One barrel forward, one backwards, and a faster body. It's the mobility pick at level 15, and the gateway to Vector and Triad Sentry.
At 0 stat points. Bullet speed and range include the global bullet-speed and range multipliers.
| Tier | 2 |
| Unlock level | 15 (3,488 score) |
| Upgrades from | Recruit |
| Upgrades into | Level 30: Vector, Triad Sentry, Crossfire, Quadrant |
| Barrels | 2: a full-length front barrel and a shorter rear barrel, fired together |
| Reload | 0.58 s per volley (1.73 volleys per second, 3.46 bullets per second) |
| Bullet speed | 368 px/s |
| Bullet range | 331 px |
| Bullet damage | 8.3 per bullet (+2.6 per Bullet Damage point) |
| Bullet penetration | 2 |
| Spread | ±2° |
| Recoil | The front and rear kicks are equal and opposite, so the net recoil of a volley is zero |
| Drones / traps / turrets | None |
| Body | Movement ×1.1, max HP ×1.073. Top speed 230 px/s at level 15 (other tier-2 classes: 209), 82 max HP at level 15 |
The Rearguard is the fastest tier-2 class. Its body moves 10% faster, so at level 15 you top out at 230 px/s while a Duet or Vantage manages 209. That 21 px/s gap is enough to decide who starts a fight and who gets to leave one.
The rear barrel is what people misunderstand. It is not a thruster. Both barrels fire at the same moment with the same recoil, so the forward barrel pushes you back and the rear barrel pushes you forward by the same amount, and they cancel. A Rearguard firing doesn't move at all from its own shots. That's the actual benefit: you can hold fire while you chase something and lose none of your speed, where a Recruit or a Vantage slows itself down with every shot.
The rear barrel does shoot a real bullet with the full 8.3 damage. It covers your back while you chase, and it hits anything following you. Point your front at what you're chasing, and whatever's behind you gets shot too.
Per bullet you're doing slightly more damage than a Recruit, and you fire slightly faster. Forward-facing damage is only one bullet per volley, though, so in a straight trade you're weaker than a Duet. You win by picking the fight and leaving before it turns.
The Rearguard beats slow classes that commit to a position. A Vantage relies on distance, and you're the class that can take it away. You can catch a Recruit or a Rattler that's running, because your shots don't slow you and theirs slow them.
It loses a straight trade to a Duet, which puts 4.9 bullets a second forward against your 1.73. It struggles against anything that out-damages it face to face. Don't sit in a trade you can't win when you're the one tank on the field that can leave.
Rearguard has four level-30 options, two of them shared with Duet.
Worth knowing: only Vector keeps your speed bonus. The other three go back to a normal body.