Highguard Is Out Now – and We’ve Performed a Lot of It

A number of video games supply intense, aggressive, squad-based motion, however I can’t consider any in addition to Highguard the place I can sling spells and bullets from the again of an impressive, galloping bear as I cost in to destroy an enemy fortress.

Highguard turned numerous heads with its flashy reveal on the finish of the Recreation Awards final month, however many have been left desirous to know extra about this mysterious debut from Wildlight Leisure, a brand new studio of Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Name of Responsibility veterans. The builders are first to confess that the intervening month has been quiet, however are assured that the sport they’ve toiled over in secret for 4 years will communicate for itself on launch at present.

I spent an entire day enjoying the sport and interviewing its lead builders and studio founders final week, and I’m right here to let you know precisely what we’re all about to play with Highguard.

Able to Raid

As a “PvP raid shooter,” Highguard is constructed round a brand new and attention-grabbing gameplay loop during which two groups of three gamers fortify bases, experience out on mounts to assemble sources and achieve energy, and provoke a sequence of raids to try to destroy the opposing group’s base first. It’s a bit bit MOBA, a bit bit survival shooter, and a bit bit Seize the Flag, amongst different influences.

Recreation Director and studio Co-Founder Chad Grenier tells me that the mode’s genesis got here from group members having fun with the fun of raiding an enemy base in multiplayer survival traditional Rust, and desirous to distill that right into a refined, aggressive, repeatable expertise. “Each match is about escalation: fortifying, venturing out, clashing, then mounting coordinated raids and defenses till just one base is left standing.”

Every spherical begins with a minute locked in your base to selectively fortify partitions, earlier than being minimize free to seek out higher gear and harvest crystals that may be turned in at retailers everywhere in the map to additionally change and improve your equipment. The maps are vast open, and I very not often bumped into members of the opposite group till after a number of minutes right into a match, when a storm would kind over one in all a number of predetermined areas, the place the Shieldbreaker quickly materialized. This magical sword is your key to victory—groups battle to seize it first and run it to the enemy base (“like reverse Seize the Flag,” in response to Grenier) and insert it into one in all a number of slots round their magical perimeter defend, initiating a raid.

A siege tower instantly materializes from a portal, which cracks a phase of the bottom’s defend for the invaders to enter, additionally serving as their ahead base for respawns in the course of the raid. The invading group’s goal is then to breach the bottom (which is stuffed with breakable partitions), plant bombs on one in all three key spots, and defend them till they go off. Two of the factors will do substantial harm to the bottom’s life complete, whereas efficiently destroying the principle, centrally fortified level will take it out fully. The match ends when just one base stays standing.

If each bases are nonetheless there when the raid ends, the match resets and one other Shieldbreaker begins to kind, however with new and improved gear discovered scattered across the map and in retailers. Every of those phases is on a good timer, on which respawns for each groups might be capped till the following section begins, which retains issues transferring. My matches ran anyplace from 10 to half-hour, with a few of the longer ones being fairly dramatically swingy.

The tempo variation between the phases and escalating energy over the course of the match gave it a definite and nice rhythmic cycle of rising anticipation in preparation main into tense raids with greater and better stakes. Lead Designer Mohammad Alavi says that this was intentionally tuned to make it enjoyably sustainable, the place the identical variety of hours of nonstop PvP deathmatch could be extra exhausting for many gamers.

Want for Steed

Most of Wildlight’s inventive management and design group labored on Apex Legends, and it exhibits in how buttery clean the motion feels.

There are 10 weapons obtainable at launch, all of which is able to really feel acquainted to a seasoned FPS participant. With slots for 2 at a time, I tended to make use of the Ranger sniper rifle and Paladin automated shotgun to cowl long- and close-range engagements, as matches would inevitably embody each. You even have one in all three raid instruments (a rocket launcher, an explosive sledgehammer, or a zipline gun), which offer limited-use tactical utility or base destruction. All the things seems to be and sounds nearly as good as you’d anticipate from so many style veterans, and the distinction in method between each bit of the arsenal is straight away noticeable.

Respawn video games are additionally well-known for his or her motion tech, and Highguard carries that legacy confidently. Along with the anticipated working, leaping, sliding, and mantling, the large new mobility addition is mounts, which you’ll summon and dismiss at will in most components of the map. There have been horses, bears, panthers, and gryphons obtainable to select from, although the variations are beauty. I rode a big, brown bear clad in bone armor, and I cherished my chonky, stunning son.

Mounts are a necessity for protecting the maps’ large distances effectively, and likewise lend themselves to enjoyable gameplay moments that I’ve by no means skilled in a shooter earlier than, like having the ability to mount up and dramatically gallop off to go the enemy off on the go as I see the Shieldbreaker icon on the minimap transferring up in the direction of our base.

Decisions, Decisions

Including to the sense of flexibility and selection, gamers additionally select to play as one in all eight Wardens obtainable at launch, with extra coming later. They’re distinctive characters, restricted to at least one per group, every with a passive means, a tactical means on cooldown, and an final that slowly prices up. The 2 I ended up spending probably the most time with each had highly effective space denial talents.

Atticus is a proud, armored warrior that throws lightning spears as his tactical means, which spark harm to close by enemies like a Tesla coil till destroyed. When protecting an imminently forming Shieldbreaker or a ticking-down bomb, I appreciated throwing these in corners or above doorways at strategic choke factors, peppering the enemy group with further harm as they tried to return in.

Una, alternatively, is a masked shaman who summons lovely little nature spirit buddies (not not like like Zelda’s Koroks), which throw gorgeous grenades to pester passing enemies in addition to sometimes popping as much as give her loot. Her final summons an enormous tree spirit that may actually lock down an essential spot in a vital second. Each characters jogged my memory of how a lot I get pleasure from enjoying as Symmetra and Torbjörn in Overwatch, discovering the trickiest and most obnoxious spots attainable to stay their turrets. Kai was maybe the character I noticed probably the most in my matches, a monk fused with a frost demon that summons an enormous wall of ice as his tactical means, which proved clutch repeatedly for controlling house.

The bases themselves are additionally a type of character selection, as gamers on every group will vote for one the six complete within the sport at launch, which is able to then slot into any of the maps. The bases have distinct benefits and vulnerabilities that work together with the Wardens’ talents in all types of attention-grabbing methods. For example, Hellmouth is a fortress suspended over a lava chasm with slim bridges which might be excellent for shutting down with Kai’s wall.

The Wardens, bases, weapons, and gadgets within the sport at launch already present a enjoyable and big selection of prospects to discover in how they’ll remix to synergize or counter each other, giving numerous dimensions round which the gameplay meta can evolve. Furthermore, Wildlight already has a strong plan in place for infusing the sport with a beneficiant, regular drip of latest content material in all of these areas and extra.

Eyes on the Horizon

Highguard’s reside service additions will come within the type of two-month chapters, divided into two halves. That implies that each single month they intend to launch some mixture of latest Wardens, bases, maps, weapons, raid instruments, and extra. The primary replace, coming in just some weeks, will introduce ranked play, and Grenier tells me they’ve numerous alternate gameplay modes within the works that may cycle out and in – akin to Mario Kart-inspired mounted racing. All gameplay content material might be added totally free, with monetized parts strictly beauty.

That’s an formidable plan, however one for which this group is extraordinarily effectively ready. Wildlight CEO and Co-Founder Dusty Welch tells me that, whereas the Respawn group have been very pleased with the preliminary launch of Apex Legends (which arrived as a complete shock), they hadn’t began to plot out any post-release content material till after it had come out, leaving months of lag time earlier than they might launch something new. Wildlight and Highguard have been conceived with this hard-earned expertise in thoughts to be oriented round live-service manufacturing from the very starting.

“Beginning this firm, Chad [Grenier] and I knew we have now to consider constructing it otherwise,” Welch informed me, “and the folks we rent, the mindset that we have now, the pipelines that we arrange, the instruments, the applied sciences, the exterior partnerships and relationships, in order that we’re considering from day one find out how to efficiently function a reside service and have an ongoing, significant dialog with our participant base, and always be delighting and stunning them with content material. We didn’t try this effectively with Apex at launch, and we’re extraordinarily well-prepared as we sit right here at present.”

That complete yr of latest content material for Highguard is already deep into growth. Each Welch and Alavi gave the identical sly look and non-answer when requested about their favourite Wardens to play, since they’re not within the sport but at launch (Welch confirmed it’s the identical one). The requirements and expectations for live-service video games are greater than ever, however this group contains individuals who have been doing it for a really very long time already, and so they’ve come about as right as any studio I’ve but seen chase this mannequin.

Highguard shocked and impressed me. I’m not nice at quick, aggressive shooters as a baseline, however its vibrant aesthetics and considerate design have completely piqued my curiosity. The marketplace for live-service shooters is crowded, however Highguard has the benefit of providing an attention-grabbing new gameplay mode that doesn’t map onto any of the present genres like battle royale or extraction. This can be Wildlight’s first sport, however that belies a deeply assured and passionate group on the prime of their kind, excited to make the perfect sport they’ll with out the constraints of a serious writer.

You don’t should take my phrase for it: attempt Highguard at present totally free, obtainable on Xbox Collection X|S.

Highguard

Wildlight Leisure, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆
219

★★★★★

An All-New PvP Raid Shooter
Highguard is a PvP raid shooter the place gamers will experience, battle, and raid as Wardens, arcane gunslingers despatched to battle for management of a legendary continent.

Workforce up, safe your base, then experience out throughout huge uncharted lands to loot, harvest sources, and improve your arsenal as you face off in opposition to a rival Warden crew seeking to declare your territory as their very own. Battle for possession of the legendary Shieldbreaker within the open area; battle to hold it to the enemy base to carry down their shields—then raid to destroy their base earlier than they’ll destroy yours.

Assemble Your Crew
Choose from an ever-growing roster of Wardens, and kind up in groups of three. Wardens wield weapons and raid instruments, together with uncommon magical talents leftover from a dwindling age of magic, now returned. Each Warden means is designed so as to add depth to the sport’s distinctive loop and mechanics, like raid fight and destruction; siege stealth and infiltration; base restore and protection; harvesting and loot gathering; open-world fight, and far, far more.

Safe Your Stronghold
Select from an array of distinctive strongholds to name in as your base of operations in massive, open maps. Every base has totally different layouts, benefits, and vulnerabilities. Choose the bottom best-suited on your group composition, play fashion, and map kind. When you’ve known as in a base, take a while to bolster partitions and customise your loadout earlier than heading out into the sector.

Mount Up, Trip Out
Mount up along with your group and experience throughout the huge legendary landscapes of Highguard looking for loot, sources, and kit to strengthen your arsenal. You will discover upgraded weapons, armor, and different tools, like higher saddles and magical amulets imbued with perks. Be looking out, because the enemy group might be doing the identical. Struggle them off to safe the perfect loot on your group.

Battle For the Shieldbreaker
Unusual magical storms periodically ravage the continent of Highguard. Everytime one seems, an historic magical sword, known as the Shieldbreaker, types at its coronary heart. This sword is the essential key for breaking by way of the outer shields of the enemy base so as to raid. When one in all these storms types within the sky, experience along with your group to its location and battle the enemy group for possession of the Shieldbreaker forming beneath it.

Intercept within the Open Subject
Upon getting the Shieldbreaker, battle throughout the open area, on mount or on foot, as you try to hold the sword to the enemy base. However keep vigilant—if the enemy group eliminates you whereas carrying the Shieldbreaker, they’ll decide it up and experience to raid your base as a substitute.

Summon a Siege Tower
When you’ve efficiently reached the enemy base with the Shieldbreaker, plunge the blade into the bottom’s outer superstructure to weaken its shields, then summon in a Siege Tower to complete the job. When these shields go down, it’s time to raid.

The Raid
With the bottom shields gone, you’ll have to push in to destroy the bottom by planting bombs on the bottom’s mills. However so as to get inside a well-fortified base, you’ll want to make use of each weapon, raid software, and arcane means at your disposal to shoot, sneak, or smash your manner inside. As soon as inside, plant bombs and maintain the target whereas defenders attempt to flush you out. Chip away at a base’s power by taking out a number of mills, or go straight for his or her anchor stone to destroy the bottom in a single fell swoop. And in the event you’re defending, shield your mills and repel attackers till the vitality of the Siege Tower is depleted and your outer shields restore.

Struggle For Management
If a number of mills or the anchor stone is destroyed, the enemy base is destroyed and the attackers safe the territory. However more often than not, victory doesn’t include a single raid. When that occurs, the enemy base shields restore, the siege tower dissipates, and the battle escalates as loot, gear, and weapons all improve within the area, and a brand new Shieldbreaker types in a distinct location on this planet.

From there the battle for management continues—till just one base is left standing.

An Ever-Evolving Fantasy Universe
Every new Episode will carry an array of latest core content material each month, together with new maps, bases, modes, wardens, weapons, mounts, raid instruments, loot gadgets, and lots of extra surprises we are able to’t wait to share. And all of this core content material is totally free for all gamers.