How Highguard works and how to play it

Ahead of Highguard's launch, esports.gg had the chance to play the game. During this playtest, we learned how Highguard works and what players can expect in terms of the core gameplay loop. Read on for our quick beginner's guide on how to play Highguard.

Highguard is a player-versus-player (PvP) raid shooter where you ride, fight, and raid as characters called "wardens." Each team's goal is to protect and upgrade their base while exploring the map for resources and upgrades. Teams must duke it out for control over territory as well. Highguard involves carrying a sword called the "Shieldbreaker" to enemy bases, too. Doing so destroys shields and launches raids. You can think of it as reverse capture the flag.

The fights in Highguard involve combining guns, raid tools, and abilities. Mounts also let players travel faster, fight while on the move, and transport the Shieldbreaker.

Additionally, according to the developers, while there's magic involved in each match, Highguard is a gun game at its core.

In terms of how to play Highguard, teams of three first jump into a match, pick a base, and begin to fortify their defenses. Players then ride out into the world to collect loot, gather resources, and upgrade their gear. When magical storms hit, every team fights over the aforementioned Shieldbreaker. The team that manages to carry the Shieldbreaker to an enemy base triggers a full raid.

If the base survives, its shields come back up, the raid ends, and the fight ramps up. This means loot and gear get better. A new Shieldbreaker also spawns elsewhere. The battle keeps going until only one base is left standing.

At launch, Highguard has five maps, six unique bases, three mount types, 10 weapons, three raid tools, 11 weapon or raid tool mods, and 10 additional lootable items like armor, amulets, and saddles.

That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more Highguard news and updates.