Warden Class Builds for ESO

Welcome to the Warden class build section for ESO. Here you can find all the Warden builds that are optimized for the Elder Scrolls Online. The Warden can be played as a damage dealer, a healer or a tank. They perform well in a group or a solo setting, depending on how you set up your build.

The Warden builds that you can find here focus on optimizing your setup as much as possible, that way you can really perform as good as possible on your Warden. Sometimes gear can be hard to acquire depending on the build you want to use, that is why I made sure to always include three different setups, the best in slot, advanced and a beginner setup.

Nonetheless, I would always recommend getting the best setup like described in the build, to completely optimize your setup. Please keep in mind that combat changes occur all 3 months in the Elder Scrolls Online, therefore it is possible that certain sets will change for your Warden!

PvE Dungeon & Trial META Warden Builds

The Meta Warden Builds listed below are meant to be played in a group. The Meta Warden Builds have a very cookie cutter approach and rely heavily on other group members.

• Magicka Warden DPS
• Stamina Warden DPS DW/Bow
• Stamina Warden DPS 2H/Bow
• Stamina Warden DPS Bow/Bow
• Warden Healer
• Warden Tank
• Werewolf Build

PvE Solo Warden Builds 

The PvE Solo Warden Builds are optimized for solo gameplay. The builds below have a good balance between damage, survivability, healing and movement. Everything you need to get through ESO alone. Of course, you can also use these solo builds in a group, especially useful in random groups.

• Magicka Grind Build
• Stamina Grind Build
• Solo Magicka Warden Build
• Solo Stamina Warden Build

PvP Solo Warden Builds

The PvP Solo Warden builds do have both a Cyrodiil and a Battlegrounds setup. You can play with these builds alone, but it is recommend to always join a group to increase your odds of survival.

• Magicka Warden Build
• Stamina Warden Build

Beginner Warden Guides & Builds

The Beginner Warden guides and builds are meant for new players. They introduce you to the Warden class and give you a good starting point for your adventure in ESO.

• Magicka Warden Guide
• Magicka Warden Beginner 160CP Build
• Stamina Warden Guide
• Stamina Warden Beginner 160CP Build

The Warden Class

The Warden class in ESO is the defender of the Green, master storytellers whose nature tales become magical reality.

Manipulate the wilds and summon powerful beasts with the Warden, a versatile Class in ESO that draws from the power of nature itself. When playing a Warden character, you can unleash the fury of the wilds upon unsuspecting intruders, wrap your allies in the healing power of the Green, and encase yourself in impenetrable, protective frost.

As a Warden, Tamriel’s beasts and wilds are yours to command.

The Warden Skill-lines

The Warden class has three class skill-lines like every other class in ESO. Below you can find a quick introduction to the Animal Companions, Green Balance and Winter’s Embrace skill-lines.

Animal Companions

Call forth beasts to strike your enemies and empower your attacks, including shrieking cliff racers, monstrous bears, and swarms of stinging fetcherflies.

The Warden class Animal Companions skill-line is focused on damage abilities.

Green Balance

Maintain balance on the battlefield by drawing from nature to shroud your allies in soothing vines, sprout healing flowers from the earth, and even summon an enchanted forest.

The Warden class Green Balance skill-line is focused on healing abilities.

Winter’s Embrace

Wield powerful frost magic spells to bolster your defenses and enfeeble your enemies, hindering them in withering, unrelenting cold.

The Warden class Winter’s Embrace skill-line is focused on defensive and damage abilities.

Warden Class Synergies

The Wraden Class in ESO has two class specific synergies, the Frozen Retreat and Harvest synergy. Synergies are additional effects taht some abilities offer.

Frozen Retreat Synergy

Frozen Retreat is a Synergy effect created by a Warden ally using the Frozen Retreat ability. By pressing the synergize button, you use Frozen Retreat to travel back to the Warden who created the sigil escaping combat in a time of need.

Harvest Synergy

Harvest is a Synergy effect created by a Warden ally using Healing Seed or its morphs Budding Seed and Corrupting Pollen. By pressing the synergize button, you Harvest the synergy to heal yourself over time.

Warden Showcase

Below you can see an example of a Magicka and Stamina Necromancer in ESO. Of course you can customize your character however you want, there are plenty of good outfit options in ESO!

The Warden Story in ESO

Few warriors inspire more fear and curiosity than Tamriel’s Wardens. While most soldiers ply their trade for guilds and kings, Wardens serve nature itself. With a bear’s ferocity and wolf’s feral cunning, the mysterious Wardens harness the power of the Green to enhance their martial skill and cast powerful spells.

Some turn to the Green for strength and rejuvenation. Others tame the bitter cold of winter to unleash it upon their foes. With loyal beasts at their side and nature’s fury at their command, these protectors of the wild are truly unstoppable.

“Who are the Wardens Truly?

by Lady Cinnabar, cited from the offical ESO website.

In Phrastus of Elinhir’s spurious essay “A Story of Blood: The Spinners take Tamriel,” he argues that the Wardens of the wilds, in his trademark imaginative style, are a militant faction of the Wood Elf priests known as the Spinners. I believe this assertion is either the result of a lack of proper academic rigor, or, just as likely, an attempt to manufacture controversy to appeal to the masses.

In my own meticulous research, I have certainly found some similarities between the Spinners and Wardens. Like the Wood Elf priests, these guardians appear to have a close connection with the god Y’ffre, the deity of song and forest.

However, in my opinion, this is where the similarities end, and just as I did with the famous coven in my seminal work “The Glenmoril Wyrd,” I shall take it upon myself to dispel the many myths and misunderstandings associated with these warriors.

First and foremost, the Spinners are not militant or violent, preferring to allow others to fight for them and Valenwood and instead take on an advisory, scholarly, or priestly role within Bosmer society. By comparison, Wardens appear to be more than willing to shed blood to protect the wilds, and there are many reports of them attacking individuals, gangs, and even entire outposts that have done some harm to Y’ffre’s realm.

There also appears to be stark differences in the Wardens’ powers to that of the Spinners. While the Bosmer priests reportedly draw stories from their past, present, and future to entrance their audience, Wardens seem to draw from their natural environment to change and shape reality itself. In layman’s terms, something I think my colleague Phrastus may appreciate, the Spinners appear to employ a kind of illusionary magic, whereas the Wardens’ abilities are more akin to what might traditionally be called alteration or conjuration.

While the Spinners are a unique priestly order that is central to Bosmer culture, my studies have found no singular body or organization that represents the Wardens, and indeed they appear to mostly travel alone or in pairs, beholden to nobody. If they are members of any groups, it is the local Fighters or Mages Guilds, or even, in one poorly documented case, a member of the Dark Brotherhood.

Given their association with Y’ffre, are the Wardens predominantly Wood Elves? It does not seem so. While Spinners are exclusively made up of Bosmer, Wardens of all races – man, mer, or beast – can be found protecting Tamriel’s wilds. Indeed, I have met Wardens who hailed from the northernmost peaks of High Rock and from the southern forests of Elsweyr. I have even met a fellow native of Hammerfell.

And what of the Green Pact? Do the Wardens adhere to the ancient Wood Elf tradition? With the exception, of course, being those who are both Warden and Wood Elf, this does not appear to be the case, either. In my experience, most Wardens are, in fact, more than willing to make full use of nature’s bounty in order to survive, including partaking in both its plant and animal life.

Finally, the Spinners are found almost exclusively within the confines of Valenwood, and they rarely venture far beyond the protection of its dense forests. Wardens, however, appear all over Tamriel, with the most recent reports placing some on the island of Vvardenfell.

These are my early findings on the wardens of Tamriel. They are a unique and mysterious group, similar to the Spinners, but also plainly different. It is clear to me that greater academic inquiry is required, and I am sure upon further investigation, the rest of Phrastus of Elinhir’s outrageous claims will be rendered false (as they so often are.)

Warden Class Developers Comments

cited from the official ESO website.

Versatile Champion of the Wilds

The Warden class in ESO is an adaptable, support-orientated option for players who want to be able to fill a specific role while simultaneously providing assistance to others. If you are interested in a class that uses the wilds of Tamriel to protect, heal, or deal damage (occasionally all at the same time) the Warden is for you.

“The nature-based class was a core player fantasy that we hadn’t fulfilled with the four classes that currently exist,” says the Warden’s Lead Designer. “So we wanted to give people the ability to express themselves that way.”

Like nature itself, the Warden is an irresistible, chaotic force in battle, able to summon fierce animals, sprout healing plants from the ground, or cloak themselves and others in protective ice.

The inspiration for the character’s design in part comes from traditional nature-based archetypes and in part from the Elder Scrolls’ Spinners – the Wood Elf priests of Y’ffre who use storytelling to preserve Bosmer culture.

“The most important thing about the Warden’s visual style is that it’s very natural and organic looking,” Lead Designer says. “When we were building its abilities, we often modified them to look wild and spontaneous. We didn’t want the abilities to feel synthetic.”

This core philosophy can be found in every aspect of the Warden’s design, including abilities, effects, and animations. For example, when activating the ultimate Wild Guardian, you’ll notice your Warden summons the war bear with smooth natural motions, and when casting Healing Seed, the plants appear to sprout at random from the earth, just as they might in the natural world.

The Warden also stands unique in ESO (Elder Scrolls Online) as an ally-focused class that finds creative ways to benefit their group-mates regardless of their primary skill line or role. For example, Frost Cloak gives you and nearby allies Major Ward and Major Resolve, resulting in a serious buff to the party’s defense, and Enchanted Growth grants your allies Minor Intellect and Minor Endurance, increasing both Magicka and Stamina regeneration.

No matter what skill lines you pursue, you’ll always be an asset to your fellow adventurers with the Warden class in ESO.

Draw Power from Nirn Itself

At first glance, the Warden’s three skill lines appear relatively easy to identify (Animal Companions for damage, Green Balance for healing, and Winter’s Embrace for tanking), making them welcoming to newcomers and experienced veterans alike.

“With the Warden’s skill lines, we wanted to communicate more clearly what each skill is about and what you’re going to get if you invest in that line,” the Lead Designer says. “With some of the other classes in ESO, the skill lines can do a little of this and a little that, and a lot of them need to rely on weapon abilities in order to fulfill a specific role. This is the first time we’ve made it as clear cut, which we think players will appreciate.”

The fact that the skill lines seem straightforward doesn’t mean that the Warden will be easy for you to play. In fact, the Warden’s abilities require various levels of finesse, featuring their fair share of skill shots or tricky, timed effects. For example, Scorch summons three Shalks in a straight line after a delay. This allows you to pull off some big-time burst damage, but it also requires precise timing and positioning in order to execute. By comparison, Dive sends a shrieking Cliff Racer at a targeted enemy for some simple direct damage.

In some cases, the amount of skill required to effectively use an ability increases after you have morphed it. While Fungal Growth simply requires you to look at allies to heal them, after morphing it to Soothing Spores, your heal strength is increased if they are nearby, meaning you’ll need to focus on positioning and team coordination to get the most out of it.

Your Warden can be exactly as complex or as simple as you want it to be, and the new class permits a host of unique builds for various levels of play.

FAQ Warden

ESO Warden Content List