Wildlight has updated its new hero shooter Highguard with a 5v5 raid mode available only this weekend, responding to player feedback on the original 3v3 format. The update also introduces a new base called Soul Well and various optimizations. This comes amid a post-launch dip in player numbers following an initial surge.
Highguard, a live-service hero shooter developed by Wildlight—comprising former developers from Titanfall and Apex Legends—was announced at the 2025 Game Awards and released earlier this week in January 2026. The game saw an initial peak of nearly 100,000 concurrent players but experienced a rapid decline, with negative Steam reviews criticizing the 3v3 raid mode as too small-scale and intense, alongside issues like map size.
In response, Wildlight deployed a patch introducing an experimental 5v5 raid mode as a separate playlist, preserving the original 3v3 option. "We heard the feedback!" the developers stated in the patch notes. The mode runs for a limited time this weekend, with lobbies expanded to support parties of five. Raids now feature 10 lives instead of six, and respawns are slightly longer to facilitate generator planting and defusing. However, the Firing Range does not yet support 5v5, graying out the play button for parties larger than three.
The update also adds Soul Well, a new base described as "a dark relic from a lost age" where "the dead still speak," available in both 3v3 and 5v5 rotations. Developers warned of potential performance dips due to the increased player count, though the patch includes optimizations for animations, projectiles, and draw times benefiting both PC and consoles. Quality-of-life improvements enable toggles for motion blur on all platforms and anisotropic materials on consoles.
This follows yesterday's Patch 1.0.4, which fixed bugs and added requested features. "As one of two major patches released during launch week, this update is emblematic of the Highguard team's dedication to creating a 'ready for live service' game," the team noted. Industry support has emerged, with 1047 Games, developers of Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, stating, "No game is perfect on day one."
Wildlight's studio head Chan Grenier had hinted at a "big update" on social media prior to the reveal, aiming to re-engage the community amid the player drop reported by SteamDB.
