Highguard Maps and Bases; Check Out the Best Ones to Play With Your Friends

Highguard's release has been far from smooth. Most players have been confused about many elements in the game, such as weapons, characters, and all the Highguard maps and bases. Let's take a look at all Highguard maps and bases you should know to get to your objectives quickly.

All Highguard Maps: Hotspots Explained

Before we dive deeper into this Highguard guide on maps and bases, you should know that the two are different. Highguard maps are the open-world playground where all the matches take place. Each game takes place on a random map. They all contain three hotspots where the Shieldbreaker will spawn randomly every match.

They also have many other locations where smaller caches of loot and Vesper can be found. Currently, there are five maps in the game. They are:

1. Vesper City

Vesper City is named after the very Vesper Crystals that you must mine to buy the best guns in Highguard. This map stays true to its name since it has way more of them compared to other Highguard maps. It is a partially excavated ruined city over a canyon, featuring lots of open ground and excavated ruins to explore.

The three main hotspots of this map are:

• Warden's Treasury: Contains rare loot with a high chance of spawning the Shieldbreaker.
• Sunken Archives: Located below the treasury, these mineshafts contain lots of Vesper ores.
• Royal Gardens: Located on an elevated edge, this is one of the best places for snipers to cover large ground and cover the Shieldbreaker.

2. Summit

Summit features snow-capped mountains with many glacial trenches. This Highguard map has lots of high ground that long-range players using the Ranger will enjoy. The three main locations of this map are:

• Queen's Crypt: Contains the rarest chests and essential supplies that you must reach using ziplines.
• Frozen Shrine: Narrow glaciers favouring close-range shootouts.
• Golem Forge: Big open area where the Shieldbreaker spawns in the middle. Favours long-range snipers.

3. Rivermark

Rivermark contains many waterbodies since it was an industrial complex that dumped toxic waste everywhere. The three primary hotspots of this map are:

• Geothermal Station: A flooded factory featuring lots of great loot and chunks of Vesper to mine.
• Vesper Mines: Mines filled with loads of Vesper. That Shieldbreaker spawns in its centre, easily escapable on a mount.
• Water Pumps: Contains many hidden passages that favour a stealthy approach towards initiating fights.

4. Kingdom

By far the largest and most intricate amongst all Highguard maps, Kingdom is a ruined castle full of many layers and sub-areas. The entire map is divided into three areas with individual Shieldbreaker spawn hotspots. They are:

• Whitevale Castle: This is the Kingdom's central area, full of many Vesper deposits and loot boxes. The Shieldbreaker mostly spawns in its throne room, a closed-off area perfect for close-range firefights using the best guns in Highguard.
• Central Belltower: Vertical location featuring many that require ziplines to reach more quickly. The Shieldbreaker spawns in a corridor near the top of the tower.
• The Dungeon: An underground location featuring many rooms full of loot and Vesper with a Shieldbreaker spawn at its center.

5. Dustline

Dustline is a desert map featuring many ruined settlements in a barren wasteland. It has a healthy mix of both open areas and closed-off abandoned settlements. The three main locations of this map are:

• Radar Center: The only indoor Shieldbreaker spawn in this map. It contains lots of loot.
• Mine: Dark underground shafts full of Vesper Crystals. Perfect place for close-range ambushes.
• Furnace: Well elevated from the ground, and is a haven for long-range shooters.

Highguard Bases: Which Highguard Base Should You Choose?

When the match starts, both teams get to choose from four random Highguard bases. These are different from Highguard maps since they are your maon encampments seperate from the map. Depending on what they choose, both teams can have the same or different bases.

It's your job to raid the enemy base and safeguard yours. Understanding the different layouts of these Highguard bases and how the best Wardens in Highguard can be played on them is important when raiding or defending.

Currently, there are six Highguard bases. They are:

1. Wellspring

Wellspring is a closed-off map woodland base surrounded by big stone structures. A site is a multi-storeyed building covered in moss, while B is a smaller house with just one big room. There is a big sniper tower that houses the Anchor Stone. A stream runs throughout the map, a common spot for many fights to take place.

This map favours defenders with snipers on their team since they can perch on top of the sniper tower for easy kills. They can also get long sightlines from B site, covering most of the open space in the centre. Players can also use a zipline that connects two buildings. Defenders must keep an eye out for rear ambushes from a cave behind the site.

2. Smugglers Den

Amongst all Highguard bases, this is the hardest to siege since the map has a huge multi-layered fort with a tall watchtower in the middle, providing long-range sights for snipers. The fort and the watchtower are connected by a zipline, allowing easier movement around them during clutch situations.

While the high cliffs nearby provide long vantage points, a partially-submerged bunker towards the rear can be a sneaky exit for players. It serves as a major point of contention since controlling it can help you box enemies in and take them out.

3. King's Lair

King's Lair is a mostly underground base that rocket launcher users will have a tough time entering. Since most of the breakable entry points are flat on the surface, using hammers will be more beneficial.

Such Highguard bases mostly favour close-quarters combat since most of the fighting will take place inside if the attackers manage to breach through. Some of the rock formations on the surface can act as good covers during firefights, although being susceptible to grenade attacks.

4. Hellmouth

Hellmouth is a large fortress filled with pools of lava on the outside that spell instant death if you fall into them. This fort has three main buildings in a triangular formation. The front two buildings serve as generator towers, while the rear castle houses the Anchor Stone.

The rear castle provides a good vantage point for snipers, while many small tunnels on the sides favour sneaky attackers who wish to run to the generators. This leaves its windows and ceilings wide open to being destroyed by rocket launchers.

5. Frosthold

Frosthold is reminiscent of large Viking taverns with snow-covered roofs and large multi-layered interiors. While attacking head-on might be difficult, a wide opening exists behind the base, which can be blown up using raid tools and the dome splitter breaching tool.

Several balconies provide snipers a higher grind to deal with attackers outside. Once in, teamwork and well-coordinated play are necessary. Understanding the layout of this base is crucial.

6. Bellringer

The last on this list of Highguard maps and bases is the Bellringer. This base houses all three objectives in three belltowers, making ziplines necessary for quicker traversal. The belltower in the front is prone to direct grenade launcher attacks, which forces the defenders to regroup using ziplines that connect it to the two rear towers, which are harder to penetrate since all towers provide good vantage points for defending snipers.

Many underground tunnels can provide easy entry for attackers. As such, having one player on the team defending this location will be a good move.

That's it for our list of all Highguard maps and bases currently in rotation. All of them are unique and feature different layouts that help distinguish them. You should select bases that you are most comfortable playing with the Warden you have.

If you liked our coverage of Highguard all maps, also have a look at the Highguard trophy list to see what challenges you must conquer to become the best Warden there is.