Highguard keeps its arsenal compact, but each weapon plays a clear role in raids, mount skirmishes, and base assaults. With only a handful of primaries and a small pool of Raid Tools, picking the right gun has a big impact on every match.
The game launches with 13 weapons, including three utility-focused Raid Tools. The table below reflects how they generally shake out at launch, combining raw power, ease of use, and how often they decide fights.
| Tier | Weapons | Role |
|---|---|---|
| S | Vanguard, Kraken, Big Rig | Meta-defining primaries and LMG |
| A | Paladin, Dynasty, Viper | Strong but with sharper trade-offs |
| B | Longhorn, Saber Rifle, Ranger, Corsair | Specialists and higher-skill options |
| C (Raid Tools) | Blast Hammer, Zipline Gun, Rocket Launcher | Destruction and mobility tools |
S tier weapons in Highguard (Vanguard, Kraken, Big Rig)
S tier weapons are the most reliable picks across modes and maps. They combine strong damage with forgiving handling or a unique impact on raids.
Vanguard is the default answer when you do not want to think too hard about loadout. As an assault rifle, it offers consistent accuracy and solid damage at most engagement distances, which makes it comfortable for both new and experienced players. Its strengths are precision and stability rather than flashy time-to-kill spikes, so it stays useful from early skirmishes on mounts through late-base pushes.
Kraken sits at the opposite end of the spectrum: a heavy, pump-action shotgun that exists purely for close-quarters fights. It has almost no flexibility outside tight rooms and choke points, but inside those spaces, it erases players caught inside its pellet spread. If your squad leans on aggressive entries into buildings, Kraken is the cleanest way to win those first-contact duels.
Big Rig fills the heavy machine gun slot and carries the highest magazine capacity in the game. Holding the trigger turns it into a suppression tool that can shred enemy Wardens and grind down walls, gates, and base defenses. You trade away mobility to carry it, but for organized pushes on enemy structures, that trade is worth making. In practice, it often anchors a lane or opens a breach that decides the outcome of a raid.
A tier weapons in Highguard (Paladin, Dynasty, Viper)
A tier weapons are powerful but more defined by trade-offs. They excel when you lean into their strengths and accept their limitations.
Paladin is a fully automatic shotgun that blurs the line between SMG and traditional scattergun. It drops some of Kraken’s burst damage in exchange for a much higher rate of fire and faster follow-up shots. That sustained output makes it easier to use in scrappy interior fights, especially if your aim or crosshair placement is not perfect. It is less explosive than Kraken in a single shot, but more forgiving over a short duel.
Dynasty is Highguard’s AK-47 analogue. Compared with Vanguard, it hits harder per bullet but kicks more and demands better control, especially at longer ranges. The upside is stronger midrange lethality; the downside is that missed shots are punished more severely. Dynasty rewards players who are comfortable riding recoil and landing shorter, controlled bursts instead of pure spray.
Viper is a rapid-fire SMG tuned for close-range brawls. Its high fire rate lets it delete enemies quickly in tight spaces or while contesting objectives, but damage falls off fast with distance, and recoil control becomes a problem beyond short range. Used as a pure entry weapon in buildings and around cover, it performs well; outside that comfort zone, other primaries are safer.
B tier weapons in Highguard (Longhorn, Saber Rifle, Ranger, Corsair)
B tier weapons are not weak; they are either more niche or demand sharper mechanical skill to match the consistency of the top tiers.
Longhorn is a stylish revolver built for players who enjoy high-damage hand cannons. It offers strong single-shot power and good accuracy, which makes it satisfying for precision play. That comes with long reloads and a slower rate of fire, which clash with Highguard’s fast-paced firefights. In the hands of a confident aimer it can carry, but for most players, it will feel too punishing compared to the assault rifles and SMGs.
Saber Rifle takes the burst assault rifle slot. Each burst carries serious damage, but the weapon introduces downtime between bursts that leaves you exposed if you whiff. It rewards disciplined, pre-aimed bursts and punishes spray habits. Players comfortable with burst rifles from other shooters can eke out a strong performance, but Saber will not be as popular for general matchmaking as the automatic rifles.
Ranger is the lone traditional sniper-style option. It provides the expected long-range control and space denial, letting you pressure rotations or punish greedy peeks. The catch is that it cannot deliver reliable one-shot kills on its own, which immediately makes it less appealing for dedicated sniper mains. In Highguard’s objective-focused flow, that often relegates Ranger to more niche map positions instead of a default pick.
Corsair is a triple-barrel burst SMG that sounds wildly powerful on paper. In practice, its high burst output is offset by lower ammo capacity and poor performance outside short range. It can melt targets at point-blank distance and helps with structural damage during base pushes, but inconsistent uptime and reload demands keep it from threatening the top slots.
C tier Raid Tools (Blast Hammer, Zipline Gun, Rocket Launcher)
Raid Tools sit in their own category. They are not meant to replace primary weapons in direct duels; they exist to reshape the map, accelerate rotations, or crack bases open.
Blast Hammer is a sledgehammer wired with explosive cartridges that detonate on impact. It obliterates walls and other cover pieces while also dealing lethal damage to enemies caught in the blast radius. During a coordinated base assault, a player carrying Blast Hammer can rapidly carve entry routes or delete defensive structures while teammates cover.
Zipline Gun creates custom ziplines, enabling vertical pushes, fast retreats, and off-angle flanks that defenders may not anticipate. It shines on maps with significant elevation changes or choke-heavy approaches to objectives. Used well, it turns static standoffs into sudden collapses from unexpected directions.
Rocket Launcher is the more traditional explosive option. It excels at blowing up base reinforcements, walls, and other built-up defenses, but its damage against players is underwhelming compared to the game’s dedicated combat weapons. Treat it as a structure remover first and a last-resort anti-personnel tool.
How many weapons Highguard has at launch
At launch, Highguard features 13 weapons in total. Ten of those are combat-focused primaries across assault rifles, shotguns, SMGs, marksman options, and the Big Rig LMG. The remaining three — Blast Hammer, Zipline Gun, and Rocket Launcher — are Raid Tools that you purchase with Vesper and bring specifically for destruction or mobility during base pushes.
That lean list keeps the early meta readable. Each archetype fills a distinct niche, and there are few overlapping picks that feel redundant.
Which guns to prioritize as a new Highguard player
For most players, the safest way to climb the learning curve is to lean on the most forgiving weapons first, then branch into specialists once map knowledge and movement habits settle in.
Vanguard should anchor your early loadouts. Its accuracy, range coverage, and generous magazine size give you room to miss shots while you get used to mount combat and the cadence of raids.
Kraken or Paladin can fill your close-range slot depending on preference. If you like deliberate, high-impact shots in cramped interiors, Kraken will feel better. If you want something that behaves more like an automatic SMG in shotgun form, Paladin offers an easier learning curve in buildings.
Big Rig, when available, is worth grabbing for coordinated pushes on enemy bases or to hold down long sightlines during tense standoffs. Just be ready for the mobility hit and commit to using it aggressively while you have ammunition.
Once those fundamentals feel comfortable, weapons like Dynasty, Longhorn, or the Saber Rifle become more attractive for players looking to squeeze out extra damage at the cost of higher skill requirements.
As balance patches arrive and new weapons are added, placements will inevitably shift, but at launch, these rankings match how most matches actually play out: a core of reliable rifles and shotguns at the top, niche marksman and burst options in the middle, and Raid Tools sitting in their own lane as the pieces that turn sieges into chaos.
