Highguard is a complex free-to-play shooter, mixing elements of battle royales, hero shooters, and Rainbow Six Siege to create something different. The launch has been shaky, resulting in the temporary of a 5v5 mode in addition to the standard 3v3.
One of the most important parts of Highguard to learn is the layout of each Base, which you select at the start of each match. Each base has its own layout, with different buildings, plant sites, and defenses. Each one plays to a different kind of defensive playstyle, making it an important choice you have to make each match.
Wellspring
Wellspring comes with a large exterior wall, surrounding the area with destructible barriers and a couple of openings. Inside that curtain wall is a forward sniper tower containing one bomb site, with an outpost building in the back containing the other bomb site and the Anchor Stone. In between is a river and some small structures, providing no cover from anyone perched in the sniper tower. The interior areas are quite limited, but if you can take out your open in the open middle section it won’t matter.
Bellringer
Bellringer features three bell towers: two in a connected building in the back, and one in a single tower in the front, with a zipline between. The bombs and Anchor Stone are located in the three towers on the top floor, making this map perfect from raining down bullets and abilities on your opponents from above. Attacks are forced to either scale the exterior of these buildings before breaching, or risk moving up the narrow staircases inside the tower.
King’s Lair
King’s Lair features a sunken building, connected by narrow hallways, where both bombs and the Anchor Stone are located. The exteriors feature smaller buildings and trenches to navigate through. There’s no elevated vantage point here, instead you can use the narrow hallways and sunken building to create chokepoints. There are tons of walls to reinforce, allowing you to force attackers down specific pathways. Almost any gunfight happening here is going to be close-quarters.
Frosthold
Frosthold is primarily one massive building on a slightly elevated hill, with all three plant sites located. Unlike King’s Lair, Frosthold features an open concept interior, with large open rooms, giving you the flexibility to defend from multiple angles. The exterior of the building has balconies, which can be used to shoot at approaching attackers from an elevated position.
Soulwell
Soulwell has two buildings on either side of the front, a large well in the middle that you can traverse, with a back building defended by an elevated altar. The bombs are in the two front buildings, with the Anchor Stone located in the back. The side paths are interior dungeons, with some elevated platforms and a dark interior, making it perfect for catching someone by surprise. There are winding paths running underneath the sides of the arena, giving multiple routes for approaching the plant sites.
Hellmouth
Hellmouth is a defensive fortress, forcing attackers into wide open areas or deadly chokepoints thanks to its molten moat. The front features three small bridges as the only way to cross the moat, allowing for easy defense. Approaching from the rear forces you into a wide open space before you reach the structures, with a clear line-of-sight from the elevated tower in the center. The three plant sites are all connected via a suspended bridge between the three buildings, which allows both attackers and defenders to quickly move between sites once inside.
Smuggler’s Den
Smuggler’s Den is a single stacked building, sunken into a beach. While the base has no exterior defenses, the single building, which has three floors to it, provides a perfect vantage point to know exactly where the enemies are approaching from. There is a single bomb site in the back that is easily accessible, but the interior bomb site and the Anchor Stone are both in highly fortified positions within the main stack.
