Want to know how to get the Minecraft Warden to spawn? Or even where? What it drops, and how to avoid or fight it? Lucky for you, we’ve got the answers to all these questions and more in our guide to one of the most terrifyingly cute mobs in the sandbox game.
Most Minecraft mobs are pretty cute, let’s be honest – even if they are trying to kill you. With that in mind, it might be difficult to keep your distance from the glowing Warden if you see one in its Ancient City home, but get too close and it could well be the last thing you see. It won’t see you, however, as the poor thing has no sight and instead sniffs and sounds you out, so you might be able to get up close and personal if you stay quiet enough. Knowing how to do that is key to your survival, so here’s everything you need to know about surviving the Minecraft Warden.
Minecraft Warden spawn and biome
The Minecraft Warden only spawns in the Deep Dark biome, one of the first ever underground biomes introduced in 2021’s Caves and Cliffs update. The update increased the world depth, taking it below y=o, and this – as you’d expect from the name – is where you might find the Deep Dark biome.
The Deep Dark is instantly recognizable from the stunning, glowing Sculk family of blocks that line the walls and floor of the unique Minecraft biome. Sculk Sensors also generate naturally in the biome, and these are the secret to spawning a Warden.
A Minecraft Warden spawns when its ‘warning level’ reaches four. Once you activate a naturally-generated Sculk Sensor, this raises the level by one, so activating four times will cause a Warden to emerge – as long as there isn’t another Warden within a 24-block radius. If you trigger one by mistake and don’t want to see a Warden, you must remain quiet, and your warning level will decrease by one every ten minutes, provided another sensor has not been activated in the meantime. Sensors are activated by movement nearby, and you’ll see and hear when a sensor is activated.
Minecraft Warden drops
You might want to know what the Warden drops upon death, as this is an important feature behind many other mobs in the survival game. It might not be as important as you think here though, as the goal is actually to avoid the Warden rather than tackle it head-on.
The Minecraft Warden drops are:
- Five experience orbs
- Sculk catalyst
Yep, that’s it. As we said, the intention behind this mob is to evade and distract it rather than kill it, so Mojang was never going to hide anything special behind killing it.
How to avoid a Minecraft Warden
You might notice that the Ancient Cities which Wardens call home are lined with carpet and wool blocks, and they can also be found in loot chests nearby. This isn’t by accident. Minecraft carpet actually softens the sound of your footsteps, so walking on carpet or wool will prevent Wardens from hearing you. The same can be said for crouching, even without wool or carpet beneath your feet, so utilize these methods to avoid Wardens without without being heard.
Similarly to carpets, you might find a few snowballs in ancient city chests. This, again, is no accident. Since the Minecraft Warden can’t see, you can actually distract it with a well-timed snowball or arrow if you think it’s getting a bit too close for comfort.
The more noise you make, the angrier the Minecraft Warden will get, and will start to chase you, sniffing the air to track you down if it begins to lose you. If it finds you, there’s very little you can do, since it can kill you in one hit, and only two or three if you’re fully kitted out in Netherite, and the strongest Minecraft enchantments and potions. It’s important to know that the Warden also has a ranged attack, too.
Game Pass for PC Game Pass for PC $9.99 $1 (first month) Subscribe Network N earns commission from qualifying purchases via Microsoft and other programs.
Can you defeat a Minecraft Warden?
A Warden has a colossal 250 hearts. This health pool, combined with its high attack stat, makes them the most powerful of all naturally-spawning Minecraft mobs. Since its attack strength depends on your difficulty setting, here are the Warden’s stats:
- Easy: 8 hearts per hit
- Normal: 15 hearts per hit
- Hard: 22.5 hearts per hit
Considering how much damage you can deal to the Warden in comparison to how hard it hits you then, it’s incredibly difficult to kill. It’s not impossible, but you’ll need to keep your distance, your wits about you, and have plenty of Minecraft potions and enchantments on your side. We don’t recommend bothering though for those paltry Warden drops.
Be careful next time you into the dark depths of the Minecraft overworld then – it’s not just stepping through a Nether portal that can get you into trouble. Whether you want to find the Minecraft Warden or avoid it all costs, there’s plenty of unique loot to be found underground, including beautiful amethyst, and the special Recovery Compass – which you might find you need if the Warden sniffs you out.