Highguard Hands-On Preview

23 hours ago 1

Published Jan 26, 2026, 1:00 PM EST

Laurence is an avid writer, gamer, and traveller with several years of journalistic writing experience under his belt. Having helped create a student-focused magazine at university, he is keen to reach the gaming community with his guides and game reviews.

Whether it's trudging through the world of Elden Ring, or grinding out raids in Old School Runescape, Laurence is always up for a challenge. However, in real life, his current challenge is learning how to speak Spanish and cooking authentic Mexican cuisine.

Last week, Wildlight Entertainment offered Dualshockers the opportunity to head to Los Angeles and try Highguard out for ourselves. How could we say no?

It’s no rumour that there's been a mixed reaction to the announcement of Highguard, with that infamous final trailer shown during The Game Awards. So I was keen to see the game for myself and see what it was all about.

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After watching all the new trailers, having perused the concept art and, of course, a whole afternoon of trying out the game for myself, I have to say, folks, they got me hook, line, and sinker. I certainly went into the event with a healthy amount of scepticism, but I left with a grin on my face, and my faith restored in Wildlight Entertainment.

And what’s more, Highguard is totally free! Still not convinced? Well, let me give you a little taste of what’s to come!

What is Highguard?

Dispelling the Doubt

Before I even get into it, I first have to say what Highguard isn’t. This is not another generic Battle Royale. Not even close. In truth, it’s a Raid-Style Team-Focused FPS. And, as the Devs told me, it’s like nothing that’s been attempted before. This is brand-new territory!

But what even is a Raid-Style FPS? Good question. Let’s go through a quick match and see how things play out, shall we?

A Run-Through of a Match

First off, you and two teammates will pick from a roster of eight charismatic Wardens, each with their own Tactical Ability, Passive, and Ultimate. Next, you will choose a base from a random pool of choices and spawn into the map.

From here, you’ll have a short amount of time to select your two starting weapons and a third base-destruction tool. During this prep phase, you can also use materials to shore up the walls of your base, making it harder for your enemies to infiltrate a little down the line. And then you’re off!

You have around two minutes to roam around the map and gear up, mounted on your trusty steed. You can either rush around, opening up blue and red chests, which contain armour pieces and weapons respectively, or use your axe to destroy blue Vesper crystals, which can be used to purchase weapons and upgrades from the shop. Or a healthy mix of both, of course.

Once the time is up, a "Shieldbreaker" will begin to charge, its spawn location now revealed on the map. You can either dash forth to grab the Shieldbreaker for yourself or wait for the enemy team to grab it, and slay them while their guard is down. Whatever happens, expect a fight!

With the Shieldbreaker, you can summon a Siege Tower to pierce the defensive barricade that surrounds the enemy team's walls and move forth to crush their base. At this point, you can either target the two generators within the opponent's base, or go for their Anchor Stone to destroy the base outright.

Naturally, it will be the defender’s job to protect their base with their very lives and repel your attack for as long as possible. If they manage to stave you off, then a new gear-up round will begin, with upgraded loot and new, more powerful options to choose from. This loop will continue until one base is left standing.

Generally, depending on how many rounds there are, matches will go from around 10 to 30 minutes.

The Core Gameplay Loop

As you may be able to tell by now, Highguard is significantly different from anything most folk expected. And, don’t worry, the team definitely knows that.

In fact, as soon as I saw the second, more educational trailer shown at the conference, the vision of the game suddenly clicked for me. This game pulls from a lot of sources for its inspiration. Of course, it has its roots in games like Apex Legends, but it has elements of Minecraft Bedwars, Rust and even MOBAs too.

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This core loop of gearing up, fighting your opponents on the battlefield, and then attacking or defending your base is wildly addictive, while ensuring that you don’t get bored with any one phase of the game.

In addition, these multiple phases allow the ebb and flow of the match to constantly fluctuate, with you finding yourself winning and losing, vying for control consistently in every match. There are multiple ways to express your skills with tight, snappy gunplay and mastery of this world’s characters.

I had a few games that came down to the wire, and that final assault, defending our base from destruction, was epic to experience. That nugget of gameplay, that rush, is addictive for sure. Is that Esports potential I smell?

The Wardens of Highguard

And speaking of characters, I have to talk about Highguard’s Wardens. While the main focus of the game is primarily gun-focused, your Warden choice can massively impact the direction of the match and how you interact with your teammates.

At launch, there will be eight Wardens, all with different focuses. You have strong Attackers, like Atticus, perfect for storming your enemies' base with devastating, game-clinching Ultimate abilities.

Or, you can choose a more defensive Warden like Kai, who can create huge walls of ice to reinforce his base, and block enemies' approach with his Inner Demon.

In addition, you also have more support-focused characters like Mara, who can create spawn points for her allies, or Condor, who can track her enemies with her pet bird and lay down defensive smoke screens. What can I say? The Wardens just look stellar!

While these characters' abilities are certainly powerful, they have some pretty long cooldowns, so the focus here is definitely still on the gunplay. And if you were wondering why eight Wardens doesn’t seem like a huge number, fear not, because more are on the way in the near future.

A Glimpse of the Guns

While, honestly, I’m not a massive FPS person, I can still get behind a good shooter. And Highguard really excels in this regard.

The guns are easy to control, and they pack a punch. The bullet impacts are really powerful, and the sound design rocks your ears with every crunch. While there might not be a massive number of guns, with a total of ten being available from the get-go, I never got bored with any of them, as you can upgrade them and switch guns throughout the course of any one match.

The type of gun you pick is going to vary depending on the stage of the match, and of course, the character that you pick. And each weapon has its advantages, so there’s really no dead content here, which is a blessing.

Want a tight defence from long range? Pick up a Ranger Rifle. Fancy close quarters, up close and personal, then you’ll want a Kraken Shotgun or a Dynasty Assault Rifle. Or, simply choose whichever fits your playstyle.

You can upgrade your armour in the shop, or find trinkets to grant powerful passive bonuses, allowing you to revive your teammates faster or even keep your armour after death. There are so many little choices to be made in each match, which keeps the game fresh and always evolving.

The World and Its Beauty

But let’s slow down for a minute. We’ve talked about the gameplay and the tense, final showdowns that occur in the raid portion of the games, but what about the world itself?

Well, let’s start with the fact that this game is gorgeous. The environments are expressive, and the visual storytelling is rather breathtaking. You’ll venture through all sorts of terrain, dazzled by your surroundings as you try to focus on your mission. And all the while, the Wardens are constantly conversing with each other, giving you bits and pieces of lore and snippets of their personalities.

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While there isn’t a lot of story content right now, the game is, rightfully, focused on delivering a polished and fun experience first and foremost. The Devs have expressed that more information about the world and its inhabitants will come forth depending on the wants and needs of the fans.

I, for one, am certainly interested in the stories of the Wardens and the mysterious appearance of the main world itself.

It’s clear the team has put a lot of thought into the world of Highguard, with lore and a story behind every map, every Warden, and even the guns themselves. I even managed to see a real, full-sized version of the Shieldbreaker, the bright blue sword on display at the conference, which was quite the sight.

This is an experience just waiting to be unleashed, and the development team have a full year of content waiting in the wings.

Team Philosophy

For me, one of the most staggering things about this whole game is that it’s going to be completely free-to-play. In a world full of $60 games with glimpses of $100 games on the horizon, Wildlight are doing a brave and bold move by releasing all of this for free. And honestly, I think it’s going to work out.

But of course, they have to make money somehow, right? On offer are a huge number of flashy and sleek skins, new expressive mounts, banners, and even a War Chest, which is a kind of Battle Pass experience.

But ultimately, and most critically, every important element regarding gameplay will always be free. No locked characters, maps, or guns. No paying for power. Everything vital to the gameplay will be available to everyone, and every skin will always be available. No FOMO here, folks!

And these skins aren’t just random, immersion-breaking nonsense. No. Each has its place, relating to its character, with its own lore tying it into the world, which makes them all the more tempting and enticing.

At this point, I have a lot of faith in Highguard, and if you’re looking for a new long-term, polished PvP experience, then look no further.

If you’re reading this, then Highguard is out right now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. You’ll catch me online setting the world ablaze as Slade in the world of Highguard. See you out there.