Warden Tank Questions

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

So I'm playing with my Warden tank and having some fun with it... But was curious...

Do the Warden healing skills(that cost magicka) scale from magicka or stamina? What warden skills scale from stamina? The offensive ones?

I ask because all the skills I have selected are magicka based except my two taunts, and one subterranean assault(for enemy debuff). So do I really need a ton of stamina or should I focus more into magicka?

VaranisArano · October 2017

Unless they say otherwise, like Impaling Shards, Warden skills scale off the attribute they cost. Stam morphs scale from stam. Magicka morphs scale from max magicka.

Stam morphs for wardens are: Cutting Dive (Cliff Racer), Subterranean Assault (Shalks), and Soothing Spores (Fungal Growth),

This site may be helpful for checking skills quickly: http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/Warden

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

VaranisArano wrote: »

Unless they say otherwise, like Impaling Shards, Warden skills scale off the attribute they cost. Stam morphs scale from stam. Magicka morphs scale from max magicka.

Stam morphs for wardens are: Cutting Dive (Cliff Racer), Subterranean Assault (Shalks), and Soothing Spores (Fungal Growth),

This site may be helpful for checking skills quickly: http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/Warden

That's what I thought... So if I only have taunts and one enemy debuff costing stam, then I'm guessing I should put more points into magicka for all the heals and other magicka based skills?

VaranisArano · October 2017

If you are using the Pierce Armor taunt from Onehand and Shield, you don't need Subterranean Assault, since Pierce Armor gives both Major Fracture and Breach. On the other hand, if you want to be doing frost staff tanking, you definitely want more magicka to help with blocking. Either way, if you are using more magicka for your skills, build towards more magicka.

I run a magDK tank whose only stam skill is the Pierce Armor taunt. She has nearly all her attribute points in magicka and I rarely have problems with sustain for blocking. If you do think you need for blocking sustain, try Sturdy trait gear or Block Cost Reduction jewelry enchantments.

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

VaranisArano wrote: »

If you are using the Pierce Armor taunt from Onehand and Shield, you don't need Subterranean Assault, since Pierce Armor gives both Major Fracture and Breach. On the other hand, if you want to be doing frost staff tanking, you definitely want more magicka to help with blocking. Either way, if you are using more magicka for your skills, build towards more magicka.

I run a magDK tank whose only stam skill is the Pierce Armor taunt. She has nearly all her attribute points in magicka and I rarely have problems with sustain for blocking. If you do think you need for blocking sustain, try Sturdy trait gear or Block Cost Reduction jewelry enchantments.

Interesting... So blocking attacks with a staff absorbs magicka and not stamina?

VaranisArano · October 2017

You must have a frost staff equipped and the destro staff passive Tri-focus unlocked for the frost staff heavy attack to taunt and for blocking with a frost staff to cost magicka: http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/destruction+staff+skills

Wardens can make some use of frost staff tanking, more than other classes. I still prefer the Pierce Armor taunt for its spectacular debuffs.

Also, its worth remembering that frost staff taunt when you see a DPS using a frost staff and suddenly the boss aggro gets pulled off your tank. Its usually a DPS who didn't know that it taunts or did so accidentally.

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

VaranisArano wrote: »

If you are using the Pierce Armor taunt from Onehand and Shield, you don't need Subterranean Assault, since Pierce Armor gives both Major Fracture and Breach.

It actually looks like Puncture doesn't grant Major Breach, just Fracture. Am I reading it wrong?

Edit: Nevermind... I don't have it morphed yet

AverageJo3Gam3r · October 2017

You should always have slightly more stamina than magicka. That way, a Templars shards will restore your stamina. I'd avoid frost staff tanking unless you're doing it as a gimmick in a dungeon. It doesn't provide nearly the benefits of a 1HS and you lose a set piece. Just compare the ice staff passives to the 1HS passives. Plus you get absorb magicka skill, heroic slash, and shield wall, which are all tanking must haves.

Plus, you want to save your magicka for utilities like ice fortress, polar wind, inner fire, and the tanking morph of winters reach (forgot what it's called).

Now, this is all for vet dlc hard mode dungeons and trials. If you aren't interested in tanking those, do whatever you want. You can tank the rest of the stuff in the game with a mop and bucket if you wanted

SirCritical · October 2017

Sadly, fros staff tanking is nowhere, compared to 1HS tanking. The passives in Sword and Board are just OP (tanking wise). The frost staff hvy attack taunt could be a thing, but it's slow. ZOS should do something with this. Or give a taunt secondary effect to the Destructive Reach skill, if it is casted when wearing a frost staff. Or better: give all destro staff skills a taunt effect, if you're wearing frost staff.

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · October 2017

jgruberman wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

Unless they say otherwise, like Impaling Shards, Warden skills scale off the attribute they cost. Stam morphs scale from stam. Magicka morphs scale from max magicka.

Stam morphs for wardens are: Cutting Dive (Cliff Racer), Subterranean Assault (Shalks), and Soothing Spores (Fungal Growth),

This site may be helpful for checking skills quickly: http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/Warden

That's what I thought... So if I only have taunts and one enemy debuff costing stam, then I'm guessing I should put more points into magicka for all the heals and other magicka based skills?

This site, http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Warden, is a much better source of information, use that instead of the one he posted.

Long and the short of it, There are two heals that do not scale on max magic or max stam in the warden kit, those being artic wind from winters embrace and lotus flower from green balance.

Skills have a place on a warden tanks bar, artic wind is a percentage of your health and lotus flower is a flat value that is only impacted my percentage healing done and received. Artic wind is useful because of the 500 passive mitigation you get from the skill line, which is equal to 1% less damage done to you just for have the skill on your bar. Lotus flower is a good for tanks because of the passive resource return from nature's gift.

To those tanks that are saying that the only Stam skill they have is puncture, how do you get minor maim and minor heroism without running heroic Slash? Both those debuffs are necessary for a good tank to keep up.

My warden tanks bars look like this,

Bar 1

Absorb magic, polar wind, bull netch, heroic Slash, pierce armor, ulti northern storm.

Bar 2

Leaching vines, ice Fortress, gripping shards, frozen device, lotus blossom, ulti warhorn.

Leaching vines is a little are to use, you actually have turn the camera around to get it to hit yourself most if the time but the passive minor lifesteal you put on the things hitting you is great help.

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO wrote: »

jgruberman wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

Unless they say otherwise, like Impaling Shards, Warden skills scale off the attribute they cost. Stam morphs scale from stam. Magicka morphs scale from max magicka.

Stam morphs for wardens are: Cutting Dive (Cliff Racer), Subterranean Assault (Shalks), and Soothing Spores (Fungal Growth),

This site may be helpful for checking skills quickly: http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/Warden

That's what I thought... So if I only have taunts and one enemy debuff costing stam, then I'm guessing I should put more points into magicka for all the heals and other magicka based skills?

This site, http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Online:Warden, is a much better source of information, use that instead of the one he posted.

Long and the short of it, There are two heals that do not scale on max magic or max stam in the warden kit, those being artic wind from winters embrace and lotus flower from green balance.

Skills have a place on a warden tanks bar, artic wind is a percentage of your health and lotus flower is a flat value that is only impacted my percentage healing done and received. Artic wind is useful because of the 500 passive mitigation you get from the skill line, which is equal to 1% less damage done to you just for have the skill on your bar. Lotus flower is a good for tanks because of the passive resource return from nature's gift.

To those tanks that are saying that the only Stam skill they have is puncture, how do you get minor maim and minor heroism without running heroic Slash? Both those debuffs are necessary for a good tank to keep up.

My warden tanks bars look like this,

Bar 1

Absorb magic, polar wind, bull netch, heroic Slash, pierce armor, ulti northern storm.

Bar 2

Leaching vines, ice Fortress, gripping shards, frozen device, lotus blossom, ulti warhorn.

Leaching vines is a little are to use, you actually have turn the camera around to get it to hit yourself most if the time but the passive minor lifesteal you put on the things hitting you is great help.

I don't suppose you'd care to share what you're using each of this skills for? I'd love a breakdown from an existing Warden Tank on why they use what skills.

Also why are Leeching vines hard to use? I understand your explanation of what you have to do, but don't understand why.

VaranisArano · October 2017

Leeching Vines heals you or a lowest health ally in front of you. So, if you have a lower health ally in front of you that you don't want them to, ahem, leech your vines, you target yourself.

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

VaranisArano wrote: »

Leeching Vines heals you or a lowest health ally in front of you. So, if you have a lower health ally in front of you that you don't want them to, ahem, leech your vines, you target yourself.

How do I target myself? So if there ISN'T anyone in front of me, then I default as the target?

SirCritical · October 2017

jgruberman wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

Leeching Vines heals you or a lowest health ally in front of you. So, if you have a lower health ally in front of you that you don't want them to, ahem, leech your vines, you target yourself.

How do I target myself? So if there ISN'T anyone in front of me, then I default as the target?

Yes. That's why you face _away_ from the group. So no one will be in front of you -> you'll cast it on yourself.

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

SirCritical wrote: »

jgruberman wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

Leeching Vines heals you or a lowest health ally in front of you. So, if you have a lower health ally in front of you that you don't want them to, ahem, leech your vines, you target yourself.

How do I target myself? So if there ISN'T anyone in front of me, then I default as the target?

Yes. That's why you face _away_ from the group. So no one will be in front of you -> you'll cast it on yourself.

Forgive the stupidity of the question... But is away from the group in terms of the camera angle or the physical positioning of my character?

SirCritical · October 2017

Camera angle

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

Thank you. I would have thought the physical position of my guy... Good thing I asked lol

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

Does Warden have any sort of large burst heal? I was tanking a dungeon last night and some boss one shots brought me from 45 to 15 health.... But I wasn't positive how to recover that quickly.

VaranisArano · October 2017

They don't have an equivalent to the Templar Breath of Life heal, no. So healing with a warden is more about keeping the group topped off than spamming heals to get people back from low health.

As a tank, unless you are trying to be entirely self-sufficient, let the healer help you with that health recovery. You should use a self-heal in that situation, but if your healer knows what they are doing, they are also healing you to get you back up to full health. Get your heal over time skills ticking and you'll be back up to a good amount of health soon though not instantly.

So for you, I suggest working the HOT skills into your rotation, since both leeching vines and green lotus will need to be reapplied anyway. If you get to low health, the only time you should have to worry about spamming heals on top of hitting a self-heal is if the healer went down. Otherwise, the healer should be working on healing you.

After I take a big hit on my MagDK tank, I'll smack the boss with a couple Burning Embers, or on my Stam Sorc I'd pop Vigor a couple of times. My focus is usually more on keeping the boss on me, in case one of the squishier DPS went down in that big hit if it was an AOE and we need someone to rez them.

AverageJo3Gam3r · October 2017

Polar wind is your burst heal. 10% of your max heal and I believe it can crit. That's 5k on my tank build before crits. Vigor and vines are your hots. Tree spam if you run war machine/master architect

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

AverageJo3Gam3r wrote: »

Tree spam if you run war machine/master architect

I don't follow this part?

Lightspeedflashb14_ESO · October 2017

jgruberman wrote: »

AverageJo3Gam3r wrote: »

Tree spam if you run war machine/master architect

I don't follow this part?

Those sets give 15% increased damage to the 2 closest allies to you, on ulti use for 10 seconds, so cheap ultis are best for them and secluded grove is only 75 ulti, so you can "spam" it compared to other ultis. I don't run this on my tank because I prefer to use ebon.

Texecutioner187 · October 2017

I actually have Ebon and Plague Doctor on my guy now

idk · October 2017

VaranisArano wrote: »

Unless they say otherwise, like Impaling Shards, Warden skills scale off the attribute they cost. Stam morphs scale from stam. Magicka morphs scale from max magicka.

Stam morphs for wardens are: Cutting Dive (Cliff Racer), Subterranean Assault (Shalks), and Soothing Spores (Fungal Growth),

This site may be helpful for checking skills quickly: http://elderscrollsonline.wiki.fextralife.com/Warden

Exactly and the Warden is a prime example since Impaling Shards and the morph Gripping Shards does specifically state is scales off max health. The other morph does have exception since, iirc, it state it scales off max magicka and spell damage but that is only because the base skill does not follow the norm.