Highguard

Highguard is an online multiplayer team-based shooter. The game combines hero-shooter mechanics with siege-based objectives and is structured around a single competitive Raid mode composed of multiple repeating phases.

Each match begins with a preparation phase, during which both teams fortify their base and move through a large shared map to collect weapons, gear, and resources from chests, vendors, and supply drops. Players can engage the opposing team, but its primary purpose is preparation for later objectives. Mounts are available during exploration to enable rapid traversal and access to elevated areas.

After exploration, the match transitions into the Shieldbreaker phase, a competitive objective in which both teams attempt to secure the powerful neutral Shieldbreaker artifact. This phase ends when one team manages to use the artifact tot destroy the other team base's shield.

The game then enters the Raid phase, which serves as the core objective of each round. The team having used Shieldbreaker becomes the attacker while the other defends the fortified base. There are different types of bases and they are selected at the start of the match. The attacking team must breach defensive structures, defeat defending players, and plant bombs within the base. Defenders rely on base layout, reinforced walls, and coordinated use of character abilities to repel the assault. Attackers have access to specialized siege tools such as ziplines and heavy weapons to assist in base destruction. Parts of the scenery are destructible.

If the attacking team successfully destroys the generators, the raid is considered as success. The match then cycles back to a new exploration phase, followed by another Shieldbreaker and Raid sequence. This loop can repeat multiple times within a single match, with teams alternating roles depending on raid outcomes, until one team's base is completely destroyed. If the attacking team does not manage to do enough damage to the enemy base, it is punished by having part of their own base health removed.

The game features a small selection of weapons, with one weapon available per category. Weapon rarity increases between rounds, introducing randomized modifiers that affect weapon performance. Power progression is synchronized across teams. Players select from a roster of playable characters known as Wardens, each with a defined role and magic-based abilities. Wardens have two standard abilities and one ultimate ability. Mounts are usable only during non-raid phases and are disabled within bases. The game does not include non-player enemies.

The game is free-to-play with monetization based around cosmetics for the Wardens. It was initially launched with a 3-versus-3 mode, but later on 5-versus-5 was added as well.