How do weapon rarities work in Highguard?

Weapons come in rarities from Common to Legendary. Higher rarity weapons have improved stats. You can find weapons in chests or purchase them with Vesper at shops.

Which weapon has the highest DPS in Highguard?

Paladin (automatic shotgun) has the highest theoretical DPS at 318, followed by Ranger sniper at 296 and Corsair SMG at 270.

Highguard Weapons Tier List & Stats Guide (2026)

Q: What is the best weapon in Highguard?

Vanguard is considered the most versatile and beginner-friendly weapon. Kraken dominates close-quarters combat. Big Rig has the highest raw damage output but is only found in Care Packages.

1 Weapon Tier List (Launch Meta)

Based on overall effectiveness, ease of use, and versatility across all match phases. Tier rankings combine damage output, handling, and real-world performance from playtest data.

Meta-Defining

Reliable picks across all modes and maps

Vanguard

Assault Rifle • Best all-rounder

Kraken

Shotgun • CQB king

Big Rig

Gatling Gun • Suppression beast

Strong Picks

Powerful but with sharper trade-offs

Paladin

Auto Shotgun • Highest DPS

Dynasty

Assault Rifle • High damage

Viper

SMG • Close-range brawler

Situational

Niche picks or higher skill requirements

Ranger

Sniper • Space control

Saber Rifle

Burst Rifle • High skill cap

Corsair

Burst SMG • Raid specialist

Longhorn

Revolver • Precision play

2 All 13 Weapons at Launch

Highguard launches with 10 combat weapons and 3 Raid Tools. Each Warden can carry 2 combat weapons, 1 Raid Tool, and 1 melee weapon (Axe).

🎯 Assault Rifles (3)

Vanguard

36 rounds • 9 body / 14 head

Most versatile, beginner-friendly

Dynasty

22 rounds • 14 body / 24 head

AK-47 style, higher damage

Saber Rifle

21 rounds • 18 body / 27 head

Burst-fire, high skill cap

⚡ SMGs (2)

Viper

26 rounds • 10 body / 15 head

Full-auto, controllable recoil

Corsair

24 rounds • 12 body / 18 head (burst)

Triple-burst, high DPS, heavy recoil

💥 Shotguns (2)

Kraken

4 shells • 10×10 pellets body / 15 head

Pump-action, devastating CQB

Paladin

14 shells • 7×5 pellets body / 10 head

Full-auto shotgun, highest DPS

🔥 Special Weapons (3)

Ranger

4 rounds • 85 body / 148 head

Sniper rifle, no one-shot kills

Longhorn

5 rounds • 65 body / 97 head

Revolver, precision hand cannon

Big Rig ⭐

60 rounds • 30 body / 37 head

Care Package only

3 Complete Weapon Stats

Full damage, reload, and fire rate data for all combat weapons. Stats based on Common rarity baseline.

Weapon	Type	Clip	Body	Head	Reload	Fire Rate	Max DPS
Vanguard	Assault Rifle	36	9	14	2.0s	13.3/s	187
Dynasty	Assault Rifle	22	14	24	2.2s	10.0/s	240
Saber Rifle	Assault Rifle	21	18	27	2.0s	7.2/s	196
Viper	SMG	26	10	15	1.7s	16.3/s	244
Corsair	SMG (Burst)	24	12×6	18×6	2.2s	15.0/s	270
Kraken	Shotgun	4	10×10	15×10	1.8-4.2s	1.6/s	208
Paladin	Auto Shotgun	14	7×5	10×5	1.7s	6.4/s	318
Ranger	Sniper	4	85	148	3.2s	2.0/s	296
Longhorn	Revolver	5	65	97	2.4s	1.4/s	131
Big Rig ⭐	Gatling Gun	60	30	37	4.0s	6.7/s	247

⭐ Big Rig only drops from Care Packages during the second Gear Up phase

4 DPS Rankings

Maximum theoretical DPS assumes all shots hit body. Actual combat effectiveness varies by range, accuracy, and target movement.

Paladin 318 DPS

Ranger 296 DPS

Corsair 270 DPS

Big Rig 247 DPS

Viper 244 DPS

Dynasty 240 DPS

💡 Note: High DPS doesn't always mean best weapon. Paladin requires point-blank range. Ranger's DPS assumes perfect headshots at long range. Consider effective range and ease of use.

5 Raid Tools Guide

Raid Tools are specialized equipment for base destruction and mobility. Each player carries one Raid Tool in addition to combat weapons.

🔨

Blast Hammer

Structure destruction specialist

Explosive sledgehammer dealing 1000 damage to walls. Charge up to release a cone-shaped ground projectile. Minimal player damage but devastates fortifications.

Best For: Rapid wall destruction, creating entry points during raids

🪝

Zipline Gun

Mobility and positioning tool

Creates custom ziplines for vertical movement and flanking routes. Enables unexpected angles of attack and fast retreats.

Best For: Maps with elevation, flanking, setting up ambushes

🚀

Rocket Launcher

Explosive demolition

Traditional explosive option. Destroys non-reinforced walls in one hit. Direct player hits deal 125 damage (near one-shot territory).

Best For: Safe-distance wall destruction, emergency anti-personnel

6 Recommended Loadouts

🎯 Beginner Friendly

Primary: Vanguard
Secondary: Kraken or Paladin
Raid Tool: Rocket Launcher

Balanced for all phases. Vanguard handles most fights, shotgun for base defense.

⚔️ Aggressive Raider

Primary: Dynasty
Secondary: Corsair
Raid Tool: Blast Hammer

High damage output for breaching. Corsair melts structures during raids.

🛡️ Base Defender

Primary: Vanguard
Secondary: Big Rig (if available)
Raid Tool: Zipline Gun

Hold chokepoints with Big Rig. Zipline enables quick repositioning.

🎯 Long-Range Control

Primary: Ranger
Secondary: Viper
Raid Tool: Zipline Gun

Control sightlines with Ranger. Viper for emergency close combat.

7 How to Get Weapons

Method	Description
🎮 Initial Gear Up	Pick 2 combat weapons for free at match start
🛒 Shop (Vesper)	Purchase weapons and upgrades with Vesper currency
📦 Chests	Find weapons in loot chests across the map
💀 Enemy Drops	Pick up weapons from defeated players
📦 Care Packages	Big Rig only spawns in Care Packages (2nd Gear Up phase)

💎 Weapon Rarities

Weapons come in multiple rarities from Common to Legendary. Higher rarity = better stats.

Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary

8 Scope Options

Unlike other shooters, Highguard provides built-in scope options—no attachments needed.

Weapon	Default	Alternate
Ranger	3× Scope	6× Scope
Saber Rifle	3× Scope	Ironsight
Vanguard / Dynasty	Ironsight	3× Scope
Viper / Longhorn	Ironsight	2× Scope
Kraken / Paladin / Corsair / Big Rig	Ironsight only	—

💣 Grenades

All Wardens have unlimited grenades with a 45-second cooldown.

100

Max Damage

Fuse Time

45s

Cooldown

9 Frequently Asked Questions

How many weapons are in Highguard at launch?

Highguard launches with 13 weapons total: 10 combat weapons (3 Assault Rifles, 2 Shotguns, 2 SMGs, 1 Sniper, 1 Revolver, 1 Gatling Gun) plus 3 Raid Tools (Blast Hammer, Zipline Gun, Rocket Launcher).

What is the best weapon in Highguard?

Vanguard is the most versatile and beginner-friendly assault rifle. Kraken dominates close-quarters combat. Paladin has the highest raw DPS. Big Rig excels at suppression but only spawns in Care Packages.

Can any weapon one-shot kill?

No weapon can reliably one-shot full-health players. Ranger sniper headshots deal 148 damage—high but not a one-shot. Kraken shotgun can deal 150 damage at point-blank with all pellets hitting, but this requires perfect aim.

How do I get the Big Rig Gatling Gun?

Big Rig only spawns in Care Package Drops, which begin appearing during the second Gear Up phase. It cannot be purchased from shops or found in regular chests.

What is Vesper and how do I get it?

Vesper is the in-match currency used at shops to buy weapons, armor, and upgrades. You earn Vesper by mining resource nodes with your melee weapon (Axe) or by defeating enemy players.

Will more weapons be added?

Yes. Wildlight Entertainment has confirmed monthly Episode updates that include new weapons, Wardens, maps, and game modes. New content is free for all players.

Highguard Weapons Tier List & Stats — All 13 Guns Ranked

Data Source