Warden Willpower In Deadlock: How The Barrier, Move Speed, Debuff Resist, And June 11 Scaling Buff Work
Warden 2 is Willpower, the barrier-and-speed button whose scaling and debuff-resistance rules were adjusted in May and June.
Willpower is Warden briefly deciding that consequences are for other people.
Short answer: Willpower gives Warden a barrier and bonus move speed. Its upgrades add more speed, shorter cooldown, longer duration, and debuff resistance that helps him keep moving through enemy pressure.
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Willpower Warden gains a barrier and move speed, with upgrades for more speed, shorter cooldown, longer duration, and debuff resistance. |
Current Mechanics
Deadlock.one’s current Warden data lists Willpower with a 40-second cooldown, 5-second duration, 125 barrier with displayed 0.8 spirit scaling, and +15 percent move speed.
Willpower is not flashy, which is exactly why it matters. Warden wants to walk at people until they make a bad choice. Barrier plus move speed buys the seconds that make the bad choice happen.
Upgrade Path
- 1 AP: +20 move speed bonus.
- 2 AP: -22s cooldown and +2s duration.
- 5 AP: +40 percent debuff resistance and improved barrier scaling.
The T2 upgrade changes Willpower from occasional insurance into a frequent chase tool. The T3 upgrade is the late-game anti-nuisance package: more barrier value and less time being dragged around by enemy debuffs.
Key Patch Changes
Valve’s Minor Update – 06-11-2026 increased Willpower spirit scaling from +0.5 to +0.8.
Valve’s Gameplay Update – 05-22-2026 changed Willpower T3 so its debuff resistance retroactively applies to existing debuffs when cast. That is a meaningful usability change: Warden can press Willpower after trouble has already started, not only before.
How To Use It
Use Willpower before committing into the pocket where Warden actually wins: close enough for Flask, close enough for Binding Word pressure, and close enough for Last Stand to be more than theater.
SwoleBenji’s Warden guide emphasizes mobility, stamina, and close-range staying power because Warden wants to be in the opponent’s face. Willpower is the kit button that helps him get there without arriving as a rumor.
Counterplay
Bait Willpower, then disengage. If Warden spends the barrier and speed without finding Flask, Binding Word, or a Last Stand angle, he loses one of the kit’s cleanest ways to force contact.
Lore And Context
Warden’s whole identity is stubborn pursuit. Willpower is the plainest name in the kit and maybe the most honest: he presses forward because the kit says that is the job.
Sources
Current mechanics and icon art were checked against Deadlock.one’s Warden page and the Willpower modal. Patch context comes from Valve’s June 11, 2026 minor update and May 22, 2026 gameplay update. Video context comes from SwoleBenji’s Warden guide.
For the wider Deadlock guide shelf, see DramaLock’s best heroes tracker guide, matchups guide, synergies guide, and Street Brawl tier list.