Deadlock: Warden Build

Deadlock is a multiplayer third-person shooter developed by Valve. It stands out among other games in the genre due to its integration of mechanics from various gaming genres, including MOBA, making it one of the most notable games of 2024. Since Deadlock is still under development, the game is constantly evolving, with the developers actively working on new patches, heroes, and balance adjustments to enhance the gameplay experience. Currently, the game features 22 heroes, each with unique abilities and attributes that require specific item builds to perform at their best. In this article, we will provide a Warden build guide, thoroughly examining his abilities and characteristics.

Warden Overview

Warden stands out as one of the strongest and most resilient heroes in Deadlock, known for his tanking abilities and immense power. Warden possesses unique skills for damage reflection and crowd control, offering multiple build options for different playstyles. His versatility allows him to enhance his abilities, excel in team fights, remain strong throughout all stages of the game, and easily take down enemies.

Warden was introduced in one of the game’s early updates and quickly became one of the most popular heroes in the tank role. He is relatively easy to play, making him accessible even for newcomers to Deadlock who are willing to learn how to play him properly and understand the best Warden item build. With the right skills, this hero can become incredibly powerful and play a crucial role in helping his team secure victory. If you’re looking to add more excitement to your games, we highly recommend giving Warden a try. We’ve compiled a list of the best items for Warden in Deadlock and will explain how to play him effectively to achieve success.

Warden Item Build

Warden is an exceptionally versatile and powerful hero who stands out among other tank heroes and can perform multiple roles in the game. However, to achieve this, you need to play skillfully and have the right item build. Warden’s gameplay focuses on enhancing his abilities and reflecting damage. He is quite mobile, capable of delivering surprise attacks, and has excellent crowd control, making him a formidable opponent in team fights. Additionally, Warden can efficiently clear waves and push towers. Like all Deadlock heroes, Warden has four abilities, each useful in specific situations.

It is crucial to understand Warden's strengths and weaknesses and use this knowledge to determine your playstyle and item choices. We’ve compiled a list of the best Deadlock items for Warden at every stage of the game. Following this build will improve your win rate and help you achieve success in no time.

Warden early game items

At the start of the game, Warden has 550 health points, 2 health regeneration, 79.2 DPS, and 19.8 bullet damage. At first glance, it might seem like he doesn’t have much health for a tank hero, but that’s not the case. Thanks to his mobility and regeneration abilities, Warden is very strong and capable of dealing significant damage. He becomes more powerful as he levels up, and with the right item build, he becomes highly effective. Warden performs well on any lane, so it's essential to position yourself correctly and focus on farming in the early game to improve your items. Warden’s mobility through his abilities makes it crucial to maintain good positioning and collect items that enhance your stats and deal damage, allowing you to ambush enemies effectively.

The best way to start is with High-Velocity Mag and Headshot Booster to help secure and deny souls during the laning phase. Next, you should get Mystic Burst and Mystic Reach to gain more Spirit Power and deal extra spirit damage when attacking. Following that, pick up Sprint Boots and Extra Regen to increase movement speed and survivability in the lane.

Here are the best early-game items for Warden’s build:

• High-Velocity Mag
• Headshot Booster
• Close Quarters
• Mystic Burst
• Mystic Reach
• Extra Regen
• Sprint Boots
• Quicksilver Reload

Warden mid-game build

Warden has powerful abilities that allow him to deal significant damage, but he also needs the right items to fully unlock his potential. In the mid-game, focus on building items that enhance your mobility and ability damage. You should continue farming and pushing lanes, destroying enemy towers along the way.

After building speed-enhancing items, it’s crucial to move efficiently across the map, hunting down enemies and setting up ambushes. We also recommend defeating the mid-boss to gain artifacts and upgrades. Gradually improve your abilities and focus on team fights to make the most of Warden’s skillset.

Here are the best items for Warden for this stage of the game:

• Fleetfoot: Provides bonus health, movement speed, and additional ammo.
• Divine Barrier: Grants the target a Bullet Shield, Spirit Shield, and Movement Speed. Can be self-cast.
• Enduring Speed: Increases your speed and gives +35% resistance to movement slows.
• Return Fire: Automatically fires a bullet at any attacker who damages you with abilities or weapons.
• Headhunter: Headshots deal bonus damage, heal you for a portion of your max HP, and briefly grant bonus movement speed.
• Pristine Emblem: Your attacks deal extra weapon damage to enemies above 50% health.
• Point Blank: When close to your target, gain weapon damage, and your bullets apply a movement slow.

Warden final build in late-game

When the game reaches the late stage, Warden fully unleashes his abilities, becoming a formidable opponent who is elusive and capable of quickly eliminating enemies. He has great potential to initiate team fights and can deal significant area-of-effect damage. Additionally, Warden excels at disrupting enemy positioning, allowing his team to gain control of the battlefield. Mastering this hero requires understanding when to engage and when to retreat, as well as knowing how to properly use his abilities. This will help you regenerate quickly, deal consistent damage, and make his gameplay more effective and dynamic.

Here are the best late-game items:

• Bullet Lifesteal
• Improved Bullet Armor
• Improved Spirit Armor
• Fortitude
• Improved Reach
• Siphon Bullets

Most of Warden’s items are focused on Weapon or Vitality stats, as you need to increase his survivability and boost his weapon damage. Situational items such as Inhibitor, Frenzy, and Crippling Headshot can also be useful, as they further increase Weapon Damage and Lifesteal.

Overall, you should build some items early on, upgrade them in the mid-game, and then obtain even stronger items towards the end of the game. Following this strategy will help you understand how to play Warden effectively and create the best item build for Warden.

Warden skillbuild

Proper ability upgrades and their effective use are just as important as creating the right item build. The first ability of Warden is Alchemical Flask. The hero throws a flask that deals damage, slows enemies, and reduces their weapon damage and stamina. This is a very useful ability, as you can use it to chase enemies or block their escape path.

The second ability is Willpower. When activated, you gain a Spirit Shield and increased movement speed. The Willpower Spirit Shield makes Warden more resistant to ability damage, but it does not provide protection against weapon damage.

The third ability, Binding Word, curses an enemy hero. If they do not move away from their initial position within a specific time, they will take damage and become immobilized.

Warden’s ultimate ability is Last Stand, one of the strongest abilities in the game. After charging for 2 seconds, it releases pulses that damage enemies and heal you based on the damage dealt. While channeling Last Stand, you gain significant bullet resistance.

In our recommended build, Alchemical Flask should be upgraded first, followed by Binding Word, then Willpower, with Last Stand unlocked at level 4. After that, continue to upgrade your abilities based on the flow of the game. For more detailed information, check out the Deadlock Meta Guide, where you'll find valuable insights into the current meta strategies in Deadlock.

How To Play Warden

Once you’ve learned Warden’s abilities and items, it’s crucial to understand how to play this hero effectively. Success in Deadlock depends on proper strategy, farming, map movement, item building, and tower destruction. At the beginning of the game, focus on last-hitting creeps to secure gold. Pay attention to your positioning—you need to be at the frontline, absorbing damage and keeping enemies away from your backline. Always try to place yourself between your squishy teammates and the enemy. Gather the recommended items and assist your team in destroying towers and eliminating enemies.

As you level up and collect souls, buy and upgrade items according to your playstyle and the Deadlock item build. Roam the map, initiate team fights, and take down enemies. Improve your abilities and use them both for farming and combat. Utilize Alchemical Flask and Willpower to boost your health and speed while slowing down enemies, allowing you to catch and kill them. Be careful when facing high-mobility heroes or those with long-range attacks, as they are effective counters to Warden. Additionally, it’s recommended to kill the mid-boss to gain an artifact and its advantages. To optimize gameplay and itemization for Warden, you must understand his strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:

• High movement speed and mobility.
• Easy to play with straightforward mechanics.
• High single-target DPS.
• Excellent survivability.

Weaknesses:

• Vulnerable to crowd control (CC), especially during the wind-up of Last Stand, as any stun can waste your ultimate.
• Short range, making it difficult to fight heroes like Vindicta and Grey Talon.

Understanding these factors, building the right items, and following our advice will help you master Warden and achieve high-level gameplay.

Best Matchups for Warden

Warden can perform exceptionally well both individually and as part of a team. Typically, this hero plays the role of a tank, making him a perfect fit alongside supports or heroes with long-range attacks. It’s crucial to select teammates who can compensate for Warden’s weaknesses and enhance his strengths. The best options are heroes who can provide cover during fights and deal high damage. We recommend checking out the Deadlock Hero Tier List, as it will help you better understand the heroes and their abilities. Considering Warden’s abilities and characteristics, the best allies for him are Grey Talon, Seven, Infernus, and McGinnis. These heroes can highlight Warden’s strengths and help secure victories.

Conclusion

In this text, we covered the Warden guide, describing his abilities, attributes, best item and skill builds, as well as his playstyle. By understanding this hero’s strengths and weaknesses, learning to play effectively with him, and coordinating well with your team, you can maximize his potential and lead your team to victory. Warden has powerful abilities and is one of the best heroes in the tank role, so we highly recommend learning to play this hero. If you're a fan of esports and Deadlock, we recommend checking out our other articles, such as Best Deadlock Item Builds, Valve Deadlock Tips & Tricks and Deadlock: Viscous Build.