The Warden is an excellent example of an enemy design that looks terrifying but is easy to beat in Witchfire. The fast-paced shooter smashes together souls-like and rogue-lite elements in a dark fantasy setting, so overwhelming enemy designs are part of the hunt.
The Warden appears as a grim reaper, floating in mid-air with an all-seeing lantern instead of a scythe. He is one of the roaming enemies in the game, shining his lantern in every nook and cranny to find the Preyer (you) who dares come for the Witch.
Witchfire has three familiars (bosses) right now, one for each map. The Warden is not one of them. He is just a new enemy type you get to face on a higher difficulty.
Do not be afraid of him though. While the Warden may look like something out of a nightmare, you only need a little strategy to deal with him. This is not one of those enemies you think twice about engaging because of the risk of dying and losing your precious volatile witchfire crystals. Here is how you take him down.
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How to Find the Warden
The Warden can only be encountered on the Scarlet Coast and the Irongate Castle in Witchfire. The two maps become available after you upgrade your Gnosis to level 1 and level 4 respectively. Be careful though, because Gnosis is a permanent upgrade.
The Warden is always marked on your map with an Illuminati-like eye icon, as shown in the image above. He also affects the weather in a large radius, so if you notice that the sky has gone dark and hear thunder, the Warden is moving towards your location.
How to Beat the Warden in Witchfire
The Warden roams around the map using a lamp to find you in Witchfire. If he sees you, the Warden raises his hand to summon a group of enemies before disappearing. He will respawn elsewhere on the map after a while, so you only have a small window to beat him in every encounter. If you fail, deal with his loyal cultists and track him on the map again. Except for this summoning and disappearing act, the Warden has no other attacks or spells in Witchfire.
Being spotted by the Warden increases your Calamity meter in the top-left corner. When full, the Witch will create an anomaly where you can choose to either defeat the summoned Calamity or use the portal to get back home.
Best Weapons to Use Against the Warden in Witchfire
The easiest way to beat the Warden is to stun him and use a weapon that can deliver a ton of damage before he can disappear. The Vulture demonic weapon and Frost Cone spell are an excellent combination against the Warden. Freeze him with the Frost Cone spell and switch to the Vulture to take him down in just three arrows, as shown in the gameplay footage below.
Note that you still need to plan an ambush. Running across an open field means getting caught by the Warden's lamp in Witchfire. Confirm his location on the map and run ahead to find a corner or vantage point. Wait for the Warden to come to you. When he comes within range or is almost upon you, jump out to finish him.
An upgraded Hangfire hand cannon (at least M2) is another recommended weapon against the Warden. Its explosive rounds do massive damage in an area with each reload, which is perfect if the Warden manages to summon his minions. It only takes two clips to take out the Warden and his summons, as shown in the gameplay footage below.
The other strategy that works against the Warden is to use long-range to stay out of sight. The upgraded Hypnosis and Hailstorm rifles (at least M2) are highly recommended if you can land headshots. However, do note that this method can easily fail if you are not careful.
The Warden only needs to see you once in Witchfire. You must land a critical shot, move back into cover, wait for him to look elsewhere, and come out to land another shot before repeating the cycle. This can be difficult to pull off if you cannot see the Warden from behind your chosen cover, but is probably a preferred method by beginners in Witchfire who are still familiarizing themselves with the fast-paced combat mechanics.
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Rewards
The Warden always drops a Second Mysterium Incantation, which lets you upgrade your gear in Witchfire. You are going to need a lot of them when considering the dozens of weapons, spells, and magical items in the game.
While you can research (craft) M2 Incantations from the Workshop, it takes a lot of Gold. Hence, farming the Warden in Witchfire is the best way to upgrade everything while saving your precious Gold.
The Warden sometimes respawns if you kill him right after he summons his minions. This is a bug, which should be fixed in a future update. Until then, feel free to exploit it to farm as many Second Mysterium Incantations as possible.
Witchfire
- Released
- September 20, 2023
