Any info out there on the original Warden class?

Vaoh · June 2018

In the alpha version of ESO (or was it pre-alpha?), the Warden class was actually in the game and playable. For reasons I have no definitive information on, it was cut from the base game - perhaps it was too similar to the Templar class? Wardens were *completely* redone in Morrowind... essentially a totally different class.

Please lmk if there is some info, gameplay, or anything really on the Warden class prior to the launch of ESO. Would be awesome to know if any info is actually out there about this. Ty!

Smasherx74 · June 2018

I never heard anything about this. I played since beta, in beta we were missing either Nightblade or Templar I can't remember. The fourth class came out during launch, but there was never any mentions of warden.

starkerealm · June 2018

A little information has leaked out from the original Psijic testers back in 2013. All I know is that there was a lot of stuff that was never in a working state in beta.

But, I don't think there's ever been a comprehensive rundown on how the class worked back then.

Knowledge · June 2018

Do not seek the forbidden knowledge.

Vaoh · June 2018

Smasherx74 wrote: »

I never heard anything about this. I played since beta, in beta we were missing either Nightblade or Templar I can't remember. The fourth class came out during launch, but there was never any mentions of warden.

Yeah, Wardens never made it to beta. They were in Alpha (or maybe it was pre-Alpha) though.

Vaoh · June 2018

starkerealm wrote: »

A little information has leaked out from the original Psijic testers back in 2013. All I know is that there was a lot of stuff that was never in a working state in beta.

But, I don't think there's ever been a comprehensive rundown on how the class worked back then.

You’re definitely right about that lol. I remember seeing a vid where there were even auto-attacks with multiple animations, which was clearly 100% cut from the game. Animations looked really nice though.....

It might be that someone wrote down what the original Warden skills were or has super old gameplay clips

LeHarrt91 · June 2018

Well i would assume they were not designed to be an Ice Staff tank back then

starkerealm · June 2018

LeHarrt91 wrote: »

Well i would assume they were not designed to be an Ice Staff tank back then

IIRC, they were intended to be the ice class. That didn't change. Though, I'll be honest, that statement may have been based on supposition rather than informed knowledge.

I suspect the phantom green crow attack you'll see enemies use was originally a warden power. Probably the totem as well. The frostcaster abilities like the ice globe that travels forward rooting everything, and the frost barrier were also, probably, intended for the Warden.

I'm guessing, but, as we see those assets used frequently by enemies (even in the base game) it would make sense if they were originally slated for the Warden.

I remember reading once that Negate was moved from the Warden to the Sorc, though I have no idea if that's accurate or not.

LeHarrt91 · June 2018

starkerealm wrote: »

LeHarrt91 wrote: »

Well i would assume they were not designed to be an Ice Staff tank back then

IIRC, they were intended to be the ice class. That didn't change. Though, I'll be honest, that statement may have been based on supposition rather than informed knowledge.

I suspect the phantom green crow attack you'll see enemies use was originally a warden power. Probably the totem as well. The frostcaster abilities like the ice globe that travels forward rooting everything, and the frost barrier were also, probably, intended for the Warden.

I'm guessing, but, as we see those assets used frequently by enemies (even in the base game) it would make sense if they were originally slated for the Warden.

I remember reading once that Negate was moved from the Warden to the Sorc, though I have no idea if that's accurate or not.

Yes i have thought that too, and prefer those NPC animations over some of the current ones like Cliff Racer.
i had guessed the crow/ totem was changed to Cliff racer and that ice skill that travels forward seems like a Polar wind kind of skill lol (before it was changed to a tank skill)

i remember when Morrowind was on PTS they changed Scorch to Shalk from Haj Mota, which would have been cool.

ps. Yeah i know they were meant to be the ice class but pre-morrowind they changed ice staff to a tanking weapon. So back in alpha i think they were meant to be ice DD.

xeNNNNN · June 2018

Knowledge wrote: »

Do not seek the forbidden knowledge.

Heh Puns...

starkerealm · June 2018

LeHarrt91 wrote: »

starkerealm wrote: »

LeHarrt91 wrote: »

Well i would assume they were not designed to be an Ice Staff tank back then

IIRC, they were intended to be the ice class. That didn't change. Though, I'll be honest, that statement may have been based on supposition rather than informed knowledge.

I suspect the phantom green crow attack you'll see enemies use was originally a warden power. Probably the totem as well. The frostcaster abilities like the ice globe that travels forward rooting everything, and the frost barrier were also, probably, intended for the Warden.

I'm guessing, but, as we see those assets used frequently by enemies (even in the base game) it would make sense if they were originally slated for the Warden.

I remember reading once that Negate was moved from the Warden to the Sorc, though I have no idea if that's accurate or not.

Yes i have thought that too, and prefer those NPC animations over some of the current ones like Cliff Racer.
i had guessed the crow/ totem was changed to Cliff racer and that ice skill that travels forward seems like a Polar wind kind of skill lol (before it was changed to a tank skill)

i remember when Morrowind was on PTS they changed Scorch to Shalk from Haj Mota, which would have been cool.

ps. Yeah i know they were meant to be the ice class but pre-morrowind they changed ice staff to a tanking weapon. So back in alpha i think they were meant to be ice DD.

I'm not so sure. I mean, back before the change to Ice Staves, they didn't have a taunt, but I'm not 100% certain that ice wasn't supposed to be the survival option from the start. Even originally, Ice Staves had crowd control elements, and one of the unavailable powers was specifically a barrier that interferes with incoming ranged attacks. So, it's certainly possible, from the abilities we saw at launch, that Wardens were originally planned to turn the frost staff into a tanking tool. Just, that got moved over to the destruction staff passives, locking the weapon into that role.

DanteYoda · June 2018

Was probably better back then.. Those shaman and ice powers on enemies are actually quite nice imo.

starkerealm · June 2018

DanteYoda wrote: »

Was probably better back then.. Those shaman and ice powers on enemies are actually quite nice imo.

To be honest, Warden tanking is a lot of fun.

Casterial · June 2018

Vaoh wrote: »

In the alpha version of ESO (or was it pre-alpha?), the Warden class was actually in the game and playable. For reasons I have no definitive information on, it was cut from the base game - perhaps it was too similar to the Templar class? Wardens were *completely* redone in Morrowind... essentially a totally different class.

Please lmk if there is some info, gameplay, or anything really on the Warden class prior to the launch of ESO. Would be awesome to know if any info is actually out there about this. Ty!

We had DK, NB, and Sorc. I don't believe Templar was added or unlocked right away. The first beta I was in had only 2 classes.

Yolokin_Swagonborn · June 2018

There's a little bit about it this video Published on Apr 1, 2013. Funny how ZOS took a mothballed class from Alpha and sold it back to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWaq6Pc8drM#t=49s

VaranisArano · June 2018

I bet the original Warden wasn't pretty well balanced for both stamina and magicka builds in terms of skills, passives, and morphs. That's one really beneficial change they made - updating the Warden for how players currently build classes and making sure that Warden was versatile.

Vaoh · June 2018

.

Betsararie · June 2018

Original huh? I think it's great now I like mine.

You are very smart for knowing about that.

starkerealm · June 2018

Yolokin_Swagonborn wrote: »

There's a little bit about it this video Published on Apr 1, 2013. Funny how ZOS took a mothballed class from Alpha and sold it back to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWaq6Pc8drM#t=49s

Does anyone know if the sixth class's name ever came out?

starkerealm · June 2018

VaranisArano wrote: »

I bet the original Warden wasn't pretty well balanced for both stamina and magicka builds in terms of skills, passives, and morphs. That's one really beneficial change they made - updating the Warden for how players currently build classes and making sure that Warden was versatile.

Yeah, the important thing to understand is: The original classes were balanced around soft caps. They were hard magicka focused (at launch) because soft caps made it effectively impossible to completely focus a character into only one resource. The removal of soft caps saw the change to mono-resource builds we see today. So, no, the Warden was redesigned from the ground up to function in the new environment, it wasn't simply set aside and released as paid content three years later.

nemvar · June 2018

Yolokin_Swagonborn wrote: »

There's a little bit about it this video Published on Apr 1, 2013. Funny how ZOS took a mothballed class from Alpha and sold it back to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWaq6Pc8drM#t=49s

There are a lot on interesting things in this video. To name a few:

-Capes (1:11)
-Weird upward spear jab for the templar (1:51)
-Weird "raise your hand and make it glow" templar skill (1:31)
-basically everything concering the warden
-a different idle stances for while weapons are drawn
-some weird jump attack with dw (1:30) the 2h (2:37 and 1:41)
-a jump followed up with a smoke bomb (2:05)

and I think I also saw more than 4 people at in a dungeon at the same time

adriant1978 · June 2018

starkerealm wrote: »

I suspect the phantom green crow attack you'll see enemies use was originally a warden power. Probably the totem as well. The frostcaster abilities like the ice globe that travels forward rooting everything, and the frost barrier were also, probably, intended for the Warden.

Probably also the "beast caller" powers where the NPC summons a wolf, spider, lion, or whatever.

Actually I'd take these NPC abilities over many of those we actually got with the Warden.