Top 5 tips to beat the Warden in Minecraft 1.19 update

The Minecraft 1.19 update has brought several new features to the game. These include the deep dark biome, the mangrove swamp biome, mud and its variants, ancient cities and the mighty Warden.

The Warden is a new boss mob that Mojang designed to be a force of nature. With this being the case, it is inevitable that players will want to take it on.

Note: This article reflects the opinions of the writer

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Using ranged weapons and 4 other useful tips for taking on the Warden in a Minecraft fight

1) Avoid melee/shields

The Warden is an absolute beast of a mob in melee combat.

On easy difficulty, the Warden’s melee attack deals eight hearts of damage, nearly enough to kill an unarmored player. On normal difficulty, its melee attack deals 15 hearts of damage. On hard difficulty, the mob deals 22.5 hearts of damage.

This means that on hard difficulty, the Warden is capable of killing a player with full Netherite armor that has been enchanted with Protection four. Moreover, the mob can do this with just three hits.

Players should not bother holding a shield in their off hand, as the Warden’s melee attack disables the shield. This means the off-hand slot is much better used for different items.

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2) See Hitboxes

An example of the Warden's hitbox (Image via Minecraft/Mojang)

The Warden has come with a new status effect called Darkness. This effect darkens the screen and makes it nearly impossible to see. However, there is a way that Java players can ensure they can see the Warden even while under the effect of Darkness.

Players can hold the F3 button and hit the B key to turn on entity hitboxes. This will show the Warden’s hitbox despite the Darkness effect, meaning players can keep track of the mob even if they cannot actually see it.

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3) Use a ranged weapon

An example of a player with a hotbar full of loaded crossbows (Image via Minecraft/Mojang)

Since the Warden is so dangerous in melee combat, players should stick to using bows or crossbows to deal damage to it.

The mob does have a ranged attack that can hone in on players and go through walls. However, it has much less damage than its melee counterpart (three hearts on easy, five hearts on normal, and 7.5 hearts of damage on hard difficulty).

Between the ability to stay out of melee reach and the lesser-ranged damage the Warden has, there are two additional advantages that ranged weapons have. The first is that players can load up several crossbows ahead of time and then shoot very quickly. The second is the use of tipped arrows, which can apply effects to the Warden from a safe distance.

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4) Summon a few Withers

An example of the Wither (Image via Minecraft/Mojang)

The Wither is a Minecraft boss that players can summon into the Overworld. They can do so by making a T out of four soul sand and then placing three Wither skulls on the horizontal top of the T.

The Wither is a mob that can fly and shoot explosive orbs to deal large amounts of damage to targets. While the Warden might be able to defeat a single Wither in combat, two or more Withers should be able to defeat the Warden.

The obvious downside of this method is that players now have a few Withers that they will need to defeat themselves. However, it cannot be overstated how effective they are in defeating the Warden.

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5) Keep multiple Totems of Undying on the hotbar for quick access

As was established earlier in this list, the Warden can deal incredible amounts of damage in melee combat and is no slouch at range either. This means players can very quickly become victims of the mob if they are not prepared.

The item that is most vital to effectively fighting the Warden is the Totem of Undying. These totems will let Minecraft players avoid death, leaving them with half a heart and the regeneration effect for a short time.

Totems of Undying are for one-time use only, but they can be farmed during village raids. Players should have an ample supply of these totems to keep in their off hand, so that any mistakes when fighting the Warden will not result in death.