Highguard’s Episode 2 update introduces new Warden Ekon, and finally adds ranked mode to the game<\/b>
\nDespite Highguard’s rocky launch, developers at Wildlight Entertainment aren’t giving up on the game. On Thursday, Wildlight announced a new patch (the second major update since the game launched two weeks ago), which is set to go live tomorrow.
Referred to by Wildlight as the Episode 2 update, the patch introduces permanent ranked mode, and also adds a new playable Warden to the game. Ekon is a «legendary monster-slayer who shapeshifts into a powerful direwolf to track and hunt his prey», and can see the heartbeats of injured enemies through walls and other structures. Interestingly, Ekon doesn’t ride any of Highguard’s mounts. Instead, he turns into one, morphing into a direwolf at will.
Here’s a closer look at Ekon’s abilities:
Reveal the heartbeat of wounded enemies. Once an enemy Warden is at low health, they are highlighted in pulsing beats until they are dead, or their health regenerates.
Unleash a spirit wolf to hunt the nearest enemy and apply Dread. This Wolf Spirit travels long distances, moving straight through rocks and structures to find its prey. If seen in time, it can be shot down. This ability can be cast in human form, or in Wolf form.
Apply Dread to all enemies across the map and increase your movement speed. This ability can be cast in human form, or in Wolf form.
Ekon doesn\u2019t ride an animal into battle, he becomes one \u2014 transforming into a powerful direwolf that tracks, hunts, and runs down mounted enemies. While in this form, Ekon\u2019s speed is unmatched by other mounts. Through a full third-person point of view, the direwolf can see around cover. When moving in for an attack, weapons are laid down in favor of Ekon\u2019s deadly bite attack, which will dash forward and bite a prey before immediately transforming back to human form to finish off the job. Attacking without a target will allow Ekon to perform a small air dash to traverse maps more athletically. In addition, while in Wolf Form, Ekon can track an enemy\u2019s scent that they leave in their path. Ekon can use all of his other powers while in Wolf Form.
In addition to Ekon and the new ranked mode (which is 3v3-only for now, despite the popularity of the game’s new 5v5 mode) and a new free mount (a wolf), Episode 2 also introduces a new raid map called Skydrift, along with changes to the game’s «gear up» phase. These changes include better loot and waypoint icons to help new players locate upgraded weapons, armor, and Amulets. These icons will also appear on the in-game map, giving players a bird’s-eye view of the nearest loot locations.
Say what you will about Highguard, but the devs at Wildlight seem deeply committed to implementing player feedback and making the game the best it can possibly be. The latest patch features a number of quality-of-life improvements, along with bug fixes and a new feature that adds kills and assists to the player’s HUD, above the minimap.
Highguard’s Episode 2 update goes live Friday, Feb. 6, though Wildlight hasn’t yet announced what time the update will be released.
You can check out the full Episode 2 patch notes below.
Highguard Episode 2 patch notes<\/p>\n

GEAR UP PHASE UPDATES<\/p>\n

One consistent point of feedback we\u2019ve heard is that the Gear Phase needs improvements.
We\u2019re tackling that in 4 ways for the launch of Episode 2, and we\u2019ll continue to work on that phase in the future.
Red Weapon Chests in POIs now contain Masterwork weapons.
Masterwork weapons have improved stats within their rarity. Blue Masterworks are better than Blues, but still less quality than Purple. Players can still loot upgraded weapons outside of POIs, but the Masterwork versions of weapons each round are only found in POIs.
These items are found in white barrels in POIs, but we\u2019ve seen that players are having a hard time identifying that. In order to make that clear, white barrels that contain Ultimate Chargers now have an obvious gold glow.
When you leave your base in the gear phase, waypoint icons will guide players towards the Points of Interest. They\u2019re also pingable so players can communicate intent without voice comms.
The map will also communicate that POIs contain Masterwork Weapons and Ultimate Chargers.
Speed Gates are always on when a player is near them, instead of only when a Shieldbreaker is present.
This should allow players to get back to fights after respawning,
QUALITY OF LIFE & NEW FEATURES<\/p>\n

As we continue to improve the game through feedback, bug fixing and small features, we will document them here. When necessary, we\u2019ll use \u201cdev notes\u201d to give context on why we made a specific change.
Players want stats! For Episode 2 we have added a Stats menu to Headwall.
The stats tracked here are mostly retroactive from Episode 1.
Raid Attack and Defense success stats are new for Episode 2, as we are just now starting to track these stats.
We will continue to expand this feature in future episodes.
We will continue to mix up orange weapon mods. For Episode 2, we are adding variety and not removing anything.
Item Updates:<\/p>\n

Character Updates:<\/p>\n

Quest:<\/p>\n

The Quest is designed to be a set of difficult challenges to complete over the course of an Episode for some free rewards and bragging rights. Because Episode 1 was only 2 weeks long, we decided to keep the Episode 1 Quest active through Episode 2. We\u2019ll be back in Episode 3 with more challenges and more rewards.
Bug Fixes:<\/p>\n