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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Veep" data-source="post: 6707994" data-attributes="member: 6793297">Power Source and Role: Why you do what you doYou are the Primal Defender, which means you have been chosen by nature as her protector. Among the defender classes, warden is the most pure defender among the group. You're tough, your defenses are good and can spike even higher.Battlefield Control — Now, this is not the same thing as a secondary  controller. But when a Warden wades into melee, enemies stop moving.  Things tend to end up slowed, immobilized, or restrained quite often under your watch. Your melee strikers will love this: it's a lot easier to get their damage numbers up when their target is stuck in place. Some builds do this in other ways, by sliding their enemies all over the battlefield.Damage — There are some ways to get your damage numbers up, but if that's your highest priority, best look elsewhere (like the fighter, or an actual striker).Stickiness — You have to work harder at this than the fighter or paladin, but you have your ways.Survivability — You do this better than anyone else. Period. More HP, more surges, and things that make you just a tough SOB in general will make sure you're the last man standing.Secondary Roles Controller — Stormheart has a bit of this thrown in, and there are a few powers that contribute to this (Tempest Assault, Thunder Ram Assault, et al).Leader — If you're the buffer/debuffer/healer, your party is probably screwed. In a pinch, there's some available.Striker — You're also not going to be relied upon for damage without some multiclassing, but you can certainly dish some out if you build well. Class Features: Tools nature has providedThe Basics Hit Points: You get the highest initial HP in the game, and the highest per level. More than any other defender even.Healing Surges: Standard defender fare here. Earthstrength and Stormheart should have plenty to spare, and Lifespirit and Wildblood should have enough to survive on.Proficiencies: Hide Armor, Military Melee. You won't need anymore than that, but you may desire a bigger weapon.Defenses: Doesn't shore up what will likely be your worst defense (Reflex), but still decent nonetheless. Font of Life: Get rid of Dazed or Stunned or any other save ends condition at the beginning of your turn so you're not affected during your turn? Yes please! If you fail, you still get a second shot at the end of your turn.Nature's Wrath: Mark all adjacent as a Free Action 1/turn. Nice! Unfortunately you only get a punishment swipe against them if they're adjacent. Though if they move away, you can still slide them back to you as a Immediate Reaction as a consolation prize. This is where your powers come in! Keep them close by other means.Note: Nature's Wrath as a class feature also includes the two at-will mark punishment powers, Warden's Grasp and Warden's Fury, but they are written about in the powers section.Guardian Might Here's where you secondary stats come in. This features allows your AC to pull off your secondary stat (either Constitution or Wisdom), plus gives you a significant kicker to your Second Wind. Yes, that Second Wind for you non-dwarves. Even though it takes a standard action, you should be using it every encounter.Earthstrength: This build option keys off Constitution, and allows you to play a pure defender. The kicker to second wind is your Constitution modifier added to your AC for the next round. You might just use your Second Wind proactively for once.Lifespirit: Keying off Wisdom, a Lifespirit gets a touch of Leader thrown in, as you get to grant a surge and a saving throw to an ally when you Second Wind. It certainly won't go to waste. A thing to keep in mind though: some of your leader powers require your ally to be adjacent.Stormheart: If you're looking for a bit of Controller, look no further than this Constitution based option. When you Second Wind, you rearrange your enemies a bit, then slow them for good measure.Wildblood: Another pure defender option, this time off Wisdom. When you Second Wind, your marked foes won't care how much retaliation you can muster, they will attack you and you alone. Attacking anyone else would be basically wasted actions. Skills: Getting byClass Skills Athletics: Goes off your primary, and can get you around the battlefield easier.Dungeoneering: A Wisdom skill for those of you with that as a secondary. Monster knowledge checks are often useful.Endurance: You may or may not use this often, but when you do, you really don't want a small bonus here. Also, the skill powers this gives you access to are just too good to pass on this.Heal: Another Wisdom skill. If you're a Lifeblood, worth considering, but otherwise skip it.Intimidate: If you can get ahold of a Cincture of the Dragon Spirit, this skill is worth considering. Otherwise don't bother.Nature: See Dungeoneering.Perception: I think we all know why this is Sky Blue. Need I say more? Also, keys off Wisdom. Non-Class Skills Acrobatics: You won't be the one doing flips around the battlefield at any point.Arcana, History, Religion: Let someone more qualified bother with this.Bluff, Diplomacy, Streetwise: If you're the party face, your party is screwed.Insight: Decent if you can get it, and it goes off Wisdom.Stealth, Thievery: Well, you're not wearing heavy armor, at least. Hide armor still has a penalty, however, until paragon. Leave this to someone else.</blockquote>

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