Important Things Highguard Doesn’t Tell You

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Highguard has only been available for a little over a day, but players are already exploring its unique features and learning how to play. While the game has a good tutorial and the basic gameplay is easy to pick up, there’s a lot of depth hidden beneath the surface – various mechanics, technologies, and details that can really help players succeed in matches.

Many useful game features are hidden – some are subtle hints players easily overlook, and others aren’t explained in the game’s manual. Learning these tricks is key to improving your gameplay, and can significantly boost your performance, turning a casual player into a skilled one.

We’ll mostly focus on gameplay techniques and strategies that are surprisingly useful, though we might briefly mention a few things the game doesn’t cover in detail.

Good Defense = Offense

Dishing Out Damage Even On The Back Foot

Image via Wildlight Entertainment

Details:

  • Damage dealt to the enemy base on a successful defense
  • Losing the Shieldbreaker isn’t everything

Highguard’s main gameplay focuses on a familiar attack-and-defend style. One team tries to capture the Shieldbreaker and attack the enemy base, while the other team defends and attempts to survive the onslaught. While this core concept is straightforward, Highguard sets itself apart by allowing defenders to make progress towards the enemy base without directly engaging in combat with it.

When a team successfully defends against enemy attacks, they deal significant damage to the opposing base. This can help them tie the score, start a comeback, or even win the game outright. This makes successful defense incredibly important – it’s not just about survival, but a potential path to victory.

Don’t Underestimate The Movement Tech

Scaling Every Surface Imaginable

Image via Wildlight Entertainment

Details:

  • Wall climbs, and momentum carries
  • Seamless transition to ziplines

Good movement is crucial in any shooting game, and Highguard is no exception. Being able to aim well is important, but a player who can move skillfully can quickly turn the tables, even in fights they seemed likely to lose, simply through clever techniques and footwork.

A key feature players can use immediately is wall climbing, available to all characters. This goes beyond simple jumping, allowing you to scale much higher structures than before – though there are still limits, the possibilities are impressive. You can also use your mount strategically, quickly mounting and dismounting to move faster and catch up to enemies who might otherwise seem out of reach.

Animation Cancels

Getting Straight Back Into The Action

Image via Wildlight Entertainment

Details:

  • Reload cancels
  • Chaining movement alongside swap animations

Competitive first-person shooter players constantly look for ways to improve their performance, and one popular technique is animation canceling. This involves shortening animations – like reloading or using items – or speeding up movement to gain a small advantage in every fight. These small improvements can significantly increase a player’s chances of winning, and the game Highguard offers many examples of how effective this technique can be.

As a fan, I’m really loving how fluid the movement is in this game! You can cancel animations when you jump on and off things, which means you spend way less time stuck and can keep the action going. Plus, it’s so easy to leap onto ziplines without any clunky pauses. Seriously, you can go from standing on the ground to a high vantage point, ready to fire, before anyone else even realizes what’s happening. It feels super fast and responsive!

Loot Gathering & Repeating

Simpler Than It May Seem

Details:

  • Fast mining strategies
  • Simplistic loot loop

The way you collect items in Highguard is unique and crucial to learn. You use a resource called Vesper to buy weapons, armor, and helpful items during a match, but you won’t have endless time to gather it. That’s why it’s important to get the timing right with your swings, and to know that after successfully hitting a series of attacks, you can quickly deliver a finishing blow.

Item chests are actually quite straightforward. They’re divided into two clear types: red chests contain weapons, and blue chests hold armor. Finding gear is also very fast – players can quickly equip themselves without endlessly opening boxes. You only need to search for new chests when you start a new phase, as that’s when better items become available to help you increase your power.

Don’t Ignore Supply Drops

An Extra Boost At The Start Of A Round

Details:

  • Higher-tiered loot
  • Priority objective to fight over

The game’s tutorial teaches you the basics, but it doesn’t explain supply drops. These crates appear randomly during a match and hold special, powerful red-tier items that are better than anything else you can find.

Most players are so focused on gathering resources that they’ll miss picking up this valuable item. However, it’s quick to grab and offers great rewards, so it’s almost always worth prioritizing when you hear the notification. As you improve, you’ll naturally focus on it more, but even early on, remembering to grab it during the initial moments of a match can really help your team.

Distinct Traders

Different Loadouts Across The World

Image by Wildlight Entertainment

Details:

  • Higher-tiered loot
  • Priority objective to fight over

One of the most unique features of Highguard is its shop mechanic. Instead of simply getting gear at the beginning of each round and earning resources by defeating opponents or completing objectives, players can spend money they’ve earned at any time during a round at shops located around the map and in bases.

What’s really interesting is that the items traders have aren’t the same as those found at the starting area. This means rare or powerful weapons, like a great sniper rifle or shotgun, might be hidden in remote parts of the map, encouraging players to explore. Plus, the quality of items available in the shops improves as the match goes on, so even if you’re satisfied with your gear, it’s always worth checking for upgrades whenever you have a chance.

Armor Vs Helmets (And The Need To Constantly Improve Them)

Check Those Finer Details

Image via Wildlight Entertainment

Details:

  • Head protection vs additional health
  • Minor advantages for higher-tiered gear

In many games, players focus more on how much damage they deal than on how well they can defend themselves. Highguard is different – it handles defense through two main stats: resistance and health. The armor players collect during a match directly increases their health, making them more durable, especially with better armor.

Helmets are crucial for protecting your head during combat. Just like other gear, helmets come in different tiers, and getting a better one can make a real difference in a fight. It’s easy to lose a gunfight if your opponent finds slightly better equipment, even if you’re otherwise well-prepared, so it’s important to keep your gear up to date.

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2026-01-28 13:05