5v5 mode in Highguard is available for a limited time
In this post you will learn how to 5v5 mode Wildlight's Highguard transforms the game.
With larger teams and the Soul Well map, the battles are intense and the format is being tested. Enjoy it before it's gone!
Wildlight released the 5v5 mode in Highguard as a limited-time event. The new feature was available over the weekend and served as an open test of larger-scale matches. Instead of the smaller 3v3 teams, now ten people are competing for space at the same time.
The decision came after community feedback indicating that the maps were too large for only six participants. With more people on the field, the arenas will be occupied more evenly, reducing empty spaces and increasing the frequency of matches.
However, the 5v5 mode in Highguard doesn't replace the traditional format, but serves as a laboratory. The team observed engagement data, average match duration, and team behavior to understand if this format could become permanent in the future.
How does 5v5 mode work?
The main difference in the 5v5 mode in Highguard becomes apparent in the first few minutes. With more participants, the confrontations cease to be isolated and begin to occur in several locations simultaneously. While one group is fighting for an area, another is already pushing a different objective or defending an alternative route .
In 3v3, winning one match was enough to create space and reorganize the team. In 5v5, this advantage tends to last less time because the opponent has more human resources available to respond quickly. This completely changes map awareness: it's not enough to focus on a single sector, as any carelessness can lead to an advance in another part of the arena.
Not to mention the redistribution of roles within the team. With five people, clearer roles emerge, such as who presses, who holds the area, and who covers the back line . This division happens naturally throughout the matches, without the need for extra systems, simply due to the dynamics created by the larger number of participants.
Soul Well enters the rotation and reinforces the new format
Along with the arrival of the 5v5 mode in Highguard, the update brought the Soul Well base to the rotation for both 3v3 and the new format. The map features more enclosed corridors, central areas of intense combat, and access points that converge on specific confrontation zones. Thus, there is a higher density of fights, especially when ten people are on the field at the same time.
In practice, Soul Well favors constant disputes for territory control. You realize that each advance needs to be sustained, since there are multiple counter-attack routes. In 5v5 matches, this design translates into chained confrontations: one clash leads to another, which quickly involves more members from both sides.
The introduction of this map at the same time as the 5v5 mode in Highguard was no coincidence. The base serves as a good barometer to assess how more closed arenas perform with larger teams, something important for future design decisions. Without making public promises, Wildlight made it clear that the idea is to observe real data before expanding or adjusting this format.
Update 1.0.4 focuses on technical fixes and adjustments
In addition to the new format and the Soul Well map, Wildlight released patch 1.0.4 on all platforms . The update brought bug fixes, performance adjustments, and improvements to control systems. These points become even more significant when considering the 5v5 mode in Highguard, as more people on the field increase the load on servers, animations, and synchronization.
Among the confirmed changes, it's now possible to configure actions like crouching to work via tap or by holding down the button, on all platforms. On PC, the same option has also been added for aiming. These options don't change the rules, but they help adapt to matches with ten participants. The patch also resolved crashes reported by the community and improved overall stability.
With the event being limited, the current moment serves as a showcase for this format. If the community response is positive, there's room for it to return in the future, possibly adjusted based on the data collected now. For now, it's clear that Highguard doesn't intend to stand still and is willing to experiment early, using its own active user base as part of the evolution process.
