After debuting at The Game Awards 2025 and receding into silence, Highguard is finally here, and we’ve got all the details on what it is and how it’s new and fun.
Highguard is a free-to-play hero shooter, but its core gameplay loop is unique. It combines elements from different genres, and the developers say that it’s “inspired by Rust, Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends, and MOBAs” to create something innovative and fresh.
Here’s everything there is to know about Highguard and how to play its main mode, Raid Mode.
Table of contents
How to play Highguard
Highguard is a free-to-play hero shooter available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It’s the debut title from Wildlight Entertainment, a new studio comprised of many developers of who have worked on games like Apex Legends, Titanfall and Titanfall 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), and more.
The game is called a “PvP raid shooter” because the developers said that no other existing genre type accurately explained what it is.
Raid Mode
The main game 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 objective
- Using the objective to raid and destroy your enemy base
In Raid Mode, players begin the match by choosing their starting weapons and a unique base layout. That base layout can then be fortified by strengthening walls within the base around key generators that must be defended.
Each base has 100 HP, and the team who destroys their enemy’s base will win the match. Base HP is depleted by raiding the enemy base and destroying the generators within, so base fortification is important.
Once the fortification phase ends, players can then hop on an animal mount to enter the large map and scour for loot: better weapons, shields, ammo, wall fortifications, wall rebuilds, amulets that give powerful passive abilities, and more. There is also a merchant who appears around the map who takes Vesper (glowing teal rocks that can be mined using an axe) as currency to trade up for better quality items.
Weapons, shields, and other items operate on a tiered, colored rarity system: white, blue, purple, gold, and care package-exclusive red. As a match goes on, gear quality found on the map increases.
Once you’re all looted up, then it’s time to fight for the Shieldbreaker, a magic sword that’s used to enter the enemy base. Teams fight over it in open fields or close-quarters buildings, and the objective is to use it as a key to begin the raid phase of the match, where a massive siege tower will spawn, break the shields, and allow you to enter the enemy’s base (while dealing 30 damage to the base’s HP bar) and fight them within.
In each base, there’s a main generator and two minor generators. Planting a bomb and destroying a minor generator deals 35 damage, while destroying the main generator will end the match. Attacking teams have limited spawns in the raid phase, and the bombs they plant can be defused. If the defending team is successful, damage will be dealt to the attackers’ base instead.
To get to the generators, attackers must use their Raid Tools and abilities to destroy the walls in the base. This phase feels similar to games like Rust and Rainbow Six Siege, or even Fortnite, where defenses must be toppled to reach your objective while fighting it out with the other team.
When the raid phase ends if there’s still remaining HP on either base, the match cycle will start anew: shields repair, the raid siege ends, and players respawn at their own bases to begin again. Rebuild/fortify your base’s walls, mount up and loot, grab the Shieldbreaker, and attack until only one base stands.
Unique playable characters
Highguard’s characters are called Wardens, and there are eight of them at launch. Each of them has their own unique abilities that can turn the tide of a fight when used properly. More Wardens will come to the game over time as 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
Weapons
In Highguard, players carry two weapons and one Raid Tool that’s used to break walls in the enemy base (or your own, if need be), plus a melee weapon, the axe (can be used to deal damage and throw at enemies, finish off downed foes, and mine resources). There are multiple weapon classes to choose from, but it’s advised to carry one weapon for up-close combat and another for mid-range or long range.
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
- Blast Hammer
- Sledgehammer fitted with explosive cartridges that detonate on impact for extra blunt force destruction.
- Rocket Launcher
- Shoulder-fired bunker buster built to destroy buildings and walls.
- Zipline Gun
- Fires high tensile wire into structures to be used for rapid vertical repositioning or traversal.
Melee
- Axe
- Vesper-forged field axe used for harvesting, teleporting, and self-defense; carried exclusively by Wardens of The Iron Vigil.
Mounts
Players use mounts to ride around in the open area of each map. They are loud and telegraph your position when close to an enemy, but are crucial for navigating the open map and moving between different points of interest.
At launch, there are three kinds of mounts:
- Horse
- Spirited plainsrunners bred for speed and power.
- Panther
- Fierce big cats built for battle.
- Bear
- Shaggy forest brutes of immense strength.
Mounts vary in speed and HP depending on a Saddle loot item that you can find around the map. They can be destroyed by the enemy, at which point they disappear and go on a cooldown.
Maps and bases
At launch, there are five maps to play (Dustline, Kingdom, Rivermark, Summit, Vesper City) and six base layouts (Bellringer, Frosthold, Hellmouth, King’s Lair, Smuggler’s Den, Wellspring) to choose from. The base layouts are mini POIs in themselves, and teams vote for which one to choose for their team at the beginning of each match.
Base layouts are unique, offering different kinds of cover and terrain depending on how you want to play it or what works best for your team’s composition. The two bases chosen by the teams are then actively placed into whatever the match’s map is, along with the already-existing POIs, so the number of combinations and possibilities between the maps and bases is quite a lot.
Live service content
Highguard is a live-service game with new Episodes (seasons) due to drop every two months. A year of content is already planned, including additional maps, bases, modes, Wardens, weapons, mounts, raid tools, and loot items in the pipeline. All additional playable content will be free.
Paid content is purely cosmetic, including Warchests (season passes) priced at around $9. Other items will be found in the store, and Wildlight says that nothing is priced at higher than $20 at launch. The first Warchest at launch is totally free for all players. Warchests never expire and can be purchased permanently, meaning FOMO will be out of the question when it comes to collecting cosmetics. Additional cosmetics can also be earned for free by playing the game and earning free currency, or by completing in-game quests.
Highguard’s first post-launch update comes two weeks after launch and will include a new Warden, a new map, and ranked mode. After that, every month will have a new content drop and update, and new Episodes will launch every two months.
Available at launch
Here’s a quick rundown of everything available at launch:
- 5 maps
- 6 unique bases (different layouts and vulnerabilities)
- 8 Wardens
- 3 mount types
- 10 weapons
- 3 raid tools
- 11 weapon or raid tool mods (3 power tiers)
- 10 additional lootable items (armor, amulets, saddles, more)
Highguard is free-to-play and available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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