الوسم: Highguard

Highguard Team Faces Large-Scale Layoffs, Designer Claims

Just weeks after its launch, Highguard reportedly lost the majority of its staff as it struggled to build a significant playerbase.

Level designer Alex Graner took to LinkedIn to share that he was laid off alongside most of the team at Wildlight Entertainment. He expressed, “This really hurts because I was excited about a lot of unreleased content I and others had designed for Highguard.”

Initially, the free-to-play shooter debuted with a solid peak of 97,000 players on Steam. However, the following day, the player count plummeted, losing around 90% of its audience. Currently, SteamDB shows only about 1,895 players actively playing, with a 24-hour peak of 3,580.

Highguard team faces mass layoffs, designer reports

BREAKING

Wildlight Entertainment, the developer behind Highguard, appears to have laid off most of its staff following the game’s failure to sustain its player base. pic.twitter.com/RLfvCmkF15
— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation), February 11, 2026

Unlike single-player games, a sharp decline in players just weeks after release is a concerning sign for a free-to-play hero shooter reliant on its community for revenue.

Before entering Steam, Highguard received minimal marketing, with the notable exception of Geoff Keighley. Many argue that Keighley’s involvement—giving the game a final slot at the Game Awards—may have done more harm than good.

Keighley was one of the few gaming journalists actively promoting Highguard on X (formerly Twitter), where he also shared memes joking about accepting “everyone’s apologies” once the game launches. However, after the announcement at the Game Awards, the game’s marketing team fell silent, only resuming the sharing of gameplay videos related to weapons, modes, maps, and heroes just a day before release.

A Reddit reviewer criticized, “I blame Geoff for the pile-on this game is experiencing. It’s fun, but I probably won’t keep playing it. That said, since it’s free, I might get a few more hours out of it.”

Many players have expressed fatigue with the hero shooter genre, noting they’re reluctant to give Highguard a chance given the market’s saturation.

— Culture Crave 🍿, February 11, 2026

فبراير 12, 2026
Beginner Tips: Completing & Solving in Highguard

After it was first shown during the 2025 Game Awards, Highguard finally came out at the end of January. This free-to-play raid shooter has many systems for players to learn. At first glance, the game might seem simple, but it quickly reveals multiple layers of complexity once you play for a few hours.

The tutorial does a good job of teaching the basics, but since there are no real raids until you team up with others, your first matches might feel confusing. That’s why we’ve put together some helpful tips for beginners in Highguard.

Which Character to Choose

There are eight characters available when you start playing Highguard. They belong to different archetypes—Assault, Defense, Recon, and Support—and most can be played either offensively or defensively with the right gear. While they each have unique abilities, early on, you’ll probably rely more on your weapons, and abilities will take a backseat. Pick the character that looks coolest to you. If you want a quick start, go with someone like Slade, who has straightforward abilities.

Always Pick the Recommended Base

At the beginning of each game, if you’re playing with new teammates, always select the recommended base. This selection is based on your team’s overall composition, including archetypes and abilities. Playing enough matches will help you understand all the bases, but be sure to check out their layout and details before starting a new game. This knowledge will help you make better choices as you learn more about Highguard and its characters.

What to Reinforce in Your Base

In the first phase of a match, you set up your base and choose your loadout. You have five pieces of equipment that can reinforce walls—there are fifteen total, including those from your teammates. For beginners, it’s best to reinforce the five walls closest to each objective. You can also reinforce two walls in the same column. This simple approach will delay enemies and give your team more time to respond.

Farm Crystals or Search for Chests?

To get loot, you can either farm Crystals or search for weapons and items in the map’s chests. Both take time. Some areas have crystals near chests, but you should decide which strategy to focus on. From experience, it’s smart to break all crystals during the initial gear-up phase—doing so prevents your opponents from getting rare weapons early, which can be crucial. Then, save up your currency, buy some armor and a weapon, and focus on opening chests to improve your gear.

When to Use Your Mount

Highguard lets you summon a mount almost anytime. Use it primarily for two reasons: to reach locations quickly and to escape danger. During loot phases, your mount is great for quickly searching for chests and crystals. When you’re ready to grab the Shieldbreaker, summon it once you have the sword. Keep in mind, using the mount makes you more vulnerable; it’s easier for enemies to target you, and if your mount gets downed, you’ll be stuck for a few seconds. When chasing opponents or fighting, it’s better to dismount, as your mount’s size and health make you an easy target, and you’ll be at a disadvantage in combat.

Watch Out for the Supply Drop

After a raid ends with survivors, a Supply Drop will appear on the map, marked by an icon. It will drop on the ground after a set timer. Although fighting over the drop can be risky because enemies will want it too, the rewards are worth it. These drops often contain multiple armor pieces and sometimes the Big Rig—a powerful, heavy weapon with high stability, ammo, and damage. It’s one of the best weapons in the game, but note that it’s a one-time item; you don’t respawn with it if you die.

Bait with Your Bombs

When infiltrating an enemy base, placing bombs is key. Decide whether to attack generator A, B, or the main anchor. Often, a good tactic is to send three teammates to the same spot to plant and protect the bomb. However, if your team members are skilled with weapons or abilities, splitting up—two to one location and one to another—can be more effective. Remember, placing and detonating bombs strategically can turn the tide of a match.

Always Keep a Thumper Charge

Thumper Charges are explosive items available at the Trader. Use them to blow open walls inside enemy bases quickly. Always keep at least one in your inventory for special loot sites, where crystals and chests are behind reinforced doors or barriers that cannot be destroyed with an axe. These doors can be broken using a Thumper Charge or a rocket launcher, but the charge is more efficient and easier to use.

Using Your Mount Effectively

Use your mount mainly to get from place to place fast or to escape dangerous situations. During the loot phase, it’s best to use your mount to quickly gather items. When pursuing enemies, be cautious—fighting on the mount puts you at a disadvantage. The mount’s size makes you an easy target and it’s fragile if you’re not careful. If an enemy has the Shieldbreaker and you want to chase them, it’s often smarter to teleport back to your base, hide, and wait for a better opportunity rather than risking a direct chase on the mount.

يناير 29, 2026
How To Play As Slade in Highguard: Completing and Solving Tips

Tell us which Warden you prefer, and we’ll tell you what your future might look like in Highguard. There are a few character types, each focusing on different areas like recon, defense, or aggressive combat in battles and raids.

Our blonde fire-punch fighter, Slade, belongs to the offensive group. He’s great for one-on-one duels and can provide big help during raids thanks to his ultimate ability. Here’s everything you need to know about playing as Slade, including his abilities and some helpful tips.

Slade’s Abilities Overview

Slade is an Attack Warden, like Atticus. His main focus is on sustained damage and offense. Below are details on his abilities.

Heatwave (Tactical Power)

This is the ability you’ll use most often. Heatwave allows you to throw a wave of fire that passes through walls and objects, covering a long distance. To use it, aim a straight line at the ground. When activated, fire moves in that direction, ignoring obstacles. Enemies standing on the line take damage. You can also use it to block line of sight because you can’t see through the wave.

Firebomb (Passive Power)

Instead of a regular grenade, Slade has a Firebomb. It works much like a grenade—detonating to spread magma around the explosion site. Enemies that come into contact with the magma will take continuous damage over time.

Firestorm (Ultimate Power)

For his most powerful move, Slade marks a large area on the ground. Projectiles will then fall into that area, attacking enemies and damaging structures. An orange circle indicates the affected zone, which you can move around. Be careful—while you’re repositioning the mark, you won’t be able to attack, and you’ll be vulnerable.

Tips for Playing as Slade

Playing Slade means going all-in. Use Heatwave to handle any fight. If enemies are taking cover, shoot through it with Heatwave to force them out. If enemies are approaching but not yet firing, use the ability to disrupt their visibility and gain control of the situation. Mastering this move quickly will help you win duels or force enemies to retreat from their safe spots.

His ultimate isn’t usually for taking down enemies directly—it’s more effective for raids. Deploy Firestorm inside enemy bases or near critical structures like generators to destroy them faster. You can also use it as a decoy, making opponents think you’re attacking one point when you’re actually going somewhere else.

Use Firebomb anywhere suitable, but especially inside buildings where it’s especially effective—near bombs or generators—since it can kill anyone trying to arm or disarm them.

يناير 28, 2026
How to Play Atticus in Highguard: A Guide to Completing and Solving

Highguard involves two teams of three players competing in a mix of tower defense and fast-paced PvP action. With eight heroes available at launch, each with unique skills, every match feels different.

Raid Mode puts you directly into combat, where you choose a Warden and learn their abilities to take down the Shieldbreaker and infiltrate enemy towers. Atticus, one of these Wardens, focuses on dealing damage. He uses lightning-based powers to create advantages for your team. Here’s how to play as Atticus effectively.

Atticus’s Abilities Overview

Atticus is a damage dealer, or DPS, hero. He excels at setting up with his Shockspears for both attack and defense and can unleash a rain of lightning with his ultimate move. Below are his main skills.

Shockspear (Tactical Power)

Atticus throws a charged spear that sticks to the ground where it lands. The spear damages enemies nearby over time by shocking them and also charges his passive ability. He can hold and aim to control where the spear lands more precisely.

You can throw up to three Shockspears at once. After placing all three, they will have a 60-second cooldown before you can deploy them again. You can pick them back up and reposition them before they activate.

Supercharged Axe (Passive Power)

This passive ability creates a shockwave destroying nearby resource nodes, which grants you Vesper—used for buying upgrades and items. If you successfully complete a quick-time event (QTE) while breaking a resource node, this power activates automatically without needing to charge the axe with Shockspears. The next resource node you hit will explode automatically once the power is ready, without additional input.

Powerstorm (Ultimate Power)

Atticus rises into the air and rains down lightning-filled spears onto enemies and structures. When activated, he gains five charges of supercharged lightning spears. Using them causes massive damage. Be aware that during Powerstorm, movement is limited—you’re mostly confined to the area you fought in, so choose the timing carefully to avoid getting killed while airborne.

Tips for Playing as Atticus

His Shockspears are useful for offense and defense. Before your Shieldbreaker is ready, place Spear traps around it to surprise enemies during ambushes. When these traps are seen by opponents, they can tip off the enemy that you’re nearby. These Spears can also be used as distractions; if uncovered, they help you retreat swiftly.

Using your Spear traps in tight corridors or narrow maps can block routes, forcing enemies into difficult positions, setting up ambushes or inflicting damage as they pass through. Hiding and strategically placing Shockspears can be particularly effective in maps with confined spaces or choke points, especially when defending your base or infiltrating an enemy’s.

Creating barriers with them can trap enemies or protect you while sabotaging their generator to explode their base. Throwing a line of Shockspears into a room before entering can electrify the entire space, giving you an advantage during aggressive pushes. Remember, once placed, you can recollect Spear traps for reuse, so don’t hesitate to use them freely rather than holding onto them all match.

Using Ultimate Power Wisely

Powerstorm is a potent attack but has limitations. Since your movement is restricted during it, avoid activating it inside tight or enclosed areas like your base—this makes you an easy target. Instead, use it to destroy walls, open paths, or pick off enemies from a safe space. Proper timing and positioning are key; ensure enemies cannot outmaneuver you while you’re airborne.

Additional Advice

Always aim to gather Vesper efficiently by destroying resource nodes, which your passive power helps with. Keep practicing your Spear deployment and timing your Powerstorm for maximum impact. Proper use of these skills will provide many opportunities to turn the tide in your favor and support your team’s strategy.

يناير 28, 2026

How to Change Your Mount in Highguard by Completing & Solving

While playing Highguard, you’ll quickly become very familiar with your mount because you’ll use it frequently. The maps in the game are vast, so you’ll need a mount to help you cross large distances, chase down or escape from enemies, and reach key items like the Shieldbreaker before the opposing team does.

There are several ways to upgrade your mount, but at the start, you choose from a few basic options designed to help you navigate each map. So, what mounts are available, how do they function, and when can you get new ones? Here’s what you need to know about mounts in Highguard.

How to Change Your Mount

Before a match begins, you can select which mount you want to ride. To do this, go to the Collection menu and select the Mount submenu. From there, you can choose the Bear, Panther, or Horse. Select your preferred mount and press the Equip button. Once equipped, a checkmark will appear next to your choice. When the game starts and you summon your mount, it will be the one you’ve selected.

How to Use Mounts

Once inside a game, you’ll start by fortifying your base and customizing your gear. After that, you’ll have a few minutes of preparation before the Shieldbreaker becomes accessible.

During this prep time, you should mount up. To do so, double tap the mount button, and your chosen mount will appear beneath you. You can command your mount to run by using the run command. If you wish to dismiss your mount, press the dismiss button located in the lower right corner of the screen.

Your mount has a health bar and a cooldown timer. The icon in the bottom right shows how to summon your mount, dismiss it, and also displays its current health status. If your mount gets destroyed, a cooldown timer will appear over the icon, indicating how long you’ll need to wait before being able to summon a new one.

Upgrading Mounts with Saddles

During gameplay, you’ll find Saddles that enhance your mount’s abilities. Saddles increase both health and speed, and higher rarity Saddles provide better performance. However, higher-tier Saddles cost more and are harder to obtain. You can find Saddles in chests scattered across the map, trade for them using resources you gather from resource nodes, or purchase them from the loadout menu after respawning following a death.

All Mounts and How to Unlock Them

The game starts you off with three basic mounts: the Horse, Panther, and Bear. You can unlock additional mounts such as the Eldergryph by purchasing them with Highguard Gold, which is only obtainable through real-money transactions.

All Horse Skins and How to Get Them

The initial mounts include the default Horse, Panther, and Bear skins, available immediately. Additional skins can be unlocked or purchased:

Skin	Rarity	How to Unlock
Default	Basic	Available at game start.
Blood Mare	Legendary	Purchase through the Red Regin Bundle.
Bluebelle	Legendary	Buy in the Nightshade Bundle.
Stormchaser	Legendary	Available in the Lightkeeper Bundle.
Smokeshow	Legendary	Available in the Red Dragon Bundle.

All Panther Skins and How to Unlock Them

The core Panther skin is the default, unlocked at the start:

Skin	Rarity	How to Unlock
Default	Basic	At game start.
Highland Tiger	Legendary	Twitch Drop: Watch a qualified stream for 2 hours.
Snowclaw	Legendary	In the Cold Embrace Bundle.
Blood Brother	Legendary	In the Beastlord Bundle.
Grimalkin	Legendary	Last Rite Bundle.

All Bear Skins and How to Unlock Them

The initial Bear skin is available from the start:

Skin	Rarity	How to Unlock
Default	Basic	At game start.
Honeyduke	Legendary	Purchase the First Sight Bundle.
Ursus Maximus	Legendary	Buy the Pit Fighters Bundle.
Blood Moss	Legendary	Part of the Wildguard Bundle.

All Eldergryph Skins and How to Unlock Them

The Eldergryph is a special mount available for purchase with Highguard Gold, which requires real money:

Skin	Rarity	How to Unlock
Battle Shrike	Exotic	Purchase the Eldergryph Bundle.
Brownback	Exotic	Purchase the Eldergryph Bundle.
Bluefeather	Exotic	Purchase the Eldergryph Bundle.
Redtail	Exotic	Purchase the Eldergryph Bundle.

This overview covers the available mounts, how to select and use them, upgrade options, and how to unlock special skins and mounts in Highguard.

يناير 28, 2026

How to Play Mara in Highguard: Completing and Solving Strategies

Highguard is a player-versus-player raid shooter game where you choose a character, called a Warden, to attack enemies’ bases. The game features different character types, and the Support Warden’s role is to assist teammates, keep them protected, and help improve their chances of winning kills.

If you want to play as a Support, Mara is a great choice. Her focus is on providing armor to herself and others, and she can help with respawns. Let’s look at her abilities and some tips to make the most of her skills.

Mara’s Abilities Overview

Soul Armor (Tactical Power)

Mara can deploy orbs that grant extra armor to herself or nearby teammates. To use armor on herself, hold the Tactical Power button and press fire; the orb will activate and give her additional protection. To help teammates, throw the orb close to them as a grenade, and it will attach and boost their armor even if it doesn’t hit directly. You don’t need to aim directly at your teammate; as long as the grenade lands nearby, it will attach and provide armor.

You can carry up to three Soul Orbs at the same time. When you or a teammate has an orb equipped, a small purple armor glow appears above them, or their armor indicator on the bottom left of the screen will be highlighted with pink.

Sacrifice (Passive Power)

This ability allows Mara to sacrifice enemy cores to charge her Ultimate Power faster. To use it, aim at a fallen enemy’s core and hold the revive button when prompted. Instead of reviving the enemy, Mara will consume that core and gain energy towards her ultimate ability. Keep in mind, you must be close enough to the core, similar to reviving an ally, and be prepared to be vulnerable during this action.

Sacrifice also prevents allied enemies from reviving their teammates, making it a useful tool to weaken enemy teams during fights.

Immortal Coil (Ultimate Power)

Mara’s ultimate lets her create a spawn point for herself and her allies. When activated, a purple spawn point appears during the respawn menu, and you and your teammates can choose to respawn there. This spawn point stays active until destroyed by enemies, who can interact with and blow it up if they notice it.

Tips for Playing Mara

While Mara is a support, she can also play more offensively depending on your team and weapon choices. Since her Soul Armor can be used on herself, she gains an advantage when pushing into tough situations, like disarming a bomb or going for a critical objective.

You can carry up to three Soul Orbs, meaning you and each teammate can benefit from armor boosts. It’s strategic to throw these orbs to teammates from a safe distance during fights or bomb defuses, giving them added protection and firepower.

Effective use of Sacrifice requires good communication. Tell your teammates to leave enemy cores for you if you plan to activate it, especially for those unfamiliar with Mara’s skills. Other Wardens can destroy cores to prevent revivals, but Mara benefits from sacrificing cores herself, which gives her an extra edge.

Finding the best locations to place your Ultimate spawn point takes practice. Try to set it near key objectives or escape routes, especially when attacking, so teammates can respawn close to the action. Avoid obvious spots like inside the same room as enemies, as this can give away your positions and allow opponents to destroy your spawn point.

A clever way to use Immortal Coil is as bait. Enemies may try to destroy the spawn point once they see it. If you position yourself in an unexpected place and keep watch, you can take out enemies trying to attack your spawn point or disrupt your team’s respawns.

يناير 28, 2026
Is Highguard Doomed? New Hero Shooter Gets Negative Reviews

Digital Phablet – Highguard, a new hero shooter game created by former developers of Apex Legends and Titanfall, is now available as a free-to-play option on Steam.

Even with minimal marketing efforts, Highguard managed to attract nearly 100,000 players at its peak on Steam, with some users experiencing login queues.

Prior to its release, the game faced criticism after securing the final spot at Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards, despite competing in a crowded market of free-to-play hero shooters.

Is Highguard doomed from the start? Negative reviews flood Steam

A fresh look at Highguard, a PvP raid shooter from the creators of Titanfall and Apex Legends

Now available for free on Steam, XBOX, and PlayStation pic.twitter.com/jN7bB4bgzO

— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) January 26, 2026

Geoff Keighley, who hosts the Game Awards, faced criticism from gamers for heavily promoting Highguard on X (formerly Twitter) and awarding it the closing slot during the ceremony.

A Steam user commented, “I blame Geoff for the pile-on this game is getting. It’s fun. Will I keep playing it? Probably not, but I might enjoy a few more hours. And it’s free.”

Following its announcement at the Game Awards, the game’s marketing team remained quiet, only recently starting to upload gameplay videos showcasing weapons, modes, maps, and the heroes players can choose from.

As of now, Highguard has approximately 10,000 active players, representing a significant decline from its peak, according to SteamDB.

The game currently holds a “Mostly Negative” rating on Steam, a marked improvement from the “Overwhelmingly Negative” reviews it received at launch.

A Steam user expressed disappointment, saying, “I mostly just feel bad for the developers. The game wasn’t prepared for this level of scrutiny. Everything looks blurry and unclear. The map is as big as Latvia, but with only three players, most of your time is spent running around trying to find someone to kill.”

يناير 27, 2026
How to Completing and Solving Twitch Drops in Highguard
Highguard is now available, along with a Twitch drop event running until Monday, February 9th at 7:59 AM GMT. Highguard is a free hero shooter made by Wildlight Entertainment, a studio staffed by former developers from Apex Legends and Titanfall.

Although the game didn’t have a big marketing campaign, it has recently received a lot of attention through sponsorships with popular FPS streamers. Since the game is free, these Twitch drops are a good chance to get some early in-game cosmetics without paying. This guide explains how to link your Twitch and Highguard accounts and how to claim your rewards in the game.

How To Get The Highguard Twitch Drops

Highguard Twitch drops are available for two weeks. To earn them, you need to watch streams on Twitch where drops are enabled. These streams include top creators like Shroud and Myth. Keep an eye on the stream titles to check if drops are active.
- Connect your Twitch account to Highguard by visiting the Twitch drops page and selecting the “Connect” button.
Once connected, just watch specific Twitch streams for a set number of hours. Your rewards will appear in your in-game collection once you’ve watched enough.
- After linking your accounts, simply watching the streams for the required hours will unlock your rewards in the game’s collection.
What Are The Twitch Drops?

There are two rewards currently available:
- Sky Voyager Banner: Unlocks after watching one hour of streams.
- Highland Tiger Mount: Unlocks after watching two hours.
Both items are cosmetic. They don’t affect gameplay but add visual flair. They are available alongside the first War Chest, which is being distributed for free as part of the game’s battle pass system.

There are various other in-game cosmetic options, including mounts and banner skins. Some of these are unlocked through gameplay, while most can be purchased with real money.
يناير 27, 2026

الوسم: Highguard

Highguard team faces mass layoffs, designer reports