Feature Article Feedback:Warden Mastery

[Clover]

The Warden class represents the brave citizen-soldiers of Middle-earth, the vigilant defenders of the realm patrolling at the edge of the firelight, where civilization meets the Wild. Whether she takes after the Rangers of the North or the infantry of Gondor, the Warden is a quick and cunning skirmisher, shunning heavy and restrictive armor in favor of nimble shields and flexible leathers. Joining spear and javelin with gall and guile, the Warden stands ready to fight the Enemy at home or abroad.

Read more about the Warden in today’s content update and post your feedback here!

[ararax2]

SWEET keep the diary's coming! PLEASE!

Those of us not in beta need to feed! O_o

So how many potential gambits are there.

Do we learn them like skills or discover them lime FMs?

Seriously My cap may be taking a break while I level my Warden.
Rough math
*edited*
5^3= 125
-42 (left over from doubles)
+3 doubles
86 possible combos

[straytext]

32 days?! There are 32 days until I can role a Warden?!

Honestly, I can't take it anymore.

[Darej]

SWEET keep the diary's coming! PLEASE!

Those of us not in beta need to feed! O_o

So how many potential gambits are there.

Do we learn them like skills or discover them lime FMs?

Seriously My cap may be taking a break while I level my Warden.
Rough math
5^5= 3125
+3 (doubles)
-1040 (left over from doubles)
2000+ combinations possible.

lotsa info in the article....

Every Gambit, though—whether it’s made up of two icons or five—is a combination of just three core attacks. These attacks, combined with two other core skills, make up the heart of the Warden’s combat style. Action
Effect
Quick Thrust
Adds one Spear icon (red) to the panel
Shield Bash
Adds one Shield icon (green) to the panel
Warden’s Taunt
Adds one Fist icon (yellow) to the panel
Quick Recovery
Removes the most recently added icon from the panel
Recovery
Removes all icons, clearing the Gambit panel

so....3 core attacks....anywhere from 2 to 5 combo gambits....someone do the math...

[Aarcher]

Nice Update. Getting more excited to roll my warden. I'd been thinking that a Human warden (complete with Man-Heal) would be the way to go. But the thought of a little hobbit crouched behind a huge shield stabbing baddies in the knee-cap is hard to pass up. I am hoping we will ultimately get a more thorough idea of the warden's class traits (incl the trait set) so that we can make the best racial choice to fit our play style.

Nice that they are giving us a few of the gambit combos - I've been wondering how that info will be disseminated before all the websites have cheat-sheets for us. (ie - will the lorebook have a full listing of all available gambits? or will the class trainers give you some as you level up?) I like the idea of experimenting of course, but it will be nice to at least know enough to plan your strategy.

One comment intrigues me "There are no bad gambits, only ones that are incomplete". So what will happen if we have a random jumble of icons in the tray that is not a 'named' combo? Will it still execute with an aggregate of the accumulated icons and what would that be exactly?

[Dmaic]

I have been following the warden class closely, and am excited to get the opportunity to roll when in the near future. I do worry that this is an attempt to lessen the number of keys required to play the character (stemming from my anti-console/pc mixture of players). Mortal Kombat skillz FTL???

[TadPrime]

Umm, I understand the reasonings behind using her in examples instead of jsut him, but the first image has a caption of " No other class looks quite like the Warden. Her telltale gear includes a spear and javelins across her back and a shield on her arm." and is a picture of a male Warden. Just a little odd...

[meister0]

I have been following the warden class closely, and am excited to get the opportunity to roll when in the near future. I do worry that this is an attempt to lessen the number of keys required to play the character (stemming from my anti-console/pc mixture of players). Mortal Kombat skillz FTL???

I really don't think we are going to lessen the number of keys all that much. I feel that there could be multiple Fist abilities, Spear abilities, and Shield abilities. By this I mean, there could be a Spear ability for attacking the head, an ability to attack the body, and an ability to attack the legs. They would all still give you Spear as the part of the gambit chain, but the attack at that time is the area you chose to hit. I could be completely wrong and trying to complicate the system more than it already is with just having to remember a lot of different Gambits, but it would make it so there are more than just 3 buttons you can hit to add to the Gambit chain.

[gildhur]

By this I mean, there could be a Spear ability for attacking the head, an ability to attack the body, and an ability to attack the legs.

The current combat system doesn't account for such minutiae. Unless we're getting an entirely new targetting system in the expansion, an enemy is only a single targetable entity. And if Wardens can now target body parts, I hope other classes can too. Though to be honest that leans a bit too far in the twitch style of play that I don't want in this type of game.

But the thought of a little hobbit crouched behind a huge shield stabbing baddies in the knee-cap is hard to pass up.

THIS! I don't care about race traits, I'm going hobbit all the way on this one.

[wondecr]

Excellent write up! This should clear up much of the discussion following the last Warden posting!

Can't wait!

[meister0]

The current combat system doesn't account for such minutiae. Unless we're getting an entirely new targetting system in the expansion, an enemy is only a single targetable entity. And if Wardens can now target body parts, I hope other classes can too. Though to be honest that leans a bit too far in the twitch style of play that I don't want in this type of game.

I don't mean that you actually do damage to those parts, it would just be you "stab" at those areas and a different animation plays.

[Miri]

I don't mean that you actually do damage to those parts, it would just be you "stab" at those areas and a different animation plays.

With possibly a different secondary effect. Stab them in the head to stun them, stab them in the torso to put a DoT bleed on them, stab them in the shins (which should only be the purview of the Hobbit Wardens!) and they get hit with a slow.

[ararax2]

The current combat system doesn't account for such minutiae. Unless we're getting an entirely new targetting system in the expansion, an enemy is only a single targetable entity. And if Wardens can now target body parts, I hope other classes can too. Though to be honest that leans a bit too far in the twitch style of play that I don't want in this type of game.

Well look at hamstring, its a low swipe and it puts a slow on them.

[gildhur]

I don't mean that you actually do damage to those parts, it would just be you "stab" at those areas and a different animation plays.

Oh, well then maybe. We'll see. There's a short video of the Warden in action on Gamespot now. Looks sweet.

[meister0]

Oh, well then maybe. We'll see. There's a short video of the Warden in action on Gamespot now. Looks sweet.

I got about half way through it, then it cut out, unfortunately I am at work. I really want to watch it, not like it is going to change my opinion cause I decided I was going to role a Warden the second it was announced.

[Aarcher]

I really don't think we are going to lessen the number of keys all that much. I feel that there could be multiple Fist abilities, Spear abilities, and Shield abilities. By this I mean, there could be a Spear ability for attacking the head, an ability to attack the body, and an ability to attack the legs. They would all still give you Spear as the part of the gambit chain, but the attack at that time is the area you chose to hit. I could be completely wrong and trying to complicate the system more than it already is with just having to remember a lot of different Gambits, but it would make it so there are more than just 3 buttons you can hit to add to the Gambit chain.

I think we can be certain that Wardens are going to get a wide variety of skills as they level. Given that we're promised ranged attacks as well as up close and personal poking, there are going to have to be multiple skills that all would presumably add a spear icon. Just as I imagine there will be a group of skills that add shield icons to the gambit chain (some prob offensive - like a shield bash/stun; and some prob defensive - like a temp blocking buff or the already illustrated morale stealing buff).

Thats why is so easy to see why this class would be so fun to play - many multiples of decisions on individual skills that then add up to the powerful gambits.

[Sezneg]

I am really looking forward to this class.

I can't recall reading about any other MMO class that came across so well. The gambit system is so simple and yet very potentially deep.

Thumbs up Turbine.

[twilight07]

*drool*

*starts building a time machine!*

[gildhur]

I think we can be certain that Wardens are going to get a wide variety of skills as they level. Given that we're promised ranged attacks as well as up close and personal poking, there are going to have to be multiple skills that all would presumably add a spear icon. Just as I imagine there will be a group of skills that add shield icons to the gambit chain (some prob offensive - like a shield bash/stun; and some prob defensive - like a temp blocking buff or the already illustrated morale stealing buff).

Actually, the way it's described, it's exactly the opposite.

The three main skills combine to open Gambits that do all those things you describe. Maybe a shield gambit would have a stun or defensive buff, or as the diary says, a fist gambit that has a DoT and HoT component. But it doesn't look like multiple spear skills, just multiple combinations that include a spear, resulting in multiple possible results.

[Nordak]

With this info on the warden and what we've seen about the Runekeepers, I can't wait to tear through some of the lower level content with groups made up of just these two classes.

I'll try both out for a few levels but Warden sounds way more interesting so far.

[BIGeyedBUG]

All I can really say is...dear gawd, this looks like it's going to be fun.

[wondecr]

All I can really say is...dear gawd, this looks like it's going to be fun.

I'll have to second that sentiment!

[Ravenbear]

You had me with the Warden up until the rapid travel.
So lets see, they get good ranged attack as well as melee, they get rapid travel, they get a moving stealth ability ( which is the one that blows me away, hunters do not even get that we have to stand still for ours, and we are suppose to be able to sneak up on things or my definition of a hunter is flawed.) and with stealth they get medium armor and a shield, and self heal. So much for hunters being needed in groups anymore wait until the first Wardens start hitting 60. Spent a lot of time and effort working my hunter up, nice to have made obsolete in one expansion.
Sigh I was looking forward to this class, now all I see is a uber-toon that can fit all rolls expect caster and group healer. I thought they would at lest make them balanced with the other classes, I really see nothing of being balanced.

[Dundorn]

Yeah well join the party. One of the truly unique things about the Captain was being able to summon other players to the battlefield, now mustering stations are popping up on ever corner like Starbucks. It's hard to add something new to the game without impacting existing skills. Having said all that I was ready to level my captain to 60 on Moria release but this class sounds like so much fun I might just roll a warden and start from scratch.

[meister0]

You had me with the Warden up until the rapid travel.
So lets see, they get good ranged attack as well as melee, they get rapid travel, they get a moving stealth ability ( which is the one that blows me away, hunters do not even get that we have to stand still for ours, and we are suppose to be able to sneak up on things or my definition of a hunter is flawed.) and with stealth they get medium armor and a shield, and self heal. So much for hunters being needed in groups anymore wait until the first Wardens start hitting 60. Spent a lot of time and effort working my hunter up, nice to have made obsolete in one expansion.
Sigh I was looking forward to this class, now all I see is a uber-toon that can fit all rolls expect caster and group healer. I thought they would at lest make them balanced with the other classes, I really see nothing of being balanced.

As far as I can tell from everything I have read, they can only rapid travel themselves. Also, I don't remember ever having a problem taking out an enemy with my Hunter from a distance they can't detect me at. The Warden probably has to be a lot closer than a Hunter to attack from range.