Heroes / Warden / How to play

Field manual · Oct 30 patch

How to play WardenHow to play

48.3% win rate · #26 of 44 · Initiator · Fearless · One Man Army

Updated 2026-11-06 02:03 UTC · n = 5,037,198 matches

How to play Warden

1Binding Word Alchemical Flask

2Alchemical Flask

Your combo: Cast Binding Word: anyone who doesn’t move away from where they stood within 2.8s is damaged and immobilised for 1.75s. Then Alchemical Flask slows them and cuts their weapon damage while you shoot.

Don’t waste: Last Stand charges for 2s before it pulses and can be interrupted then, until tier 3.

Edge: At tier 3, Last Stand makes you Unstoppable with +30% resists while charging, and its pulses heal you.

From community hero guides, Oct 2026 patches, checked against deadlock.wiki. The same combo from the other side is on how to counter Warden.

Your kit

Alchemical Flask

Ability 1 · 12s cooldown · slow

Throw a flask that damages and reduces the weapon damage and move speed of enemies it hits.

Willpower

Ability 2 · 40s cooldown

Gain a Barrier and bonus move speed.

Binding Word

Ability 3 · 34s cooldown · immobilize 1.75s

Curse an enemy hero. If they don't move away from their initial position within the escape time, they will be damaged and immobilized.

Last Stand

Ultimate · 180s cooldown · ultimate

After charging for 2s, release pulses that damage enemies and heal you based on the damage done. While channeling Last Stand you have greatly increased bullet and spirit resist.Immune to fear while Last Stand is active.

Skill order

Max first: Alchemical Flask Alchemical Flask› Binding Word Binding Word› Willpower Willpower› Last Stand Last Stand

From the most common upgrade order (26k matches): the order abilities reach their last tier.

	10m	21m	32m	43m	54m	66m	710m	810m	912m	1016m	1117m	1219m	1325m	1426m	1530m
Alchemical FlaskAbility 1		I			II		III
WillpowerAbility 2											I	II	III
Binding WordAbility 3								I	II	III
Last StandUltimate														I	II

unlock I II III upgrade tiers · column labels are the average minute of each step

Build path with timings

Early

High-Velocity Rounds~2:15 · 85%
→ Opening Rounds
Opening Rounds~5:03 · 85%
Extended Magazine~7:01 · 70%
→ Titanic Magazine
Rapid Rounds~7:39 · 59%
sold ~10:22

Mid

Titanic Magazine~10:28 · 89%
Quicksilver Reload~11:50 · 92%
→ Mercurial Magnum
Fleetfoot~16:47 · 70%

Late

Mercurial Magnum~23:14 · 82%
Spirit Resilience~25:14 · 43%
Spiritual Overflow~28:55 · 54%

Items that win most on Warden

Frenzy
+9.1 pp · 3% buy it

Witchmail
+9.0 pp · 9% buy it

Diviner's Kevlar
+8.9 pp · 3% buy it

Boundless Spirit
+8.4 pp · 23% buy it

Silencer
+8.2 pp · 8% buy it

Escalating Exposure
+7.4 pp · 2% buy it

Lanes you win

Pocket+6.0 pp
Shiv+5.8 pp
Mirage+5.8 pp
Sinclair+4.8 pp
Viscous+4.8 pp

Lanes to play safe

Graves−7.5 pp
Rat King−6.2 pp
Paige−5.4 pp
Seven−4.9 pp
Baba−4.4 pp

When they counter you

−7.4 ppGraves

Buy against Graves:

−6.0 ppPaige

Buy against Paige:

−5.9 ppRat King

Buy against Rat King:

Ethereal Shift+3.3 pp
Juggernaut+2.9 pp
Refresher+2.8 pp

Best teammates

Graves
55.8% together

Paige
54.9% together

Rat King
54.4% together

Seven
54.3% together

Victor
53.1% together

Haze
52.8% together

Notes from the best builds

Renon's Rank 1 Warden (Twitch.tv/Renon)S

Hybrid M1 Build

#Citadel_HeroBuilds_MidGame: Use Flex Slots for Counter Items

55.9% over 2.0k games · open build →

ttvcrayon_fps carry buildS

crayon

55.6% over 7.4k games · open build →

Warden stats and builds How to counter Warden