Wildlight Entertainment is rolling out Episode 2 for Highguard on February 6, 2026, just two weeks after the game's launch. The update introduces a new playable Warden named Ekon, a permanent ranked mode, a fresh raid map, and extensive changes aimed at addressing community feedback about the early-game experience.
Ekon: The Shapeshifting Monster Slayer
Ekon stands apart from Highguard's existing roster because he doesn't summon a mount—he becomes one. This legendary monster-slayer can transform into a powerful direwolf, gaining speed that exceeds any conventional mount and the ability to track enemy movements through walls. His kit revolves around hunting weakened targets and controlling enemy positioning across the map.
His passive ability, Dread, reveals the heartbeat of injured enemies, making it impossible for low-health opponents to hide. The Wolf Spirit tactical unleashes a spirit wolf that hunts the nearest enemy and applies Dread to them; the wolf can be shot down if spotted early. His ultimate, Fearsome Howl, applies Dread to all enemies across the entire map while boosting his movement speed, forcing opponents to reposition or risk exposure.
In Wolf Form, Ekon gains third-person perspective and can see around cover. His bite attack dashes forward and strikes before automatically transforming back to human form, letting him chain abilities and gunplay seamlessly. He can also track enemy scent trails and perform air dashes for map traversal without a target nearby.
Ranked Mode and Competitive Structure
The ranked playlist operates exclusively in 3v3 format, which Wildlight considers the more tactical structure suited to competitive play. Players start at Bronze 3 and climb through seven ranks—Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, and Grandmaster—each with three divisions. Rank points accumulate based on match outcomes, with bonuses for overwhelming victories, kill streaks, and solo queue play.
Each episode contains two Ranked Splits that rotate maps, bases, and balance changes. At the end of each episode, players receive cosmetic rewards tied to their final rank, including banner frames that increase in prestige at higher tiers. De-ranking only occurs within divisions during a split; players cannot drop from Gold 3 to Silver 1 mid-split. At the start of each new split, de-ranking is disabled entirely, and at the start of each episode, players move back six divisions (two full ranks).
The first split features Kingdom, Summit, and Rivermark as playable maps, with bases including Hellmouth, Smuggler's Den, King's Lair, Soul Well, Frosthold, and Wellspring.
Skydrift: A New Raid Map
Skydrift is a lost city recently awakened, located west of Headwall. The map features hollowed-out caverns once home to winged beasts, ancient stone rings for combat, colossal chain bridges, and sky jumpers that launch players to higher elevations. The design culminates in a palace above the clouds, creating vertical gameplay opportunities that favor snipers and mobile characters. Skydrift is available in both 3v3 and 5v5 matches.
Gear Up Phase Improvements
The gear-up phase—the opening loot and preparation stage—received substantial revisions based on player feedback. Red weapon chests in points of interest now contain Masterwork weapons with improved stats within their rarity tier. Blue Masterwork weapons outperform standard blues but remain weaker than purple-rarity gear. Standard upgraded weapons still drop outside POIs, but Masterwork variants only appear in designated locations.
Ultimate Chargers, previously hidden in white barrels, now glow gold for easy identification. Waypoint markers guide players toward points of interest when leaving their base, and these markers are pingable for team communication. The in-game map displays which POIs contain Masterwork Weapons and Ultimate Chargers, giving teams strategic information at a glance.
Speed Gates now activate whenever a player approaches them, rather than only during Shieldbreaker phases. This change accelerates respawn rotations back into combat. The defensive phase at the start of matches was cut in half from 60 seconds to 30 seconds, reducing downtime before the action begins.
Quality-of-Life and Balance Updates
A new Stats menu in Headwall tracks player performance retroactively from Episode 1, with raid attack and defense success metrics added for Episode 2. The HUD now displays kills and assists above the minimap for real-time feedback. Zipline mechanics received usability improvements, including smoother attachment and riding, with a cap of four active ziplines per player. Mantle feel was refined, and players receive prompts to thank teammates after being revived.
The ping system expanded to include ziplines, Mara's darkspawn, Kai's ice wall, and context-sensitive pings for Shieldbreaker and Domesplitter plant points. Dead players no longer appear on the minimap, reducing confusion. The AFK timer was reduced from five minutes to four minutes, and the Firing Range now accommodates parties of up to five players with improved target mechanics.
Several characters received balance adjustments. Slade's ultimate now correctly deals impact damage on uneven terrain, and his visual effects now distinguish between friendly and enemy fire. Redmane can break floors beneath him with his tactical and hits more reliably. Mara automatically dismounts when casting Immortal Coil while mounted. Una's minions acquire targets faster and have corrected hitboxes. Atticus's ultimate audio is no longer muffled by geometry, making it audible through walls.
New orange weapon mods include Impact Rounds for the Saber Rifle (two-shot burst with increased critical damage), a Drum Magazine for the Vanguard (larger capacity, slower reload), and Doubleshot for the Corsair (12-round burst per trigger pull). The Vanguard received a slight rate-of-fire reduction paired with increased damage, maintaining similar time-to-kill while reducing ammunition consumption. The Longhorn Repeater gained less vertical kick, faster raise times, and reduced hipfire spread.
New Mount and Cosmetics
A free wolf mount is available to all players. Playing ten ranked matches unlocks the Shadow Wolf skin variant, regardless of match outcome. This approach ensures competitive players can earn cosmetics without requiring wins.
The update represents a significant effort to address launch feedback while delivering new competitive infrastructure. The combination of a distinctive new character, ranked play, and systematic improvements to early-game pacing signals Wildlight's commitment to iterating on the core experience based on community input.
