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Warden difficulty tweaks

I have a few ideas for making the Warden a bit more difficult. The Warden should stalk the player for longer after being summoned, and it should wander around in a larger radius. Currently the Warden is too easy to simply hide from and wait a short amount of time for it to burrow into the ground again. I think something closer to 5 minutes on the initial summon, then gradually increase, capping somewhere around 15-20 minutes. I think this would make the Warden much more imposing, especially if it will patrol a large area increasing your chances of running into it again after you've run away to hide. I also don't think the Warden should be able to swim. I think that sinking like the iron golem is more fitting. It can still survive in lava however and it's just as fast underwater as it is on land. Finally I think the Warden should have a projectile attack to prevent you from pillaring up or swimming to the surface of water to avoid it (since my idea for it not being able to swim would make it less threatening in water). The way I imagine this projectile working is being something like a sonic roar attack that will deal knockback damage to the player. So pillaring up or swimming up a water stream would be more dangerous as it could knock you to your death. It should only rely on this roar attack if it has no other means of reaching the player so it can't always attack at long range. I think these would be good ideas for balancing the difficulty.
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    Registered User commented
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    I'm going to elaborate on my ideas and reasons for them in the comments since I hit the character limit.

    I feel like the Warden should increase the tension the player feels when it's around. The first time you summon the Warden should be more forgiving, and ramp up in difficulty with each time you fail to keep from summoning it. Increasing the amount of time the Warden will search for the player will force the player to either run further away, or hide for much longer. It would also give the Warden more time to wander around and increase the chance of running into the player while they are hiding. The Warden should make you dread every second it's stalking you and require an active role on the part of the player in order to escape. Currently I believe the Warden is too easy to lose by simply standing in place and waiting for a short while for it to burrow into the ground. That feels too passive and simply isn't dangerous or imposing enough.

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    Registered User commented
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    Secondly the Warden is a big and bulky monster. Being able to swim just doesn't feel like a good fit given its size and likely its weight. Of course if the player is swimming in a body of water with the Warden lurking below that doesn't allow the Warden to attack the player, which is why I think a knockback projectile based attack would be a good fit. Not only would it be terrifying getting attacked from below the surface, but it would also prevent the player from pillaring to safety or standing in a tunnel too small for the Warden to fit into. You should have to actively escape from the Warden so going beyond its range of physical attacks while still being within its line of sight shouldn't mean you're safe. The projectile shouldn't do much damage, but it shouldn't be too weak either. I think 2-3 hearts is fair. The main threat would be getting knocked from a high cliff, but standing in a tunnel should also put you at risk of dying if you're hit multiple times in a row.

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    Registered User commented
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    I don't think these ideas break game balance as they only serve to make the Warden more difficult to escape. If the player is able to reach a higher ledge where the Warden can't get to them, then I'd say their efforts should be rewarded with a successful escape. Similarly for the player swimming above the Warden in a body of water. If the player can reach the shore while leaving the Warden stuck in an aquifer or something then the player took an active enough role in escaping in my opinion. This goes for tunneling as well. My main concern is that the player shouldn't be able to stand still and taunt the Warden by standing in its line of sight without facing some retaliation. Of course the knockback can be negated with Netherite armor and shields, so it would reward players for coming prepared while exploring the ancient cities. I think all of these ideas fit the tone and feeling of what is already established about the Warden and are balanced enough to fair to all players.

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    Таня

  • 1
    Registered User commented
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    concerning the stalking time and radius suggested:

    maybe the warden could have these changes based on the difficulty.

    so newer players, and those who don't like fighting mobs can enjoy an easier warden (as it is now)
    at the same time as giving a challenge to those who like hard mode and want a more difficult experience? (with suggestions added)