#What’s Highguard? ‘PvP raid shooter’ from ex-Apex Legends devs, defined – Destructoid

After debuting at The Sport Awards 2025 and receding into silence, Highguard is lastly right here, and we’ve bought all the main points on what it’s and the way it’s new and enjoyable.

Highguard is a free-to-play hero shooter, however its core gameplay loop is exclusive. It combines components from totally different genres, and the builders say that it’s “impressed by Rust, Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, and MOBAs” to create one thing progressive and contemporary.

Right here’s all the pieces there may be to find out about Highguard and tips on how to play its important mode, Raid Mode.

Tips on how to play Highguard

Highguard is a free-to-play hero shooter obtainable on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Collection X|S. It’s the debut title from Wildlight Leisure, a brand new studio comprised of many builders of who’ve labored on video games like Apex Legends, Titanfall and Titanfall 2, Name of Obligation 4: Fashionable Warfare, Name of Obligation: Fashionable Warfare 2 (2009), and extra.

The sport is named a “PvP raid shooter” as a result of the builders stated that no different current style sort precisely defined what it’s.

Raid Mode

The principle sport mode in Highguard, Raid Mode is a three-vs-three mode comprised of distinct phases:

• Base fortification
• Open-world looting and exploring
• Fghting for an goal
• Utilizing the target to raid and destroy your enemy base

In Raid Mode, gamers start the match by selecting their beginning weapons and a novel base structure. That base structure can then be fortified by strengthening partitions throughout the base round key turbines that should be defended.

Every base has 100 HP, and the crew who destroys their enemy’s base will win the match. Base HP is depleted by raiding the enemy base and destroying the turbines inside, so base fortification is essential.

As soon as the fortification section ends, gamers can then hop on an animal mount to enter the massive map and scour for loot: higher weapons, shields, ammo, wall fortifications, wall rebuilds, amulets that give highly effective passive skills, and extra. There’s additionally a service provider who seems across the map who takes Vesper (glowing teal rocks that may be mined utilizing an axe) as foreign money to commerce up for higher high quality gadgets.

Weapons, shields, and different gadgets function on a tiered, coloured rarity system: white, blue, purple, gold, and care package-exclusive pink. As a match goes on, gear high quality discovered on the map will increase.

When you’re all looted up, then it’s time to struggle for the Shieldbreaker, a magic sword that’s used to enter the enemy base. Groups struggle over it in open fields or close-quarters buildings, and the target is to make use of it as a key to start the raid section of the match, the place an enormous siege tower will spawn, break the shields, and let you enter the enemy’s base (whereas dealing 30 harm to the bottom’s HP bar) and struggle them inside.

In every base, there’s a important generator and two minor turbines. Planting a bomb and destroying a minor generator offers 35 harm, whereas destroying the primary generator will finish the match. Attacking groups have restricted spawns within the raid section, and the bombs they plant may be defused. If the defending crew is profitable, harm will likely be dealt to the attackers’ base as an alternative.

To get to the turbines, attackers should use their Raid Instruments and talents to destroy the partitions within the base. This section feels just like video games like Rust and Rainbow Six Siege, and even Fortnite, the place defenses should be toppled to succeed in your goal whereas preventing it out with the opposite crew.

When the raid section ends if there’s nonetheless remaining HP on both base, the match cycle will begin anew: shields restore, the raid siege ends, and gamers respawn at their very own bases to start once more. Rebuild/fortify your base’s partitions, mount up and loot, seize the Shieldbreaker, and assault till just one base stands.

Distinctive playable characters

Highguard’s characters are known as Wardens, and there are eight of them at launch. Every of them has their very own distinctive skills that may flip the tide of a struggle when used correctly. Extra Wardens will come to the sport over time as free updates.

Atticus

A lightning-wielding captain who makes use of a high-voltage arsenal to manage the battlefield and wreak havoc upon the enemy.

• Class: Assault
• Skills
  • Passive
    • Supercharged Axe: Charged Axe releases {an electrical} explosion that damages close by useful resource nodes.
  • Tactical
    • Shockspear: Throw a charged spear that shocks close by enemies. Steady harm fees his passive.
  • Final
    • Supercell: Rise into the air and rain lightning spears that do heavy harm to gamers and constructions.

Condor

A talented explorer who channels her extrasensory skills by way of her winged guardian to trace enemy actions.

• Class: Recon
• Skills
  • Passive
    • Hunter’s Intuition: Condor’s chook warns her when enemies are close by.
  • Tactical
    • Eyes within the Sky: Ship out her chook, which scans to detect enemies that transfer.
  • Final
    • Hovering Guardian: Launch 3 smoke clouds that reveal enemies inside its wake.

Kai

This disciplined monk harnesses the chilly to reshape the battlefield for protection and safety. Till his inside demon takes over…

• Class: Defensive
• Skills
  • Passive
    • Frozen Restore: Restore damaged partitions with ice.
  • Tactical
    • Ice Wall: Create an ice wall.
  • Final
    • Frost Large: Remodel into Kai’s inside ice demon.

Mara

A mysterious conjurer who absorbs and repurposes the souls of the fallen to defend and help her allies.

• Class: Help
• Skills
  • Passive
    • Sacrifice: Sacrifice downed enemy gamers to cost your tactical.
  • Tactical
    • Soul Armor: Grants allies an overshield that absorbs harm.
  • Final
    • Immortal Coil: Create a spawn level to your crew.

Redmane

This barbaric enforcer unleashes primal, bestial power upon his foes, laying waste to something in his path.

• Class: Destruction
• Skills
  • Passive
    • Enraged: Positive factors a motion and reload pace buff after killing enemies.
  • Tactical
    • Pounce: Smash by way of breakable partitions. Maintain to cost a robust leap.
  • Final
    • Beast’s Roar: Roar to destroy partitions and different breakable objects in entrance of you. It additionally damages enemies.

Scarlet

A skilled murderer who wields wind and sand to outflank opponents and infiltrate enemy bases.

• Class: Assault
• Skills
  • Passive
    • Shifting Sands: Shift a destructible wall into sand, briefly making it satisfactory.
  • Tactical
    • Sandstorm: Enter stealth mode, making your self hidden to enemies which can be far-off.
  • Final
    • Whirling Blades: Throw as much as 6 lethal daggers. Killing a participant with a dagger resets your cooldowns.

Slade

A pyroclastic maverick who melts opponents with magma from beneath and firestorms from above.

• Class: Assault
• Skills
  • Passive
    • Firebomb: Explodes and spreads magma to an space.
  • Passive
    • Hotstreak: Positive factors diminished cooldowns and elevated firepower when on a kill streak.
  • Tactical
    • Heatwave: Sends out a cascading wave of molten hearth.
  • Final
    • Firestorm: Rains down hearth upon the focused space.

Una

A spirit binder able to summoning the wayward spirits of the Wildwood to help her in battle. 

• Class: Defensive
• Skills
  • Passive
    • Serving to Hand: Spirits seem to offer Una loot.
  • Tactical
    • Forest Wisps: Summon mischievous spirits who lob concussion grenades at enemies.
  • Final
    • Tree Walker: Summon a big forest spirit that throws smaller explosive spirits at enemies.

Weapons

In Highguard, gamers carry two weapons and one Raid Instrument that’s used to interrupt partitions within the enemy base (or your individual, if want be), plus a melee weapon, the axe (can be utilized to deal harm and throw at enemies, end off downed foes, and mine sources). There are a number of weapon lessons to select from, nevertheless it’s suggested to hold one weapon for up-close fight and one other for mid-range or lengthy vary.

Shut Quarter

• Corsair
  • An experimental SMG designed to devastate at shut vary with speedy, triple-barreled bursts.
• Kraken
  • Brutal pump-action shotgun that hits with monstrous pressure at shut vary.
• Paladin
  • A cartridge-fed computerized shotgun designed to chew by way of enemies in a fast-firing barrage.
• Viper
  • Aggressive SMG that delivers a blistering fee of fireside and wreaks havoc at shut vary.

Mid-Vary

• Vanguard
  • Precision assault rifle famed for its versatility and accuracy. A staple of the Vigil arsenal.
• Massive Rig (care package deal unique)
  • A high-capacity, heavy-caliber LMG that ranges something in its path.
• Saber Rifle
  • A compact, hammer-forged burst rifle constructed for rapid-fire precision.
• Dynasty
  • A rugged fully-automatic assault rifle designed to hit onerous and work reliably in any setting.

Marksman

• Longhorn
  • Precision-engineered break-top revolver constructed for max accuracy and stopping energy at any vary.
• Ranger
  • Lever-action sniper rifle with patented compression inventory for elevated accuracy and energy.

Raid Instruments

• Blast Hammer
  • Sledgehammer fitted with explosive cartridges that detonate on affect for further blunt pressure destruction.
• Rocket Launcher
  • Shoulder-fired bunker buster constructed to destroy buildings and partitions.
• Zipline Gun
  • Fires excessive tensile wire into constructions for use for speedy vertical repositioning or traversal.

Melee

• Axe
  • Vesper-forged subject axe used for harvesting, teleporting, and self-defense; carried completely by Wardens of The Iron Vigil.

Mounts

Gamers use mounts to trip round within the open space of every map. They’re loud and telegraph your place when near an enemy, however are essential for navigating the open map and transferring between totally different factors of curiosity.

At launch, there are three sorts of mounts:

• Horse
  • Spirited plainsrunners bred for pace and energy.
• Panther
  • Fierce huge cats constructed for battle.
• Bear
  • Shaggy forest brutes of immense power.

Mounts range in pace and HP relying on a Saddle loot merchandise that you could find across the map. They are often destroyed by the enemy, at which level they disappear and go on a cooldown.

Maps and bases

At launch, there are 5 maps to play (Dustline, Kingdom, Rivermark, Summit, Vesper Metropolis) and six base layouts (Bellringer, Frosthold, Hellmouth, King’s Lair, Smuggler’s Den, Wellspring) to select from. The bottom layouts are mini POIs in themselves, and groups vote for which one to decide on for his or her crew at the start of every match.

Base layouts are distinctive, providing totally different varieties of canopy and terrain relying on the way you wish to play it or what works finest to your crew’s composition. The 2 bases chosen by the groups are then actively positioned into regardless of the match’s map is, together with the already-existing POIs, so the variety of combos and prospects between the maps and bases is quite a bit.

Stay service content material

Highguard is a live-service sport with new Episodes (seasons) on account of drop each two months. A yr of content material is already deliberate, together with extra maps, bases, modes, Wardens, weapons, mounts, raid instruments, and loot gadgets within the pipeline. All extra playable content material will likely be free.

Paid content material is only beauty, together with Warchests (season passes) priced at round $9. Different gadgets will likely be discovered within the retailer, and Wildlight says that nothing is priced at increased than $20 at launch. The first Warchest at launch is completely free for all gamers. Warchests by no means expire and may be bought completely, that means FOMO will likely be out of the query with regards to amassing cosmetics. Extra cosmetics can be earned at no cost by taking part in the sport and incomes free foreign money, or by finishing in-game quests.

Highguard’s first post-launch replace comes two weeks after launch and can embrace a brand new Warden, a brand new map, and ranked mode. After that, each month could have a brand new content material drop and replace, and new Episodes will launch each two months.

Accessible at launch

Right here’s a fast rundown of all the pieces obtainable at launch:

• 5 maps
• 6 distinctive bases (totally different layouts and vulnerabilities)
• 8 Wardens
• 3 mount varieties
• 10 weapons
• 3 raid instruments
• 11 weapon or raid device mods (3 energy tiers)
• 10 extra lootable gadgets (armor, amulets, saddles, extra)

Highguard is free-to-play and obtainable now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Collection X|S.