Introduction

Every outpost of civilization in Middle-earth contains those individuals who see it as their duty to protect hearth and home from the ravages of the Wild. These Wardens patrol the borders of civilized lands, preventing the encroachment of fell creatures in these troubled times.

Development Process

When I was first asked to lead the design for one of LOTRO’s new classes I was given two main directives. The first was that the new class should be able to function as a main tank in grouping situations, and the second was that the new class should be visually distinct from all the other classes. Those goals, along with the class name formed the foundation of the Warden.

Visual Style

Anticipating the class role, the visual style fell into place first. Spears are one of the most distinctive weapons in LOTRO but they are not heavily used by most players. A class specializing in spears would clearly stand out from other melee classes. Along with the shield that would be needed for extended tanking duty, we had the core elements of our base look and feel. The choice of medium armour further distinguishes the class and also pleases my co-designer, who has spent way too much time watching the movies Troy and 300.

As we progressed with the design, our first assumption was that the Warden would use a bow for ranged fighting just like the other tanking classes. The class focus on spears led us to javelins instead. This choice allowed us to more clearly separate the Warden from Hunters and other ranged combatants. And with that the last element of the Warden look was in place. We now had a class that was visually distinct in all combat roles and easily recognized across the fields of battle.