After its initial reveal in the course of the 2025 Game Awards, Highguard finally launched at the tip of January. The free-to-play raid shooter has quite just a few systems so that you can discover, and while the sport may appear easy at first, it hides layers and layers of complexity while you begin to spend some hours on it.
Its tutorial is pretty useful for learning the essential concepts and actions, but since you will not have an actual raid until you begin twiddling with other players, you would possibly feel lost in your first matches. That is why we now have gathered quite just a few useful suggestions for beginners in Highguard on this guide.
Which Character To Pick-Up
You can see eight characters on the launch of Highguard. While they belong to different archetypes — Assault, Defense, Recon, Support — you will find that most of them will be played each offensively and defensively without much trouble. You simply have to have the suitable equipment, after all.
The thing is, all of them have different abilities, yes, but how often you shall be using them during your first matches won’t vary rather a lot. You will probably be mostly specializing in your weapons, and skills will change into secondary. Just select whoever looks cool for you. But when you need a fast tip, start with someone like Slade, who has pretty easy abilities
All the time Select The Beneficial Base
For those who start twiddling with a team stuffed with newcomers, it’s best to at all times select the advisable base at first of the match. That is pre-selected based on what’s your squad composition (archetypes and skills).
There is no other method to study all of the bases than by playing matches, so you’ll need to place within the time. Nonetheless, remember to check their information and layout as you might be about to start out a brand new game — you’ll study their different parts, distribution, and more, letting you make more informed decisions once you realize more about Highguard and its characters.
What To Re-Inforce In Your Constructing
The primary phase of a match asks you to arrange your base and choose your loadout. In terms of the previous, you will have five pieces of apparatus that permit you reinforce a wall each (fifteen in total, counting those out of your teammates).
There are various possibilities of what to do with them, but when playing your first matches, don’t sweat it — reinforce the five closest partitions to every objective (you can too reinforce two partitions of the identical column). This may do the job and stop your enemies for a moment while they’re raiding your base.
To Farm Crystals Or To Look For Chests?
Highguard features two ways of acquiring loot to your character: farming Crystals and spending them on the Trader to purchase weapons and items, or finding said weapons and items in chests with random rewards within the map.
Each actions require time, and while some areas have crystals next to chests, it’s best to determine where you’ll focus most of your time and what your plan is to enhance your gear. So, which one is best?
The reply is that there isn’t any clear answer. Based on my experience, I might say it is usually useful to destroy every crystal you’ll be able to in the course of the initial Gear Up phase for a single reason: each teams won’t have the opportunity to seek out very rare weapons initially of the match, so the difference you’ll be able to make with the weapons you discover on chests may not be that big, depending in your skills.
So, it’s higher to save lots of all of the currency you’ll be able to, spend some on armor and one weapon of your selection, after which concentrate on chests.
The mini-game to interrupt crystals together with your axe at all times has the identical timing, so take just a few matches to get used to it and perform it flawlessly every time. Once you break one crystal without mistakes, you get to destroy the subsequent one with just one blow.
When To Use Your Mount
One in every of the unique features that Highguard has is the flexibility to summon and use a mount almost anytime that you just want. This will be used for multiple purposes, but we recommend to start out using it for 2 things: reaching places faster and escaping.
In the course of the loot phase, you’ll want to use your loyal animal to search for chests and crystals as fast as possible. You must use it freely each time here. Then, when it is time to grab the Shieldbreaker, it’s best to also summon your mount once you will have the sword and are able to roll.
After all, you would possibly change into a better goal while in your mount, however it’s still higher to be on it to achieve your location faster.
When it is time to pursue an enemy or simply to fight typically… I would not really recommend it. Having duels while mounted on a bear is sick and works higher than expected, but you are at all times at an obstacle.
Your beast doesn’t have a variety of health (unless you get the required item at a high level), is just too big to miss shots, and when it’s knocked down, you’ll need just a few seconds where you are immobile but vulnerable.
If an enemy has grabbed the Shieldbreaker and you should pursue them, unless you will have any advantage in the sector, I suggest letting them go. Use your free teleport to the bottom, after which wait outside of it, hiding in a spot where your enemies may not see you. It can work out higher than the opposite plan.
Keep An Eye On The Supply Drop
In case your team or the enemy group survives a raid, Supply Drops will begin to look on the map, one per loot phase. You will see its icon marked on the map, and you’ll have a timer to know when it would reach the bottom.
While its zone might get troublesome because your rival team might want the identical thing as you, the pack’s content is generally well worth the trouble. Aside from multiple armor pieces, you could find the Big Rig, which is probably going the very best weapon in the sport. It’s heavy, but its stability, amount of bullets, and damage make it a no brainer. You will win many fights with this.
Please note that it is a one-time special weapon, and you will not respawn with it when you die.
Bait With Your Bombs
When you’re inside your enemy’s base, it is time to arrange the bombs. But must you go to generator A, B, or the massive anchor without delay?
One standard strategy is to have the three members of the squad go to the identical point (whichever you want), plant the bomb, and protect it either next to the bomb itself or close around. Nonetheless, when you or your teammates have already got some ability together with your guns and/or abilities, it’s best to aim to have two Wardens at one point and the third one at one other spot.
All the time Have At Least One Thumper Charge In Your Inventory
Thumper Charges are explosive items you can purchase on the Trader. You should utilize them to blow the partitions of buildings inside your enemies’ base in just just a few seconds, so it’s something useful to have stocked. Nonetheless, it’s best to at all times save at the very least one for the special loot sites on the map.
In most maps, you will find a brief area where there are multiple crystals and chests behind a reinforced locked door or barrier. This entrance cannot be destroyed by your axe, but do you realize what item can aid you? Yes, a Thumper Charge. One shall be enough to enter the spoot and earn some nice equipment.
You may as well damage this kind of door/entrance with a rocket launcher, however the Thumper Charge is simpler.