Highguard's new Raid Rush mode nips the looting phase in the bud, and it could be enough to turn its fortunes around

In another attempt to prove that it may be down but not out, this week’s new Highguard update welcomes a new multiplayer mode, removing a major player headache in Wildlight Entertainment’s troubled multiplayer shooter. The update even includes a light balance pass for a few weapons, and knocks a powerful amulet down a peg. That’s important when you’re shaking things up with a new mode.

Despite laying off mods of its devs, Highguard will make good on the promises of the game’s roadmap with Raid Rush, a new gameplay mode which sees two teams of five take turns attacking and defending their bases “with no pesky looting phase in between.” Hey, that’s Highguard’s phrasing, not mine. Though one staffer here did pitch this write-up by claiming that it “removes the boring looting stage that kills the game’s momentum,” so there’s that. Again, not me.

Raid Rush is a round-based activity. Drop in, pick a base, and upgrade your guns at Trader Flynn. Everyone’s armor tier is the same, but it auto-upgrades as the match goes on, presumably to add a little more longevity to brawls as weapon upgrades start to pour in.

Once the match begins, your team does its best to attack or defend, then swaps roles for the next: no looting necessary. Walls and generators are repaired between bouts, and you get some Vesper to spend on a rotating selection of goods to mix things up a bit. Sounds simple enough, right?

If you were one of the few who enjoyed the base game’s 3v3 offering, note that you’re basically being forced into this one. Since the arrival of Raid Rush, legacy 3v3 raids have been disabled. With only around 600 people online before the update, there’s the understandable need to smush people into the same space to fill some lobbies.

If the looting phase really did kill Highguard for you, consider giving it a go. It’s “the perfect place to get a quick hit of action,” according to the patch notes. Wondering how you’re supposed to unlock ranked 3v3 when you need ten unranked 3v3 wins to do it? Twitter user @DadjokesGaming wondered the same. According to the Highguard Twitter account, “the challenge to unlock Ranked will accept wins in 5v5 and Raid Rush.” Phew. Close one.

Even if the looting was never part of your reasons for dipping out of Highguard, maybe some part of the update’s accompanying balance pass will make things right. The Reviver Amulet, for example, will have its bonus revive speed knocked from 50% all the way down to a comparatively paltry 15% due to “creating too much safety for mid-combat revives.” And if you relied on that mid-combat safety, or just struggle to get a kill half the time, the introduction of the Comeback Kill might at least cushion the blow. With this, manage a frag after an embarrassing streak of deaths, and you’ll get a little extra Vesper for your perseverance. You’re doing great. Promise.