Highguard launches with a novel 3v3 siege mode but divides opinion

Pcgamer reports Highguard, a new free-to-play first-person shooter, has launched; the site's writer said they played around six hours between launch day and a preview event in Los Angeles last week.

The game pits two teams of three on a large map where teams fortify breakable walls in their fortress, loot for guns and armor, and rush to grab a Swordbreaker sword that spawns in the center to trigger a siege. The siege phase slows play into a bomb-style format likened to Rainbow Six Siege—with respawns—and mixes destructible and non-destructible walls; attackers win by destroying two generators or a harder-to-reach core. The writer called the gunplay slick, praised the unusual 3v3 mode and a business model that feels less scummy than many free shooters, and said the mode is complicated but, after a few rounds, can click into great matches.

The reviewer also flagged several downsides: dislike for the "arcane punk" art style, frustration at shields that require whole magazines to break, and a siege phase that can feel chaotic. They added that a broader shift toward more casual, social shooters has made Highguard ill-timed for their tastes, and while they will keep playing to complete their review (stay tuned for that), they do not see it becoming a habit.

Key Topics

Culture, Highguard, Wildlight Entertainment, Swordbreaker, Rainbow Six Siege, Apex Legends