Apex Legends Season 28 Draws Unintentional Parallels to Highguard

Apex Legends Season 28: Breach is set to redefine the battle royale experience, launching on February 10. This season introduces Hardlight Meshes—transparent barriers that players can see through but cannot pass or shoot through unless they are destroyed first.

“After seven years of Apex Legends, we’re thrilled to introduce features that not only add new elements but also transform the gameplay that players already cherish,” said lead battle royale designer Eric Canavese. “With the new Hardlight mechanics, we’re opening up new creative avenues for gameplay and combat, allowing players to experience the maps and the entire roster of Legends in exciting new ways.”

For those who have been diving into Highguard—a free-to-play “raid shooter” developed by former Respawn team members—this concept may feel somewhat familiar. In Highguard, players can reinforce walls to secure their bases, and one of the playable characters, Scarlet, can temporarily shift walls into sand, enabling her and her teammates to move through them freely.

However, this isn’t a case of Respawn borrowing ideas from Highguard. The development of new seasons for Apex Legends is planned well in advance, and while there are similarities, the mechanics of Hardlight Mesh windows differ from Highguard’s walls. Hardlight Meshes require more damage to break, with explosives and melee attacks shattering them more quickly than regular gunfire. Unlike Highguard’s walls, Hardlight Mesh windows cannot be reinforced, but they can be repaired by Controller-class Legends like Catalyst, Caustic, Rampart, and Wattson.

“We’re eager to see how these new entry and defense points will impact even the most seasoned players who know these maps inside and out,” Canavese remarked about the new windows.

He’s definitely onto something. Hardlight Mesh is poised to be a game-changer, particularly for competitive players aiming to climb the ranks in next year’s Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) Championship.

Apex Legends Season 28: Breach goes live on Tuesday, February 10, at 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST.