Warden Class Guide (U19.3)
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Updates
The entire guide is up to date with: Update 20 / June 2017
Latest changes to the guide: Version 2.0 – Updated for U20 and changed some things around.
Latest changes to the Warden: None! (since publishing)
Warden Guide Layout
The guide is laid out in the following way:
- Intro
- Warden Basics
- Gambits
- Specs and roles
- Rotation
- Character Building
- Leveling
- FAQ/Catalog/Ending
see table of contents (which includes direct links and more)
To skip introductions and get straight to the guide, click here.
About Me
Before I get into the guide, I’d like to introduce myself. I am Louey7 (or just Louey…). I have mained a Warden (in combination with RK) in LOTRO since I started near the end of Siege of Mirkwood and shortly before F2P came into existence. I started a YouTube channel for LOTRO, which back then often had miscellaneous videos involving my Warden. Eventually my channel strayed away from mainly Warden as it grew. Currently I am enjoying end-game content on my main Warden while also leveling a new Warden (slowly but surely). My main “LOTRO presence” (not in-game) is on YouTube. I am also active on the LOTRO subreddit. Well, let’s get onto what the guide is about!
About/Preview Video
Here is a video about the guide and gives a preview, it contains what is written here plus some little bits of additional info on video integration.
About the Guide
This is a very extensive guide to the Warden class in the Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO). The goal of the guide is to deliver up-to-date information on the class and give beginners and experienced players alike an idea of how to optimally play their Warden. I hope that everyone can find something useful here and it will serve as a frequent reference if you are having trouble with the Warden. Remember to have fun while Wardening!
The entire guide is text (and image!) based, but there will be some parts that will have videos covering it or as a supplement.
I will try my best to keep the guide up to date with any changes to the class, and game. Be sure to follow updates to the game that may affect Wardens to see exact changes.
My Warden/LOTRO Experience
Now that we know a bit about me and about the guide, I want to share some more of my Warden experiences. If you want to get straight to the guide, instead, click here. As I said, I started with a Warden and have mained is since the later part of Siege of Mirkwood. Once I played more and learned more about Wardens, I discovered how fun they were. When I first got to the level cap in Rise of Isengard, Wardens could solo a lot harder stuff than other classes. I was naturally inclined to try this type of stuff. My first real feat was killing an elite master troll in Limlight Gorge (here is an old, kind of bad, video). My next was just something fun… pulling a lot of orcs at once and killing them all (old video again). It was this type of stuff that aided in my love for Warden. I also enjoy the combat mechanics and unique gambit system. I took a bit of a break around Riders of Rohan and Helm’s Deep. I didn’t enjoy the content much back then. Now, I think end game is really fun again and am back with multiple level 105s, including my Warden. My Warden is my best geared character and strongest solo still. Right now, I mainly run featured instances and farm other instances (occasionally landscape stuff and raids, too).
Other than LOTRO, I have played WoW (it was my first MMO). I enjoy the Shaman and Mage classes most in that. I also play Hearthstone. I do dabble in other games (like Rift) on occasion, but these are the main games I play.
So, who is my Warden? I present to you Melrethel, on Arkenstone!
I also have the leveling Warden I mentioned that I am was doing a Let’s Play on.
Those are my only 2 Wardens, for now!
Alright, it is time to finally get to the guide! If you have any comments, questions, or feedback do not hesitate to contact me. You can comment here or message me on YT or my other pages.
Table of Contents
| Topic | Description |
| The Warden Class | Introduction to the Warden class. General information about Wardens and their fantasy and gameplay. |
| Basics to the Warden | The start of the guide, covering the basics of the class. Here is the best place for beginners and people looking to start a Warden. The bulk of the guide starts here as well. |
| Regular, Basic Skills | This goes over our regular skills, the ones like most other classes. |
| Gambits (multi-part) | A very lengthy section on the Gambit System. This has multiple parts to ensure everything is covered in detail and progresses through the system linearly. |
| Specializations/Class Traits | This covers the basics of the traiting system along with ways of building your Warden. Includes a few sample builds and their playstyles. This is where you likely want to start if you are familiar with everything up to here. |
| Roles | This covers some additional details on the roles a Warden performs and some more general tips on what to do in those roles (DPS, tank, et cetera) |
| Rotation (“Skill Priority”) | This is the “rotation” of skills you want to use to do end-game content optimally. It is actually a priority of skills to use. |
| Stats | A detailed look at our stats and stat priority. |
| Virtue (and Racial) Traits | Non-Warden stuff starts this with a look at racial traits, although applying them to Wardens. It mainly consists of building our virtues! |
| Gear | Answers common questions of gear progression. Also goes over Warden specific gear. This also covers our Legendary Items. |
| Character Enhancements | Covers various foods, buffs, items, and other things that can enhance our characters. |
| Leveling | This goes over leveling, Wardens, and leveling Wardens. |
| FAQ | “Frequently Asked Questions“… And their answers! |
| Catalog | A page consisting of infographics, videos, and other resources used in this guide. It can server as an easy reference if you are looking for something specific like that. |
| The End | Wrapping the guide up! Includes some statistics, metadata, and a general closing. |
Click on a Topic above to be taken straight to it! You can also go through the pages, below.
Also note some topics are in the middle of a page with multiple similar topics above.
If you would like to support Dadi’s LOTRO Guides, or maybe just buy him a beer, click the donate button below 🙂
Click here to go to the next page – The Warden Class
Awesome stuff I am going to camp on it a while. Thanks for posting
Noob question When you say the Javelin skills (hampering target et al) “Generally this skill is not used.” do you mean at all, or just for the buff or debuff, I find marked target has a longer cool time I use them
If you are not playing as yellow line, it is only used on pull (while running up to mob/boss), when you have to be ranged for some reason (like a ground effect in melee range will kill you, or something similar), or when you want to target a ranged mob.
So in general combat (again, not in yellow line), it is generally not used. Those cases are pretty rare, most commonly I use it will running up to a mob/boss.
Thanks for a great guide!
Please clarify what are the top virtue traits for a warden. You start by saying that Honour and Innocence are ideal, while Zeal and Fidelity are great.
But then you say:
So, the final virtues are…
Zeal
Fidelity
Charity
Determination
Discipline
Thinking more about virtue traits I have another question for you:
If General Virtue Priority is listed as:
1 Resistance
2 Mitigations
3 Main Stat
4 Vitality
5 Max Morale
6 Secondary Stat
Why is Fidelity classified as ‘great’ – having +76 vitality (4th on list)
+56 power (Not on list)
+1539 TMi (2nd on list)
while Tolerance is entirely skipped – having +1539 TMi (2nd on list)
+114 agility (3rd on list)
+107 ICMR (not on list)
They have equal TMi, and forgetting not so important power and ICMR, I’d have thought that +114 agility beats +76 vitality?
Just trying to understand how this works.
Sorry for the confusion, I have fixed that part and made it correct. Here is what the list was meant to be:
Honour
Charity
Determination
Discipline
Loyalty
Agility is definitely better than vitality in this context.
I know this is not relevant to the Warden Class, but I just saw all these beautiful guides and I’m really impressed.
I’m searching for a complete guide for the Captain but I struggle to find a complete one: on Youtube there are only very old videos, on the official forum only few post very contraddictory and not well reviewed. On Reddit I found some info, but scattered and not complete.
In the future, can I hope for a Captain guide amazing like these one? 😀
Thanks so much!
I intend to have guides for every class. I have a lower level Captain, so I am not qualified to write a guide on them. I am still searching for the right person to author it.
I have some experience with the Captain (not enough to write a guide at the moment), but if you need help anything specific, I may be able to help.
Thank you! I will wait for that 😀
I appreciate greatly this website and the guides you provide. My Warden 105 is my “main alt” and so I need guidance from others how best to gear. Follow up -> why +agility crafted relics rather than the more popular +agility +physical mastery +critical?
The Agility crafted relics are only if you are not able to get the better ones.
Hello there,
first i want to say: amazing guide. i have been gone quite a while and this guide eased my way back into the game. the warden IS a complicated class afterall.
i wonder wether you will update this guide with the Mordor Expansion one day? The additional levels, new relics and such and gear. would be great!
Keep up the good work!
We will definitely look to get it (and the other class guides) updated to reflect the changes in Mordor.
You mentioned, I’m not sure where, that we want to use our longest gambits ASAP. Also, your USE priorities reinforce this, for example:
21212
2121
212
21
….but it would seem that the class is designed to go the other way in chains, or are you saying that the chain-buffs aren’t worth chasing in most cases?