In a strategic move within the competitive hero shooter landscape, developer Wildlight has launched Highguard update 1.0.4, delivering significant enhancements directly on the heels of a major Marvel Rivals update. This free-to-play title, available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC via Steam, now introduces several long-requested features aimed at refining the player experience.
Key Gameplay Improvements and Console Focus
The update brings one or two crucial gameplay changes that address community feedback head-on. Most notably, console players can now adjust their Field of View (FoV) up to 110, a feature fans have eagerly anticipated since the game's launch this week. This addition provides greater control over visual perspective, potentially enhancing competitive play and comfort.
Enhanced Control Customisation
Further improving accessibility and playability, Highguard update 1.0.4 introduces toggle options for Aim Down Sights (ADS) and Crouch actions. This means players are no longer required to hold down buttons continuously, which is particularly beneficial for crouching mechanics during extended gameplay sessions. Currently, the ADS toggle is available for PC users only, with controller support expected in future updates.
Wildlight has provided specific recommendations for PC players utilising the new toggle features. Tapping the sprint key while in ADS mode will swap your scope, which can be disorienting on controller setups. The developer advises rebinding the scope swap function if opting for toggle ADS to maintain optimal control.
Visual and Performance Optimisations
The patch significantly expands video settings, introducing a new "View Distance Quality" option that controls skeletal mesh Level of Detail (LODs). This provides players with another valuable tool to balance GPU and CPU usage according to their system capabilities.
Additional visual customisations now allow players to independently toggle features such as Anisotropic Materials, Chromatic Aberration, and Bloom, regardless of other quality settings. DLSS users gain access to selectable presets, with more options and improved descriptions promised in subsequent patches.
Performance Enhancements and Bug Resolutions
Performance tuning includes adjusted low scalability settings for shadows and reflections, offering improved frame rates at a slight cost to image quality. The low shadow setting now also disables volumetric fog, while players can completely disable Global Illumination by selecting the "Off" option.
A critical engine bug that inadvertently throttled laptop users to 60 FPS has been resolved, allowing proper frame rate utilisation. Major crash fixes have reduced crashes by an impressive 90%, significantly improving overall game stability across all platforms.
Future Developments and Localisation Notes
Wildlight has confirmed that the ability to disable Motion Blur and Depth of Field will be introduced in a future update, but only when implementation can be achieved safely without compromising game integrity.
It is important to note that not all new settings have been localised beyond English language options at this stage. International players may experience delays before some changes appear correctly in their regional versions, though core functionality remains intact.
Comprehensive Patch Notes Summary
The update addresses multiple technical issues including match loading problems on machines with slower storage devices, unexpected input states when leaving PS5 matches, and various bugs related to online user presence and matchmaking. Social features have been improved with friends now appearing online correctly after accepting requests, and Xbox presence updates functioning reliably.
This substantial update positions Highguard as a responsive competitor in the hero shooter genre, directly addressing player demands while enhancing technical performance across console and PC platforms.
