So I’ve talked about Highguard when it first launched, and while I do think it still has some pacing issues to sort out, they recently released an experimental 5v5 mode that I think remedies that quite a bit. With their latest patch, which came with some much-needed updates to their settings and performance, the game is feeling a whole lot better already.
More Players, More Fun
Initially, I thought that adding more players to the game would make it way too chaotic, which is a fair assumption with the fast TTK and flimsy bases. Now that we have a 5v5 mode to play with, I actually think this mode should be the default now.
No, the maps were never the issue, as the fast mount speeds solved the size concerns. However, having more players makes the whole looting phase feel a little more engaging by simply pushing people towards every point of interest during the intercept phase.
With ten people in the lobby, you now have a higher chance of micro engagements happening at any given moment. In literally the first 5v5 match I played, I killed somebody in one corner of the map while everybody else was duking it out on the places with higher loot density, and that was fresh out of the initial spawn.
Wilder Raids
With an increase of players comes with extra lives for the attackers during raids. Instead of 6 lives, you now have 10, which is still essentially 2 per person. In a way, this helps prolong the (in my opinion) extremely fun raiding phase as you don’t burn through lives as fast now.
Ironically, I’ve noticed people are more careful now despite technically having more lives to work with. I suspect it’s because it’s harder to break in with more people covering off angles. In contrast, bases take a hell of a beating with all the siege tools and abilities being thrown around, so even more flanks are being made.
Funnily enough, having more people also makes revives a lot easier, as there’s typically more firepower backing up the reviver that they can sneak off into a corner with your teammate’s soul orb while the other team’s suppressed. In 3v3, you pretty much have to clear the other team first in most situations.
The tactical element isn’t all gone either. While solo queue is still mostly reckless chaos, you’ll always have a handful of players actively trying to find ways to sneak behind the enemy team (on both sides).
For instance, I’ve had my team fighting over on A site, while me and another person were breaking into B on the other side of their base. One defender did notice us, but with the bomb planted on A, the other four were too busy trying to defuse it, so we just melted him. This gave us an easy plant immediately after the bomb went off.
Shieldbreaker Stalemates
One thing that people learned to do throughout the past few days is to stall the shieldbreaker on overtime. My last 3v3 game before this patch was with a duo that always brought the shieldbreaker to a shop close to the enemy base.
We’d stay there and use the building as cover until the shieldbreaker was automatically planted at the enemy base. It’s a cheesy strategy, but it forces the other team to either risk their lives pushing you or take the raid and hope that we don’t break a generator (or anchor stone).
Of course, there’s an element of risk here on the attackers’ side as well, because “failing” a raid by not breaking anything will cause your base to lose health instead. In a 5v5 match, stalemates like this can happen more often, as is the case with literally the first one I played.
This match that ended in a 5-0? it was a team wipe in the middle of the map that finished it, as the other team couldn’t leave, but mine couldn’t break in either. I went for a risky flank to help everybody go in, as the shieldbreaker was close to being auto-planted, and my team managed to push in with me.
People who were worried about the lack of firefights before a raid will be pleased with this game mode, because sneaking the shieldbreaker off to the side and disabling your enemy’s mounts is a bit harder to pull off here. In most cases, you’d be fighting it out in overtime.
The Devs Are Grinding
I know some parts of the internet love to be negative even without actually engaging with it, but you gotta give credit to Wildlight for actually sticking with it and pushing out patches to quickly address player feedback.
I’m of the belief that the game really should’ve just been rolled out as a public beta rather than a full release, but what’s done is done. I’m going to continue playing the game on the side regardless of what happens next, and I do hope it continues to improve and form its own consistent playerbase like The Finals has.
I mean, if even Fragpunk (which… seemed like it couldn’t break away from the Valorant comparisons) can continue chugging along, why not? At least this game’s trying to be something entirely new, albeit seeming like it’s a mishmash of other games’ ideas at first glance.