With the release of Operation Phantom Sight comes with the reworked Kafe Dostoyevsky and more importantly, new operators. This article will be focusing on how to effectively play the new defending operator: Warden. His kit specialises in niche scenarios where no other operator will prove more effective, along with a solid choice for weaponry. This guide is designed to give all players a rough idea of how to use Warden to his full potential.

Loadout

Despite no new guns being added in Operation Phantom Sight, Warden’s primary weapons offer a degree of choice for the player. Your resulting weapon will vary depending on your preferred playstyle. You can choose between the M590A1 Shotgun or MPX Submachine gun. These weapons have been in the game for a long time, so if you’re a seasoned player the choice may come down to which weapon you prefer. Though I value the MPX for its range, I value my higher playtime on Smoke too much to not take the M590A1. It’s got a lot of punch and a surprising range for a 1-shot kill. For reliability, you want to equip the laser sight and your optic of choice (I got for red dot). For the MPX, however, you want a vertical grip and compensator to minimal your recoil as much as possible. I would recommend using the holo-sight over other optics here though, as the slight increase in zoom will help in medium range encounters.

If you like Valkyrie, use the MPX. If you like Smoke, use this monster.

For sidearms, it’s a decision between P-10C or the SMG12, which is a toss-up between accuracy vs. a high rate of fire. If using the M590A1, then you might want to opt for the SMG12 for an option to fight in longer range engagements. This sets you up with a Smoke-like weapon loadout that is almost as good as the real thing. You will need that vertical grip for any chance to control its high recoil and a holo sight for easier precision when aiming. P-10C users will be sacrificing DPS for a much easier time controlling their weapon. Try using it with a muzzle brake rather than a suppressor, as Warden’s movement makes enough noise as it is. I wouldn’t advise using a laser sight however, the pistol is accurate enough without the risk of giving away your position to the enemy team.

If you couldn't tell, I wanted a budget smoke loadout with Warden.

Your choice of which gadget to take will vary depending on the loadout of your team, having the choice between barbed wire or impact grenades doesn’t leave much to the imagination, but generally speaking you want to take impacts on bomb or if you choose to roam (more on that later). Barbed wire is less oppressive than it used to be, but will still get the job done. Slowing opponents down can allow yourself or a teammate an easier flank.

One of my problems lay in Warden’s unique gadget. The Glance Smart Glasses minimise the effects of both smoke and stun grenades. It also works against Blitz’s shield and Ying's candelas. If playing as an anchor, the tool will most likely be used to destabilise rushing attackers that are prone to throw stun grenades left, right, and centre.

Preparation Phase

Prep phase for Warden is relatively simplistic. You want to rush to get your metal walls down and then go on drone patrol. If using his shotgun, this is a lot easier. If in ranked, however, you may want to use your impact grenades to blow open walls in between both bomb sites if there is no one else to do so. Afterwards, you need to decide whether you want to roam or anchor yourself on site. Though I think Warden is more effective as an anchor, choosing to roam means finding a spot off-site to camp and wait for the attacking team to pass by.

Playstyle
Considering that the primary weapons on Warden are incredibly different from one another, the playstyle is equally as varied. As a shotgun user, you’re stronger in smaller rooms, anchored onto the site, or camped in smaller rooms. Longer corridors are for those with longer ranged weapons. As an MPX user, you thrive more in these environments, rotating around the map to get easy flanks on attackers.

Smoke grenades have zero effect on Warden so long as he's standing still.

The most important thing here is not to get greedy. Even if you only manage to damage an enemy, if you get out unscathed, it was a worthwhile trade. You may think you have more health than them (and you do) but when upwards of five people are shooting in your direction and most of what they can see is your head, it’s better to be somewhat cautious. If you start taking fire then leave, you’re better off to your team alive. Not only will you be able to give your teammates better info than if you were on cameras, you’re another gun in a firefight. Try not to do this multiple times a game either, the more you do the more enemies will anticipate it.

As an anchor, however, you want to predominantly stay on cams for the first half of the round, relaying any information you can provide. His gadget comes in handy much more when you’re anchoring site in practise cause that’s where the enemy team will be throwing the stun and smoke grenades. However, if you are getting smoked by the enemy team, you need to check that is isn’t Glaz throwing them, as he can still rip you to piece if he knows where you are. It’s like that those using smokes are Glaz or Monty, and if you saved your impact grenades, you can toss them for some cheap damage.

It should be mentioned that Warden's unique gadget makes him a natural counter to Blitz and Ying, but that level of specialisation makes him much less versatile in other scenarios. I would argue that if you want to play ranked and see the Blitz ban, it might not be worth including Warden on your defensive roster.

Candela's have noth-Ying on Warden

Synergies

Rook tends to be a strong pick in any comp, due to his good weapon and unique ability. However, as an operator with the highest armour rating anyway, Warden feel almost unkillable when taking body shots.

Jager’s unique gadgets help to mitigate the mistakes of newer Warden players, reducing the risk of mistiming your use of his glasses with a few ADS' up and running can come in incredibly handy.

All in all, Warden is someone I wouldn't considering in ranked, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't pick him up. The man's gadget is much more specialised than other operators, making him a fantastic choice when you opposing team is barraging you with stun or smoke grenades. His weapons choices are fine and the impact grenades he has allow for some creative rotations for those who wish to roam on him. If you're most interested in Nokk, the attacking operator for Phantom, you can check out our guide for her as well.