The Warden class in The Elder Scrolls Online is a fantastic option for players looking to deal lots of damage or be a supporting member of a larger party. The class is a DLC class, purchasable for 1,500 Crowns in the in-game Crown Store, and is well worth purchasing for its unique skills and playstyle – if players have ever wanted a Bear companion in The Elder Scrolls Online, choose a Warden.
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While they are usually played in the DPS and Support roles in a party, Wardens have great self-sustain abilities and can use their Winter's Embrace tree to enhance their survivability in a Tanking role. When it comes to choosing a primary weapon, though, the best choice depends on the Warden's intent as a player.
Wardens do their thing best when they can play a ranged damage role, as most of their class-specific skills require the Warden to be at a distance for full effectiveness. That isn't to say that Wardens don't have any close-combat skills – the Winter's Embrace skill tree is home to a host of close-range and self-buffs for those who would rather get into the middle of a fight than stay a safe distance away.
Two-Handed weapons can be incredibly effective in the right hands, but ultimately the unlocks in this weapon's skill tree don't sync up super well with the Warden's abilities. If a player wants to maximize their damage as a Warden, they would spec into the Animal Companions tree alongside a ranged weapon.
For Support, Wardens tend towards the Restoration Staff. For Tanking, a Warden would opt for a One-Handed weapon over a Two-Handed one for its defensive powers. Overall, Two-Handed weapons can be powerful, but they aren't put to great use by this class.
On the subject of melee weapons, the One-Handed and Shield skill tree is home to a variety of defense-oriented abilities that perfectly complement the abilities found in the Winter's Embrace Warden skill tree. The Winter's Embrace tree is home to abilities like Frost Cloak, an AoE defense buff, and Impaling Shards, which can be morphed into an immobilizing variant.
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The One-Handed and Shield skill tree is a Tank's go-to for several abilities that make both survival and keeping threat an easier task. Defensive Stance is a must-have for its huge defensive boosts, as well as Ransack which taunts the struck enemy to attack.
One-Handed Weapons and Shields outrank the Two-Handed weapons skill tree as a melee option — not for its damage output but instead its ability to grant proper Tanking powers to a Warden. If Support or DPS is the player's aim, stray away from either melee spec when starting out.
When it comes to dealing damage, Wardens are at their best when they are a little bit removed from direct combat. Class-specific abilities in the Animal Companions tree, like Screaming Cliff Racer, depend on distance from the target to achieve their full effect. Similarly, skills like Fungal Growth require the Warden to assess where allies are and pop off the healing cone of effect.
The Destruction Staff skill tree is home to some powerful damaging and debuffing spells, making it a great choice for the back bar for a Support-oriented character. The reason that it is outclassed by the Bow, though, is its reliance on Magicka as a resource. The Bow is a Warden's go-to weapon in many ways, and abilities like Wall of Elements and Weakness to Elements just aren't good enough to compete with a Support-oriented Warden's Magicka-based healing abilities.
The Restoration Staff is the go-to weapon of choice for Support characters across The Elder Scrolls Online, and it's no different with the Warden. The Restoration Staff skill tree offers the Warden party-wide healing and buffs that turn it into one of the best combinations for the Support role in the entire game.
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The Restoration Staff skill tree offers abilities like Combat Prayer to help increase ally damage, Steadfast Ward to outright create shields on allies, and the AoE damage-healing hybrid spell Force Syphon. The Warden's Green Balance class skill tree is home to similar abilities like the mass repeatable heal Budding Seeds or the single-target damage mitigation ability Living Vines.
By keeping either a Bow or a Destruction Staff in the back bar, a Support Warden can keep up damage and healing simultaneously better than any other class in The Elder Scrolls Online.
The use of Bows for Wardens is akin to the Sorcerer's use of the Destruction Staff – it might seem stereotypical and obvious, but nonetheless, it's the best weapon for the class. Warden abilities across the board are oriented around staying out of the midst of combat, and though the Destruction Staff offers powerful Magicka-based abilities, the Bow synergizes better with the Warden class skills.
Abilities like Draining Shot give the Warden a fantastic damage-healing combination spell, as well as the cleave ranged spell Arrow Spray and the AoE go-to Volley. The Bow is also a useful weapon for its regular attacks that synergize with abilities like Dive, which sets enemies off-balance upon hit, and it's the perfect weapon for use with the Feral Guardian ultimate.
The Bow beats out the Destruction Staff for the best primary ranged damage weapon for Wardens for this, while the Destruction staff doesn't offer quite as much utility to the class.