies. Additionally, he is great as a group protector, keeping his friends safe from damage with protective barriers. Besides the damage shield, he can also trigger a healing ability that first triggers a strong healing burst and then grants a lower healing over time.
Especially cool is a skill of the Warden, where he draws a magical rune on the ground. This is a nasty trap! If an unsuspecting enemy walks in, he is immediately teleported to the Warden and can then expect a good beating!
This skill is great for dungeons and raids, because if an enemy escapes the tank and bothers the less durable healers or ranged attackers, the Warden tank does not have to awkwardly chase after them, but has them right back in front of his blade thanks to the glyph. However, the glyph should be even meaner in PvP. If placed cleverly, you can hinder enemies from fleeing or optimally defend mission objectives. Ideal for tactically minded planners.
Chilling in the magic forest – The support skills of the Warden
With the last skill line called “Green Balance,” the Warden becomes a kind of druid. So a support mage who heals and strengthens his group with nature magic. Unlike the previous top healer in ESO, the paladin-like “Templar,” the Warden is a stationary and tactical supporter. His skills often work as cones or target a well-defined area. Therefore, this class is only for forward-thinking players. However, the Warden offers quite a bit. In addition to the cone heals already mentioned, he can also drain energy from enemies and share it with friends.
Also cool: The Warden can lay down a glyph and teleport to that location if needed. Ideally, the rune is placed where the healer is often needed but cannot always be, either in front with the tank or behind with the “squishies”. Alternatively, the Warden also lays the rune as an escape route if he draws aggro. The ultimate ability of the Warden as a healer is the “Magic Forest.” This consists of a beautiful grove of magical plants that constantly heals all players in the area of effect. A classic healing circle!
Jürgen says: I am not the biggest fan of pet classes and druids, but the Warden fits well into the ESO world and is not available in this form yet. With its more tactical gameplay, it complements the existing classes well, and anyone who has always wanted to throw around with animals now finally has the class of their dreams.
However, skills like the Magic Forest or the bear seem very strong at first glance. ZeniMax needs to be particularly careful here to ensure that the new class does not become “overpowered.” Especially in the new PvP clashes, hordes of Wardens are expected to run around at first, and no one has fun if the new battlefield feature mutates into a bear playground.
Read our first impressions from the ZeniMax studio visit of The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind!
