Call of Duty: Vanguardfans are likely still a month away from official information. Zombies info is typically revealed close to the launch of a newCall of Dutygame, and Treyarch has specifically hinted that theAll Hallow’s Eve eventwill bring the first look at the new mode. However, this has not stopped leaks from taking place, with insiders sharing major info and some interesting details found in the code for the game.
Call of Duty: Vanguardwill supposedly be seeing the return of crafting, armor, and the upgrade system fromCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The same four Field Upgrades thatBlack Ops Cold Warhad at launch will apparently be returning, this time going by the name of Artifacts. New features include Sacrificial Hearts and Covenants, with the latter being some kind of challenge system and dataminers having no details on the former. However, the more surprising leaks are tied to War of the Dead, the mode’s first round-based map.
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While most of the small Zombies leaks can be attributed to various users that searched through the code oftheCall of Duty: Vanguardbeta, the larger leaks come courtesy of @TheMW2Ghost on Twitter. A reputable insider when it comes to earlyCall of Dutyinfo, the leaker has proven correct on several occasions. As such, they have become a go-to source for fans that are on the hunt for some early info, and their latest comments about Zombies come with some major implications. For starters, they have claimed that the first Survival map forCall of Duty: Vanguardwill be named War of the Dead.
Outside of fitting with the naming conventions of classicmaps like Call of the Deadand Mob of the Dead, the name War of the Dead could have two meanings. The less likely option is that players will finally see The Great War, a legendary battle from the original Aether universe that was hyped up across several maps. While this map was teased heavily, the story went in a surprising direction, subverting expectations and never letting players actually experience The Great War in-game. While the Aether story is now over, and Treyarch is clearly moving on with its new Dark Aether story, many would like to see one last map in the Aether universe that shows this conflict.
While there is a small possibility that this title refers to The Great War, it is far more likely that it is referencing World War 2. GivenCall of Duty: Vanguard’s World War 2 setting, it would make sense if the Zombies content was themed around that era as well. With Treyarch confirming thatVanguardZombies will be a prequel, the most likely scenario is that the map will show other attempts made by the Nazis to build an undead army. LikeProjekt Endstation, players will likely see hidden experiments that went awry, defeating the undead and cleansing each area. With most of theCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarZombies characters being either too young or not yet born at the time of the war, it will be interesting to see how a World War 2-focused prequel connects.
Alongside confirmation of the map name for the first round-basedmap inCall of Duty: Vanguard, @TheMW2Ghost shocked fans with their information on its release date. While the insider does clarify that the information is subject to change, it was shared by two different sources, meaning it is likely true. Apparently, War of the Dead will not launch alongside the rest of the game on November 5. Instead, it will debut in Season 1, which is set to begin on November 23.
While this is only a few weeks of waiting, having no round-based map at launch will still be a first for Treyarch. Every other Treyarch-made Zombies mode has had at least one map on day one, giving all players a traditional experience to jump into upon release. As fortheCall of Dutyseriesas a whole, only Sledgehammer’sCall of Duty: Advanced Warfarehad a similar strategy. In that game, Exo Zombies was saved for the first expansion pack, with only an easter egg that revealed the mode was coming being included in the base version of the futuristic FPS.
It will be interesting to see howCall of DutyZombies fansreact to this surprising change. While it does make sense given the fact that Treyarch will be releasing a new round-based map inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warduring Season 6, it will surely disappoint some players. Still, the delay will hopefully result in a better map and experience, something that should always take priority. On the bright side, the final thing @TheMW2Ghost mentioned aboutCall of Duty: VanguardZombies is that there will still be some content for fans of the mode on launch day.
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What Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies’ Launch Content Could Look Like
WhileCall of Duty: VanguardZombieswill not be getting a traditional Survival map until Season 1, fans will be getting access to a new type of experience. According to @TheMW2Ghost, this mode will be a mixture of Outbreak, Onslaught, and round-based Zombies. Based on that description, it will be different from what Zombies fans are used to - something that lines up perfectly with the comments Treyarch made back when Vanguard Zombies was first announced.
As for how this mode will play, fans currently have no clue how it will work.Zombies Onslaughtsees two players fighting waves of the undead onCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer maps, while Outbreak has them completing objectives in the massive multi-team locations. How exactly Onslaught’s fast-paced gameplay loop can mesh with the slower style of Outbreak is tough to imagine, and the confirmation that some round-based influence will be present only complicates things further.
Perhaps the experience will take place in one massive region instead of having players teleport constantly like they do inOutbreak mode. Onslaught’s orb-focused objective could be one of the missions players have to complete in this new experience, while the play space could be detailed and full of easter eggs like a proper round-based map. Outbreak’s focus on looting could stay, with players exploring a location made specifically for Zombies as opposed to something that is reworked from multiplayer. This is purely speculation based on a leak, however, and fans should take it with a grain of salt. Either way, having a brand-new game mode instead of a Survival map as the day one content is interesting, as it instantly setsCall of Duty: Vanguardapart from past iterations of Zombies.
Call of Duty: Vanguardlaunches November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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