Warden Scathe is that first boss in Borderlands 4 that kicks things off right in the prologue—kinda like a “welcome to Kairos, now don’t die” moment. He’s not super tough if you’ve played any Borderlands before, but since you’re starting with crap gear, he can feel annoying if you forget to use cover or ignore the adds.
Where to find Warden Scathe:
He’s in the Welcome Center area of Timekeeper’s Prison on Kairos—super early, outdoor landing pad arena after you slide down from the industrial plant. There’s cover everywhere: big crates/boxes on the ground and ramps up to elevated walkways on the left or right (left’s usually best for peeking safely).
Prerequisites
Just start a new game. It’s part of the main story mission “Guns Blazing.” You’re around level 1, he’s level 2 (scales a tiny bit). No action skills or grenades yet—you grab a basic pistol early on, maybe a shield and better guns from chests along the way, and you learn the Grapple Grabber for jumping around.
How to get there (quick walkthrough)
- Wake up in Welcome Center prison, follow Arjay (your buddy) and shoot basic Synths while looting everything.
- Grab the pistol in the security room.
- Grapple up to rooftops, clear more enemies.
- Hit the industrial plant—loot chests (upstairs one has guns/shield, equip that shield!). Wait for Arjay to hack the door.
- Slide down to the landing pad, approach the “getaway vehicle.” Cutscene: Scathe wrecks it, downs Arjay—boom, solo fight time.
Fight breakdown and tips:
Scathe is an upgraded Warden bot with an armor bar first, then health—no big phase changes, just more adds later. Always aim for the head—crits melt him. Pop RepKits (medkits) and grab red health orbs. Duck behind cover to recharge your shield.
| Attack | What it does | How to deal |
|---|---|---|
| Staff shots | Slow-tracking projectiles, his bread-and-butter ranged spam. ign.com +1 | Strafe side-to-side, peek from cover. Hide if shield’s low. |
| Staff spin/beam | Sweeps a energy beam if you’re mid/close range. sportskeeda.com +1 | Stay on the elevated ramps—great line-of-sight advantage. Unload on him right after it ends (big punish window). |
| Bomber drones | Arm up, portal spits exploding flyers. sportskeeda.com | Shoot ’em out of the sky quick before they boom. |
| Shooting drones | Air drone that peppers you. sportskeeda.com | Priority kill, easy headshots. |
| Stomp | Ground slam if too close—knockback + damage. sportskeeda.com | Fight mid-range, never hug him. |
| Adds (Synths/Armatures) | Spawns waves that pile on—chip damage sucks. ign.com +2 | Clear most fast (headshots), but leave 1-2 low-HP ones alive for Second Wind if you go down. Classic Borderlands move. |
Overall strategy
Head to the left ramp ASAP for high ground/cover. Rhythm is: peek-shoot boss head → slide/dive to next cover → pop 1-2 adds → repeat. Reload during beams/summons. Short bursts only—greed kills. If you level mid-fight (likely), slap on an Action Skill pronto. Downed? Second Wind that weak add. It’s easy on normal, spicier on hard ’cause of no gear.
After you Defeat Warden Scathe
Loot EVERYTHING (greens/blues, no legendaries yet). Then revive Arjay for cutscene. Heads to Crimson Resistance HQ, first real level-up. Don’t skip loot or it’ll vanish.
