The arena lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the crowd. A new title flashed on the mega-screen: Highguard. The room buzzed with anticipation after a year of silence following its debut at The Game Awards 2025—had the developers delivered on their bold promises?
Highguard has landed, and it’s vying for your attention in the crowded hero shooter market. This free-to-play contender shakes things up by blending genres. The studio behind it claims inspiration from titles as diverse as Rust, Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, and MOBAs, all to forge a new identity. Is it different enough to stand out?
Let’s break down what Highguard offers and how to play its core mode, Raid Mode.
Raiding for Glory: Inside Highguard’s Core Gameplay
Remember the thrill of building a sandcastle, only to see a rogue wave crash over it? Highguard captures that feeling—but with more explosions. It’s more than just shooting; it’s about building, looting, and tactical destruction.
You can find Highguard on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It’s Wildlight Entertainment’s first game. The studio is comprised of developers whose resumes include work on Apex Legends, Titanfall and Titanfall 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009).
The developers are calling this a “PvP raid shooter.” Existing labels didn’t quite capture the essence of what they’ve created.
How does Highguard differentiate itself from other hero shooters?
Its main differentiator is Raid Mode, a three-on-three battle with several distinct phases:
- Base fortification
- Open-world looting and exploring
- Fighting for an objective
- Using the objective to raid and destroy your enemy base
Raid Mode begins with you choosing your starting weapons and a base layout, which you then fortify by reinforcing walls. Defend the key generators within; they’re your base’s lifeline.
Each base starts with 100 HP. To win, you must demolish the enemy’s base. Base HP dwindles as you raid and destroy the generators, making that initial base fortification all the more important.
Once the fortification phase concludes, it’s time to saddle up on an animal mount and venture into the expansive map. Scavenge for better weapons, shields, ammo, wall upgrades, and amulets granting passive abilities. A merchant also appears, trading valuable items for Vesper, a glowing teal resource mined with an axe.
Weapons, shields, and other items are tiered by color-coded rarity: white, blue, purple, gold, and the coveted, care package-exclusive red. As the match progresses, the gear quality improves.
Fully geared? Now fight for the Shieldbreaker, a magic sword that allows entry into the enemy base. Teams clash in open fields and buildings, vying to use the sword as a key to begin the raid phase. A massive siege tower appears, shattering shields, enabling entry (and dealing 30 damage to the base HP).
Inside each base, you’ll find one main generator and two minor ones. A planted bomb that destroys a minor generator deals 35 damage, but destroying the main generator ends the match immediately. Attackers have limited respawns during the raid phase, and defenders can defuse bombs. Should the defending team succeed, they’ll damage the attackers’ base instead.
To reach the generators, attackers use Raid Tools and abilities to breach the walls. This dynamic recalls the tension of breaching defenses in Rust, Rainbow Six Siege, or even Fortnite. Adapt and overcome!
The match cycle resets if HP remains on either base after the raid. Shields regenerate, the siege ends, and players respawn to fortify, loot, and fight for the Shieldbreaker once more. It continues until only one base remains.
What role do the Wardens (characters) play in Highguard?
Highguard features characters known as Wardens, each possessing unique abilities that can sway the flow of battle. Eight Wardens are available at launch, with more planned for free updates.
Atticus
A lightning-wielding captain who uses a high-voltage arsenal to control the battlefield and wreak havoc upon the enemy.
- Class: Assault
- Abilities
- Passive
- Supercharged Axe: Charged Axe releases an electrical explosion that damages nearby resource nodes.
- Tactical
- Shockspear: Throw a charged spear that shocks nearby enemies. Continuous damage charges his passive.
- Ultimate
- Supercell: Rise into the air and rain lightning spears that do heavy damage to players and structures.
- Passive
Condor
A skilled explorer who channels her extrasensory abilities through her winged guardian to track enemy movements.
- Class: Recon
- Abilities
- Passive
- Hunter’s Instinct: Condor’s bird warns her when enemies are nearby.
- Tactical
- Eyes in the Sky: Send out her bird, which scans to detect enemies that move.
- Ultimate
- Soaring Guardian: Launch 3 smoke clouds that reveal enemies within its wake.
- Passive
Kai
This disciplined monk harnesses the cold to reshape the battlefield for defense and protection. Until his inner demon takes over…
- Class: Defensive
- Abilities
- Passive
- Frozen Repair: Restore broken walls with ice.
- Tactical
- Ice Wall: Create an ice wall.
- Ultimate
- Frost Giant: Transform into Kai’s inner ice demon.
- Passive
Mara
A mysterious conjurer who absorbs and repurposes the souls of the fallen to shield and support her allies.
- Class: Support
- Abilities
- Passive
- Sacrifice: Sacrifice downed enemy players to charge your tactical.
- Tactical
- Soul Armor: Grants allies an overshield that absorbs damage.
- Ultimate
- Immortal Coil: Create a spawn point for your team.
- Passive
Redmane
This barbaric enforcer unleashes primal, bestial strength upon his foes, laying waste to anything in his path.
- Class: Destruction
- Abilities
- Passive
- Enraged: Gains a movement and reload speed buff after killing enemies.
- Tactical
- Pounce: Smash through breakable walls. Hold to charge a powerful leap.
- Ultimate
- Beast’s Roar: Roar to destroy walls and other breakable objects in front of you. It also damages enemies.
- Passive
Scarlet
A trained assassin who wields wind and sand to outflank opponents and infiltrate enemy bases.
- Class: Assault
- Abilities
- Passive
- Shifting Sands: Shift a destructible wall into sand, temporarily making it passable.
- Tactical
- Sandstorm: Enter stealth mode, making yourself hidden to enemies that are far away.
- Ultimate
- Whirling Blades: Throw up to 6 deadly daggers. Killing a player with a dagger resets your cooldowns.
- Passive
Slade
A pyroclastic maverick who melts opponents with magma from below and firestorms from above.
- Class: Assault
- Abilities
- Passive
- Firebomb: Explodes and spreads magma to an area.
- Passive
- Hotstreak: Gains reduced cooldowns and increased firepower when on a kill streak.
- Tactical
- Heatwave: Sends out a cascading wave of molten fire.
- Ultimate
- Firestorm: Rains down fire upon the targeted area.
- Passive
Una
A spirit binder capable of summoning the wayward spirits of the Wildwood to aid her in battle.
- Class: Defensive
- Abilities
- Passive
- Helping Hand: Spirits appear to give Una loot.
- Tactical
- Forest Wisps: Summon mischievous spirits who lob concussion grenades at enemies.
- Ultimate
- Tree Walker: Summon a large forest spirit that throws smaller explosive spirits at enemies.
- Passive
What weapons and tools can I use in Highguard?
Loadouts are critical. Here’s a breakdown of the arsenal you’ll find.
You’ll carry two weapons, a Raid Tool for breaching bases, and an axe (for melee, resource mining, and finishing downed opponents). A balanced loadout is advised: one weapon for close-quarters combat and another for mid-to-long range engagements.
Close Quarter
- Corsair
- An experimental SMG designed to devastate at close range with rapid, triple-barreled bursts.
- Kraken
- Brutal pump-action shotgun that hits with monstrous force at close range.
- Paladin
- A cartridge-fed automatic shotgun designed to chew through enemies in a fast-firing barrage.
- Viper
- Aggressive SMG that delivers a blistering rate of fire and wreaks havoc at close range.
Mid-Range
- Vanguard
- Precision assault rifle famed for its versatility and accuracy. A staple of the Vigil arsenal.
- Big Rig (care package exclusive)
- A high-capacity, heavy-caliber LMG that levels anything in its path.
- Saber Rifle
- A compact, hammer-forged burst rifle built for rapid-fire precision.
- Dynasty
- A rugged fully-automatic assault rifle designed to hit hard and work reliably in any environment.
Marksman
- Longhorn
- Precision-engineered break-top revolver built for maximum accuracy and stopping power at any range.
- Ranger
- Lever-action sniper rifle with patented compression stock for increased accuracy and power.
Raid Tools
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