Minecraft wardens: how to find and escape these giant enemies

The new warden mob is definitely the scariest Minecraft enemy so far. They've been a long time coming after being revealed during Minecraft Live in 2020 and finally arriving in the 1.19 update in 2022. Now that they're here, and their deep dark biome homes too, you'll want to know all about them, but not to fight them. No, we definitely don't advise that, and we'll give you the numbers to prove it. Here are all the facts you'll need to know about the wardens so you can safely escape them while exploring those ancient cities deep underground.

How to spawn or summon a warden

Wardens spawn exclusively in the new Deep Dark biome, located far down in Minecraft’s subterranean caverns. They will burrow out of the ground if you aren't careful to move quietly through the sculk-covered deep dark biomes they live in.

A warden will spawn if you set off a Sculk Shrieker block four times, the blocks with a swirling center surrounded by four bone-colored arms. Shriekers are alerted by nearby Sculk Sensors, which emit a redstone signal when they sense nearby vibrations. Sounds or impacts within nine blocks of a sensor will set out a signal that a shrieker can pick up, so be sure to crouch and sneak through the deep dark if you want to stay undetected, and break those shrieker blocks too. You can also use throwable items like eggs or snowballs as a distraction since wardens are blind and navigate by sound.

If you want to spawn a warden in creative mode, you can plop them down anywhere you choose with a spawn egg just like other mods. Just be careful! They will mercilessly hunt and attack all other nearby creatures.

How strong are the wardens?

Wardens are hands down the most dangerous mobs in Minecraft. Their direct attacks do more damage than Hoglin Brutes or Evokers or even the Ender Dragon. Here are the warden stat points you're up against if you really think you want to fight one.

Those stats are for normal mode. On hard difficulty, wardens do even more damage with both attack types. They're very dangerous up close, capable of killing a lot of players with a single smack of their arms. Don't think you can stay out of reach though. The warden's sonic attack is a beam emitted from its chest that can't be blocked and bypasses armor.

Not just that, but wardens bring the new "darkness" effect with them when they spawn, which does exactly what it sounds like. Everything nearby will go dark, even light sources, while the warden's creepy chest pulses with light and emits a heartbeat noise all around you. These things are seriously freaky.

Of note: if you do manage to kill a warden, it will drop one sculk catalyst block and 5xp. It's really not worth fighting them unless you have some kind of bet to win.