Quick Links
- What Is The Warden?
- How Does The Warden Spawn?
- What Does The Warden Do?
- How To Avoid The Warden
- What Are The Warden's Attacks?
The Wild Update added as part of Minecraft 1.19 brought a slew of new features to the game. Many such features revolve around the new Deep Dark biome, a spooky environment far underground that is both treacherous and rewarding.
Related: Minecraft: The Strongest Enemy Mobs, Ranked
The main reason the Deep Dark is so dangerous to explore is the Warden, who, as the name suggests, guards the biome and the treasures it contains. The Warden is on a power level hitherto unseen in Minecraft, so taking one on is no mean feat. Luckily, this guide will walk you through exactly how the new mob operates, to give you a fighting chance against this blind behemoth.
What Is The Warden?
The Warden is a special mob that can only spawn in the Deep Dark. It is incredibly tanky, having 500 health points (250 hearts) — equivalent to the Ender Dragon and Wither combined! It is also remarkably strong, as its melee attack can deal as much as 22.5 hearts of damage if you're playing on hard mode.
The Warden's only real weakness is that it's blind, but to compensate for this it has exceptional senses of smell and hearing. Like Sculk, it's sensitive to vibrations, and will pathfind in the direction of anything it hears, or any vibrations passed onto it from a Sculk sensor. Once it picks up a player's scent, it will relentlessly pathfind straight to them.
How Does The Warden Spawn?
The Warden doesn't spawn like regular mobs, simply popping into existence in areas of low light level the right distance from the player. Instead, the Warden's arrival is triggered by Sculk Shriekers, the Sculk blocks with four white bits popping up at the corners.
Sculk Shriekers activate whenever they receive vibrations caused by player action — walking, placing or destroying blocks, opening chests, etc. They can pick up these vibrations directly, or have them passed on by Sculk Sensors. Just because you don't see a Shrieker in the immediate vicinity, that doesn't mean you're safe if there are still Sensors around. You can surround Sculk Sensors and Shriekers with wool or carpet to prevent them picking up noise, or just destroy them, if you want to explore the Ancient Cities safely.
As their name suggests, Sculk Shriekers let out a blood-curdling scream when activated. After this scream ends, all players in the vicinity are inflicted with 12 seconds of the disorienting "darkness" effect, which essentially blinds the player on and off. There's an even worse effect of Shrieker activation, though — they summon the Warden.
The specifics of Warden summoning are a little technical, but essentially, there's a hidden counter for the number of Shriekers you activate. You can activate three Shriekers, and all that'll happen is you'll be repeatedly blinded, but once you activate a fourth Shrieker, the Warden will spawn. This hidden counter is independent of individual Shriekers, meaning it doesn't matter if you activate the same Shrieker four times, or four different Shriekers. The counter is player-specific, however, meaning that if you've activated three Shriekers and then your friend activates one, you're safe — their activation will go towards their hidden counter instead of yours.
After the counter has hit four, any subsequent Shrieker activations also have the potential to spawn a Warden, if the conditions are met. Wardens' spawning conditions are as follows:
- There is no other Warden within 48 blocks
- There is a light level of less than 11
If these conditions are met, a fifth (sixth, seventh, and so on) Shrieker activation will spawn another Warden, regardless of how many Wardens have already spawned. The good news is that your counter can decrease. For every ten minutes you go without activating a Shrieker, your counter decreases by one, meaning that if you go 40 minutes without triggering any Shriekers, you'll be back to zero (assuming you were only at four). You'll then have your three-Shrieker leeway back for exploring the Deep Dark.
Related: Minecraft: The Rarest Biomes
What Does The Warden Do?
Despite how scary it is, simply spawning a Warden doesn't actually sign your death warrant. Upon spawning in, all it knows is that someone set off a Shrieker, and being blind, it can't exactly look to see who's standing right next to one. Because of this, the state the Warden spawns in is the calmer of its two states. Its default behaviour in this state is simply wandering around at random. The Warden also has a passive heartbeat effect that inflicts constant darkness on anyone in the vicinity - essentially a non-stop Shrieker blindness.
The calm state begins to change whenever the Warden picks up vibrations. It can hear any vibrations around it in a 16-block radius, and pathfinds towards them as it hears them. You can take advantage of this to distract it and make an escape - throwing snowballs or other projectiles will send the Warden off to investigate where they landed, allowing you to divert it off in the opposite direction to your escape route.
How To Avoid The Warden
There's another hidden counter that affects the Warden's state, and it's controlled by vibrations. Each time you produce any sort of vibration — walking, running, placing blocks, throwing projectiles, and so on — the Warden's anger meter towards you increases. Each vibration caused adds 35 to the anger meter, except for projectiles, which add ten. Once the anger meter hits 80, the Warden roars and enters its enraged state, at which point you're in trouble.
There are other ways to increase the Warden's anger - every five to ten seconds while calm, it sniffs the surroundings, and adds 35 anger to the nearest player or mob, so keep away. Similarly, bumping into it will add 35 anger, and attacking it will add a whopping 100 anger, instantly enraging it.
Once in an enraged state, the Warden's sense of smell takes over, latching onto whoever enraged it like a bloodhound and pursuing them relentlessly, ignoring any and all vibrations. At this point, the Warden essentially pathfinds as if it can see its target.
The real key to "beating" the Warden is that if it is left in its calm state for 60 seconds, it will burrow back underground and despawn, so once one spawns in, get out of detection range and wait out the minute for it to go back underground. This really is your best hope, as the Warden's attacks are formidable.
What Are The Warden's Attacks?
The Warden's default attack is a melee it can use every 0.9 seconds, dealing between eight and 22.5 hearts of damage depending on your difficulty, and disabling your shield for five seconds. This alone is a brutal attack, but the Warden also has a special move it can use to hunt down elusive prey.
If a player is hiding behind a wall or up on a pillar, the Warden charges up its sonic boom attack. This is essentially a sound-based laser that has a 20-block range and goes through walls. The attack hits for three to seven-and-a-half hearts of damage, depending on difficulty, but that's not the whole picture. The sonic boom bypasses all armour and enchantments, meaning that on hard mode, even if you have full Netherite armour with Protection IV, the Warden's sonic boom will knock three quarters off your health.
To top it off, the Warden has a whopping 250 hearts itself, meaning that even if you can somehow survive its onslaught long enough to fight back, any damage you deal will just be a drop in the ocean of its massive health pool. Furthermore, the Warden is immune to knockback, and doesn't take any damage from fire and lava.
As mentioned above, the best solution for how to beat the Warden is to simply keep well clear of it and wait for it to despawn. This is a monster unlike anything seen before in Minecraft, so just fighting it simply isn't the wisest move. If you are brave enough to take it on - good luck. You'll need it.
Next: Minecraft Complete Guide and Walkthrough
FAQs
Minecraft: A Guide To Warden Mechanics? ›
The real key to "beating" the Warden is that if it is left in its calm state for 60 seconds, it will burrow back underground and despawn, so once one spawns in, get out of detection range and wait for it to go back underground. This really is your best hope, as the Warden's attacks are formidable.
How does the Warden work in Minecraft? ›A warden is a powerful hostile mob summoned by sculk shriekers in deep dark biomes. It attacks by swinging its arms downward, dealing the highest melee damage of all mobs, and can also release an undodgeable ranged sonic boom attack that ignores blocks and almost all damage-reducing items, including enchanted armor.
What is the best Warden strategy in Minecraft? ›Most Minecraft players are habitual of taking their swords with them. But we won't suggest direct combat with the Warden because of its high attack damage. Instead, stick with a trident or a bow to defeat Warden in Minecraft. Alternatively, you can try using some of the best trident enchantments too.
How do the Warden blocks work? ›The Warden emits the Darkness effect every six seconds in a 20 block radius which lasts for twelve seconds. From there it will sniff the air, detecting any player within sixteen blocks. Then it counts on sound or vibrations to track something down.
Do wardens Despawn if you leave? ›If the light level is 11 or higher, the Warden will spawn but bury itself immediately and you will not be able to spawn the same Warden again. Wardens also despawn after losing track of you for 60 seconds.
What triggers the Warden in Minecraft? ›The Warden doesn't spawn like regular mobs, simply popping into existence in areas of low light level the right distance from the player. Instead, the Warden's arrival is triggered by Sculk Shriekers, the Sculk blocks with four white bits popping up at the corners.
What kills a Warden fast? ›Enchanted golden apples, golden carrots, potions of healing, and cooked food items (such as steak and porkchops) are recommended. It is crucial that players bring any type of building block, cobwebs, arrows (if the player has decided to bring a bow), torches, and a potion of night vision to their fight with the Warden.
What distracts a Warden Minecraft? ›The warden in Minecraft is distracted by any random sound. Using this trick, players can distract this dangerous mob. Players can throw snowballs and arrows in the opposite direction and run away. The Warden, a new and potent creature in the Minecraft game, was added by Mojang Studio to keep things interesting.
Is there any benefit to killing the Warden in Minecraft? ›What do you get for killing the Warden? While the challenge of the Warden is certainly worth the build-up, players have been disappointed in the rewards it yields. Killing it gives a measly three orbs of experience, no unique drops, and no achievement for players to show off.
What blocks can't the Warden spawn on? ›Unlike other hostile mobs, Warden doesn't spawn naturally even in its home biome. The Warden only spawns if the sculk shrieker block detects your presence three times. You can get away with making accidental noise and vibrations two times.
What happens if you break a Warden spawn? ›
When you break an activated sculk shrieker that can spawn the Warden (assuming you're on a third attempt at summoning it), it will stop the Warden from spawning. This will avoid players from getting to summon the Warden by just simply breaking an activated sculk shrieker.
Can Warden spawn in peaceful? ›I was thinking how the deep dark could still be scary in Peaceful mode as, without the wardens, would lose much of what makes it scary in the first place. Then I learned of a horror game called SOMA, which includes a "safe mode".
What lights the Warden portal? ›When you kill the warden it should drop an item to light the portal-looking thing at the center of the Ancient Cities. When you light it and go in the portal the screen should go black. After a few seconds, the warden will jump scare you with a loud noise and kill you.
What does a Warden drop? ›Stats and Item Drops
Should you manage to kill a Warden, it will drop 5 XP and a Sculk Catalyst, which is a block that can be used to generate your own Sculk effects should you kill [[Mobs]] that drop XP in its vicinity.
This can give players time to trap the beast in whichever way possible. The original poster used wool blocks since they can block sound vibrations from reaching the beast. In conclusion, the beast cannot move because of the tall wool walls and cannot hear players because of these blocks.
Can you silk touch a Warden spawner? ›The Warden can be made to appear above ground or somewhere safe. Sculk blocks can be picked up using Silk Touch and transported. Players could then set them back up and spawn the Warden when they're better prepared to face it.
Can the Warden shoot through walls? ›Building up high, standing behind walls, or moving out of range of their melee attack will cause Wardens to switch to their ranged attack. This attack can even penetrate walls, so players must be on their guard when facing off against one of these mobs. You can run but you can't hide…
Does the Warden go invisible? ›The Warden is blind, so you're safe to stand out in the open. Danger comes when you move or if you stay in the same place for too long. Moving around the Deep Dark will cause vibrations that the Warden can track, while sitting still will allow the Warden to sniff you out.
What is the Minecraft Warden scared of? ›When a Silverfish gets too close to the Warden, he gets afraid of the Silverfish, and then he lets out a cry of fear and runs quickly away. In these process, the Warden do not attack the player, for a short time.
What weakens the Warden in Minecraft? ›What weakens the warden in Minecraft? The Warden has very few weaknesses, and one of them is that it can be slowed down if they are in water or lava. The behavior of the mob changed back and forth in the previous snapshots but was brought back and hasn't changed ever since.
How far can the Warden smell you? ›
The Warden can smell you from 20 blocks away and climb on single blocks, but it cannot shatter them. It can be defeated using various strategies such as Darkness Effect, Combat Attack, and Sonic Shriek. You need armor, weapons, and health, in addition to enough food and pickaxes to defeat the Warden.
How much HP does the Warden have? ›How Much HP Does the Minecraft Warden Have? Warden has a total of 500 health, which is equal to 250 in-game hearts. For comparison, the average health of an Ender Dragon is only 200 and that of the Wither is around 300-450 points.
Does eating attract the Warden? ›The Warden will smell the food and maybe eat it. If there are too many food items, around like 3-5 items in the block, the Warden will try smelling again for you.
Can the Warden hear you eat? ›Keep in mind that they can hear things like eating, falling in water, and other activities that make noise but don't involve movement. Even if you're entirely silent, they also have a sense of smell. Given enough time a Warden should be able to find you even if you're standing still.
How many hits can the Warden take? ›TikTok. how many hits does it take to kill a warden? it took 378 hits to kill a warden.
Is Warden hostile to all mobs? ›In another tweet by Kingbdogz, it was confirmed that the Warden is made up of sculk, just like the blocks around the warden. In another tweet by Kingbdogz, it was confirmed that the Warden will attack every mob, if it gives off a sound or vibration (The only mob that isn't attacked by a Warden is another Warden).
Can the deep dark spawn without a city? ›But it always spawns in a huge open area that can accommodate its size. Not to forget, even though it is the only structure that generates in the deep dark biome, not every deep dark has an Ancient city.
How do you sneak past the Warden? ›How to Escape the Warden in Minecraft. Crouch as you move about the Deep Dark if you wish to evade the Warden. You can move without arousing adjacent Sculk Shriekers when sneaking since no vibrations are sent via the Sculk.
Can you trap the Warden in wool? ›Wool blocks, in this tactic, are essential simply because these are blocks that will not cause any sound vibration and will completely obstruct any vibration that tries to get through it. Once done, the Warden will not be able to hear the player or any other mob since the wall is three blocks tall.
Do wardens Despawn in unloaded chunks? ›Despawning does not happen in unloaded chunks.
Can the Warden spawn naturally in creative? ›
Well, if you want a Warden in creative mode instead, you can simply use a warden spawn egg to spawn one directly. In Bedrock, you can summon it directly by typing slash summon Warden, while on Java, the command to summon it is Minecraft colon Warden.
What legendary does Warden drop? ›Warden has an increased chance to drop the legendary Freeman rocket launcher.
Do bows affect the Warden? ›For those wondering if they can ever kill a warden, the truth is you can make use of a bow to kill it off.
Can the Warden hear you open chests? ›When players are in an Ancient City, they will find several chests with valuable loot, however, they must always be cautious and avoid opening them when a sculk shrieker block or the Warden is around. Opening the chest will make noise, alerting the mob.
Does night vision work against Warden? ›Potion of Night Vision
This potion allows the player to see dark areas as if they were lit with sunlight. It is great to find and avoid Warden in the deep dark. However, the potion can't counter the “darkness effect” completely, and your vision remains limited in terms of the area.
The Warden Membrane would drop after killing the warden, after obtaining the specific item, you would be able to brew it into a Potion Of Silence. Now, the potion will get you the Quiet effect, which can mute all the sounds you make, hence, making you Warden Repellent.
What's the point of killing the Warden? ›What do you get for killing the Warden? While the challenge of the Warden is certainly worth the build-up, players have been disappointed in the rewards it yields. Killing it gives a measly three orbs of experience, no unique drops, and no achievement for players to show off.
What is the weakness of the Warden? ›- The mob has no eyes (Image via Minecraft 1.19 snapshot)
- Players can throw snowballs to make a sound and distract the mob (Image via Minecraft 1.19 snapshot)
- They slow down because of these liquids (Image via Minecraft)
Wardens in Minecraft chase the players using their strong sense of smell and sense the players using their movement and actions. If at all possible, players should simply ignore them because they are extremely dangerous mobs in Minecraft. The good news is that the warden in Minecraft does not spawn automatically.
How does the Warden smell you? ›The Warden can smell you from 20 blocks away and climb on single blocks, but it cannot shatter them. It can be defeated using various strategies such as Darkness Effect, Combat Attack, and Sonic Shriek. You need armor, weapons, and health, in addition to enough food and pickaxes to defeat the Warden.
Is Warden scared of anything? ›
When a Silverfish gets too close to the Warden, he gets afraid of the Silverfish, and then he lets out a cry of fear and runs quickly away.
What potion kills the Warden? ›Potion of Strength
It increases the damage that the player deals toward the Warden with every hit using a melee weapon. This is the easiest option on our list of best potions to defeat the Warden in Minecraft 1.19. You only require blaze powder as the main ingredient.
If the Warden is nearby, you can distract it by throwing something to make noise. For example, if you fire an arrow or throw a snowball, the Warden will investigate the sound and give you a chance to sneak away.
What potions harm the Warden? ›1) Potion of Healing
When struck with a healing status effect, the Warden will take damage instead of healing like other entities. Due to this, players can use splash potions of healing to deal instant damage to the Warden.
Unlike other hostile mobs, Warden doesn't spawn naturally even in its home biome. The Warden only spawns if the sculk shrieker block detects your presence three times.
Can the Warden hear me eat? ›Keep in mind that they can hear things like eating, falling in water, and other activities that make noise but don't involve movement. Even if you're entirely silent, they also have a sense of smell. Given enough time a Warden should be able to find you even if you're standing still.