As many already know the Warden class is fairly broken. The combination of their ranged attacks with Nature's
Grasp is just down right nasty. On my first play through I analized the available talents and quickly realized how
powerful the Warder was. I wrote this guide while playing the game my second time through. I only killed enemies
on quest screens, but I killed all of them including non-quest mobs. Doing this I completed the game at level 33.
~ The Build ~
Abbreviations
NG - Nature's Grasp
SB - Scorpion Bite
ES - Explosive Shot
SS - Shadow Shot
SotG - Spirit of the Grove
StS - Stalker's Spirit
Important Talents:
Nature's Grasp - 1/1
1.0 sec cast
No Cool-Down
40% reduced movement debuff on target
Probably the best 1-point wonder in the game. The fact that it works on bosses just makes this skill that much
more rediculous.
Scorpion Bite - 1/1
Instant Cast
No Cool-Down
5 total ticks of damage
Poisons Target
This skill comes in handy against gates, and in arena style battles. Simply tab-target, cast, and repeat until all
enemies are poisoned.
Explosive Shot - 1/1
1.5 sec Cast
3 sec Cool-Down
AoE Fire Arrow
An impressive skill. When combined with Shadow Shot it simply eats through groups of enemies.
Shadow Shot - 1/1
1.5 sec Cast
10 sec Cool-Down
Pulls all enemies to target.
I primarily use this skill against gate enemies. When they get near you simply shoot the gate, and they'll be pulled to it.
Aftermath - 3/3
Passive
Crits deal 45% damage over 6 seconds.
With the high crit nature of the warden this skill is simply amazing when combined with the Shadow Shot +
Explosive Shot combo.
Battle Aura 1/1
Passive
Run speed, heath regen, auto attack speed +20%
Need I say more?
Additional Talents:
Spirit of the Grove - 9
Use this to get to your higher tier Warden skills.
Stalker's Fury - 3/3
The 10% crit can help.
Recovery - 5/5
Extra regen is always nice in sticky situations.
Fortify - 3/3
More armor means you take less damage.
Warrior's Spirit - 2/x
You need to dump 2 points somewhere to reach the Tier 3 Gladiator skills.
Life Steal - 2/3
Again, 2 points to reach Battle Aura. The life gain is decent when dealing aoe damage.
Killing Spree - 2/2
Again, extra crit is nice. This really shines when fighting gate enemies.
Dead Eye - 5/5
5% permanent crit.
Stalker's Spirit - Remaining
With already over 50% crit I pump this instead of SotG. The +1 damage gives more dps than +2 agi.
The earliest you'll start pumping Stalker's Spirit is lv 36, and you stop gaining talent points at level 50. This gives you a total of 53 points to spend if you solve the riddles correctly. You will most likely beat the game before lv 36.
~ Walkthrough ~
Rules to Live By:
1: Towns - Pick up all quests, check the shops for the best +agi gear, and save when ever possible.
3: Melee - Always NG + SB. Try to pick them off 1 at a time.
4: Ranged - You can dodge arrows if you time it right. You can tank them if you want to.
5: Casters - You have to tank them. Be sure you're health is near full before pulling them.
6: Gates - All enemies that spawn from gates are melee. Use Tab + NG to slow them all before you have SS, then pick them off 1 at a time. Once you have SS Tab-target to put SB on each of them, followed by a couple ES shots. Then fire off a SS at the gate. Repeat ES/SS until they're dead.
7: Arenas - Some fights are closed off. In these fights cast SB via Tab-targeting, and run away from the enemies. Keep recasting SB when it's over (not before) until all enemies are dead. Later you 'can' tank these fights.
8: Bosses - NG is your friend. Cast it before it drops, and always keep a reasonable distance between the boss and yourself. If you don't mess up you should come out of the fight unscathed.
8: Run - Except for arena fights you can always pick of a single target, leave the area, and come back. The one you killed will stay dead for a time. This comes in handy against some bosses that spawn with adds.
Chapter 1 ~ OMG my house is on fire!
Walk up to the man on the right side of the screen, and he'll tell you his town has been taken over by Monsters. He then gives you a bow (how convenient), and asks that you defeat them. Pick up the bow, equip it, then head right into the town.
Here you'll find 3 skeletons. Pick them off 1 at a time, and remember to always attack from the greatest distance possible. You should level once done. Put a point in NG. Your next 4 points go into SotG. Once finished head right again, but stay along the bottom fence. You'll find 4 skeletons here. Attack each one as before. When you finish you will now be able to interact with the people in town. Save your game, get the quest to destroy the deathgates, then head west to pick up another quest to kill some bandits.
Go west 1 screen, then north one screen. Pick off the Soldier, then the 2 archers. Go east to find the first Shadowgate. Destroy it using the Gate strategy, then head east 2 screens, and south 1 to find another gate. Destroy it, then head south staying on the left side of the screen (below the fence). Like the other camp, pick off the soldiers first, then the archers. Go east 3 screens to find the final shadowgate, and destroy it.
Head back to town. Turn in both quests, and recieve another from the shadowgate quest giver. You should be high enough level to grab SB. Do so, and put it on your bar. Your next 11 points should be spent as follows: 3 SF, 1 SotG, 1 ES, 4 SotG, 1 SS. Purchase any gear from the shop, then save your game.
Make your way to the area directly north of your location to find 2 skeletons and a bloodbones. Pick off the skeletons as usual. You may need to recast SG, and move to regain distance on the bloodbones. Once finished go turn in the quest, save, and head south into the unknown.
Chapter 2 ~ Riddle Me This
At this point I recommend taking on the riddle side quests. You can visit the riddlers at any time, but doing so now will give you significant advantage for the rest of the game.
WARNING: If you get these wrong, or do not save after answering them correctly you will be unable to answer them again.
Riddler Locations:
Riddler 1 - 5 squares south of the north-west corner.
Riddler 2 - 5 squares east of the north-west corner.
Riddler 3 - South-east corner.
Riddler 1
Q:How many months have 28 days?
A:12
Riddler 2
Q:32 green gems, and 32 red gems in a bag. How many need to be removed to ensure you get 1 of both colors?
A:33
Riddler 3
Q:If a third of six is three; what would half of twenty be?
A:15
Chapter 3 ~ We're off to see the Wiza...Sage
You should now have ES. SAVE - I can not express the importance of this now, then head back to 1 square south of the first town's gate, and talk to the man to get a quest. Head left, and walk up to the person standing there. Be prepared for an arena style fight. If you're not careful you could die here. Employ the SB arena strategy to defeat the 4 enemies that spawn. Go back to turn in your quest, and head south into the camp.
Pick up the quest, check the shop, and save as usual. Go right 1 screen, then down one screen. Pick off all of the enemies as before. Be careful when using ES. You don't want to pull large groups of enemies. Once finished head west 2 screens killing all the enemies on your way. Turn in your quest to get another one.
IMPORTANT: There is a bug that can prevent you from continuing in the game if you go south to the town before destroying the Shadowgates. This bug will prevent you from picking up a future quest, and you'll have to start over from the beginning. To be safe make sure you destroy them first. The gates are located directly east and west of the camp. Once destroyed head into town to turn the quest in. By now you should also have SS so start including it into your gate strategy. Your next 16 points should be spent as follows: 5 Recovery, 3 Fortify, 2 Warrior's Spirit, 3 Aftermath, 2 Life Steal, and 1 Battle Aura.
Head south 2 squares from town picking up a quest on the way. Talk to the sage to get a quest to defeat two casters. They are each located 2 squares east and west of your current location. Go up, west/east 2, then south to find them. The one to the west is accompanied by 3 melee; the one to the east has 4. Pick off the melee first, then take down the casters. Return to the sage to obtain the next quest.
Go north back to the last town you visited to find it on fire, and everyone dead. There's one person barely alive. Talk to him to get a quest to defeat your first boss. Before going to the boss head north 1, east 2, and north 1 to find a well. Approach the well to get a toy sword. Then head to the area west of the town to find General Medina, and 2 skeleton guards. Pick off the guards first. Then employ the Boss strategy to easily deal with Medina. Make your way back to the sage making a stop at the questgiver north of him to return the toy sword.
Chapter 4 ~ Crazy!? I'm not crazy!
Make your to the central town just east of the lake. Upon reaching the outer wall you'll pick up a quest. Go east in to the town to pick up another quest, and even further to find an inn and shop. Head north out of town, and west 3 squares. Dispatch the melee, casters, and the captain. You'll find another camp south 4, and east 1. Go east 2 to find the crazy old man. Talk to him then return to town, and talk to the two questgivers you spoke to before.
West 1, and south 1 from the crazy old man you'll find a Mind Reaver with 2 melee. Kill them, return to the person in town, and then to the old man. More Shadowgates to pwn. You'll find one where you found the Mind Reaver before, and the other east 2 of the old man.
Return to the old man to receive another quest to kill 2 casters. One is west 2, and 1 south of the old man; the other is east 1, and south 1. As usual pick off the melee, and then the caster. When you're done return to the old man for your next quest.
Boss time! You'll find this one east 2, north 1 of the old man. Just like with Medina pick of Grokus' minions to give you room to run around. Then employ the usual boss-made-easy tactic to kill Grokus himself. Head back to the old man to receive your reward.
Chapter 5 ~ Old Armor and Older Men
Head to the northern part of town to find another shop, and your next quest. Head west 1, and talk to the person to get yet another 'destroy the shadowgates' quest. This time it's 3, and they're all located directly north of the northern exit of town. After you take out the gates, return to the questgiver to receive your reward along with your next quest.
This one is easy. Go to the northern exit of town, defeat the enemies there, then return to complete the quest. The only danger here is pulling too many enemies. If you take it slow, and run when you need to you'll finish them off with ease.
Turn in the quest, and revisit the previous questgiver east 1. She mentions a tree grove north of town. Head north 3 to find a circle of 12 trees positioned like a clock around a well and sign. Approaching the sign gives you a riddle:
First comes seventeen, but it is by that name only at night.
Second comes the halfway mark of beginning to end.
Last comes the third quarter of half of the whole.
If you consider 24 hours in a day the puzzle is relatively easy to solve. Hour 17 of the day is 5 PM. This means the first stump you should touch is the one located where 5 o'clock is on a 12 hour clock (one right of the southern stump). Half of 24 is 12. So the second is where 12 o'clock would be (the northern stump). Lastly, 3/4 of 12 = 9. So the last stump to touch is located at 9 o'clock (the western stump). After solving the riddle an old man, who calls himself a Keeper of Light, appears in front of the well. Approach him to receive a quest.
West 2 you'll find a blue flower, and a ton of enemies. SS makes this easy. Simply get as close to the flower as you can without pulling the enemies, fire a SS at the farthest enemy from you, run through the flower, and return to the Keeper. If you get hit you'll die, but if you get the flower before they mob you then you'll still have it after you die.
Once you return to the Keeper you're greeted with a wall of text, and the first piece of the shadowslayer set. Even though some of your pieces of gear have higher agi than the Shadowslayer set I still recommend wearing it for its +hp benefits. The one exception to this are Death's Feetcovers boots if you find them. They give 30 agi.
Head to the area south 1 of the well by the lake to find another Keeper. Around the lake you'll find several enemies. Kill them all, and return to the Keeper to recieve your second Shadowslayer piece. Around this time you'll have obtained the Battle Aura skill. Your next 2 go into Killing Spree, then put 5 in Dead Eye. From then on simply pump Stalker's Spirit for added base damage.
Revisit the sage from chapter 3 to discover he's the third Keeper. Seeing as you've already proven yourself to him he's more than willing to just hand over the piece of armor. The shadow, however, have a different plan. Head to the inn at the town north of the sage. Once you approach it you'll be ambushed by several Shadow Stalkers in an arena battle. Once you dispatch of them you'll receive your third piece of the set.
Return to the Keeper to hear the remaining 2 Keepers are likely in the swamp. From here on out you'll find stealthed Shadow Stalkers on several maps. You can target them before they unstealth by tab-targeting. Kill any that get in your way, or simply run from them. Enter the swamp, and head south 1 of where the crazy old man's camp is to find a pile of bones. There are shadow stalkers on this map so kill them as necessary. Approach the bones to discover its the remains of one of the Keepers. Approach the log to the north to obtain the fourth piece of armor, and the fifth Keeper will appear.
Talk to him to discover the final piece has been stolen by a shadow general. Go west 1, north 1 to find general Tarsis all by his lonesome. Sucks to be him. Once he is defeated equip the final piece of armor, and return to the fifth Keeper.
He tells you to return to where you found the first Keeper. Upon entering the grove you are met by the old hero. Talk to him, and he'll offer you 1 of 4 weapons. Select the bow, and then save. You can't save after defeating the final boss so make sure you do so now. Make your way to the north-east corner when you're ready for the final fight.
Chapter 6 ~ The Baddies Never Learn
Given the over powered nature of the Warder this fight doesn't feel any different than any other. The only notable difference is the waves from the gate have 4-5 monsters each, and when you destroy the gate the Shadow Lord spawns. He's no harder than any of the generals. Once you defeat him the screen fades, and you're presented with the epilogue of the story. Congratulations, You won the game!
If you want to continue leveling simply load your character from the main menu. I usually go to the final gate, kill all of the spawns and the gate, leave the area, return, and repeat.
