After first being revealed during the awarding of the 2025 games, High Guardian finally launched at the end of January. The free-to-play raid shooter has several systems for you to discover, and while the game may seem simple at first glance, it hides layers and layers of complexity once you start spending a few hours on it.
Its tutorial is quite useful for learning the basic concepts and actions, but since you won't have a real raid until you start playing with other players, you can feel lost in the first few matches. That's why we've collected some useful tips for Highguard beginners in this guide.
Which character to pick up
You will find eight characters here when starting Highguard. Even though they belong to different archetypes – Assault, Defense, Recon, Support – you will find it most of them can be played both offensively and defensively without much trouble. You just need to have the right equipment, of course.
The thing is, they all have different abilities, yes, but how often you'll use them during your first few matches doesn't change much. You will probably focus most on your weaponsand abilities become secondary. Just pick the one that looks cool to you. But if you need a quick tip, start with someone like Slade who has pretty easy abilities
Highguard: List of weapon tiers
Our tier list guide ranks weapons by effectiveness in Highguard.
Always select the recommended base
If you are starting to play with a team full of rookies, you should always select the recommended base at the beginning of the match. This is pre-selected based on what your team composition is (archetypes and abilities).
There's no other way to learn all the basics than by playing matches, so you'll have to take your time. Make sure though check their information and layout when you're about to start a new game – you'll learn about their different parts, distribution and more, allowing you to make more informed decisions as you learn more about Highguard and its characters.
What to re-enforce in your building
In the first stage of the match, you will be asked to prepare your base and choose your filling. As for the first, you have five pieces of equipment that allow you to reinforce the wall each (fifteen in total, counting the ones from your teammates).
There are many options for what to do with them, but you won't break a sweat playing your first few matches — strengthen the five nearest walls to each target (you can also reinforce two walls of the same column). This will do the job and stop your enemies for a while as they attack your base.
Grow crystals or search for chests?
Highguard offers two ways to get loot for your character: farm crystals and spend them in the Trader for the purchase of weapons and items, or finding said weapons and items in chests with random rewards on the map.
Both actions take time, and while some areas have crystals next to chests, you should decide where you're going to focus most of your time and what your plan is for upgrading your gear. So, which one is the best?
The answer is this there is no definite answer. Based on my experience, I would say that it always comes in handy destroy every crystal you can during the initial Gear Up phase for only one reason: both teams won't be able to find very rare weapons at the beginning of the match, so the difference you can make with the weapons you find in the chests may not be that big, it depends on your skills.
So it's better to save all the currency you can, spend some on armor and one weapon of your choice, and then focus on chests.
The ax crystal smashing minigame is always timed the same, so take a few matches to get used to it and execute it flawlessly every time. When you break one crystal without mistakes, you can destroy another with just one blow.
When to use a retainer
One of the unique features that Highguard has is the ability summon and use the holder almost whenever you want. This can be used for multiple purposes, but we recommend starting with two things: getting to places faster and escaping.
During the loot phase, you'll want to use your trusty pet search for chests and crystals as fast as possible. You should feel free to use it every time. Then, when it's time to grab the Shieldbreaker, you should also summon your steed once you have the sword and are ready to roll.
Of course, you can become an easier target when you're on your horse, but it's still better to be on it to get to your position faster.
When it's time to chase down an enemy or just fight in general… I really wouldn't recommend it. Having bear fights is sick and works better than expected, but you're always at a disadvantage.
Your pet doesn't have much health (unless you get the desired high level item), is too big to miss shots, and when they collide, you'll have a few seconds where you'll be immobile but vulnerable.
If the enemy has grabbed a Shieldbreaker and you want to chase him, if you have no field advantage, I recommend letting him go. Use your free teleporter to the baseand then wait outside it and hide in a place where your enemies might not see you. It will work better than the other plan.
Watch the supply drop
If your team or the enemy group survives the raid, Supply drops will begin to appear on the mapone per loot phase. you will see its icon marked on the mapand you will have a timer to know when it reaches the ground.
While his zone can be problematic because your opposing team may want the same thing as you, the content of the deck is usually worth the trouble. In addition to several pieces of armor, you can find a Big Rigwhich is probably the best weapon in the game. It's heavy, but its stability, amount of bullets, and damage make it a no-brainer. You will win many fights with this.
Please note that this is a one time special weapon and you will not respawn with it if you die.
Bait with your bombs
Once inside the enemy base, it's time to prepare the bombs. But should you go to generator A, B or the big anchor all at once?
One standard strategy is to have three team members go to the same point (however you want), place the bomb and protect it either next to the bomb itself or close around. However, if you or your teammates already have some ability with your weapons and/or abilities, you should try to have two Rangers in one location and a third in another location.
Always have at least one ammo in your inventory
Thumper charges are explosive items which you can purchase from the merchant. You can use them to blow up walls of buildings inside your enemies' base in just a few seconds, so it's useful to have supplies. However, you should always save at least one for special loot spots on the map.
On most maps, you'll find a short area where there are more crystals and chests behind a reinforced locked door or barrier. This entrance cannot be destroyed with your axe, but do you know what item can help you? Yes, Thumper Charge. One will be enough to enter the spot and earn some nice gear.
You can also damage this type of door/entrance with a rocket launcher, but Thumper Charge is more effective.
Highguard: Episode One War Chest Guide
Here's every Episode One War Chest reward and the best ways to get Vigil Tokens fast.
