Wildlight Entertainment Studio has decided to seriously take up the competitive component of its tactical shooter Highguard — in the second episode we will have a full-fledged rating mode. To be honest, this was expected, because for the company’s debut project, it is now critically important to retain an audience that is accustomed to the “games as a service” format. Along with ladderer, a fresh Guardian will also appear in the update, as well as a new content map, in general, it was delivered decently.
When the announcement was released, the most interesting thing here was the format of the battles, because the developers chose a 3—on-3 structure instead of the classic “five”. According to representatives of Wildlight Entertainment, such a scheme seems to them more tactically verified — in principle, for competitive games it can be a breath of fresh air. The entire episode was divided into two stages, between which they plan to change the pools of cards and bases — well, the balance, of course, will be adjusted in the process.
The Highguard ranking ladder consists of 7 levels — from the starting “Hare”, which essentially replaces the usual bronze, to the top “Leviathan”. By the way, each rank is divided into three divisions, and for success at the end of the season, players will take away thematic frames and an exclusive skin for a wolf mount – it looks like a powerful incentive for grinding. In fact, the scoring system is also encouraging — singles lose less when defeated, and additional points are awarded for a series of wins and personal frags.
To enter this ranking race, you first need to pick up 10 wins in the usual 3v3 mode — however, the veterans of the first episode will have access to the ladder instantly. Along the way, Wildlight Entertainment clearly wants to create the most transparent progression possible — and this is, in fact, the right step to capture a niche.
Table of Contents
Maximum Rank from Scratch: Calibration Strategy in Ranked Mode
The ranking ladder in Highguard presents a strict ecosystem where every collision is directly converted into rating figures. There is no room for accidents here — the system turns your triumphs and fiascos into specific points, which determine whether you will vegetate in bronze or break into the elite club of grandmasters.
Calibration, winrate, and hidden pool in Highguard
In Highguard, the initial calibration is, in general, not just a couple of warm—up rinks, but a harsh filter for your hidden MMR for the entire current period. In fact, it is the first matches that lay the foundation — a stable winrate and a protracted series of victories allow the system to “believe” in your skill, throwing a mountain of points on top to quickly slip through the dreary lower divisions.
A series of successful games work like a turbo accelerator – in the ranking mode, special winstrike bonuses are provided, when additional points are added to the standard reward for each victory in a row. Along the way, it becomes especially noticeable when you close 3 or more matches in your favor without a single defeat. If at the selection stage you seem to be playing with a “swing”, the hidden pool instantly lowers the bar of expectations, pushing weak allies and slowing down your ascent to the top.
That’s why top fighters advise not to go into cold calibration — it’s better to go into Ranked Mode with already honed mechanics and a proven stack for the 3v3 format. It is logical, in principle, that proven tactics and stable composition give an advantage over random packs, so you should not use ranked as a testing ground for experiments if you do not want to end up at the bottom of the food chain.
Review of the second episode updates and new Highguard maps
The second episode of Highguard brought not just a patch, but a whole beast to the hero roster. In truth, the appearance of Eco changes the very perception of tactics, because this Guardian, by the way, didn’t give a damn about the usual mounts. By the way, the developers who used to saw through Apex Legends clearly know a lot about dynamics — now the game has a full-fledged werewolf with a unique set of trump cards.
Balance changes and character equipment phase upgrades
The main event of the current update was the Eco — character, which, in general, breaks the standards of movement in the game. Unlike the rest of the fighters, he does not saddle animals, but turns into a wolf himself, which gives him insane speed and a third-person view. Interestingly, by the way, in this form he sees the tracks of his opponents and can make leaps in the air — a real nightmare for those who decided to hide.
Eco’s abilities are honed for aggressive hunting — his passive “Horror”, for example, highlights wounded enemies with a heartbeat until they die or heal. The tactical skill “Spirit of the Wolf” summons a ghostly partner to track down a target, and the ultimate “Terrible Howl” is a global radar that puts a debuff on all opponents on the map at once. In addition, the howl seriously accelerates the Eco itself, which allows you to quickly shorten the distance.
In addition to the new hero, Wildlight Entertainment has seriously overhauled the gameplay, listening to the whining — or fair criticism — of the community. The equipment phase has become clearer thanks to the markers, and the red weapon chests now delight with enhanced guns with top-end stats. Interestingly, the white barrels will start to glow gold if the ulta charger is hidden inside, which is a small thing, but the gameplay speeds up noticeably.
Timings also went under the knife — apparently, they decided not to delay the base defense phase and cut it to 30 seconds. On the other hand, breaking the Anchor Stone now requires more time — the timer has been raised to 80 seconds, which gives the defenders an extra chance to make a comeback. In general, the balance of Guards and guns has also been shaken up, so get ready to retrain how to shoot and survive in new realities.
