Highguard is down but not out, with a new update on the way for the beleaguered multiplayer shooter that will add a new action-focused game mode. The update will also add weapon balance changes, as well as quality-of-life updates and bug fixes.
Highguard’s new mode, Raid Rush, focuses on the base attacking and defending phases, with no “pesky looting phase” in between. The new mode cuts out an element of Highguard’s gameplay that many players have complained is tedious, slowing down the flow of a match. Raid Rush will only be available in 5v5–another mode that Wildlight added post-release in response to player feedback.
In fact, 5v5 appears to be the way forward for Highguard, with regular 3v3 raids being disabled for the duration of the Raid Rush event. For the time being, the only way to play 3v3 will be in Highguard’s ranked mode–which players can unlock with wins in either 5v5 or Raid Rush mode.
The new mode may be too little too late for Highguard, which has struggled to retain players since it launched a month ago. Steam charts show a brief uptick in player numbers after the Season 2 update, but they failed to hold steady, and within a week the Wildlight team was hit with a round of layoffs that reportedly wiped out most of the team.
While many expected Highguard was soon to be shut down when its website went offline, a core team remains on the game to push new updates, and the website has since been restored. Player faith in the game has clearly been shaken, however, with Highguard’s Steam numbers failing to rise above 1000 concurrents at all this week.
Check out the full patch notes for Highguard’s latest update below:
Highguard February 26 Update
New Mode – Raid Rush!
In Raid Rush, 2 teams of 5 players will take turns attacking and defending their bases with no pesky looting phase in between.Instead, select your base and use Trader Flynn to upgrade your weapons and equipment in a round based format. After each round, you’ll switch sides between attacking and defending. Your base walls and generators will be repaired, and you’ll be rewarded some Vesper to spend at the Trader, who will have different offers after every round. And don’t worry about buying armor – everyone has the same armor, and it will escalate in rarity as the rounds progress.This mode plays fast and is the perfect place to get a quick hit of action!Dev Note: 3v3 Raids has been disabled while Raid Rush is active. 5v5 and Ranked 3v3 are still available.
Quality of Life
- Comeback Kill – Grab a kill after going on a death streak of 3 or more and get rewarded 2 Vesper per death, on top of the 3 for the kill. You’re back in the game!
- Reviver Amulet – bonus revive speed reduced from 50% to 15%. Dev Note: We feel like the speed of a Reviver Amulet revive was creating too much safety for mid-combat revives.
- Smuggler’s Den – added more defender respawns
Weapon Balance Updates
- Vanguard – Reducing accuracy and controllability – it’s too dominant across long ranges
- Dynasty – Buffing damage to provide a better tradeoff for the challenging recoil. It now takes one fewer bullet to kill against blue, purple, and gold shields
- Corsair – Reducing the delay before the recoil pattern resets, so that the Corsair can be fired more quickly without sacrificing accuracy
- Longhorn – Increased fire rate to make the Longhorn more versatile, making it more viable at medium and close ranges.
- Longhorn (Repeater) – Hipfire accuracy buffed to satisfy the end game power spike feeling
- Viper – Reducing controllability when using the 2x Optic in order to balance out its long range power
Bug Fixes
- Fixed some wall geo you could walk through at Belltower in Kingdom
- Fixed Firing Range Base Select being too short
