Author: Nik Ranger

CoD Veteran Tommey Reveals a New Team and Organization for the WWII Competitive Season Call of Duty veteran Tom ‘Tommey’ Trewren has revealed his next step for the 2018 WWII season with a brand new team and organization. With multiple years of experience in the competitive CoD community under his belt, Tommey is one of the most seasoned professional players in the scene still playing at the time of writing. After a stint with FNATIC during the Infinite Warfare season which saw a collection of fluctuating placements, Tommey was soon revealed at the newest member of Splyce for the ensuing return to ‘boots on the ground’ for CoD: WWII. Although the newly-formed Splyce roster got off to a hot start by taking home a second place finish at the CWL Dallas Open in December, the team struggled at later events, which caused many to believe a change was going to occur. Following a 17th-20th placing at CWL Seattle, it was announced that Tommey would no longer be a part of the Splyce roster, leading some to question if he could continue competing down the line. However, on May 7th, it Tommey announced that he will be joining Team Vitality alongside Wailers ‘Wailers’ Locart, Adam ‘Peatie’ Peate, and Shea ‘QwiKeR’ Sweeney for the remainder of the season. Thanks to all of @Splyce for the good memories over the last 7 months, especially @Lazerchickenzzz and @Swizz. Best of luck to the lads, @Bance, @MadCat and @jurd. Hopefully you can win another championship, it sucks to have gotten so close twice but I’m sure you’ll get it. — Tommey (@Tommey) May 7, 2018 Feels good to be back home under @Team_Vitality and I’m extremely excited for the challenges ahead with the new team. Appreciate all of the kind words over the last few weeks, it means a lot and helps push me through bad times. The real grind begins now. — Tommey (@Tommey) May 7, 2018 After being Relegated during Stage One of the CWL Pro League, Team Vitality will not be present in Stage Two, and will most likely compete in the National Circuit prior to CWL Anaheim in June. Team Vitality Call of Duty Tom ‘Tommey’ Trewren – Wailers ‘Wailers’ Locart – Adam ‘Peatie’ Peate – Shea ‘QwiKeR’ Sweeney –

CoD veteran Tommey joins 100 Thieves’ new Warzone pro team 100 Thieves100 Thieves, and their new Call of Duty League franchise LA Thieves, are wasting no time assembling their newly-announced pro team for Warzone, announcing longtime competitor Thomas ‘Tommey’ Trewren as their first recruit. When it comes to competing at the highest levels of Call of Duty, very few have been around longer than Tommey, who spent last season as a substitute for eventual CDL champions, Dallas Empire. However, with his days as a CoD pro pretty much behind him, the Englishman has long since turned his attention to Warzone, becoming one of the world’s best players in the popular battle royale. Now, his efforts have paid off, as 100 Thieves announced on November 9 that Tommey would be the first player and content creator for their new Warzone pro team. “With over a decade of experience in Call of Duty and multiple championship titles to his name, Tommey currently is one of the best Warzone players in the world and we are so excited to have him on 100 Thieves!” the organization tweeted. “Ever since Warzone came out, I’ve been really wanting to push on and compete in that,” Tommey said. “This is sort of my transition period now, where that is what I’m looking to do and what I’m looking to do going forward. “Warzone’s just brought so many new people in, like Symfuhny and HusKerrs coming in and playing. It’s given weekly tournaments that everyone wants to tune in on, it’s just thrown everyone in together and just making it bigger and bigger.” 100T founder and CEO, Matt ‘Nadeshot’ Haag, paid some strong compliments to his new player on Twitter: “One of the nicest guys you could ever meet and probably the best Warzone player on your timeline. It’s an incredible feeling to have the ability to surround our team with such great people.” This has been in the works for a while now but I’m so happy and excited to announce to everyone that I’ve joined @100Thieves as their first ever Warzone player. This wouldn’t have been possible without all of the support you guys have shown throughout the years, so thank you. pic.twitter.com/WdanZmzV1t — Tommey (@Tommey) November 9, 2020 Since the battle royale’s release back in March and through all of the big-money and high-roller tournaments that have been hosted, very few can boast a resume that’s as impressive as Tommey’s. At the time of writing, he’s earned over $54,000 from official Warzone competitions, which currently puts him eighth in the world, according to Esports Earnings. That’s due to the plethora of top placements he’s accumulated at various tournaments – 11 times coming in first place and three times finishing second. But that really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s familiar with his Call of Duty career; the 28-year-old enjoyed a long and successful stint as a CoD pro, winning numerous tournaments and featuring for some prominent teams. His last official appearance was at the Call of Duty World League Championship in 2019, where he placed 9th-12th and earned $35,000, despite playing for an amateur team. Now with Tommey officially a member of 100 Thieves’ Warzone squad, the question shifts to who the organization will bring on next. Nadeshot has already confirmed that he won’t be on the team, so they’ll likely be looking for at least three more top-tier players to round out the roster. There’s strong speculation that Symfuhny, one of the biggest names in competitive battle royale and a dominant Warzone player, could be the second addition to the team. This would definitely make sense, considering that he recently became a free agent after not re-signing with NRG and has strong ties to 100T.

CoD Vanguard’s Ship Haus 24/7 hit with stealth changes amid double XP boosts ActivisionSledgehammer Games have made a number of stealth changes to the Ship Haus 24/7 playlist in CoD: Vanguard – and it will affect the amount of XP players can earn, even taking into account the ongoing Double XP weekend. CoD: Vanguard launching with 16 maps has impressed the majority of the CoD community, ensuring there are multiplayer environments conducive to any playstyle and popular with a variety of players. We’ve also seen some CoD classics return – including World at War’s Dome and Castle – with Shipment also being added in the first big update to the game. The newest map has been put in its own limited-time playlist with Vanguard’s Das Haus, making a chaotic and claustrophobic gaming environment. Given the size and pace of both maps, players can earn an eye-watering amount of XP and rank up rapidly, especially amid the Double XP event taking place on the weekend of November 20/21. However, some stealth changes have been made to the playlist which are sure to reduce the amount of XP players will earn. The changes have seen the playlist’s player count reduced. While Blitz pacing previously saw matches at 8v8, it will now put players into 7v7 lobbies. Similarly, Assault pacing is now 6v6 and Tactical is 4v4. While players shouldn’t have too much difficulty finding opponents, some players have been frustrated by the unannounced changes on Sledgehammer’s behalf, mainly because it will inhibit players from earning the levels of XP they would have previously. There were some minor updates to the Ship Haus 24/7 playlist in #Vanguard overnight. Player count changes: Blitz now 7v7 Assault now 6v6 Tactical now 4v4— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) November 20, 2021 There are a number of other issues players want to see fixed in the playlist, including spawns and players being put into the wrong lobbies in terms of pacing. Sledgehammer have pledged their willingness to listen to community feedback across Vanguard’s life cycle. For a full look at the issues they are working on, you can check out their dedicated Vanguard Trello board.

CoD Vanguard’s Riot Shields are completely broken and players are furious Sledgehammer GamesRiot Shields are easily one of the most controversial weapons CoD Vanguard, but it appears the latest update has completely broken them as they are no longer protecting players from shots. The Riot Shield has always been one of the CoD series’ most divisive weapons. While there’s no denying that it takes a certain amount of skill to use effectively, it can be a source of frustration for enemy players. CoD Vanguard is no exception, with at least one player acting as a bullet sponge in nearly every match. In fact, players have already called for a counter to Riot Shields because of how effective they are. Well, after the latest Vanguard update, players have seen their wish come true – but not exactly how they would have imagined. As it stands, Riot Shields appear to be broken, offering no protection to the players using them. The idea of Riot Shields is that they deflect all incoming fire, making players extremely tough kill but giving them a limited chance of attacking back. Following the recent update, this is no longer the case. One fan uploaded a video to the game’s subreddit showing that any shots fired at a Riot Shield are now causing damage to the player carrying it. It means they can be killed as if they weren’t holding a shield to begin with. What makes the glitch even more confusing, is that if you switch to your secondary weapon and put the shield on your back (commonly known as ‘turtling’) – it protects you from damage as intended. This is a pretty severe issue, especially for those who run normally run a Riot Shield loadout or are looking to unlock Diamond camo. The glitch makes them unusable unless you you simply want protection from behind. The clip has sparked an angry reaction from the community. Many called out the developers after a glitch-filled launch for Vanguard. “Actually pretty pathetic programming from the devs. IMO an inexcusable error – like do you not QA anything?” asked one player. “This is hilarious at this point,” said another. Others were almost happy that the Riot Shield had lost its effectiveness and even called for it to be removed from the game altogether. “They should just delete this thing from the game and no one would be mad.” Sledgehammer Games are yet to address the issue, and there is no mention of it on the devs official Trello board. With the launch of Vanguard Season 1 just days away, many fans will be hoping for a fix sooner rather than later.

CoD Vanguard’s Ranked mode plans revealed for 2022 ActivisionSledgehammer Games and Treyarch are teaming up to create a Ranked mode in Vanguard for 2022, it has been confirmed. Competitive Call of Duty fans everywhere can rejoice as plans involving a competitive in-game playlist have been revealed. For years, CoD developers have been slammed over their lack of effort when it comes to creating a “League Play” or competitive mode. However, that is set to change. On October 29, Treyarch posted: “We’re collaborating with our partners to bring competitive modes, Ranked Skill Divisions, visible Skill Ratings, and new competitive rewards to Vanguard Ranked Play in 2022.” We’re collaborating with our partners to bring competitive modes, Ranked Skill Divisions, visible Skill Ratings, and new competitive rewards to #Vanguard Ranked Play in 2022. More details to come! 🎖 https://t.co/bKcf2VVhwa — Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) October 29, 2021 Vanguard Ranked mode confirmed There was no official release date but they said it is coming sometime in 2022. Here are some of the key features highlighted that will appear in this competitive mode: Ranked skill divisions – Visible skill ratings – Competitive rewards – Treyarch led the development of Black Ops 2’s League Play which was regarded as one of the greatest in-game competitive modes of all time. With ladder systems set in place and visible elo points, we could see a system similar to BO2 return in Vanguard. If this works like other ranked games then we could see divisions like Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Masters where players need to earn a certain amount of points in order to rank up. .@SHGames and @Treyarch look forward to bringing a new level of Ranked Play support to #Vanguard in 2022 in collaboration with @CODLeague 🎉 More details will be shared at a later date. https://t.co/C5dUPpOSRl — Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) October 29, 2021 Activision gave this official statement, “Sledgehammer Games and Treyarch look forward to bringing a new level of Ranked Play support to Vanguard in 2022 in collaboration with the Call of Duty League. More details will be shared at a later date.” We will update you when more information is revealed. In the meantime stay up to date with all the latest in Call of Duty on our page.

CoD Vanguard’s ranked mode confirmed for Season 2 launch in February ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard’s ranked mode is finally set to launch in the near future, and it may even be familiar to veteran players as new reports imply it’s a direct copy of WWII’s popular system. It’s been 77 days since Vanguard launched and even longer still since devs teased a “new level of ranked play support” would be rolled out. Despite teasing the latest competitive mode back in October, we’ve been left with radio silence until now. With pro players lashing out at the lack of a third playlist fit for competitive and team owners slamming the lack of communication, it’s been a downward trend since launch. Things could finally be set to change, however, as new details have finally emerged. Vanguard’s ranked component looks to be launching alongside the delayed Season 2 update, if plans hold together. Competitive modes, Ranked Skill Divisions, visible Skill Ratings & rewards… sounds good to us. @CODLeague, you down? — Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) October 29, 2021 “Ranked Play is planned to roll out alongside new Vanguard game content in February,” Call of Duty League General Manager Daniel Tsay announced on January 21. With Season 2 now launching on February 14, two weeks later than originally planned, it appears as though a ranked mode will be featured in the new content drop. This major CoD update follows close behind the first Call of Duty League event of the year. Thus, it’s a likely target for the launch of ranked play. Furthermore, insider reports have also implied Vanguard’s system will copy directly from WWII. As previously outlined, this means it’s safe to expect everything from skill divisions and visible skill ratings to unique competitive rewards. WWII’s ranked functionality is often referred to as the highpoint in the CoD series. Mirroring the traditional competitive mode would be a return to form after years of either no ranked play or basic ‘League Play’ replacements. It’s worth taking this information with a grain of salt for the time being, however. We’re yet to hear official word on plans for Vanguard’s ranked experience. With Vanguard viewership struggling worse than any CoD before it, there’s no telling if ranked will be able to salvage the latest release.

CoD Vanguard’s movement has pros scared of thumb injuries & broken controllers Activision / Pexels, laleshAs Call of Duty’s movement mechanics continue being difficult, CDL pros are fearing for their thumbs and controllers — calling for a controversial change to league rules due to Vanguard’s intensity. It was a whole thing in CoD: Modern Warfare 2019. Whether you followed the competitive Call of Duty League scene or simply browsed Google and Reddit, good movement has been mechanically intensive and the subject to much scrutiny. For casuals, controllers broke left and right as analog sticks couldn’t keep up with the usage needed for proper slide-cancels. In the CDL, where pros agreed on Gentleman’s Agreements to ban Auto-Tac Sprint because of how easily it allowed you to slide-cancel, pros’ thumbs and controllers suffered massively. Built on MW19’s engine, the issue hasn’t gone away with 2022’s Vanguard. And it’s gotten so rough that the game’s best are considering doing away with their ban in order to protect thumbs and sticks. If we have tactical sprint in Vanguard, I think we should allow automatic tactical sprint. Our controllers are getting torched having to slam our left stick 2,000,000 times a day. Plus I think I have my first ever tattoo inside my left thumb from it. Thoughts? 🤔 — Doug Censor Martin (@Censor) September 13, 2021 While Doug ‘Censor’ Martin isn’t currently on a CDL roster, the CoD vet raises the discussion most expansively — noting that ATS should be allowed in order to save thumbs and controllers from getting “torched.” And that’s not him just being an old man, either, as young stars like Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro and Eli ‘Standy’ Bentz seem to agree that it’s time to change GA’s. I’ll be the one to say it lets use auto tac sprint in vanguard — Standy (@Staaandy) September 11, 2021 With Shotzzy, known for his unparalleled movement, complaining about his thumb after one hour and Standy, known as the best rookie SMG, calling for ATS to be allowed — the situation is interesting. As Censor explained, Vanguard’s movement is much like MW19 and Black Ops Cold War’s in that it requires a lot of left-stick usage to perfect. With that being the case, the mechanical intensity is partially saved by ATS, which allows you to sprint without double-clicking the stick. For now, the game is still in Beta and no one knows if the movement will be tweaked by launch or the season’s start. But, if it’s not touched, pros may want to enable ATS just to give their thumbs and controllers some support.

CoD Vanguard’s most frustrating problem might be player collision Activision/Sledgehammer GamesCoD Vanguard players want Sledgehammer Games to make adjustments to the frustrating issues surrounding the game’s player collision detection. Player collisions, also known as body blocking, can be a huge problem in CoD titles. Not only can it prevent players from rushing onto objectives, but it can also lead to some incredibly frustrating deaths. This issue is currently highlighted in Vanguard’s smaller maps like Das Haus, where the high player traffic and limited entry points aggravate the problem further. From being knocked out of cover to giving enemies free multi-kills, player collision is often the bane of many CoD players’ experience. Modern Warfare devs previously addressed this and Vanguard players are hoping Sledgehammer does the same. Vanguard fans want player collision changes While Vanguard’s launch has been met with a large amount of praise from the CoD community, there have been a number of issues that fans want the developers to address. Currently, one of the top complaints surrounding the game is that of player collision. Read More: Best Type 100 Vanguard class loadout – If you’ve been using Vanguard’s Blitz Combat Pacing filter or running back-to-back sessions of Das Haus, then chances are you’ve experienced body blocking. Whether it’s sprinting through a choke point only to be stopped by a prone teammate or being jolted into enemy fire, Vanguard’s allied collision continues to be a huge problem for many players. “I’ve been killed multiple times when I couldn’t get to cover because a teammate blocked me,” said TraumaTracer. “It’s so frustrating and has no point to exist. Please do something [about] it.” For those that play the standard 6v6 modes, body blocking isn’t such a huge issue. In fact, the lower density of players invariably means you can sprint around the map without issue. However, once large volumes of players are clustered together, collisions are naturally going to be more frequent. “I swear to god, it’s like I’m back in high school walking behind a bunch of freshmen that take their sweet ass time to get to class and I got places to be, explained one player. “I’m borderline playing in third-person when my teammates in front of me go exactly where I want to go”. Player collision isn’t the only thing that is getting players killed, there have also been reports of chairs and doors also causing weird deaths. Hopefully, Sledgehammer addresses this issue soon or works to tone it down in a future update.

CoD Vanguard’s destructible environments can apparently fight back ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard introduced a bunch of features to the franchise and breakable environments are an obvious new element. But players are now discovering, the hard way, that these destructible inanimate objects can fight back. Though Call of Duty players generally appreciate a certain level of realism, there’s a fine line. The newest CoD, Vanguard, has some serious WW2 realism — but also the slide-canceling and modern reticles of an arcade shooter. The destructible environments are also, on the whole, relatively realistic. Bullets can indeed break through wooden panels. But players are now realizing just how far that realism goes and… are a little concerned. While the CDL’s Atlanta FaZe were practicing callouts on Tuscan, they noticed that there’s an era-appropriate “Bazooka” rocket in a closet. And, it turns out, you will explode and die if you melee said missile. CoD Vanguard’s destructible environment fights back with Bazooka You mean to tell me Vanguard’s destructible environments can fight back?? 😵💫 (via @Arcitys)pic.twitter.com/nPlG3wh7zN — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) December 2, 2021 As the guys looked around the map, there was an explosion and one evaporated. CDL 2021 MVP Chris ‘Simp’ Lehr explained how he was so easily hard-countered: “Dude I knifed the Bazooka in the closet and it blew up.” While everyone laughed in confusion, Alec ‘Arcitys’ Sanderson went to check for himself. He popped into the room, found another waiting rocket, knifed it, and boom. Arcitys died, everyone cracked up and we all learned that Vanguard’s inanimate objects can be deadly. It remains unclear if other maps have live ammunition laying around but there’s definitely at least two on Tuscan. And, so far, reactions seem to be mixed. While Arcitys said he “can’t believe this is real,” others are intrigued by the possibilities. A number of players said they might try shooting the closet, or throwing a grenade at it, to kill anyone in the room in the future. Vanguard has been out for around a month now and we’re still finding out new things. Just remember to be careful with what you knife when investigating the maps.

CoD Vanguard’s broken spawn traps make Free-For-All a killstreak exploit ActivisionVanguard’s infamous spawns are once again being called into question by players. The game’s classic Free-For-All game mode is currently being affected by the “horrible spawn system,” making for some truly broken and exploitable games. Call of Duty spawns are notorious for their inconsistency and odd decision-making. This has been a reoccurring issue in CoD games for the last 10+ years and Vanguard has been no different. Some games move along seamlessly, whereas some are plagued by wildly erratic spawning near enemies. Unless you’re playing Shipment, then it’s never too much to handle. However, a new example of spawns has highlighted a severe problem in one of the game’s most popular modes — Free-For-All. Team Deathmatch and Domination are staples of CoD multiplayer, and so is Free-For-All. It’s the one mode where you pretty much cannot rely on anyone else and it boils down to your individual ability. Read More: CoD Vanguard devs return with 2022 promises – Sadly though, many players are having their Free-For-All gameplay hampered and bogged down by strange spawns, gifting easy kills and Killstreaks to enemy players. In a post titled “Hardcore FFA gets destroyed by people abusing the horrible spawn system. Every round you have these people!” on the Vanguard subreddit, user KobraKay87 showed what happened to them. The clip showed the player spawning and dying four times in a row on the exact same spot. After the fourth death, they observed the Killcam to pinpoint the location of their killer. The footage concluded with the player locating the offending opponent, who was camped, prone in a hidden spot behind a wall, and ending them. One amusing comment said: “This is probably a good time to be a shield turtle.” Whereas someone else offered a slightly more serious thought on Vanguard’s spawns: “It sucks that people exploit this. But I have more disdain for the devs in charge of spawn logic than the players exploiting it.” Spawn logic was one of the main things addressed during the Vanguard beta, and it’s always possible that Sledgehammer will continue to monitor its performance as the game’s lifecycle progresses.

CoD Vanguard’s akimbo Bird-Shot pistol loadouts are wrecking Shipment ActivisionCall of Duty Vanguard can be extremely fast with Combat Pacing which means chaos can ensue, but these akimbo Bird-Shot pistol loadouts are wrecking Shipment. One of Call of Duty’s most iconic maps of all time has been reworked and put into Vanguard. Shipment is a classic map from CoD 4 where players spawn in a tiny square and constantly fight it out. While games can end in the blink of an eye, it also has the potential for some insane gameplay, and there’s a new pistol loadout that is destroying the competition on Shipment. Vanguard akimbo Bird-Soht pistol loadout In a Reddit post by ‘Mack710x’, they show off an insane sequence with akimbo revolvers where they get about 10 kills in 15 seconds. We’ve seen overpowered shotguns ruining matches but in this clip, you can see they are using a new deadly Top Break pistol loadout. According to Mack710x, they finished the game with 148 eliminations and used no lethal killstreaks. While they did not provide a full list of attachments, we can tell from looking at the weapon that these were equipped: Top Break Bird-Shot pistol Loadout Muzzle: M1929 Silencer – Optic: 1229/Slate 3.25x Custom – Magazine: .30 Russian Short – Ammo Type: M15 Shot Shell (Bird-Shot) – Proficiency: Akimbo – Kit: Quick – The main part of this build is the M15 Shot Shell as this is the Bird-Shot and basically puts a shotgun shell into the chamber. It gives the Top Break a wider damage radius, making it easier to kill enemies. On top of that, the .30 Russian Short gives the weapon more damage and range. They are likely using Rapid Action or Hair Trigger in the underbarrell slot as these let you shoot the pistols faster, but there is no way to confirm this. Next time you hop into a Shipment match or even Das Haus, give this loadout a try and see if you get a V2 Rocket or break the 100 kill mark.

CoD Vanguard’s #2 Ranked player exposes his own cheats on stream ActivisionA Call of Duty streamer, who managed to jump up to be second overall in Vanguard’s Ranked Play mode, exposed himself on stream by revealing that he was using wallhacks. Like most other games, Call of Duty has always had its fair share of issues with cheats and hacks. Many players have inflated their stats, given themselves super speed, and unlocked everything possible without even playing a game before. The problems have gotten worse with the arrival of Warzone and players switching from consoles to PC for competitive play, and while there is an anti-cheat in the form of RICOCHET rooting them out, hackers are still incredibly prevalent. While many cheaters can go under the radar and avoid detection for quite some time, there are others that slip up and expose themselves in front of the whole CoD community. Call of Duty streamer ‘pplehx’ became the latest player to find themselves being exposed for using cheats after a clip did the rounds on social media on April 11. The streamer, who has risen up the ranks to become the #2 overall player in Vanguard’s Ranked Play, was streaming a game of Hardpoint on Tuscan when his broadcast stuttered and revealed enemy positions through walls ever so briefly. Pplehx tried to play it off as his game “crashing” because the stream, again, stuttered and things went back to normal – with the enemies no longer being visible through the walls. The #2 ranked player on Vanguard (“pplehx”) has been caught cheating after his stream bugged and showed he had walls 💀 (via @V1A70) pic.twitter.com/rpF3SnX3jI — CDL Intel (@intelCDL) April 11, 2022 The streamer was asked in his chat as to why he would “randomly cheat” given his position on the Ranked Play leaderboard. “I got it for diamond camo G, didn’t know how to turn them off,” was his answer. lmaoooooooo https://t.co/WlGr9maK7r pic.twitter.com/v5RYxKK1PV — CDL Intel (@intelCDL) April 11, 2022 Other clips from the streamer’s previous matches have also been shared on social media, though, they don’t show the wallhacks like the one from the game on Tuscan. As it stands, the streamer’s Twitch channel is still active and it remains to be seen if he’ll be punished for the cheating.

CoD Vanguard Zombies trick lets players level up weapons faster than ever ActivisionPlayers have been grinding to max out their weapons and a Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies tricks lets them level up faster than ever. There are 32 weapons in CoD Vanguard that players need to level up in order to unlock all the attachments or get Atomic camo. While it can be tedious to level up each weapon, and it can take over six hours for just one gun, people are always looking for ways to make it faster. People like JGOD and others had recommended starting away from Zombies to level up weapons. But a new trick is letting players get weapon XP at a historic pace. Vanguard Zombies trick to level up weapons fast It can be a grind to max out a weapon in Vanguard, as primaries have 70 levels and take around 150,000 XP to complete. Read More: How to fix CoD Vanguard dev error 5537 – However, this can be extremely easy to do within Zombies while utilizing this nifty trick. To do this, players must load into a game and play for about two minutes before backing out and repeating over and over. Here’s a step-by-step guide to maximize the amount of weapon XP you get: Load into a Solo Zombies game – Kill all the zombies in starting spawn (about 10) – Enter a “Transmit” portal and kill all 21 zombies – Leave game and repeat. – This is super-efficient because you can earn around 2,000 XP in about 2-3 minutes of playing. This means you can earn around 60,000 an hour and even more if it’s Double Weapon XP. While it usually takes around six hours to get 150,000 XP in multiplayer this cuts the time needed in half by using this method. Everything is Leveled ahead of Schedule. Did the last 10 or so using the Zombies WXP strat, which was a grind, but it is done. How many weapons have you maxed out of 32? pic.twitter.com/u7pUfUhY5p — James – JGOD (@JGODYT) November 28, 2021 JGOD, who has maxed out all his Vanguard weapons, said he used this strategy to help get XP faster. So if you’re looking to have your weapons leveled up for the new Warzone Pacific map or need them unlocked to get Atomic camo, definitely try this out.

CoD Vanguard Zombies trailer reveals new demon theme ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard’s Zombies reveal trailer has arrived and demons appear to be at the center of the undead story. While some Call of Duty players enjoy tearing down their opponents in the standard multiplayer, others prefer to slay undead enemies in the Zombies mode, and Vanguard is looking to deliver on both fronts. After waiting countless months for any news on the mode, the Vanguard Zombies reveal trailer has finally dropped and it’s certainly got players excited. With appearances from demons and Dark Aether, this is definitely going to be a mode worth checking out once Vangaurd drops on November 5. Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies trailer revealed The wait is finally over for Zombies fans as the Vanguard reveal trailer dropped on October 14 at 4 PM BST. Although the action-packed preview doesn’t give us all the details on Vanguard’s Zombies, it does give us a great indication of what to expect. Looking through the trailer, it appears players will be fighting on multiplayer maps at release, instead of a dedicated new location. There are also rumors that the title will only launch with a survival mode, meaning a round-based map will arrive after launch. When it comes to piecing together the story, fans have already started theorizing on the possible direction Vanguard will be taking. With the trailer showcasing a demon or god-like figure pulling the strings, it’s led a lot of fans to draw a link to the intel that was discovered in Cold War. A lot of Zombie players believe that the narrative could be centered around these powerful figures using the human characters as pawns while they war against each other. So my take on this is that the old gods that we mentioned in the intel of Cold War zombies are warring with each other and using the human characters as their pawns — WPWA Lycoon (@Lycoon_3214) October 14, 2021 Although it’s hard to pinpoint any specific details at this time, more details are set to come out in a blog post in the near future. If you’re looking to keep up to date with the latest Vanguard Zombies news, check out our dedicated hub. For now, let’s hope Activision knocks it out of the park and Vanguard delivers the Zombies experience fans are anticipating.

CoD Vanguard Zombies: How to complete Terra Maledicta Easter Egg ActivisionVanguard Zombies’ Terra Maledicta map represents the game’s first Easter Egg, and if players complete it then they will earn lots of amazing rewards — including the Decimator Shield Wonder Weapon. Despite a wildly indifferent launch period, Vanguard Zombies is now finally starting to pick up. A ton of fresh content, including Wonder Weapons, has been added with the Vanguard and Warzone Season 2 update, with even more stuff on the way. One of the most sought-after updates that players have been craving was some form of Easter Egg / Main Quest mission. Thankfully, players now have one to play for during a game of the new Terra Maledicta map. Contents Terra Maledicta Easter Egg: How to unlock the Decimator Shield – What do you get for completing the Easter Egg? – Terra Maledicta Easter Egg: How to unlock the Decimator Shield As with every other Call of Duty Easter Egg, Terra Maledicta’s comes with a convoluted series of steps in order to finish it. But doing so will reap some handsome rewards, including the new Decimator Shield Wonder Weapon. Here’s how you can complete the Terra Maledicta Easter Egg: Firstly, get to Round 3 and begin the objective in the ‘Temple’ area – Complete it and locate the Decimator Shield in the ‘Merchant Road’ area to initiate story details – Once your player has acknowledged the request, go forth and complete objectives to unlock all the map’s areas – After this, head to the ‘Demonic Frenzy’ fountain (green one), turn behind you, walk in a straight line, and interact with the mysterious, smoking rune – Head into the blue portal that opens up and complete the ‘Purge’ objective round – The map will now have four, large glowing yellow crystals for you to find and shoot – When this is done, go to the ground floor of the ‘Bazaar’, and inside you’ll find another rune to interact with – Jump straight into the newly opened green portal and finish the ‘Sacrifice’ mission – You can now claim the Decimator Shield – With it in your possession, make your way to ‘Debris Field’ and next to a wooden platform connecting two rocks you’ll see another rune – Interact with it and enter the final portal – During the ‘Void’ objective you’re tasked with, you’ll now have to use the Decimator Shield’s explosive ‘Decimator Blast’ ability to destroy the 4 connector’s to the floating tome – Press to interact with the ‘Tome Page,’ and you’ll be transported back to the main hub area – Collect all the loot and go about the rest of your game! – What do you get for completing the Easter Egg? Players who successfully complete the Easter Egg will be rewarded with a huge stack of loot that includes Salvage, Rare Weapons, Points, Chests, Killstreaks, Armor, and Equipment. As well as being a fun distraction, if you’re chasing a lengthy run and trying to tackle as many rounds as you can, then this will be a great help to speed up your Pack-A-Punch upgrades – amongst other things.

CoD Vanguard & Warzone players slam “desperate” Season 1 Battle Pass ActivisionSeason 1 of Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone has finally dropped, bringing with it a whole new Battle Pass full of weapon blueprints and XP tokens. However, some of the cosmetics that make up the battle pass have sparked an angry reaction from CoD fans, with some calling it a “desperate” cash grab. Ever since Fortnite popularised the Battle Pass format in gaming, many other big-name titles have jumped on board. The feature is now a common feature across the video game landscape, showing up in paid and free-to-play games alike. Call of Duty is one of those games. Activision have adopted the model in their last few mainline CoD installments, as well as in Warzone. So, when Vanguard launched in November, players were eager to see the lineup of unlockables they would be grinding for. However, now that Season 1 is live and the Battle Pass is on sale, many of the unlocks have proved to be disappointing. The community has responded by labeling the Battle Pass as “junk” and accusing Activision of ‘squeezing money’ out of CoD fans. As seems to be the case with any Battle Pass, major unlocks like Operator skins and weapons are spread between levels of smaller unlocks. This is very much the case in Vanguard and Warzone Season 1, and with items like the Sawtooth Melee Weapon few and far between. Many of the tiers reward players with sprays and charms, items that are far less desirable than a new weapon blueprint. There are also new killcam cosmetics, which personalize the clip shown when a player is killed. The latter, in particular, has come under fire, with one Reddit user calling it “one of the worst ideas for a cosmetic I’ve ever seen.” “They are so desperate to find new things to charge money for it’s laughable,” replied another player. The general consensus was that these less useful cosmetics are being used to pad out the Battle Pass and make it appear like there is more content. “As if it wasn’t enough getting useless stickers and spray paints in $24 bundles, now they can throw this junk in as well and claim you’re getting value,” argued another fan. The community bemoaned the fact that they now have to grind through tiers of “useless” content to get to the unlocks that are worthwhile. Redditors called for Sledgehammer to release skins on the store so they could be purchased separately. Others bemoaned that devs didn’t use the Battle Pass to fix the ongoing problem where enemies and teammates look alike. “I’d pay money if they’d just let me make the enemy team be generic Axis soldiers. I don’t even need to play as them, I just hate both sides looking the same.” Battle Passes have been a contentious issue ever since they became widely used – especially in games that aren’t free-to-play, where they come at an additional cost to the player. Activision has had great success using the feature in past CoDs, but Vanguard Season 1 is off to a shaky start. Fans will be hoping for a revamp of the tiers in Season 2 and beyond. For more reaction on Warzone and Vanguard Season 1, be sure to check our coverage of Warzone Pacific: Dr Disrespect has huge problems with Warzone Pacific | Players questioning the size of Caldera | Aydan hates Caldera so much he might quit | Players amazed by mastery skins

CoD Vanguard & Warzone Attack on Titan bundle: Release date, contents, price Activision / MAPPAEver since CoD Vanguard launched in November, rumors and leaks have been circulating about a potential crossover with the popular Attack on Titan anime. Now it’s been confirmed to be coming to Warzone, and here’s all the info you need to know. While the CoD series isn’t as prolific when it comes to crossovers as a game like Fortnite, it’s no stranger to adding a surprising new character or two. We’ve seen the likes of Die Hard’s John McClane and Ghostface from the Scream series already, so fans have been eagerly awaiting the next big tie-in. Since the launch of Vanguard, alongside rumors of a Marvel crossover, there was plenty of talk about Attack on Titan making its way into the WWII shooter. An accidental leak after the 1.50 Warzone update and and official reveal on January 11 confirmed it’s happening. Here’s everything we know about the Warzone and Vanguard Attack on Titan collaboration, from the launch date to the characters involved. Contents CoD Vanguard & Warzone Attack on Titan bundle contents Like we mentioned, with the release of the Warzone 1.50 update on December 15, some players discovered that the details had slipped into their Armory. One of the many tiles advertises an attack on Titan-themed Tracer Pack. On January 11 Activision confirmed that AoT would indeed be coming to Warzone, with a number of items for players to collect. Daniel Yatsu will be getting a new Survey Corps skin, and there will also be plenty of other gear based on the anime as well. In addition to the skin, there are three new legendary weapon blueprints, a charm, and a cheeky potato sticker for the Sasha Braus fans out there. We’ll also be getting a “Wings of Freedom” Survey Corps emblem, and flashy finishing move and highlight intros. But, the coolest part of this crossover has to be the iconic Titan Piercer melee weapon blueprint. They look like they came straight from the anime, and like a ton of fun to use on Caldera. Attack on Titan Bundle release date The AoT crossover will become available on January 20, one week after a midseason update for Vanguard and Warzone Pacific that will include a new Operator, a new weapon, additional content for Zombies, various bug fixes, and more. The Vanguard update will be available to download on January 11, at 9 PM PT, while the Warzone Pacific update can be downloaded starting on January 12 at 9 PM PT. Given that Attack on Titan’s Final Season Part 2 dropped on Sunday, January 9, this operator bundle is very timely, and is perfectly timed to make the most out of the hype surrounding one of the biggest (pun intended) anime series in recent years. Attack on Titan. Call of Duty. January 20. pic.twitter.com/041hS8Nvav — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) January 11, 2022 Warzone & Vanguard Attack on Titan bundle price We don’t have any official word just yet on much the Attack on Titan pack will cost. But, based on previous collaborations of this kind, somewhere in the region of 2,400 COD Points is probably a fair estimate. This was how much the Die Hard and Rambo packs cost during the BOCW era, which works out to $19.99 / £16.79. That’s everything we know so far about the Attack on Titan Tracer pack in CoD Warzone and Vanguard. More information is set to emerge very soon, so be sure to check back here to stay in the loop. For more on Call of Duty, take a look at some of these helpful guides: Sten Vanguard loadout | Best audio settings | Best Warzone equipment | How to make stats public | Best Sniper Rifle loadouts | Cooper Carbine Warzone loadout |

CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042: Which 2021 shooter reigns supreme? EA/ActivisionIt’s shooter season, and this year sees CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 in a battle for your trigger finger’s attention. Which one comes out on top? Another year means another Call of Duty, and while Vanguard takes the franchise back to World War II, it’s got a new challenger that’s going the other way. Battlefield 2042 has jumped to the near future following Battlefield V, but with both launching in the same month it can be tough to tell which one you’ll prefer. While Xbox and PC fans can also check out Halo Infinite, a game that dropped its multiplayer portion out of nowhere a few weeks before launch, many FPS fans will want to stick to more realistic combat. With that in mind, we’ve put Vanguard and Battlefield 2042 in a head-to-head battle. Which shooter should you buy? Contents CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 single-player – CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 multiplayer – CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 gameplay – CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 verdict – CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 single-player This is a bit of a mismatch in truth, but if you’re a solo player looking to blow through a campaign then Call of Duty Vanguard is the only option here. That’s because Battlefield 2042 is multiplayer only, and will let you fight against offline bots in multiplayer matches, but has no bespoke campaign. On the other hand, Vanguard has a solid, Tarantino-esque effort that tells the tale of the world’s first special forces unit in WWII. As you’d expect with a CoD campaign, there are plenty of set pieces, and while it’s a little formulaic, there are some fun stealth and sniping sections. Vanguard also offers Zombies, if you’re into that, although we’d much prefer to play that in multiplayer. The winner this round: Call of Duty: Vanguard. CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 multiplayer Inarguably the most contentious of these categories, multiplayer is where virtual warriors will be spending the majority of their time (or all of it, if you’re playing Battlefield 2042). The good news here is that both games have a solid base to build out from, with both Vanguard and Battlefield 2042 getting post-launch content for free, including maps, characters, and weapons. That’s a good thing, because at launch things could do with a little improvement. Vanguard’s spawn points are all over the place, while Battlefield 2042’s 128-player matches can be a little too busy. Vanguard’s Zombies mode, sadly, feels half-finished. All the usual Call of Duty modes are here, but Battlefield is a little more experimental. Hazard Zone is a squad-based mode where 32-players hunt for resources while fighting each other and AI squads, feeling like a big-budget Escape from Tarkov. The best addition, though, is Battlefield Portal. This lets you take tools from the likes of Battlefield 3, 1942, Bad Company 2, and of course, 2042, and make custom match types with all kinds of parameters – like sending WWII infantry up against an army of robot dogs. The winner this round: Battlefield 2042 CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 gameplay Despite stepping back into the 1940s, Call of Duty has lost none of its snappiness. Weapons feel great, and while the time-to-kill is a little on the short side, it makes for great running and gunning – even if not every one of the launch maps is a winner. When it comes to Battlefield 2042, there are few games that offer the feeling of charging into a warzone. Bullets bounce off of walls, explosions shake the screen, and tanks rumble by while aircraft dogfight above. It’s a lot to take in, which can make it extra frustrating when you’re sniped from the next postcode. When you’re the one pulling the trigger, though? Exquisite. While Sledgehammer Games could have stuck to the usual format of mostly static maps, the team has implemented some destructibility in the environments. Some walls can be torn through, and grenades can blow doors off hinges. Battlefield 2042 still takes the cake for explosive redecorating, though, because while its destructible environments are great, its new weather systems are next level. Sandstorms roll through and obscure vision for all players, or a hurricane can hurl a soldier into the air. Still, it’s tough to call – if you’re looking for more running and gunning, then Vanguard provides that in spades. For slightly slower, more methodical combat, it has to be Battlefield 2042. It comes down to preference though, so we’ll call this a draw. The winner this round: Tie CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 verdict So here we are, at the verdict, with each game sitting on 1.5 rounds won. It may sound a cop-out, but it’s justified – both games, despite their inherent similarities as FPS titles, offer something a little different. Battlefield 2042 is the perfect title to practice your sniping, although that may mean things don’t get as hectic as they do in Call of Duty Vanguard. On the other hand, Vanguard’s action can feel like it needs the Benny Hill music at times, as players dart around its maps dodging bullets and killstreaks. The good thing is that each game is worthy of your time, and for more on each, we’d recommend going to read our full reviews of Call of Duty Vanguard and Battlefield 2042.

CoD Vanguard streamer hits insane 360 no-scope using Donkey Kong bongos Twitter/deanobeanoA Call of Duty Vanguard streamer hit the snipe of a lifetime while explaining how he uses his Donkey Kong bongos as a controller in what is one of the most insane plays we’ve seen so far. Vanguard is still in its infancy, but we already have a candidate for play of the year and it all comes from one man’s gimmick controller and it has to be seen to be believed. It’s not uncommon to see streamers or content creators play games with absurd controllers. We’ve seen guitars, pianos, drums, baguettes, and now bongos from the GameCube classic Donkey Konga. To make things even better, however, is how streamer DeanoBeano used them to secure one of the most amazing no-scopes, all by complete accident. I swear this happens every time I explain how the bongos work to somebody LMAO pic.twitter.com/YhLVTjwz8y — Deano (@DeanoBeano) November 23, 2021 Vanguard streamer lands no-scopes with bongo controller During a stream, a viewer asked Deano about how he was able to get a GameCube controller to work on a game that was never released on Nintendo’s purple lunchbox of joy. “I have a USB adapter for it, so it plugs right into my PC,” he explained. “Then I use the four buttons on top for aiming and then I use combinations to do things.” After tapping on the bongos, Deano showed how he can scope in and out with his sniper, jump and shoot. Click here if TikTok fails to load. Despite no longer being zoomed in, the streamer fired a shot that somehow traveled across the map killing an enemy player that wasn’t even visible, leaving him completely stunned. With his mouth gaping wide, the Vanguard streamer gasped in disbelief, uncertain on how he managed to pull that off. In another clip, the streamer secured a kill on an enemy before jumping off a platform and performing a 360 and miraculously secured yet another brilliant frag. “Yo, what the f**k was that?!” he exclaimed. Considering all the skill Deano has with so many different controllers, it’s clear that he’s one of the most proficient we’ve ever seen and the highlights just keep on impressing.

CoD Vanguard pro Shotzzy breaks down best controller settings for pro movement Call of Duty League / ActivisionAs the 2020 Call of Duty League MVP and current SMG star for OpTic Texas, Shotzzy knows a lot about CoD. So it’s no surprise that everyone turns to ‘the game’s best POV’ for Vanguard’s best controller settings. If you want to play like the best, the first step is to set your game up properly. Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas may only be in his second year as a CoD pro, but there’s a reason why his teammates ask him for the best settings. The first-ever multi-FPS world champion, Shotzzy won a chip in Halo before winning CDL Champs (and MVP) in his rookie year. Now, he’s known as ‘the best POV in CoD’ for his movement skills and is widely respected. So, ignoring all of the graphics and audio settings (which are hardware-dependent), let’s see what controller settings Shotzzy recommends. Shotzzy’s best Vanguard controller settings for top-tier movement Why is @Shotzzy like this… 😱pic.twitter.com/jdKOg5LPeX — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) August 20, 2021 As you can see in the clip above, Shotzzy moves like water when he’s playing Call of Duty — deadly, slippery water. Outside of the options he leaves set on default, here are his full controller settings for Vanguard: Horizontal Sensitivity: 6 – Vertical Sensitivity: 6 – Aim Response Curve Type: Dynamic – Automatic Airborne Mantle: Partial Grounded Mantle: Off – Automatic Ground Mantle: Off – – Automatic Sprint: Automatic Tactical Sprint – Sprint Cancels Reload: On – Slide Behavior: Tap – The one option he hasn’t touched yet is custom sensitivity per zoom, but he mentioned that he may tweak that in the future. As far as the rest go, there are good reasons for each. Both sensitivities and response curve type are “personal preference,” but the pro player makes convincing arguments for the rest. Vanguard Mantle settings on controller (For mobile users, segment begins at 3:04) As Shotzzy detailed, you can tweak sensitivities to suit your tastes. But the mantles are key choices. By setting Automatic Airborne Mantle to “Partial” and both Grounded and Automatic Ground Mantle to “Off,” he claimed his movement immediately improved: “My slide actually feels like MW. I’m not even joking … I definitely feel a difference.” So if you want absolute fluidity while zooming around Vanguard’s maps, you know what to do. And we’ve also got you covered if you want the best Vanguard settings for FPS, visibility, and performance.

CoD Vanguard Shi No Numa Easter Egg guide: Wunderwaffe & boss fight ActivisionThe Shi No Numa Zombies remake in Call of Duty: Vanguard has delivered a new Easter Egg to complete and our guide will show you how to craft the Wunderwaffe and beat the boss. It’s time for another Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies Easter Egg, this time, a Shi No Numa one. The legendary Zombies map has been featured in a reduced capacity in this year’s CoD title, but now that the full Shi No Numa map remake is live in Season 4, it’s back in all its glory with a full Easter Egg hunt to tackle. It represents the first true round-based map in CoD Vanguard to this point, and completing the Easter Egg will take you on a fun rollercoaster, so let’s get into it. Contents How to complete Shi No Numa Vanguard Easter Egg – Build the Wunderwaffe DG-2 – Cypher Stone – Ceremony – Flogger kills, Relic Mirror Fragments & Orbs – Boss Fight – How to complete Shi No Numa Vanguard Easter Egg If you’ve done a Call of Duty Zombies Easter Egg before then you already know how time-consuming and complex they can be. Shi No Numa’s Easter Egg isn’t as outlandish as other endeavors in years gone by, but you’ll definitely need to have some patience if you attempt this. Here’s our detailed set of instructions to complete the game’s Shi No Numa map remake Easter Egg. Shi No Numa Zombies: Build the Wunderwaffe DG-2 Go to the ‘Fishing Hut’ and pick up the ‘Weapon Barrel’ situated on a shelf. – Now, go to ‘Comm Room Exterior’ and place the barrel in an electrical unit. – Go in the ‘Comm Room,’ turn on the trap, and then defend it. – Once you’ve survived the onslaught, collect the barrel, go back to the ‘Comm Room’ and obtain the ‘Charged Vacuum Tube’ from the small radio. – Staying in the ‘Comm Room,’ find the ‘Electrical Fuse’ on a table highlighted by a lamp. – Make your way to the ‘Storage Room’ and activate the trap in there which should break, allowing you to place the fuse and charge it. – You now need to advance the game until you get to ‘Round 15′ and lure a Zaballa The Deceiver to the ‘War Room’ so that she attacks the coils in there. – Once they’ve charged enough you will be allowed to pick up another ‘Charge Vacuum Tube’ on the table next to the coils. – Take all the parts to the weapon workstation in the ‘Storage Hut’ and you should have a prompt to ‘Craft Wunderwaffe DG-2.’ – Follow the prompt and it’s all yours. – Shi No Numa Zombies: Cypher Stone The first ‘Cypher Wheel Part’ can be found in the ‘Doctor’s Quarters’ and it’s in the corner of the room on some boxes. – You can find the second part in the ‘Dig Site’ and it’s roughly 180 degrees away from the Pack-A-Punch machine on a table next to a skull. – The final piece is in the ‘Dormitory’ on a table between a bunk bed and a wall weapon. – With all three pieces collected, you now need to find three symbols that change each game. – One symbol can be found back at the ‘Dig Site’ on the ‘Armor and Equipment’ bench. – Another symbol will be in the ‘Comm Room’ on a table next to some radios and a headset. – The third and final one will be in the ‘Excavation Room’ on a table with a gas lamp — you’ll need to shoot or melee some books to reveal the full piece of paper. – We now need the Cypher Key, to get that, go to the ‘Doctor’s Quarters’ and use some kind of explosive or similar device on a weird-looking piece of paper on the desk. – This is the key and we’d recommend you take a picture of this for reference. – Now, head to the ‘Doctor’s Quarters Exterior’ location and make a Boom-Schreier explode next to the glowing stone pillar. – This reveals the code input device and you’ll have to decipher the symbols you found using the Cypher you found to activate it. – Shi No Numa: Ceremony All players in the game must activate the newly glowing statues at the same time to ‘Start Ceremony.’ – Using the Wunderwaffe DG-2, you must kill as many Zombies with a glowing, blue aura as possible to complete this phase, if you fail, you can try again in the next wave. – Once you’ve done this, it should trigger a cutscene for you to enjoy. – Finish the next round and return to the pillar. – Shi No Numa: Flogger Kills, Relic Mirror Fragments & Orbs You need to find the trap in the ‘Flogger Courtyard’ that costs 750 points to use and you need to get kills with it to fill up a drink fountain nearby. – Once you’ve done enough, you will be able to drink from the fountain and you will enter a weird, realm of the existing map. – This step requires you to run around the map and find a ‘Relic Mirror Fragment,’ it’s random, so you’ll have to do your best to find it. – When you have, you now need to locate a glowing red orb, walk into it, and it will begin moving it. – Follow it and it will eventually take you to the other ‘Relic Mirror Fragment’. – With both fragments in hand, set off towards the ‘Dig Site’ and locate the pedestal in the defined digging area to ‘Place Relic Mirror Fragments’. – Like the Ceremony process, all players will need to interact to ‘Energize Podium’ at the same time. – If your timing is on point, you will now need to pursue your respective blue orb as it moves through the Shi No Numa map. – The orb will need to be shot three times and it will move to a new spot each time it’s shot. – After the third shot, return to the original ‘Dig Site’ spot and all players will need to simultaneously interact with the platforms again to ‘Summon Echo’. – Shi No Numa: Echo Boss Fight To defeat Echo, you will need to complete the first phase which requires you to use the Wunderwaffe DG-2 to kill glowing blue Zombies near the central podium in the ‘Dig Site.’ – Once you’ve done this enough, Echo’s shield will fall and you can use the Wunderwaffe DG-2 to take off a third of Echo’s health. – Phase Two is almost identical, kill glowing Zombies near the pedestal and after enough have been killed you’ll be able to attack Echo again. – Once Echo goes immune again, kill more blue Zombies, and then finish off Echo. – You’ll be rewarded with a lore cutscene and eventually get some extra goodies too! – Hopefully, you enjoyed our Vanguard Shi No Numa Easter Egg Zombies guide, and we have more CoD content for you to check out below: CoD Vanguard Zombies: How to complete Terra Maledicta Easter Egg | How to summon Zombies in Fortune’s Keep with new Warzone easter egg | Infinity Ward confirms Modern Warfare 2 will not include zombies | Best Marco 5 Vanguard loadout | Best UGM-8 Vanguard loadout | Where to find Golden Keycards in Warzone: How to open secret Mercenary vaults

CoD Vanguard Season 5 update patch notes: New map, Ranked play, exploit fixes Treyarch/ActivisionThe season 5 update adds a plethora of fresh content to CoD Vanguard, including a new map and reworks and a new Ranked Play season. Season 4 injected some much-needed life into CoD Vanguard, adding USS Texas, Desolation, new weapons, and Blueprint Gun Game. Sledgehammer Games pulled out all the stops for Vanguard’s final major update. The developers reworked several map problems and introduced a brand new map. Let’s take a look at everything coming in the Season 5 update… Vanguard Season 5 update: What’s changing? Beheaded is a brand new CoD experience based on a war-torn Times Square. The developers described it as a small map, best suited for close-quarters comeback. Berlin, Castle, Decoy, and Desolation all received varying degrees of change. Players can no longer reach unintended vantage points or go beneath Castle’s playable area. Season 5 wipes the slate clean for Ranked Play competitors. Every player must go back and play five Skill Evaluation Matches to earn a new Skill Rating. New Blueprint, Camos, Charms, Sprays, Stickers, and Emblems are available as Season 5 Ranked Play Rewards. Full Vanguard Season 5 patch notes Here are the full Season 4 update patch notes. NEW: BeheadedNavigate a war-torn Times Square in this post-apocalyptic small map, built for fast action. Look for the Beheaded 24/7 Featured Playlist at the launch of Season Five. – – BerlinDebris pile in the Destroyed Room no longer allows players to obstruct view of their Operator. – Enemy nameplates are no longer visible through walls in the Office. – Players can no longer reach an unintended vantage point in the Destroyed Room. – Players can no longer capture the Office Hardpoint from an unintended location. – – CastleAddressed an exploit that allowed players to reach unintended locations beneath the playable area. – – DecoyField Upgrades will no longer fall through geometry when placed in the Exhaust Monitor or Switch Station. – Players can no longer reach unintended vantage points near the East Courtyard. – Mantling a wooden crate in the Barracks Yard will no longer kill the player. – Adjusted spawn location near the Administration Road to prevent players from spawning out of bounds. – – DesolationPlayers can no longer reach unintended vantage points near the Central Ruins Overlook and Temple Ruins. – Players can no longer capture the Comms Towers Hardpoint from unintended locations. – Improved Guard Dog Killstreak AI pathing near the Village Creek. – – NEW: Season Five Seasonal ChallengesEarn cosmetic rewards upon completing each of the twenty Season 5 Mastery challenges. – – NEW: Season Five Clan ChallengeEarn cosmetic rewards upon completing each of the four stages of the Season Five Clan Challenge.Get 500 ADS Kills – – – Earn cosmetic rewards upon completing each of the four stages of the Season Five Clan Challenge. – Addressed an issue that caused players to lose access to previously unlocked items. – Season Five Skill Rating ResetPlayers’ Skill Ratings have been reset at the start of Season Five. – Play 5 Skill Evaluation Matches to earn a Season Five Skill Rating and get placed into a Skill Division & Tier. – Win matches after your initial placement to earn SR and advance your Skill Division & Tier over the remainder of the Season. – – Season Five Top 250 Skill Division & LeaderboardThe Season Five Top 250 Skill Division and Ladder will go live on August 31st, one full week after Season Five starts. This release time will allow players time to earn a Season Five Skill Rating and advance through divisions. – – Season Five Ranked Play RewardsPlayers can earn the following rewards in Ranked Play during Season Five:BlueprintsPro Reissue SMG Automaton – Finish Top 5 in a Ladder Event – Midnight’s Edge (Combat Knife) – Win 50 Ranked Play Matches – – CamosSeason Five Ladder Champion – Finish 1st in a Ladder Event – Season Five Ranked Veteran – Win 100 Ranked Play Matches – – CharmsLocked Down – Finish Top 10 in a Ladder Event – GOAT – Win 25 Ranked Play Matches – – SprayChalked – Win 5 Ranked Play Matches – – StickerSeason Five Ranked Competitor – Complete 5 Skill Evaluation Matches – – EmblemsEarn an Animated Skill Division Emblem at the end of Season Five to reflect your highest Season Five Skill Division – – – Blueprints – – Players can earn the following rewards in Ranked Play during Season Five: –

CoD Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded update patch notes: New map, UI improvements, more ActivisionCoD Vanguards’ final major update doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it offers plenty of fresh content to carry players over until Modern Warfare 2. Call of Duty Vanguard never reached the same heights as past titles; however, Season 5 Reloaded gives players a reason to log back in for one more go. The game’s final update adds the Lienna 57 LMG, BP50 AR, and a new map for players to enjoy. Season 5’s first Vanguard update introduced Beheaded, small-scale map based on a war-torn Times Square. Season 5 Reloaded adds the game’s final map and makes several quality-of-life changes. Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded update: What’s changing? Fortress is a multiplayer map taking place in a desert graveyard surrounded by the remains of old ships. The developers described the map as medium-sized with a “loose” three-lane structure. Beheaded, Paradise, and Radar all received minor updates. Players can no longer reach an unintended location on Beheaded, and equipment and Field Upgrades will no longer fall through the bridge on Paradise. Sledgehammer also added Blueprint Gun Game into Private Matches and improved visibility while firing the RA 225. Previous generation console players received a much-needed performance improvement for loading UI images. Full Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded patch notes NEW: Fortress (In-Season)Battle in a desert graveyard featuring the remains of old ships; Fortress is a medium-sized map with a loose three-lane structure. – Coming soon: Fortress 24/7 Featured Playlist – – BeheadedReduced Hardpoint boundaries near the Record Shop to prevent unintended capture points. – Addressed an exploit that allowed players to reach an unintended location near the Clothing Store. – – ParadiseEquipment and Field Upgrades will no longer fall through the bridge near the Cliff Path. – – RadarImproved enemy dog AI pathing near the Vehicle Bay. – – Blueprint Gun GameBlueprint Gun Game is now available in Private Matches. – – Corrected a grammatical error in the Tank Triumphant Seasonal Challenge description. – Marco 5 (Submachine Gun)Improved coverage and appearance of equipped Mastery Camos. – – RA 225 (Submachine Gun)Decreased muzzle smoke VFX to improve visibility while firing. – – Improved performance of loading UI images on previous console generations. – Addressed an issue that prevented players from accessing the Customization menu. – Bundles & Cosmetics Corrected multiple animations while using the Down to the Wire Operator Skin for Beatrice. – Addressed an issue that caused the T-1000 Operator Skin to not reflect properly in the lobby walk sequence. – Optic Attachments will no longer appear smaller than intended on the Armored Strength Blueprint for the Cooper Carbine. –

CoD Vanguard Season 4 update patch notes: New map & mode, Ranked Play, weapon changes The CoD Vanguard Season Four update adds new exciting content such as CoD WWII map USS Texas, Blueprint Gun Game, and a new Ranked Play season. Content has been rather quiet for Vanguard recently, but Season 4 provides plenty of reason for fans to get excited again. Fans are sure to be familiar with the return of a classic map and game mode, and Ranked Play fans will be pleased for a fresh coat of paint for the game mode. Let’s take a look at everything coming in the Season 4 update… Vanguard Season 4 update brings back some fan favorites USS Texas was an iconic map in Call of Duty: WWIII and it is back in Vanguard as part of the Season Four update. Blueprint Gun Game is essentially the same game mode as regular Gun Game, but instead of standard guns players are equipped with random Blueprint weapons from the store that are cycled through each game. If you had a bad Skill Rating in Season 3 of Vanguard Ranked play, fear not because every player’s Skill Rating has been reset at the start of Season 4. Every player will have to go back and play five Skill Evaluation Matches to earn a new Skill Rating. New Blueprint, Camos, Charms, Sprays, Stickers, and Emblems are available as Season 4 Ranked Play Rewards. Here are the full Season 4 update patch notes below. Full Season 4 update patch notes NEW: USS Texas 1945 The USS Texas returns from (2017) for one last voyage. Set sail in its 24/7 Featured Playlist at the launch of Season Four. – – Castle Bullets will no longer penetrate the wall near the High Ground in order to prevent undesirable spawn conditions. – – Sphere Addressed an issue that prevented the Glide Bomb Killstreak audio from being heard by players within the Labs. – – NEW: Blueprint Gun Game An all-time classic game mode makes its Vanguard debut. Be the first player to score a Kill with each one of the provided Weapons. – – Season Four Skill Rating Reset Players’ Skill Ratings have been reset at the start of Season Four. – Play 5 Skill Evaluation Matches to earn a Season Four Skill Rating and get placed into a Skill Division & Tier. – Win matches after your initial placement to earn SR and advance your Skill Division & Tier over the remainder of the Season. – – Season Four Top 250 Skill Division & Leaderboard The Season Four Top 250 Skill Division and Ladder will go live on June 29th, one full week after Season Four starts. This release time will allow players time to earn a Season Four Skill Rating and advance through divisions. – – Season Four Ranked Play Rewards Players can earn the following rewards in Ranked Play during Season Four: Blueprints Pro Reissue SMG Charlie – Finish Top 5 in a Ladder Event – Pro Issue KAR98k – Win 50 Ranked Play Matches – – Camos Season Four Ladder Champion – Finish 1st in a Ladder Event – Season Four Ranked Veteran – Win 100 Ranked Play Matches – – Charms Carried – Finish Top 10 in a Ladder Event – Iced – Win 25 Ranked Play Matches – – Spray Clean Sweep – Win 5 Ranked Play Matches – – Sticker Season Four Ranked Competitor – Complete 5 Skill Evaluation Matches – – Emblems Earn an Animated Skill Division Emblem at the end of Season Four to reflect your highest Season Four Skill Division – – – Blueprints – – Players can earn the following rewards in Ranked Play during Season Four: – NEW: Carver Butcher (Immortal) – NEW: Callum Hendry (Immortal) – General Added the ability to inspect equipped Weapons. – Refined Pros and Cons in the Gunsmith for all Magazine Attachments that modify Aim Down Sights Time and Reload Speed to accurately reflect the effects of the Attachment. – Increased Damage for Melee Weapons in the Overclocked Playlist to maintain a one-hit-kill. – Addressed an issue that prevented Diamond Camo for Melee Weapons from unlocking once the requirements are met. – Corrected the Magazine Attachment requirements for several Camo challenges. – – NEW: Marco 5 (Submachine Gun) Unlocked at Tier 15 in the Season Four Battle Pass – – NEW: UGM-8 (Light Machine Gun) Unlocked at Tier 31 in the Season Four Battle Pass – – Nikita AVT (Assault Rifle) Added Weapon Unlock Challenge. Get 10 Kills while moving in a single match 15 times. – – – Added Weapon Unlock Challenge. – Armaguerra 43 (Submachine Gun) Corrected the challenge requirements for the Death Artist Camo Category. – – H4 Blixen (Submachine Gun) Corrected the alignment of the Magnus Tac iron sights. – – M1916 (Marksman Rifle) Added Weapon Unlock Challenge. Get 10 One Shot One Kill in a single match 15 times. – – – Added Weapon Unlock Challenge. – Added new Seasonal Challenges and rewards. – Added new Clan Challenge (expires in one week). – Addressed an issue that caused PC keybinds to reset to default upon switching between Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies modes. – Browning a player’s Clans will now display the correct level of each individual Clan. – Addressed an issue where Loadouts would persist with outdated Weapon selections. – Quick Equip can no longer be used to equip unsupported Reticles on Optic Attachments. –

CoD Vanguard Season 4 roadmap: New maps, Shi No Numa & Gun Game Return Call of Duty: Vanguard is getting a huge overhaul in the Season 4 update, including a Mayhem Map, Trophy Systems, and more. On June 16, Activision revealed the upcoming changes for for Warzone’s Season 4, with a deep dive into the brand new map, Fortune’s Keep. While Warzone may have dominated the headlines, Vanguard players can also expect significant changes to content in Multiplayer game modes. With two new multiplayer maps, a new ranked season, new operators, and the return of a beloved game mode, adding up to a breath of fresh air in Vanguard Season 4. With Season 4 starting on June 22, let’s run through everything that’s coming up in the Vanguard Season 4 roadmap. Everything coming in CoD Vanguard Season 4: Full roadmap Shi No Numa Brings Back Classic Round-Based Zombies. Battle through the swamps of Shi No Numa in round-based play, featuring a new multi-step main quest, Wonder Weapon, and more. – Embark on the High Seas in USS Texas 1945. Battle on the decks and in the interior spaces of USS Texas 1945, launching at the start of the new season. – Blueprint Gun Game Debut. The fan-favorite mode is back. Be the first to progress through every weapon to win the match. – Thirteen years after its original release in , the legendary round-based Zombies experience Shi No Numa is returning as part of this free update to . Team up and conquer the “Swamp of Death” in classic round-based Zombies play, featuring a new main quest and side quests, a new Wonder Weapon quest, fresh intel, and more. New Main Quest, Wonder Weapon: Wade through the swamps as you journey on a multi-step quest culminating in a devastating battle. Complete the quest in full to show off your prowess with a new Calling Card. Watch for hidden secrets throughout in the form of multiple side quests waiting to be uncovered in the swamps. Fast Travel, Classic Traps: Tactically reposition yourself from the undead fast using Shi No Numa’s zipline system and when the horde is nipping too close to your heels, run them through the flogger or your electro-shock defenses. Experience the map in a new way through unique features like exchanging your Sacrificial Hearts for upgrades at the Altar of Covenants and the Tome of Rituals. Keep an eye on this blog for a Shi No Numa map guide coming next week. Mercenaries of Fortune brings two new Multiplayer maps that will challenge even the most tactical Operators. A familiar battleship launches alongside the start of the season, with a second map arriving midway through. USS Texas 1945 (Launch) USS Texas 1945 challenges Operators to fight it out on an offshore battleship designed for tense long-range engagements on starboard and port and plenty of close-quarters action amidst its many confined interior locations. Set up on a power point and do your worst. A reimagining of the U.S.S. Texas map from , this is a a medium-sized map that’s moved from the white Cliffs of Dover to the waters around Caldera. Desolation (In-Season) Deploy to a Pacific listening post in this small-to-medium sized map set in a dense village littered with destruction. Large mountains and a vast landscape engulf the environment as you battle around the central building and along its creekside fortifications. The fan-favorite Blueprint Gun Game Multiplayer mode makes its debut. Be the first Operator to progress through all 18 weapons to win the match. Eliminate an enemy to cycle to the next weapon. Melee an enemy to set them back one weapon and get the final Throwing Knife elimination to secure victory. No Perks, Killstreaks, or custom Loadouts allowed. Blueprint Gun Game is all about showing your mastery with a diverse weapon set, making it the perfect means of training up your weapon skills across the board. Sharpen your competitive skills by competing in 4v4 matches using the same settings, maps, and modes as the 2022 . Get unique Ranked Play rewards for securing wins and top placement against other players in the new season. Rewards include a sleek blue weapon camo for finishing a Ladder event in first place, a blue camo weapon camo for winning 100 matches, weapon blueprints and more. Consider these your incentives to get on the ladder and restart your climb to the top, as all players’ Skill Ratings and Skill Divisions will refresh for Mercenaries of Fortune. With a new Midseason Pack on the way and the season fast approaching its Stage IV Major, you’ll be ready and hyped to face even the sweatiest foes. Get Equipped with Two New Powerful Armaments. Keep enemy Operators at bay with the highly mobile Marco 5 and the suppressive UGM-8. Later in the season, get your hands on the Vargo S. – New Season, New Operators. The inimitable Captain Butcher is ready for deployment as a playable Operator, alongside Special Operations Task Force trainer Callum Hendry. – Add some spice to your Loadouts with these new armaments obtainable throughout the season. Marco 5 (Launch) “ For the highly mobile, aggressive player, there are few better options than rushing into battle with the Marco 5 SMG. It’s great for pushing into objectives, as its high mobility allows you to run circles around the enemy while they struggle to get a bead on your position. Considering its relatively noticeable recoil and damage falloff at longer distances, the Marco 5 is best when fired from the hip at closer ranges. As the first SMG in to feature the Akimbo Proficiency, you’ll soon wonder why you ever needed to aim down sights in the first place. UGM-8 (Launch) “ Who says an LMG has to slow you down? Combining high mobility with a high fire rate, the UGM-8 is ideal for players looking to keep pace with their teammates while offering suppressive fire. This thing chews through ammo, so be prepared to feed it. Boost your ammo capacity with one of several different Magazine options or grab Fully Loaded or the Scavenger Perk to prevent going empty in the middle of a fight. Push Dagger (Launch Window) Built for speed and stealth, this new melee tool will be a great addition to loadouts where close-quarters fights and silent takedowns are critical to a mission’s success. Operators can unlock it either through a bundle to be made available during Season Four, or by completing one of two challenges: (Hint: use the Bayonet attachment on a primary weapon for better lunge, or the Fast Melee Perk for quicker maneuvers) (Hint: the new Shi No Numa experience, with interiors that could trap you with the undead often, can be a great way to get kills). Vargo-S (In-Season) An essential armament for versatile play. This workhorse Assault Rifle offers a high-fire rate, steady aim through sustained fire, and a quick reload, and that’s before adding any of its Gunsmith attachments. Unlock both the Marco 5 and the UGM-8 for free through the Seasonal Battle Pass System; more information to come. Unlock the Push Dagger and the Vargo-S in one of two ways: through an-game weapon-based challenge or via a Store Bundle to be released later this season, featuring a Weapon Blueprint from this weapon’s family . New riches bring new opportunities. The legendary Captain Butcher and two other Operators join the fight this season. Welcome to Special Operations Task Force Immortal! Carver Butcher (Launch) Quartermaster. Captain. First to the fight. Butcher served in the British Army during Operation Devon, battling against the 16th Panzer Division. He was dismissed after sustaining injuries to his face from exploding shrapnel but returned to the front lines soon after. There he witnessed resistance fighters in action. Inspired, went on to become the founder and recruiter for the Special Operations Task Force. The rest, as they say, is history. Callum Hendry (In-Season) All his life, Callum was a showoff, getting into trouble with neighbors, the law – everyone. His unwavering spirit helped him quickly ascend the ranks of the British Army to eventually become a recruit trainer. In World War II, Callum, harboring deep hatred for Nazis and their ideals, fought hard for a future without them. Currently he is the trainer for all S.O.T.F. agents. Ikenna Olowe (In-Season) Ikenna Olowe understood strategy from a young age. As a child in Nigeria, he excelled at chess, quickly surpassing his teachers. He grew strong studying Gidigbo, a martial battle of wits. Balances in body and mind, Ikenna joining the war effort as a battlefield engineer. His work established critical supplies lines across the globe. Ikenna became a grand planner. Knowing when to build and when to demolish. Vanguard Season 4 promises glory and riches beyond compare, and its ready to go live on June 22. With major updates coming to , Multiplayer, and Zombies, there’s a deluge of content to ready yourself for in the weeks ahead.

CoD Vanguard Season 3 roadmap: New maps, Trophy System, DLC & Zombies changes ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard is getting a huge overhaul in the Season 3 update, including a Mayhem Map, Trophy Systems, and more. On April 21, Activision posted details on their official blog page for what’s included in Warzone Pacific Season 3 Reloaded, with Caldera map changes and a Kong x Godzilla event coming to the battle royale title. In addition to that, Vanguard players can expect significant changes to content in Multiplayer game modes. With Season 3 starting on April 27, let’s run through everything that’s coming up in the Vanguard roadmap. Everything coming in CoD Vanguard Season 3: Full roadmap Mayhem Map, Trophy System Coming at Launch. Tower over your opponents and a mock city in a new small-sized map, using the Trophy System to defend your squad from incoming projectiles. – A New Ranked Season Begins. Begin a new ascent to the Top 250 as you earn new Weapon Blueprints, Camos, Charms, and more in Ranked Play. – The Road Ahead for Zombies. In addition to 20 new Season Challenges and the introduction of fresh Battle Pass weaponry, Treyarch has shared their plans for the future of Zombies. – This season is all about frenetic Multiplayer fights that are larger than life — if you have loved Das Haus and the other tighter maps in thus far, then prepare for literal Mayhem at the start of the season. Mayhem (Launch) This 1950s movie set is built for fast-paced combat. Move quickly and take center stage in this warehouse-turned-mock-city, with multiple destructible elements throughout a small-scale replica of a bustling metropolis. The roughly three-lane design has an open roof that you can rain Killstreaks down on. Get ready for your close-up and plenty of lights, cameras, and action! Sphere (In-Season) Beneath the façade of a coal mine is a hidden weapons lab brimming with secrets. This small-sized map features dual layers that use plenty of interior space to facilitate fast-paced close-quarter-combat opportunities. Learn more about this map — and its secrets — later this season. veterans — and current players — know this Field Upgrade well. Designed as a prototypical version of a modern portable defense tool, the Trophy System will be a new Field Upgrade in Multiplayer this season. It intercepts Frag Grenades, Sticky Bombs, and No. 69 Stun Grenades while they are still in the air, neutralizing them before they reach the area around the Trophy System. Unlike previous seasons, the Trophy System will be available for use for all players immediately, with no Battle Pass progress required. There is still plenty of time to prove yourself in Ranked Play before the end of the 2022 Season, and during Classified Arms, you can get some unique rewards for competing alongside the best in the game. During this new competitive season, you can earn two new fully configured Weapon Blueprints — one SMG and one Assault Rifle — as well as two slick black and orange camos, which can be used on all weapons. There are also Charms, Emblems, and even more rewards for playing Ranked Play; consider these some incentives to get on the ladder and restart your climb to the top, as all players’ Skill Ratings and Skill Divisions reset for a fresh start. And with a new Midseason Pack coming this season, you might be able to rock a pro player’s signature on your weapon while you to better them in Ranked Play… As with previous seasons of , Zombies players can expect to equip the newest Battle Pass weapons in your Zombies Loadout, as well as complete 20 new Zombies Season Challenges featuring unique Calling Card & XP bonus rewards. You can also earn the KG M40 and Whitley weapons from Season Two via new Weapon Unlock Challenges in Zombies, available right after this latest patch. Note: these weapons can also be earned via Multiplayer challenges. Treyarch also outlined what their plans are for Zombies following Classified Arms — read their blog here to get more intel on the upcoming debut of round-based Zombies in . Sledgehammer Games is planning to release their Patch Notes for next week prior to their game’s update. In recent weeks, the studio released multiple small updates addressing balance — including for weapons, Perks, Killstreaks, and more — as well as visual glitches and other issues. Furthermore, during Season Two Reloaded, Sledgehammer Games debuted the “Experimental Playlist,” a place where they can receive live feedback from the wider community on top of internal quality assurance. For example, the Experimental Playlists in late March covered ’s spawn system, making changes to its logic so that spawns should feel less random. This Playlist, as well as the feedback from it, helped inform the studio and implement changes for this upcoming patch. As always, we greatly value the community’s detailed and attentive feedback through this season and beyond. With the launch of the Classified Arms update for , those on consoles — not PC — will see changes to their and ® file, as both games are tied to each other. These changes will likely see a larger than usual download size for and . However, the overall game footprint will be reduced for players, once optimization has taken place. Those who want to refresh their memory on ’s lore in the game’s Campaign, or experience its Special Ops or Multiplayer, must have that game mode’s DLC packages downloaded to play it. These DLCs, which will be live on April 27 along with the update, are as follows: — Campaign DLC 1 – Special Ops DLC 1 – Multiplayer DLC 2 – Campaign and Special Ops DLC 1 – Multiplayer and Special Ops DLC 1 – A redownload of these DLC files may be required for your mode (or modes) to work.

CoD Vanguard Season 3 Reloaded update patch notes: New Sphere map, Harpy Operator, H4 Blixen SMG ActivisionThe new Season 3 Reloaded update is bringing a wealth of new content to CoD Vanguard. From the new Sphere map to the long-awaited H4 Blixen SMG, here’s how it all breaks down. Season 3 has come to the halfway point and, on May 25, the game will once again be going under the knife for some major updates. This time around we’ve got a new map to lead the charge and a ton of fixes across multiplayer and Zombies, including some substantial improvements to Zaballa the Deceiver as well as a hearty helping of lethal and tactical adjustments. Let’s take a look at everything coming in the Season 3 Reloaded update… Season 3 Reloaded update shakes up Vanguard Sphere is an original map in Vanguard. Tucked underneath an old mining facility, this close-quarters arena will offer a similar gameplay experience to familiar maps like Shipment and Das Haus, although maybe just a touch slower than those madhouses. This action-packed battlefield joins Mayhem as the two latest additions to Vanguard’s impressively-sized map pool. This update also brings the H4 Blixen into the fight. This power puncher focuses on mobility and accuracy while on the move, and the challenge to unlock it reflects that. #Vanguard Season Three Reloaded begins tomorrow at 9AM PT! Download the game update today and check out the Patch Notes for details. 👇https://t.co/9Ku29ctdpP — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) May 24, 2022 Finally, Kim Tae Young and her patented Dokkaebi mask hit the ground via a new Operator bundle on May 25. For the full patch notes, check out the dev report below: Full Season 3 Reloaded update patch notes NEW with S3 Reloaded: Sphere – Berlin Addressed an exploit that allowed players to reach unintended locations near the Office. – – Castle Care Packages will no longer fall through the stairs near the Palace Outer Walls. – – Sub Pens Addressed exploits that allowed players to reach unintended locations near the Dry Docks and Loading Dock. – – Arms Race Riding a Motorcycle as it explodes will no longer cause the player’s view to rotate. – – NEW with S3 Reloaded: Kim Tae Young (Harpy) Unlocked via Operator Bundle, available for purchase in Season Three Reloaded. – – Weapons NEW with S3 Reloaded: H4 Blixen (Submachine Gun) Favored by Special Operations Forces, this hard-hitting SMG offers mobility and accuracy in medium-range engagements. – Unlock Challenge: Get 3 Slide Kills in a single match 15 times. – – STG44 (Assault Rifle) Challenges for the Deadeye Camo Category are now properly tracked. – – Nikita AVT (Assault Rifle) Zac MS Stock Attachment will no longer obstruct the view of certain Optics. – – Cooper Carbine (Assault Rifle) Addressed an issue that prevented the M1941 Hand Stop Underbarrel, 14” Gracey Rapid Barrel, and Recoil Booster Muzzle Attachments from unlocking at their designated Weapon Levels. – – M1 Garand (Marksman Rifle) Mindgames Camo Category now references the correct Magazine Attachment requirement. – – No 69 Stun Grenade (Tactical) Decreased Explosive Damage from 25 to 5. – – S-Mine 44 (Tactical) Decreased Explosive Damage in Hardcore game modes from 50 to 10. This change was made to prevent lethality toward uninjured players; Explosive Damage in Core game modes remains unchanged. – – – Decreased Explosive Damage in Hardcore game modes from 50 to 10. – Trophy System Melee attacks will now properly deal damage to a Trophy System. – Ammo Box Field Upgrade can now be destroyed by a Trophy System. – Trophy Systems will no longer remain active when thrown out-of-bounds. – – Counter Spy Plane (4 Kills) Announcer will now play the correct voice line when an enemy Counter-Spy Plane is activated. – – Challenges Seasonal Challenges Progression toward the Season Two Mastery challenge is now properly tracked. – – Players who have reached Prestige 5 or higher will now see the correct Prestige emblem displayed throughout the menus. – Addressed an issue that forced the player back to the Multiplayer menu when using contextual (right-click) menus on PC. – Addressed an issue that prevented AS-44 Mechanized Reactive Blueprint from changing colors when inspected. – ZOMBIES Zaballa the Deceiver Shortened Zaballa’s mask swap animation to reduce invulnerability time. – Players can now deal some damage to Zaballa’s body but should continue to focus on masks. – Zaballa’s electrical attacks are more lethal but should now spawn within line of sight to or in the proximity of Zaballa. – Zaballa increases the number of electrical attacks by one for every destroyed mask. – – H4 Blixen (Submachine Gun) Description: Favored by Special Operations Forces, this hard-hitting SMG offers mobility and accuracy in medium-range engagements. – The new H4 Blixen SMG weapon will be available via in-game challenge in Zombies or via a unique Blueprint version in the Store at the start of Season Three Reloaded. – Zombies Unlock Challenge: In Zombies, use SMGs to Eliminate 50 Zaballas. – – Skal Crusher Resolved an issue that prevented picking up blueprint throwable weapons. – – Reticles Reticles earned in Zombies have been adjusted so that a central dot is always present to assist with aiming. – –

CoD Vanguard Season 1 revealed: Shipment, Operator progression, modes, more ActivisionCall of Duty Vanguard is almost here and we now have a complete look at the Season 1 roadmap including the reintroduction of Shipment, a slate of new Operators, core/hardcore modes, and all the new maps. Vanguard is set to launch on November 5 and Sledgehammer Games are going all in for the 2021 iteration of CoD. The studio is heading up the main title while Treyarch develops the Zombies mode. The developers are bringing a remastered version of Shipment to Vanguard as well as an ample mix of modes and locales to bolster the Multiplayer experience. CoD Vanguard reveals 7 multiplayer modes Vanguard’s Multiplayer brings plenty of maps, modes, and other features to master right at launch. Read more: Warzone x Vanguard Season 1 revealed – Starting on November 5th, Vanguard will include seven core (and hardcore) modes – a collection of Call of Duty’s mainstays plus a new mode in Patrol. Core and Hardcore Modes: Free for All – Team Deathmatch – Kill Confirmed – Domination – Search & Destroy – Hardpoint – Patrol – Vanguard multiplayer has 16 maps including Shipment The Vanguard preseason content will deliver a remastered Shipment for free on November 17. Read more: How to pre-order CoD Vanguard – Shipment will complement Vanguard’s 16 maps that will come to the game at launch. Vanguard maps: Battle of Berlin – Bocage – Castle – Das Haus – Decoy – Demyansk – Desert Siege – Dome – Eagle’s Nest – Gavutu – Hotel Royal – Numa Numa – Oasis – Red Star – Sub Pens – Tuscan – All Vanguard Operators at launch There are going to be 12 playable Task Force Operators available on Vanguard’s launch. After Vanguard integrates to Warzone in Season One, any mode you play in the new CoD will contribute to Operator progression. Hellhounds Daniel Yatsu – Wade Jackson – Halima Zambardi – Sentinel Constanze Trude Muller – Arthur Kingsley – Padmavati Balan – Barbarian Roland Zeimet – Lucas Riggs – Beatrice Mercier – Shadow Shigenori Ota – Polina Petrova – Solange Hardewijk – Every Operator will be loaded with customization options like skins, new Quip system lines, different Finishing Moves, Infiltration Pose, and MVP pose. Vanguard Operator progression The Ranking E(XP)erience — 55 Enlisted Ranks to unlock all Loadout items. Seasonal Prestige system to return. – Weapon Progression — Weapon XP unlocks attachments and Camo Challenges. Use attachments across all modes and unlock two sets of striking cosmetic camouflage rewards: one through Zombies and another through Multiplayer or . – New Operator XP, Leveling, and Rewards — All 12 Operators at launch and others to come — can be leveled up to unlock new Skins, including special Gold attire, Weapon XP for specific weapons, and more. Use their Favorite Weapon to earn bonus Weapon and Operator XP. – Clans: Play with Friends, Get Rewarded — Replacing Regiments, Clans invites friends to play together and unlock exclusive rewards by earning Clan XP. Represent your squad with a custom Emblem and unique clan tag and play with your clan members for a global percentage bonus to regular, Weapon, Operator, and Clan XP. – There’s plenty to prepare for once Sledgehammer launches Call of Duty Vanguard on November 5, and stay tuned to Dexerto’s CoD coverage as more details get announced.

CoD Vanguard Season 1 Operator skin could be Warzone’s Roze replacement ActivisionCoD Vanguard Season 1 has introduced a number of new skins for its Operators, but one could end up being a replacement to the infamous Roze skin. Roze has been a popular Operator choice in Warzone since her Rook skin was released back in Season 5. In fact, Roze dominated both the casual and competitive scene until Activision eventually nerfed it. The main reason players originally used the Roze Rook skin was because of how dark it was, which enabled users to hide in darkened areas of the map. Not only did this lead to some incredibly frustrating deaths, but it also highlighted just how bad the game’s visibility was in certain areas of Verdansk. While the subsequent nerf helped alleviate Rook’s potency, there is now new Vanguard Operator skin that aims to fill its place. New Vanguard Operator skin could replace Roze Vanguard’s Season 1 update has finally been released, giving players the chance to unlock the Cooper Carbine and Gorenko Sniper Rifle. However, the excitement doesn’t stop there. Sledgehammer has also released a number of new Operator skins. While many players will be pleased to kit their favorite characters out with new threads, there is one cosmetic that seems to be getting attention for all the wrong reasons. The skin in question is the Barrier Reef skin that can be unlocked for Lucas. This skin shares a similar theme to that of Roze’s Rook skin. Armed with his trusty Owen Gun SMG, Lucas’ entire body is kitted out in black scuba gear, which is designed to help him blend into the dark ocean depths. Unlike Roze’s Rook skin, Lucas’ Barrier Reef cosmetic doesn’t feature a faceplate. Instead, a black eye visor has been attached. “Ah sh*t that skin looks terrible and everyone’s gonna use it too. Roze v2,” commented one player. “This Roze skin 2.0 will be the new meta,” replied another user. Whether Barrier Reef will prove as popular as Roze’s Rook skin remains to be seen, but expect to see some players hiding in the shadows of the Pacific map.

CoD Vanguard review – A step back in more than just time ActivisionCall of Duty Vanguard is finally in the annual spotlight as Sledgehammer Games pivots the FPS franchise back to a stunningly realized WWII with more bells and whistles attached than ever before. While there’s a lot crammed into this year’s title, with plenty more still to come in future seasonal updates, not everything on display is worth writing home about. After a few years of jumping through various periods in time, the CoD series is back for another round in the second world war. Sledgehammer Games is at the helm for Vanguard’s campaign and multiplayer offerings while Treyarch developed this year’s unique Zombies experience. No different from usual, CoD remains one of the more mechanically sharp FPS titles on the market. Exceptional production value and refined controls help punctuate the bombastic gameplay that the series often does best. Though if CoD has never quite hooked you in before, this year’s release doesn’t do anything spectacularly different to change that. While multiplayer is certainly the highlight in this release, nothing serves to push the envelope. The short campaign does little to move the needle and Zombies goes in a questionable direction with the uninspired Der Anfang. Ultimately, if you’re not the type to grind through multiplayer year after year, there’s very little here for you in CoD Vanguard. Call of Duty Vanguard – Key details Price (Standard Edition): $99.99 (AUD) | $69.99 (USD) | £69.99 (GBP) – Developer: Sledgehammer Games – Release date: November 5, 2021 – Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, & PC – Call of Duty Vanguard trailer CoD Vanguard’s mostly forgettable campaign Right off the bat, it’s worth mentioning that I’m a sucker for CoD’s narrative experiences. When Infinity Ward, Treyarch, or Sledgehammer Games happen to be firing on all cylinders, CoD campaigns provide some of the best FPS experiences money can buy, despite what many in the industry would have you think. These yearly blockbusters typically contain jaw-dropping set pieces, finely crafted battles near unrivaled in the genre, and occasionally, even some well-written characters that stay with you long after the credits roll. With CoD Vanguard, very little of that really sticks the landing as this year’s campaign comes across as one of the weaker entries in recent years. You’re dropped into the tail end of WWII to explore the story of Task Force One, a ragtag group collecting fighters of all sorts. There’s the witty Australian, the hardened Russian, and the boisterous American, to name a few. Throughout Vanguard’s brief campaign, these characters all come with their own bite-sized background sequences. While the core of the storyline plays out over a few short hours, the journey of these would-be war heroes jumps through time as you step into the shoes of each character in their own defining moments. Some have more thrilling adventures while others take you through more harrowing chapters to paint the war in numerous shades. Each journeys to a different part of the world and while some missions are certainly better than others, none ever truly break the mold to feel exceptional. The characters all fit into their archetypes and so too do their respective chunks of gameplay. One showcases dogfighting over the Pacific, another will have you sniping from afar in Stalingrad. It’s not that any of these unique chapters are necessarily bad, more that they fail to evolve the tried and tested formula and thus, leave any significant impression. It’s also worth noting that character development throughout the story is extremely diminished if you followed any of the game’s marketing ahead of launch. Brief Operator descriptions that were made public a while back essentially paint the full picture before you jump in. There aren’t any major story beats or shocking twists that you simply have to witness for any of these figures. Vanguard’s campaign mostly plays it safe. If you’ve been following along, you already know their unique traits, their personality, and the purpose they served in the war. With that said, gameplay is still as solid as ever this year. CoD’s mechanics have never been in question and the industry-leading FPS is still just as sharp as usual. Gunplay all feels excellent, visuals are great, lighting in particular is a big improvement over Cold War, and performance is mostly solid throughout. We did encounter some severe hitching issues during our brief run in the campaign, however. These struck during both gameplay and cutscenes, disrupting more than just a split second of action. When Vanguard had a momentary lapse during any given cutscene, it completely offset the audio, as visuals lagged behind for the remainder of the sequence. While this isn’t a game-breaking issue by any stretch, Vanguard happens to feature some of the longest cutscenes in the franchise, making it all the more noticeable. If you typically purchase any new CoD to get on the multiplayer grind or uncover the latest secrets hidden away in Zombies, you wouldn’t be at much of a loss this year for skipping the campaign. If anything, it’s a decent way to learn a little more about some of the Operators you’ll be playing as over the next 12 months online. Beyond that, there’s not a great deal packed into the short experience to make it worth your time. CoD Vanguard multiplayer is rough around the edges Multiplayer is the highlight of CoD Vanguard without question. While it certainly has its share of frustrating issues, design flaws, and questionable features – all of which we’ll get into – this year’s multiplayer is some of the most fun I’ve had with CoD in years. From the very first game, Vanguard’s exceptionally polished mechanics launch you right into the action. Gunplay is immensely satisfying, movement feels fluid and precise, and controls are as sharp as ever. As far as how the game plays, Vanguard is up there with some of the most satisfying entries in the franchise. In terms of maps this year, Vanguard comes boasting 16 unique layouts at launch. The most of any CoD title in recent years. After a decent amount of grinding across every mode on offer, here’s how the maps stack up from my perspective. Six of them are downright awful designs that you’d be excused for skipping anytime they appear in the rotation. Five are middle-of-the-road maps, nothing horrendous but nothing too great either. Then the remaining five are just fantastic layouts that always lead to extremely enjoyable matches regardless of which playlist you’re in. So it’s a fairly even mix this year with more winners than losers. Multiplayer is an absolute blast to play but that’s not to say it doesn’t come with its own shortcomings. Let’s start with the most glaring issue this year, matchmaking. Simply put, matchmaking is fundamentally broken in CoD Vanguard at launch. There’s no sugar coating it, the systems in place don’t work. Combat Pacing is brand new this year and while the feature sounds like a wonderful addition on paper, it completely breaks multiplayer in practice. Despite having a certain setting toggled on, Tactical for instance, with the intention of finding smaller lobbies, the matchmaking system throws you into anything that’s available. Some quick testing over the weekend with Tactical Pacing enabled had me loading into just five out of 25 games in the correct setting. The remaining 80% of those games were in bigger lobbies. As someone that prefers a more tactical experience, as the name implies, with 4v4 being the optimal CoD lobby size for my money, being forced into 18v18 games on some of Vanguard’s smaller maps is beyond painful. Not only that, but Skill-Based Matchmaking is perhaps the worst it’s ever been in a CoD title at launch. On release night here in Australia, I was being placed into more North American lobbies (at 200+ ping) than I was APAC lobbies. This carried on throughout the first weekend, with regular ping being a rarity. You can’t tell me tens of thousands weren’t grinding over launch week here. There’s absolutely no excuse to be placing locals in foreign lobbies when the player base should be at its largest point close to release. It almost feels as if the game’s matchmaking systems try to drop you into any match as fast as possible, without actually factoring anything else in. Moving onto Vanguard’s weapons, there’s a good amount to dissect here as well. If you’ve been out of the loop with CoD for a few years now, jumping straight into Vanguard would be a real shock to the system. Each weapon category used to have a small selection of attachments. Now, every single gun comes with its own batch of 70 upgrades to unlock. Once again, on paper, this sounds like a neat idea. Adding extra content to the game and giving players more to grind for should be a good thing. In practice, it’s an extremely draining feature that has me not wanting to experiment with new guns. Before you add any attachments to your weapon of choice, expect a few hours of suffering as you level it up. Upgrades are more than just slight improvements this year. Instead, they can outright change how certain weapons function. In higher SBMM lobbies, everyone is just so insanely powerful. Every player has a laser in their hands as the right builds can two-shot you from across the map. Thus, testing out new guns is a great way to tank your stats for a few maps as you won’t be able to keep up with some of these top-tier loadouts. As for smaller gripes, well it’s a long list. Packet burst stinks, lobbies often fail to work, doors need to go, leaderboards aren’t even active yet, and the unskippable post-game MVP screen is an absolute joke just to name a few. Having now prestiged, having dropped a nuke, and having maxed out a handful of weapons, there’s really not much left to actually do in CoD Vanguard compared to most other years. Camo challenges aren’t working at launch — even if they were, who wants to grind 100 point-blank kills with every sniper? — Operator progress has been reset twice on my account now, and as with any CoD launch, we have to wait a few months before the devs acknowledge that competitive play actually exists. No doubt future seasonal updates will add tons to the experience, weekly updates will fix the most frustrating issues, but that doesn’t excuse the state of CoD Vanguard at launch. It’s an extremely fun game to play, just one that’s bogged down by almost everything else around it. New CoD Vanguard Zombies experience doesn’t make any sense Rather than the traditional round-based mode or even the more expansive Outbreak variant, this year’s release goes in a different direction when it comes to CoD Zombies. Der Anfang takes center stage here as players are dropped into an objective-based mode where completing various tasks extends a ‘hub world’ map and unlocks new upgrades. On paper, the new mode seems to have aspirations of breaching into rogue-lite territory. Each run in Der Anfang is supposed to be slightly different with a multitude of weapons and abilities mixing things up. However, the content available at launch is so incredibly thin these ambitions fall apart after just a few short hours. Despite hearing concerns from the hardcore Zombies community before diving in, I was pleasantly surprised throughout my first run in the new mode. Strategically mowing down waves of undead foes with your team, upgrading your kit between each objective, and trying to craft the optimal trio of abilities was all quite refreshing. If this mode didn’t come with the ‘CoD Zombies’ label attached, there might not have been any backlash and fans could have enjoyed the initial experience for what it is. Though what began as a fairly enjoyable grind through a night-time version of the Red Star multiplayer map, quickly revealed its shortcomings. There’s simply nowhere near enough variation in Der Anfang to hold your attention for more than two or three runs, thereby contradicting its rogue-esque qualities. Let’s hone in on Perks as a key example. Although Perks aren’t scattered throughout the map in their usual vending machines, they do still exist in a different capacity here. After opening up the hub world, five Perks become available with upgrades ranging from extra health to bonus movement speed. During the first few rounds, these are crucial upgrades that afford necessary buffs to keep you in line with the increasingly powerful Zombies. As the rounds go by, they become less and less important. Every single Perk maxes out at four upgrades, meaning there’s a hard limit to your potential in Der Anfang. Once you reach the limit, there’s absolutely nothing to improve, no better build to strive for, and zero opportunities to evolve the gameplay. The same applies for weapon boosts through the extremely dull Pack-A-Punch system that merely upgrades damage twice and nothing else. Objectives also lack in variation as barely a few distinct challenges have the mode growing tedious in no time. This also applies to the new abilities as well, which come with a few different rarities then hit a brick wall once you’re at Legendary. If you happen to pass wave 10, you’ve effectively finished Der Anfang with every Perk maxed out, the best weapons equipped, and a full set of Legendary powers. Yet new objectives continue appearing, larger hordes keep spawning in, and you’ll even be facing a dozen turret-wielding foes all at once. Yes, Zombies have guns in 2021. There’s nothing more to see, nothing more to accomplish, and very little reason to jump back in for another go outside of various camo challenges if you can be bothered. If Der Anfang offered some genuine variation, with a wide array of intriguing builds alluring you to jump back in, perhaps this brief 10-wave grind would be fun for a little longer. But the limited options left me with absolutely no desire to go again after a handful of playthroughs. So without appealing to the existing Zombies community, without providing a noteworthy replacement, and failing to craft a highly replayable rogue-lite experience, who exactly is Der Anfang for? What purpose does it serve? Why was this prioritized over a regular continuation of what players have grown accustomed to in recent years? Is there room for Treyarch to expand this new CoD Zombies mode over the next 12 months? Sure. New seasonal updates could add to the variation with new abilities, power-ups, and even new objectives. But at launch, Der Anfang is an uninspired take on the popular Zombies experience that completely falls short. If Vanguard’s gameplay wasn’t such a blast, this would undoubtedly be a filler year for the franchise. With very little fresh or worthwhile content at launch, frenetic multiplayer is Sledgehammer’s saving grace this time around. All that said, there’s no question Vanguard will improve over time. CoD games nowadays often look completely different 12 months after launch, once every seasonal update has come and gone and a wide range of improvements have been deployed. We’re sure to see new maps, modes, balancing updates, and everything in between. Rating 6/10 But none of that excuses how Vanguard, a full-priced game, appears in its current form today. A lackluster campaign, a soulless Zombies mode, and a fun but diminished multiplayer offering round out a rather weak launch for the iconic FPS series. Reviewed on PlayStation 5 Where to buy Call of Duty: Vanguard You can purchase Call of Duty: Vanguard by following these links to Amazon or Best Buy, but please note that if you click on a product link on this page, we may earn a small affiliate commission.

CoD Vanguard reveals FOV slider coming for consoles at launch ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard’s devs at Sledgehammer Games have confirmed that the CoD 2021 title will launch with an FOV Slider (field of view) on all PlayStation and Xbox consoles — drumming up hopes for Warzone players. FOV Sliders are a hot topic in the Call of Duty world, as Warzone players on console have long envied their PC counterparts’ access to the option. But, while console players await an official FOV announcement for Warzone, Vanguard players are already getting their answer. While revealing multiplayer for Vanguard on September 7, Sledgehammer’s Senior Development Director Adam Iscove shared that FOV Slider will be available to players on console. If it’s available on PS4 and PS5, it stands to reason that it will also be available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. As such, console players are delighted and Warzone players are very curious. CoD Vanguard announces FOV Slider for console BREAKING: SHGames developer has confirmed FOV on consoles at launch! Image via @AdamIscove pic.twitter.com/JkJkjsh12A — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) September 7, 2021 As you can see in the picture, there will be an FOV Slider for multiplayer. This lets console players choose up to a 120 FOV for their gameplay, much like they can in Black Ops Cold War. While this feature isn’t entirely groundbreaking, given Cold War’s availability across PC and console, it does spur some reasonable interest for Warzone fans as well. Unlike BOCW, which plays on Treyarch’s engine, Vanguard is built on a revamped version of Modern Warfare 2019’s engine — the same one used by Warzone. Will Vanguard bring FOV Slider to Warzone? Fans are already making this connection, noting that the similarity in engines could help bring FOV to Verdansk (or, more appropriately, the new Pacific map). In the replies, a number of users commented on the fact that Vanguard’s Warzone integration may involve the BR shifting to the revamped engine. If that’s the case, then it could make sense for console Warzone players to enjoy the same features that console Vanguard players do. Of course, the maximum lobby in a Vanguard game is unlikely to be anywhere near Warzone’s 150 players — so things might not be as simple as copying and pasting the game’s features. So we’ll have to wait and see as the games get closer to launch.

CoD Vanguard leaks reveal first weapon Mastery camo ahead of launch ActivisionCoD Vanguard leaks appear to have revealed the first weapon Mastery camo set to debut in this year’s new Sledgehammer Games title. Each and every year CoD players are always looking for the biggest ways to flex in-game. Be it through unique Operator skins or various weapon camos, the most dedicated grinders are always working towards the next shiny unlock. At the very top of the pack with each new release comes Mastery camos. Whether you’re in multiplayer or Zombies, these are the most challenging and thus sought-after camos in any CoD game. Vanguard is set to be no different, with a full slate of Mastery camos likely on the way. While we’re still a few days out from launch, the first of those new high-tier unlocks appears to have slipped through the cracks early. https://twitter.com/TheGhostOfMW/status/1453838569680916481 A bright red design for the STG44 Assault Rifle made its way to social media on October 29 thanks to prominent CoD leaker ‘TheGhostofMW.’ This year’s new Mastery cosmetics appear to actually cover most of the weapon, in contrast to Cold War’s Mastery camos. Though it is worth keeping in mind, this initial look comes without any attachments in play. Swapping through unlocks in the Gunsmith may have an impact on camo appearances in Vanguard as well. We’ll just have to wait until launch to confirm whether that’s the case. Read More: Every CoD Vanguard map and mode – There’s also no telling for now whether this Mastery camo is from multiplayer of Zombies. With the new Der Anfang Zombies experience, there’s sure to be plenty of unique cosmetics to unlock in that side of the game. Though this particular Mastery camo could just as well be from multiplayer challenges. https://twitter.com/TheGhostOfMW/status/1453843956794634252 Given this is just the first cosmetic to spill out online, more are sure to follow in the coming days. We’ll be sure to keep you updated here with all the latest. Read More: Every CoD Vanguard Operator – You can also check back shortly after launch as we’ll have full guides on how to unlock every Mastery camo in CoD Vanguard.

CoD Vanguard players worried after finding invisible “rat” hiding spot exploits ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard’s growing pains continue, as people discovered some game-breaking exploits that allow players to hide, completely invisible in “rat” spots. In a first-person shooter with good guys and bad guys, it’s important to be able to see the enemies you’re playing against. Logically, if said enemies are able to sneak into places where they’re practically invisible, seeing them becomes difficult. If you can’t see the bad guys, you can’t shoot the bad guys. And Call of Duty: Vanguard’s players have already found spots where they can fully disappear. With major implications for Search and Destroy in particular, the new exploits are causing concern in the community. They’ve been banned in tournaments, but everyone is hoping that they get patched out before Challengers and the Call of Duty League start up. CoD Vanguard players find invisible “rat” hiding spots How do people even find these Vanguard rat spots 😭 Already banned in tourneys, but hopefully they get patched out pronto. (via @DuhVera_)pic.twitter.com/lbyZVzvGcG — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) November 25, 2021 As you can see in the clip, there are two clear spots found so far. One is on Demyansk, where a player can go prone into the snowbank until they’re impossible to see. The second is on Tuscan, where someone can crawl under a box until they’re fully invisible. The latter case is most concerning, as Tuscan will be a CDL 2022 S&D map and the box is right next to a bomb site. Theoretically, someone could abuse this and get a free ambush, waiting to hear an enemy plant the bomb. In the replies to our tweet, people made their feelings very obvious. We asked about the type of people who find these spots and one user responded “little rat f**ks.” Generally, people are just hoping that these spots get patched as soon as possible. Many have tagged Sledgehammer Games in tweets, but the developers’ Trello board doesn’t include the issues yet. For now, players and tournament organizers are simply agreeing to ban the spots in matches.

CoD Vanguard players warn that 2XP is broken on Shipment & Das Haus ActivisionIf you’re excited to grind your levels in Call of Duty: Vanguard for the holiday 2XP weekend, be careful. Players are warning that the 2XP tokens aren’t working properly in the popular Shipment and Das Haus playlist. When Vanguard added Shipment, the iconic map did receive some backlash. But players still love the bite-sized chaos and, when Shipment 24/7 was removed, there was even more public outcry. So the developers over at Sledgehammer Games delighted a lot of people when they brought Shipment back for Thanksgiving weekend. And they even upped the ante by adding on free 2XP for Operators, levels, and guns. Unfortunately, it seems that those 2XP additions are broken. And, making matters worse, the problem appears to be concentrated with the beloved Ship Haus playlist, which combines fan-favorite Shipment and Das Haus maps. Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Shipment & Das Haus 2XP problems If you’re trying to level weapons in #Vanguard during Double Weapon XP do NOT run the Ship Haus playlist. It gives significantly less weapon XP than all of the other maps available in the game currently. No one knows where this is a bug or intentional. — ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) November 24, 2021 After the Ship Haus playlist returned, CoD Twitter account ‘ModernWarzone’ was quick to give players a PSA. As they explained, the popular playlist “gives significantly less weapon XP than all of the other maps available in the game currently.” This isn’t even the first time 2XP has come under scrutiny in Vanguard. Around a week earlier, a YouTuber explained that they were getting about 0.75-1.5 XP during the 2XP weekend. Those discrepancies quickly led to players being “furious” with the devs. @SHGames @Lighthammer_ It’s my Birthday today please can we have a Shipment Domination only Playlist which is 12v12 and full Double Weapon XP 😁 — 🐺Wolf🐺 (@paradoXplozionz) November 25, 2021 It seems that the 2XP issues have continued with this new weekend and playlist, but particularly with Ship Haus. This is unideal news and players have quickly taken notice. In the replies to MWZ, people complained that less XP for Ship Haus “makes zero sense.” But the best response so far has to be ‘Paradox,’ who asked Sledgehammer for “full double weapon XP” as a birthday wish on Thanksgiving.

CoD Vanguard players want popular feature back to fix “lopsided” Domination matches ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players want the devs to bring back the popular halftime feature to help fix lopsided Domination matches. Domination is one of Call of Duty’s most popular game modes. First introduced in CoD 4, the mode has evolved over the years. In Black Ops 2, the game mode saw a halftime feature that would flip the sides after five minutes of playing. That stuck around for quite some time and even changed as sides would flip after 100 points. This helped reset the pace of Domination and Vanguard players want it back to improve the game. Vanguard players want halftime feature back for Domination In Call of Duty: Vanguard, Domination ends when a team reaches 200 points. No halftime, no making the flags neutral, and no chance to reset the pace to gain control. This Reddit post by ‘fortheband1212’ brings up the topic of how one-sided Domination matches feel in Vanguard and that the halftime feature would help a lot to fix this. The B flag in Domination is typically hard to capture but once a team controls it they tend to keep it for a long time due to the spawns. One person said, “It just becomes impossible to take B on some maps, and the second you do it, it gets taken back over.” Halftime would allow players to reset and get another chance at a break-off to capture the neutral flag. On the other hand, some people think it was an intended feature but the devs removed it. “The announcer says “round almost over” when either team reaches 100. This makes me believe that there was a halftime, and they just didn’t implement it into the game,’ one Redditor said. For mobile readers clip starts at 4:30 Halftime was also a big feature in competitive CoD as some maps have a favorable side to reach the B flag first and gain control faster. Whether the feature was in the game and taken out last minute is unknown, but players are begging Sledgehammer Games to add it in now to fix one-sided affairs of Domination.

CoD Vanguard players want massive overhaul to camo progression system ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players are proposing that a new system is implemented into the Multiplayer that would vastly change the way that camos are earned for weapons. Vanguard camos have had plenty of issues so far since the November 2021 release. From not unlocking properly to being unusable in Warzone, they have been a walking nightmare for some. However, earning them has been relatively the same since the Black Ops 2 days. By completing a series of challenges, players can unlock new cosmetics for each gun. But what if that changed? Fans have proposed that CoD changes the way people earn them and think a system from 2011 would work perfectly. CoD players want different ways to earn camos In a Reddit post by ‘DanHarkinz’ the user claims to be tired of needing to complete challenges with each weapon and wants one of two previous systems to make a return. The first method that Dan would want to see comeback is the one used in Black Ops. This was a money system that also worked based on your prestige. Only those that reached at least prestige 14 could unlock gold, which was the best in the game. It also cost 50,000 of the in-game currency that you could earn through leveling up, completing contracts, and challenges. But if this isn’t ideal, then they provided another way. In Modern Warfare 3, players unlocked the mastery gold camo for leveling up their gun to 31. You could earn weapon XP through challenges, but most importantly just by getting kills. Redditors were behind this with one person saying, “you should be able to complete camo challenges by just naturally using the weapons.” Whereas another person just put it bluntly, “it would be a better game.” Overall fans seemed in favor of having one of these methods come in to replace the current system or even serve as an alternative for the already existing challenge way.

CoD Vanguard players urge SBMM to end ‘sweaty’ lobbies Sledgehammer GamesSkill-based matchmaking has been a controversial topic in the Call of Duty series for many years. However, in Call of Duty: Vanguard, some players are calling for it to work harder to put an end to the ‘sweaty’ matches they are experiencing. Whatever your thoughts on skill-based matchmaking, there’s no doubt that it can help players who aren’t highly skilled to enjoy a game by tailoring the difficulty. This has been the case in the CoD series for many years, as a developer recently confirmed. Vanguard is no different. In the absence of a ranked mode, SBMM works behind the scenes to ensure that you’re coming up against players that you stand a fighting chance against. However, some players feel that the placements in this year’s CoD are actually too lenient, and there have been plenty of reports of incredibly sweaty lobbies. Despite SBMM doing its best to level the playing field in every Vanguard match, one player took to Reddit to share his experience so far this year. They reported that enemies were deploying advanced tactics, despite the player having an “average” K/D. “[Riot] Shield on back, vitality STG, Dead Drop glitch abusers who mop up 100+ kills a match,” the player ranted describing the kind of opponents they are facing. “Do I have to play with these guys? Why am I lumped in with them?” As you can probably imagine, matches like this appear to be spoiling their enjoyment of the latest CoD title. “It’s just not fun getting massacred.” Many other fans responded in agreement, saying they were also coming up against players who used tricks and skills they can’t compete with. One response said there was little chance of competing unless you “bunny hop into a drop shot and then slide cancel around a corner.” The sheer number of lobbies that turn out this way has caused players to ask questions of skill-based matchmaking, wondering if it has been “toned down” compared to previous years. They also reiterated calls for a ranked mode, to help separate the elites from the casuals. SBMM has definitely been a hot topic in the gaming world in recent years but based on these calls from Vanguard players, making it slightly stricter could make the game more fun. We’ll have to wait and see if Sledgehammer Games takes these concerns into account in a future update.

CoD Vanguard players slam “worthless” MVP voting and Play of the Game systems ActivisionCoD Vanguard features the franchise’s signature Play of the Game and Final Killcam highlights, along with a brand-new MVP voting system, but both features are being blasted by the Call of Duty community as “worthless.” Excluding some rare exceptions, almost every Call of Duty game ever made has featured a Play of the Game or Final Killcam post-game highlight — or in some cases, even both. This is also the case with CoD Vanguard, which brought back a mix of PotG and Final Killcams, along with introducing a totally new feature in the form of MVP voting. Despite the innovation, players have already taken issue with both systems less than a month after CoD Vanguard’s launch, and are calling on developer Sledgehammer Games to tweak the features, which many players feel are in a “worthless” state. The discussion around Vanguard’s post-match features was ignited once again after fans on Reddit shared their gripes with the systems, and their hopes that Sledgehammer might tweak them moving forward. “[The] end-of-game play doesn’t work as intended most of the time,” one player complained, before wondering “Why not just show it if something [exciting] happened?” They continued: “For the MVP vote, while I like the idea, the system is worthless. Just auto-select the top-three players for their contribution to the objective, score, and E.D. Ratio [then] let us chose between those.” Finally, the player offered up a suggestion to cut down on the interruptions: “Both events take way too long, and kill the pacing between matches. Vote time should be reduced a bit [at least].” Other CoD Vanguard fans chimed in with their own criticisms. “This is the one thing I think we can all unanimously agree on disliking,” one comment read. “MVP also punishes objective [players],” another pointed out. “I [can] have the most captures in Domination by far, but ‘f**k you’ if you don’t get multi-kills.” “I’d be fine if we could edit loadouts during this time,” a third player replied, voicing a common complaint in that the voting system locks you into the animations instead of allowing you to access menus after you’ve voted. It remains to be seen whether or not Play of the Game, Final Killcam, or MVP voting are tweaked at all in a future update, but this isn’t the first time CoD Vanguard’s community has shared their frustration with the features, and it doesn’t seem likely to be the last, either.

CoD Vanguard players slam Sledgehammer over lack of regular updates to fix bugs ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have hit out at developers Sledgehammer Games over the lack of regular updates to the 2021 title, despite the amount of bugs and glitches it continues to suffer from. Call of Duty: Vanguard, despite the extra year given to Sledgehammer Games while Treyarch launched Black Ops Cold War, has received strictly mixed feedback since its release back in late 2021. There have been suggestions that Activision has been unimpressed with the title and its problems and, despite now being nearly 6 months old, plenty of bugs and glitches remain prevalent in Vanguard multiplayer. Players, naturally, are becoming disgruntled with the issues and calling on Sledgehammer to do more to solve the problems. However, according to many players, they seem to be acting far too infrequently for the amount of bugs in the game. The calls were highlighted in a post by player ‘Qwayze_‘ on Reddit, who said: “We shouldn’t have to wait for a ‘season update’ for basic fixes.” They claimed that given the prevalence of bugs and glitches in Vanguard’s multiplayer, the lack of regular smaller updates to fix the bugs is frustrating. Frequent updates designed to improve the overall quality of life of Vanguard would be massively beneficial. The Redditor continued: “I bet if the store was broken we wouldn’t have to wait for the ‘reloaded’ update until that was fixed. What is with all this ‘fix scheduled’ bullsh*t on the Trello board, release it as soon as. I shouldn’t have to wait two weeks until a season update for things that have been finished in the dev studio to be released. It’s just an excuse”. Plenty of others echoed the sentiment of the post, with one making a comparison to Elden Ring, a game that launched approximately a month ago and has received four patches designed to improve its core gameplay and fix issues. Sledgehammer’s Trello board is dedicated to clarifying the problems the devs are investigating but, as the Reddit post illustrates, some fans think it’s still not enough.

CoD Vanguard players slam “incredibly low effort” Season 2 Battle Pass ActivisionSome Call of Duty: Vanguard players are extremely disappointed with the Season 2 Battle Pass and are flaming the devs for “low effort.” Vanguard Season 2 was released on February 14 and with it, of course, came a brand-new Battle Pass. This offers players over 100 Tiers worth of rewards, which include blueprints, Operator skins, finishers, and more. However, players are flaming Sledgehammer Games as they feel this season of Vanguard is lacking valuable stuff in the Pass. Vanguard players upset with Season 2 Battle Pass In a Reddit post by ‘Chillenge’, the user goes right for the devs’ throat as they call them out for an “incredibly low effort” on the Battle Pass. They are worried that this could become the new normal for Battle Pass guidelines and they might not be worth purchasing in the future. Chillenge provided a list of everything that is included in the bundle and how many times it appears. Out of the 100 Tiers, we have summarized some of the biggest complaints below: 25 Tiers worth of Double XP tokens. – 18 Tiers worth of Weapon Blueprints, but only 9 Legendary ones. – 10 Tiers worth of Emblems. – 8 Tiers worth of Callings Cards. – 6 Tiers worth of Charms. – That is 67 Tiers of rewards that players are having a problem with. One Redditor was disappointed that a classic was missing from the pass. “No music soundtracks for vehicles or vehicle skins either.” Others chimed in expressing their disappointment with this as they think the devs took an easy route this season. And even with the few “good” rewards, the community is upset with the way they look. Regardless, if you are looking to take advantage of a Call of Duty offer, then you’ll want to log in to your account to claim 10 free Battle Pass Tier skips and make it even easier to complete it.

CoD Vanguard players shocked over hidden Counter Spy Plane ability ActivisionIn Call of Duty: Vanguard, killstreaks can have a massive impact on the outcome of a match, and players are mindblown as they discover a hidden ability that makes Counter Spy Plane really strong. Vanguard multiplayer has a plethora of killstreaks to select in the pregame lobby. One of them, a Counter Spy Plane, can be earned by accumulating four kills in a row without dying. While the basic description says it “obscures the minimap for all enemies,” players have noticed it has greater power and is actually one of the strongest streaks in the game. Vanguard players discover secret Counter Spy Plane mechanic In a Reddit post by ‘BoominBomber’ this person was playing a match when they were unable to call in a Glide Bomb because a Counter-UAV was already up. While the intel-blocking streak was in the sky, it prevented them from calling in any of the things they had earned. This means that the Counter Spy Plane is actually extremely viable in multiplayer as it is preventing players from calling in streaks of their own. One Redditor called this “A 4 kill EMP.” Another person added, “I couldn’t call in a V2 Rocket on Dome last night because of C-UAV. That was a real pain.” V2 Rockets, when called in will instantly end the game and give the win to the team that called it in. Players are unsure if this is a bug or an intended mechanic. Some are reporting that they only started to notice this after the last update. If we solely focus on the description of the streak then it would mean that it’s glitched but we will inform you if that changes.

CoD Vanguard players discover “pay-to-win” weapon Blueprints with exclusive buffs ActivisionCall of Duty Vanguard players have uncovered a potential “pay-to-win” weapon Blueprint, with the STG44’s Debt Collector variant comes with an exclusive buff that can only be accessed after buying in. CoD Vanguard has been live for 12 days now and we all know the STG44 has been dominating from the jump. While the Assault Rifle already shreds with the right attachments, players have discovered another reason to be fearful of the gun. Weapon proficiencies provide game-changing boosts to any given loadout, ranging from faster reload speeds to bigger critical hitboxes. The STG has six unique options in this category. Now though, it turns out there’s an exclusive weapon proficiency hidden behind a paywall. The Vanguard community noticed a mysterious seventh option locked in the Debt Collector Blueprint. It didn’t take long before fans were sounding the ‘Pay to Win’ alarm. This Epic-tier weapon Blueprint comes with 10 attachments baked into the STG. This means you don’t have to level up the powerful AR to use some of its best upgrades. However, one particular buff was spotted by Reddit user ‘SappHaze’ on November 16. Debt Collector comes with the ‘Steady Aim’ proficiency equipped. Oddly enough, this Steady Aim perk cannot be accessed on the regular STG. It appears to be an exclusive buff tied to this specific premium blueprint. Steady Aim is intended to reduce movement penalties that come while firing the gun or being suppressed. It may not sound game-breaking in itself, but the exclusive benefit being locked behind a microtransaction has many fearing the worst is yet to come. “Oh Blueprint specific attachments, this won’t be abused,” one player said. “Hopefully it’s not intentional,” another chimed in. “Pay to Win again, nice,” many others added. It’s worth mentioning that this lone example with the Debt Collector Blueprint could be an oversight. The inclusion of the Steady Aim Proficiency may not have been intentional and might be removed in the next update. However, it wouldn’t be the first time premium bundles have proven stronger than their free counterparts. Regardless, it’s still live in the game right now for anyone to use. While it may not be the strongest option in Vanguard today, it provides an exclusive buff that can only be accessed by purchasing the bundle. It may be a sign of further premium benefits that could shake up the game in weeks to come.

CoD Vanguard players lash out at Bioluminescence Blueprint “scam” ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have lashed out at the new Bioluminescence MP40 Blueprint for its deceiving preview in the CoD store, even going as far as to label it a “scam.” With each new CoD Vanguard update, one thing is a given. There are always fresh bundles on rotation in the game’s store. Whether it’s Operator skins, Weapon Blueprints, or even rare crossover packs, there’s plenty to spend your money on. One recent addition to the store, however, has drawn the attention of pros, streamers, and casual players alike for all the wrong reasons. While the new Bioluminescence Blueprint appears to give the MP40 SMG a glowing blue look, its actual effect in-game doesn’t quite match the preview. Thus, an immense wave of backlash has quickly followed, with many feeling ‘ripped off’ by the premium item. The Legendary Blueprint is included as part of the Blue Thunder bundle in Vanguard’s latest update. Not only does it come with a unique look for the MP40, but it’s also supposed to have Cyan-colored Tracer Rounds as well. After buying the bundle, many exposed how the preview looks “nothing” like the actual Blueprint. Rather than a vibrant effect, one brighter than just about any other skin in Vanguard, the finished product is a dull shade of blue. The effect is even less noticeable when extra attachments come into play. “Just got scammed,” FaZe’s Testyment said in a now-viral tweet. Pro CDL player Standy took issue with the Blueprint as well, comparing the recent Valorant Champions skin line with the MP40’s blue tinge. “It practically glows in the store and in pre-game lobbies,” one particularly agitated player said on Reddit. “But [it] looks like this in-game? Tracers are also non-existent.” Given the hefty price tag of the Blue Thunder bundle, many were left relieved they’d saved their money. “This post saved me from buying the pack. We need to boycott buying stuff from the store,” players chimed in. There’s currently no telling if the bundle will see any changes in the days to come.

CoD: Vanguard players furious with “unbearable” sound issues ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have called on developers Sledgehammer Games to iron out some post-launch audio problems, specifically relating to players taking damage from opponents. A game of CoD: Vanguard’s size was bound to launch with a few glitches but, as its November 5 launch gets further behind us, players expect to see Sledgehammer gradually iron them out. Among the more egregious – like Combat Shields simply failing to block bullets and players being able to get their hands on unlimited armor – audio issues might sound (pun intended) someway down the list, but plenty of players have found themselves struggling with this aspect of Vanguard. Players’ audio issues in Vanguard specifically relate to taking damage from opponents. Firstly, the loud audio cues players are given when they are shot from enemies. Akin to ‘thuds’ for each bullet taken, they are incredibly loud and can actually obfuscate other in-game sounds. One Redditor – who explained that they suffer from hearing problems – commented specifically on these audio issues: “When I’m playing Vanguard and sounds are going on in real life, or the game is particularly hectic, hearing incredibly loud “THUNK THUNK THUNK” sounds that are mixed at double the volume of the rest of the game is disorienting and can give me sensory overload, making the game basically unbearable.” Another problem some shared relates to when players take damage from incendiary items – whether bullets or projectiles. Upon being burned, in-game players shout loudly, to the point of obscuring other game sounds. One Redditor said: “Whether it’s a Molotov, thermite, or those incendiary bullets, the yelling is so loud for no reason? When there are this many things that can light you on fire I’d love for it to be quieter… It’s so distracting and seemingly lasts way too long.” Sledgehammer have not yet commented on the game’s audio issues, but they have regularly assured players that they are keen to hear feedback and implement changes where necessary. For a full list of what they’re working on for CoD: Vanguard, check out their dedicated Trello board.

CoD Vanguard players furious as hackers ruin beta matches ActivisionThe Call of Duty: Vanguard Beta is live, giving players a chance to jump into the game early and test some things out. While the beta is more for the devs to test things out to fix for launch, players are upset as hackers have started to appear, ruining the experience. Players that pre-ordered Vanguard or received an access code can download the beta and play the game. With tons of different maps, modes, and weapons, there are so many things to try out in the early access. Even though Vanguard is bringing a new anti-cheat to Warzone, it appears there might need to be one implemented into Vanguard’s multiplayer. It’s already happening in Vanguard 🤦♂️ (Via @bennylongstroke) pic.twitter.com/4w3FjTi0hD — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) September 18, 2021 CoD Vanguard Beta being ruined by hackers While the beta is only live for two weekends, Sledgehammer Games is getting tons of feedback from players on things to fix before launch on November 5. One issue that has occurred is the appearance of hackers. These cheaters are coming in many different forms. In this Reddit clip posted by ‘ukjoel333’ you can see someone is already aimbotting and destroying everyone through walls. Players are upset that hackers are already prominent in the game and are worried this could get out of hand. While this is very annoying and ruining the experience for others, there are some using their powers differently. One person was spotted rocking the Damascus camo on his weapon. While this could be a glitch, players are skeptical that this is just another act of a hacker. Even though stats will reset prior to the launch of the game, players are frustrated that they can’t chill and enjoy the game without cheaters. So far Sledgehammer Games has tried their best to respond to issues as quickly as possible and make the experience better for the players, so there is hope this won’t be an ongoing issue.

CoD Vanguard players furious as game’s double XP simply “not working” ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have been left fuming after the game’s ongoing double XP weekend appears to be functioning incorrectly – much like those of Modern Warfare 2019. Double XP weekends are anticipated by CoD fans of all abilities, no more so than in the first few weeks of a game’s launch. Vanguard’s most recent double XP event has seen both multiplayer and weapon XP boosted, meaning players can level up their accounts and weapons much faster than usual. However, there have been some community concerns about the XP weekend, with YouTuber S0ur among those to reveal its discrepancies. His investigation found that he was rewarded anywhere from 0.75 XP to 1.5 XP. Fans have now echoed the issues S0ur exposed, comparing the problems to double XP bugs that Modern Warfare 2019 experienced – including ones which simply saw normal levels of XP handed out during boosted events. Redditor ‘DocDeezy‘ was one of many players to draw attention to the problems, writing: “Is double weapon XP weekend even working? I got up and started playing at 8 am. It’s 10 am now, been playing the Ship Haus playlist averaging 30-50 kills on Das Haus and averaging 50-80 kills on Shipment. “My AR only went from level 23 to level 37.. in 2 hours, that feels slow. Or is the weapon XP so incredibly slow that even double weapon XP doesn’t feel good either?” Others echoed the player’s concerns, with one highlighting S0ur’s video and claiming they have experienced the exact issues he describes in his video. Another questioned whether Vanguard’s pacing customization may have caused the problems, as well as stating that double weapon XP appears to be broken. Sledgehammer have not yet responded to the issues, but we can expect a prompt fix if indeed the boosted XP is not being distributed as intended.

CoD Vanguard players fuming over poorly designed “thumbtack” Diamond camo ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have been grinding the game to unlock new mastery camos but are fuming as they discover that the prestigious Diamond skin doesn’t look as advertised. Vanguard is finally out and players are excited for the latest installment in the Call of Duty Franchise. With each game, players have the chance to complete a long set of challenges to unlock mastery camos for their weapons. While this can be a grueling task to do, the reward is usually worth it but Vanguard players are furious as the mastery camos are don’t look as good as they used to. Vanguard players furious at Diamond camo appearance To unlock the Diamond camo, players must complete all the challenges on all the weapons in a specific class. However, people are noticing that it might not be worth grinding out as people are describing them as having “thumbtacks” thrown on a gun. In the Reddit thread, players are quick to point out how poorly it looks when applied to a weapon. Community members are upset as it takes well over 6,000 kills and hours of gameplay to unlock Diamond for a weapon. “They look like stick-on earrings in this one… The gun looks bedazzled, ” one person said. “The ultimate bubblewrap camo,” another person quipped, as it looks like you can pop each diamond on the gun. More people voiced their frustrations as they believe a mastery camo should feel rewarding to unlock. “Camos in this game are not worth the grind,” one Redditor said. “This is legit a f**king png just put over the gun.” It is highly unlikely that the camos will be updated to look better but Sledgehammer Games has been responding to feedback from players so maybe an explanation could be on the horizon.

CoD Vanguard players frustrated by “painfully slow” Battle Pass XP gains ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have been grinding the new Battle Pass that dropped with Season 1, but many claim it’s extremely hard to level up as the XP gains are minimal. Season 1 was released on December 8, giving Vanguard players five new weapons, operator skins, and a Battle Pass with 100 tiers. While the pass is meant to be a season-long grind, casual players are finding it extremely difficult to put in enough time as they feel progression is “way too slow.” Vanguard players aggravated by Battle Pass XP In a Reddit post by ‘OneUpMaximus’ they bring up how it is taking nearly triple the amount of game to level up a battle pass tier in Vanguard than it did in Cold War. The player claims that it can take roughly seven games to go up a single-tier whereas it would take around two or three in Cold War to do the same thing. One Redditor said, “I played six and a half hours tonight. I BARELY gained three battle pass tiers. That’s one tier every two hours. Unlike last year when I was getting a tier every hour.” This means that casual players that only play around two hours a night can’t afford to miss a single day if they want to achieve the final tier. With an excepted end date in February, Season 1 will run for around 90 days. If it takes two hours to get a tier then players will need to grind 200 hours or over eight days of in-game time to get all the rewards which some people think it’s entirely too long. “Double XP should be the normal XP rates for Vanguard considering there are more weapon levels and battle pass takes longer to level.” There is no telling if devs will adjust this for the next season, but one thing is certain, the fans want a better method to level up their battle pass.

CoD Vanguard players frustrated as cheaters are already ruining matches ActivisionCheaters are already running rampant in Vanguard multiplayer and players are desperate for the implementation of Activision’s new anti-cheat system, Ricochet. In recent years, the use of third-party software has become a serious issue in Call of Duty, with hackers taking over Warzone and ruining matches in Black Ops Cold War. Now Vanguard has finally released, the issue has been passed onto the next game in the franchise, and players becoming more and more frustrated as each day goes by. While Activision’s brand new anti-cheat is partly installed into the game, the full version has not been rolled out yet, and it’s certainly showing with the number of aimbots being used in multiplayer. Cheaters already taking over Vanguard multiplayer While Ricochet’s server-side anti-cheat is on at the release of Vanguard, the kernel-level driver for PC is scheduled to come out later in the year. Players are hoping when this system is fully implemented into the game, Activision will be able to clear out multiplayer and prevent third-party software from ruining matches. However, for the time being, hackers are running rampant in Vanguard, as showcased by MrQuackerton on the COD Vanguard subreddit. After peeking a corner, they’re seemingly eliminated out of nowhere, but after a look at the killcam, it’s obvious the other player is using cheats. Despite there being a lot of excitement for the full release of Ricochet, a lot of players are still convinced the full system won’t resolve Vanguard’s cheating issue completely: “I mean, ricochet won’t be proactive either. you’ll still run into cheaters that play a bit before they’re banned.” Others are disappointed that Activision has opted for kernel-level and have even claimed they won’t be buying the game because of it: “It’s literally why I’m not buying the game. I can’t in good conscience support kernel-level stuff as an IT guy.” Either way, for the majority of players, they just want to play an online match on Vanguard and not get beamed from across the map by a cheater. Hopefully, the full roll-out of Ricochet will achieve this, and keep multiplayer competitive and fair.

CoD Vanguard players demand “serious” sniper buffs to address ADS issues ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have started calling for buffs to be made to the game’s different snipers, with many of them wanting the Aim Down Sight speed to be increased. Snipers have always been a top-tier choice in Call of Duty – be it in regular multiplayer or Warzone – as there are plenty of different ways to play with the powerful weapons. If you want to sit in a spot, aim dow sight and take down enemies crossing over a lane, you can typically do so with ease. If you’re more attack-minded and want to pull off the flashy close-range quick scopes, that is possible as well. However, early in the cycle of CoD: Vanguard, some longtime players have raised concerns about the power of snipers in their current, with many taking aim at the current ADS speeds that they possess. While some players believe that snipers are in a good place, many others don’t – including Redditor IMarkus666, who flagged their concerns with the snipers after a game on Shipment. The player was left dismayed by the number of hitmakers their shots ended up having instead of actually taking down enemies. “Since they (snipers) are all 2 hit kills anyway it (using them) might as well not matter,” they said. Plenty of fans agreed with their complaint, suggesting that snipers need an immediate buff, especially in the way of ADS speeds. “Practically every gun in this game has a TTK in the ballpark of 150ms. Snipers take 595 MS to ADS.” said one player. “They need a massive ADS speed boost,” added another. Some players even had frustrations with sniper attachments and having different challenges to unlock camos. “There is a camo challenge for the Kar98k that requires 100ADS kills with the Sakura 5 round mags. That magazine type and the 20 rounds mag reduce damage by half,” they said. “You get FREAKING HITMARKERS almost anywhere on the body with a bolt-action sniper in Hardcore ffs.” Sledgehammer have already dropped weapon balancing changes onto Vanguard, and snipers have gone largely untouched. With Warzone Pacific around the corner, sweeping weapon changes could come, but we’ll just have to wait and see if snipers get some love.

CoD Vanguard players demand serious change to “random” Mortar Barrage killstreak Activision/Sledgehammer GamesThe Mortar Barrage can be incredibly powerful in CoD Vanguard, but issues surrounding the placement of the killstreak are causing a lot of frustrations. CoD Vanguard’s Mortar Barrage killstreak enables players to toss down a flare canister on the map, marking an area for a targeted explosive strike. Not only can these blasts eliminate all players standing in the selected location, but they can also zone enemies away from key objectives and funnel them into designated kill zones. Thanks to its low cost and large area of effect, the Mortar Barrage has the potential to become a popular killstreak among the playerbase. After all, this explosive barrage can be incredibly powerful in the game’s objective-based modes like Headquarters and Domination. However, many Vanguard players are avoiding this killstreak entirely due to the issues surrounding its placement on the map. Vanguard players call for Mortar Barrage changes Unlike previous Mortar Barrage killstreaks in the CoD series, Vanguard tasks players with throwing out a flare canister to call in a designated strike. While this may seem rather simple at first, the locations the canister can be placed are rather sparse. In fact, many Vanguard players have voiced their frustrations over trying to use this killstreak to full effect. During a brief clip posted to the official CoD Vanguard Reddit page, stCourtney showed just how infuriating this killstreak can be. The player can be seen desperately trying to place the Mortar Barrage canister on Demyansk, only to be killed by an enemy soldier. StCourtney tried several times to launch the barrage, but their attempts to place the Mortar Barrage were constantly thwarted. “Why can’t your dude just get a map out and scribble an X on a location which would then instruct an off-screen mortar team to bomb that position? Instead, you’ve got to lug that piece of sh*t around and end up throwing it somewhere f**king random,” said DJ2608. Some commenters noted that crouching and sliding enable the Mortar Barrage to be placed, while others state that standing still and looking up improves the success rate. However, due to the janky nature of this streak, many players have ended up avoiding the Mortar Barrage altogether. Read More: Best BAR Vanguard class loadout – “I’ve managed to place two, and neither of them were in spots that were beneficial for the team,” noted r0llinlacs420. “It was just the first random spot it would work. And one of them got me a bunch of team kills.” Whether Sledgehammer will change the way the Mortar Barrage is called in remains to be seen, but for now, it seems the CoD community will be avoiding the Mortar Barrage altogether.

CoD Vanguard players demand return of beloved WW2 game mode ActivisionCoD Vanguard might not be a direct continuation of Sledgehammer’s last title, Call of Duty: WW2, but that isn’t stopping fans from calling on the studio to bring back one of that title’s hallmark game modes. Call of Duty’s latest installment, Vanguard, sent fans back in time to a World War 2 setting once again. Despite the jump back on the timeline, however, Sledgehammer Games’ new entry added plenty of brand-new features to the franchise. With a new game mode in Patrol, a post-match MVP voting system, and deeper Gunsmith customization than ever before, Vanguard has added plenty of fresh concepts to the CoD formula. Despite the innovation, Vanguard’s community is missing one iconic game mode from Sledgehammer’s previous title, and are now begging for the resurrection of WW2’s back-and-forth War Mode. CoD Vanguard fans demand War Mode return Players voiced their desperation for WW2’s iconic War Mode to make a return on the Vanguard subreddit. The objective-based game mode, which featured heavy attack-and-defend mechanics, was first added to Call of Duty in WW2 but has been absent from the franchise since. War [Mode] needs to be brought back,” one player said, looking back on the game mode with fondness. “The addition of War [in WW2] was fantastic. I played it to death and am desperate for it to return.” “What do we think [are] the chances of it coming back?” they wondered. “War was amazing,” a second fan agreed. “I really loved this mode,” another replied, before specifying “Not only for how fun it was to drop in for a few matches where objective play is prioritized, but because it highlighted actual turning points in WW2 and felt nostalgic.” Despite plenty of support for the idea, other fans were doubtful that War Mode would ever make its way into CoD Vanguard. “Considering how much work that mode was, according to SHG, I’d say [there’s] zero [chance it returns].” “A shame too, as it was the best mode ever, in my opinion,” they remarked. While a good chunk of the player base wants to see War Mode make a comeback in Vanguard, it remains to be seen if, or when, it actually will — but with plenty of updates in store over the next year, the mode could make its highly requested return at some point in the future.

CoD Vanguard players demand removal of “squad spawns” after CDL Kickoff Classic ActivisionAfter watching the CDL Kickoff Classic, Call of Duty: Vanguard fans are urging the devs to remove the infamous squad spawn system from the game. Spawns play a huge role in dictating the outcome of a CoD match. In objective modes, it is important to hold down certain areas of the map so your teammates can be close after dying. However, in Vanguard there is a system called “squad spawns.” This allows players to respawn close to a teammate regardless if there are enemies nearby. This has been a known issue since the release of the game, but nothing has changed. Following the first competitive event of the year, players are now demanding that it’s removed. Vanguard players want squad spawns taken out of game Reddit user ‘AMS_GoGo’ posted a thread that showcases a major problem from the CDL Kickoff Classic. During the semi-finals, the LA Thieves killed three enemies but since one player (#2 in the image above) was still alive, the rest of the team was able to spawn close to the Hardpoint. Read More: Simp and Kenny butt heads as LA Thieves abuse ‘banned’ item in $30k CDL kickoff tournament – This was thanks to the squad spawn element that in part of Vanguard. Without killing everyone at the same time, the game will register that someone is close for the team to spawn on. Because of this, it allowed Ultra to flood the hill and contest the point long enough to edge out a 250-248 victory. WHAT AN ENDING!!!@TorontoUltra with their back against the wall rally together a couple hill breaks to force a Game 5. pic.twitter.com/cCZkUJuQrD — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) January 23, 2022 In another Reddit thread, players complained about how spawns operate and claimed that some games are “literally unplayable.” This is due to it being difficult to manipulate where enemies are coming from. This also can causes people be right next to a teammate that is getting shot at, which means it can be an additional free kill for the other team. Since Vanguard is already three months in, there’s a small chance Sledgehammer Games would make a massive change. But one thing is certain, players are going to petition for the entirety of the game.

CoD Vanguard players demand fix for packet bursts making game “unplayable” ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players are deeming the game unplayable and are demanding the devs to roll out a patch that fixes frustrating packet bursts. There have been a handful of issues that have plagued Vanguard since it was released. From overpowered fire grenades to the slow-progressing battle pass, players have been dealing out complaints to Sledgehammer Games. While the devs have worked hard to put out fixes for some of these issues, they may want to look into packet bursts as players report they have been breaking the game for “the past few weeks.” Vanguard players want fix for packet bursts Lagging is not something that any Call of Duty player ever wants to deal with as it can put them at a disadvantage, and an issue that has been lurking since launch is getting worse. In a Reddit post by ‘Total_Ad_2538’ the player has other fans trying to bring the issue of packet bursts to the dev’s attention as they claim “the game is actually unplayable.” Packet burst by inCODVanguard Packet loss in Vanguard means that while in a game, people will randomly lag out and skip around the map for a few seconds. Players are reporting that this is occurring multiple times in every match. One Redditor said, “Over the last few days the server connection has been horrendous. They should not be legally allowed to sell a game like this in this state.” Other players are claiming that this has been an issue since beta and has gotten worse throughout the year. “Been like this for most people since launch. I doubt they’re ever going to fix it.” This issue has been noted on the Vanguard Trello board since the game’s launch on November 5 but the problem still hasn’t been resolved and fans are fed up.

CoD Vanguard players demand fix for “annoying” menu bug interrupting games Activision/Sledgehammer GamesA CoD Vanguard menu bug is currently ruining online matches for players, instantly stopping them from claiming kills and taking them out of the action. From broken aim assist that allows players to snap onto enemies behind walls to frustrating Care Package problems, CoD Vanguard has its fair share of teething troubles. However, a new menu bug is being reported by players and it is ruining online matches. This bug forces the menu to open mid-game, resulting in some annoying deaths. This is especially frustrating for those that are trying to unleash the game’s best killstreaks – an area that can take a lot of effort. If that wasn’t bad enough, the bug can appear at any time, which makes it all the more aggravating. CoD Vanguard menu bug is ruining online matches Like most FPS games, CoD Vanguard rewards players for their quick reaction times, good game sense, and overall accuracy. After all, winning firefights will reward you with some incredibly powerful killstreaks, particularly when you unleash Attack Dogs or bombing runs. Unfortunately, getting high kill count games or going on game-winning streaks can prove incredibly difficult, especially when your vision is constantly obscured by the loadout menu. “My menu keeps popping up randomly mid-game,” explained one player. “It’s very annoying, especially when you’re on a big streak. It happens to me at least once every game.” If that wasn’t frustrating enough, some players have even reported that the bug has removed all their Operator progress and weapon attachments. “Also took off all my operator progress, but adds all of it again at the end of every game, before removing it again. But still says I have 0 wins with Lucas.” Whether this progress reset is tied to the menu bug remains to be seen. After all, no one knows exactly what causes this issue to occur, however, some players believe it’s tied to the game’s Prestige system. “I only had it happen once and it was when I hit Prestige midgame,” explained another player. Hopefully, Sledgehammer can fix this menu bug before it begins to impact more CoD Vanguard players.

CoD Vanguard players demand changes to “overpowered” Guard Dog killstreak Activision/Sledgehammer GamesCoD Vanguard players are demanding Sledgehammer make changes to the game’s overly tanky Guard Dog killstreak. Dogs have always been a popular CoD killstreak for those that enjoy hunting down their foes with a bunch of canine companions. Not only do they help flush out pesky campers, but they can also quickly chew through waves of players. While man’s best friend performs the same in Vanguard as other CoD games, players are calling for changes to their overall survivability. These AI-controlled hounds may not be the best killstreak in the game, but many fans believe they currently have too much health. In fact, it invariably takes fewer bullets to eliminate an enemy player than it does to take down an opponent’s dog. It’s because of this stark difference, that players now want Sledgehammer to make some minor adjustments to these canine killstreaks. CoD Vanguard players demand changes to dog killstreaks Having your very own personal Guard Dog or unleashing waves of hellish hounds is one surefire way to secure plenty of kills. With just one lethal bite, Vanguard’s canine companions can take down the most skilled Call of Duty player. Even if an enemy soldier spots a hostile dog, they’ll need to unload a number of rounds into it before the ravenous animal hits the ground. “[Dogs] take two rockets to kill, which makes absolutely no sense.” explained one disgruntled player, who also took aim at the high-tier Attack Dogs streak. “Like, maybe the Guard Dog, sure, it’s got armor so at least it looks feasible to a certain extent, but the Attack Dogs are just bare and eat high explosives for breakfast without any milk.” Some players have simply resorted to meleeing enemy dogs as it messes with their targeting and requires fewer resources. However, this still doesn’t stop their ability to reach rooftop areas instantly, which makes countering them somewhat difficult, particularly on smaller maps. “I was just using the G43 and came face to face with the single Guard Dog you can call in. It just looked at me so I shot it 5 times in the head point-blank and then just jumped and killed me. It should not take five point-blank headshots to kill a dog. They also climb roofs and ladders, it’s a complete joke,” said another player. Whether Sledgehammer makes any adjustments to the Attack Dog and Guard Dog killstreaks remains to be seen, but for now, it seems that Vanguard canines are still the top dog.

CoD Vanguard players demand changes to “annoying” Care Package killstreak Activision/Sledgehammer GamesCare Packages have been a staple killstreak in the Call of Duty series, but the Vanguard iteration is causing a lot of frustration for players. While CoD Vanguard’s Mortar Barrage has received the brunt of player complaints, there have also been a number of grievances surrounding the game’s Care Packages. Unlike previous titles in the series, Vanguard’s Care Packages don’t exactly stay put when they’ve been airdropped. Instead, the gigantic supply box is dropped early, which ends up causing the cargo to bounce across the map. This often leads to the Care Package toppling off the battlefield or ending up in unreachable places. The issues surrounding this killstreak have led many players to call for adjustments. CoD Vanguard players call for Care Package changes Care Packages are often a popular choice amongst players looking to grab themselves some random killstreaks. While the contents aren’t always valuable, they can sometimes reward you with Attack Dogs or a devastating Firebombing Run. It’s because of this random chance that makes Care Packages an exciting addition to any Call of Duty game. However, Vanguard’s killstreak drops aren’t exactly proving popular amongst the game’s community. “I got six Care Packages today and only collected two,” said one player. “The rest went out of the map or somewhere unreachable.” This problem is highlighted even further when playing on Vanguard’s smaller maps, where there is less space for the killstreak to land in. “Even if they land flat you have to stand there for five seconds while it comes to a complete standstill, it’s just straight sh*t,” explained another disgruntled user. This can lead to some incredibly frustrating scenarios, particularly when an enemy player gets an easy kill while you’re trying to desperately claim your streak. A recent posting on the official Vanguard Trello board indicates that the developers are looking into this issue, so the wonky nature of Vanguard’s Care Packages should soon be rectified in a future patch. Until then, it’s best to avoid using Care Packages until a fix is released.

CoD Vanguard players demand a fix for “broken” bayonet melee ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have discovered that the bayonet melee is extremely broken as it can kill someone from miles away and want it fixed immediately. Vanguard is the latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise that was released on November 5. As a new game, there are certain to be bugs and glitches that need to be fixed but some can be more annoying than others. Players are irate as the bayonet melee attachment is extremely broken and allows players to get the freest kills ever. Vanguard players call for fix to bayonet melee While Vanguard doesn’t have a Commando Pro perk, it sure that way after this latest bug is taking over the game. The bayonet attachment allows you to charge up and melee enemies that are in your sight, but you can see from this Reddit clip things are getting way out of control. In the clip, you can see that the player is nowhere near the enemy but they used the bayonet and got the kills from well beyond point blank range. While this isn’t the only instance of it happening, people have discovered that this can be abused vertically as well. So ummm… the bayonet attachment might be a little… umm… broken? #Vanguard 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/JoTJz4YWBX — Modern Warfare III Informer (@MW3CODInformer) November 6, 2021 In that Twitter clip, the person catches a glimpse of the enemy before charging up and stabbing the air. Even though they didn’t knife them it still resulted in that person dying. There is no word from Sledgehammer Games if this is going to be fixed soon, but the devs have been quick to fix other issues so this could be resolved in the near future.

CoD Vanguard players concerned as clips show return of infamous “squad spawns” ActivisionGetting good at Call of Duty is a grind and the game’s very best players have revealed, with a number of clips, arguably the biggest problem they’ve found in Vanguard: squad spawns. The vast majority of CoD multiplayer modes involve respawning, where players are resurrected after death. A mechanic felt nonstop in high-paced modes, experienced players care deeply about how spawns work. Understandably, then, the feature has become a focal point for top players testing out Vanguard during the Open Beta. And, to the dismay of many, it appears that the mechanic is returning to the notorious “squad spawns” seen in Modern Warfare 2019 (whose engine this title is built on). While MW19 was a very popular game, its competitive qualities were questioned by the game’s most active grinders. Now, they’re skeptical about Vanguard as well, as the Sledgehammer Games title is giving them unwelcome deja vu. Squad Spawns it is for next year… (@Reidboy24) pic.twitter.com/YA0jaXQqFV — Attach (@Attach) September 11, 2021 As you’ll notice Dillon ‘Attach’ Price mention during the clip, spawning in Vanguard’s Beta doesn’t seem… ideal: “What is this? What is this spawn system? Dude we’re chalked. We’re chalked, man.” A veteran CoD pro, Attach plays for the CDL’s Minnesota ROKKR and is therefore deeply invested in how this game will play at the most competitive levels. If he’s worried about such a base mechanic, that carries weight, but he’s far from the only one. i just saw squad spawns on @TylerTeeP’s stream say it aint so — Clayster (@Clayster) September 7, 2021 While another veteran CoD pro, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, responded with similar concern over the game’s spawn system — others, like the LA Thieves’ Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon, have been reaping the rewards. At the moment, it’s unclear how Sledgehammer intend to tweak the spawns. They’ve already adjusted them once already, but players don’t seem satisfied. The concern is that this system uses teammates to justify where you return from the dead, in which case an opponent could simply wait and keep sending you back to the dead. That’s a reasonable concern, so we’ll continue monitoring the situation and provide updates as they become available.

CoD: Vanguard players claim Cold Blooded has “broken” aim assist ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players claim aim assist is “completely broken” following the Season 1 update, and they’re desperate for change. When it comes to first-person shooters, aim assist has always been a controversial topic, especially as we’re seeing cross-platform play introduced more and more. The mechanic is meant to level the playing field between controller players and those on keyboard and mouse, but it’s always a hot button issue. Some PC players have likened it to a ‘legal aimbot’, while some controller players believe it doesn’t go far enough. In the case of CoD: Vanguard, aim assist has been a slight issue since the game first launched on November 5. Console players have repeatedly called for change, but now, after the Vanguard Season 1 update, it appears to be in its worst state yet. Plenty of controller players have bemoaned the issue across social media since the big update, with some claiming it “completely broken” and the game is “unplayable” until it’s addressed. “It’s totally screwed up,” commented Redditor P_Wood. “Gunfights have felt so inconsistent since the last update, hope they can get it fixed,” added another player. While there have been some suggestions that aim assist has been stealth nerfed by Sledgehammer Games, it appears the issue links to player name tags “flickering” in-game. According to Redditor MGrad, aim assist “seems to turn itself off in relation to whether an enemy name tag is visible or not.” They noted they’ve tested it in private and public lobbies with similar outcomes in both – if the name tag is not visible, there is no snap-on from aim assist. If the issue is related to name tag, as it appears it is, that would make Cold Blooded invaluable as a counter to controller players. The perk reduces the distance as to which a name tag is visible, so you’d get the jump on aim assist users. Though, we’ll have to wait and see what the developers do to address things.

CoD Vanguard players can’t tell players apart & want return of MW19’s faction system ActivisionThe Call of Duty: Vanguard Beta is live and players are jumping straight into the action. With access to different Multiplayer maps and modes, players are struggling to realize who is and isn’t on their team and want Modern Warfare’s faction system to return. Players can access the beta by preordering the game or getting a beta code. This will allow you to take part in the game and give some feedback. Sledgehammer Games has been updating their game, listening to feedback from players who are grinding. However, players are really confused as they haven’t addressed an issue that is making it hard to tell who is who. Vanguard players want Modern Warfare factions to return While it is just the beta that players have access to, some are noticing a huge issue. It is nearly impossible to tell which people are teammates and which are enemies. This Reddit clip posted by ‘KiraElijah’ shows off a nice sniper clip, but the big issue is that this person is standing right next to the enemies and no one realizes it. One player went on to comment that is extremely hard to see the red dot above enemies and they are constantly running right next to each other without realizing it. This issue could be solved with the return of factions. In Modern Warfare even though there could be the same operators in a game, each had a specific look based on which team they were playing for. As seen in the picture above the operators appear different based on what team they are playing for. Also, in Modern Warfare, the operators would have a different look based on what primary weapon a player was using. While the current beta has only six operator skins available, players are really pushing for uniforms to be added to make it easier to spot a friend or a foe.

CoD Vanguard players call for removal of “terrible” bloom mechanic ActivisionThe controversial bloom mechanic was a complete surprise to players in Call of Duty vanguard, and now, some players are already asking for it to be removed. Call of Duty: Vanguard continues the franchise with a jump back to World War 2, but with some significant changes to multiplayer. And, as always, the competitive scene is as fiery as ever. Even if the aesthetic has changed, players still go into each entry in hopes of sampling the franchise famous multiplayer. Unfortunately, Vanguard’s multiplayer may not have gotten off to the best start, as the implementation of a bloom mechanic has divided fans. Now, the demand for its removal has grown in intensity. Fans blast “terrible” bloom mechanic The addition of bloom in first-person shooters has existed for years, but for Call of Duty fans, it may seem like an odd addition to the franchise. Bloom (also known as weapon bloom) refers to the trajectory of a weapon’s accuracy, adding an element of unpredictability to the firing line. Traditionally, players that would aim down their sight could expect their bullets to line up exactly where they shot. Other factors such as weapon choice and stability can affect bloom too. “This is currently ruining my experience” Reddit user MetalingusMike noted while venting their frustration. “The mix of bloom, netcode, and low ttk make for some terrible feeling gunfights in an otherwise amazing feeling MP” another commenter said, who still sees the potential in Vanguard. Bloom’s inclusion is definitely hitting the wrong notes with more infuriated players: “It’s horrendous. Just another form of SBMM to lower the skill gap. Go on a streak and boom BLOOM kicks in and you can’t hit a shot to save your life.” The mechanic wasn’t addressed officially before the release of Vanguard, so it remains to be seen whether any potential updates will appease fans.

CoD Vanguard players call for OP attachment to be removed completely Activision/Sledgehammer GamesCoD Vanguard’s weapon meta is still forming, but it appears the Vital Proficiency is already making waves in the game’s community for all the wrong reasons. Unlike previous Call of Duty titles, Vanguard enables players to kit their weapons out with 10 attachments. Not only does this allow for huge amounts of variety, but it can also lead to some incredibly broken builds. However, the game’s most OP attachment is that of the Vital Proficiency bonus, which increases the area of critical hits. This means the gun’s upper chest damage deals the same damage as a well-aimed headshot. Of course, this is extremely useful for those that want to kill their targets even quicker without having to aim for an enemy’s head. Combine this damage increase with the already quick TTK and you have a recipe for some devastating loadouts. Vanguard players call for Vital Proficiency changes So far, Vanguard’s multiplayer lobbies have been filled with the STG44 and MP40. While this is largely down to both guns being default unlocks, many players have been using the German AR thanks to its Vital Proficiency attachment. This unlock is rewarded to those that level up the STG44 to level 55 and it transforms the gun into a two-shot machine. However, it’s not just the STG44 that has access to the Vital Proficiency. Reddit user NotJackDorsey noted how even the Type 100 became capable of dishing out some ludicrous damage. “So I’ve been using the Type 100. It’s got a pretty average TTK, and I’m a horribly average player…, but then I unlocked the Vital Proficiency, stuck it on my gun and I sh*t you not, I went 73 and 10 in my first game.” Having such a huge damage increase on full-auto weapons can lead to some incredibly fast kills – an area that is proving to be frustrating for many Vanguard players. In fact, some members of the game’s community believe this attachment should only be available to Marksman Rifles and Snipers. Read More: Scump reveals best competitive MP40 – “I think they should take it off of any full auto weapons,” explained Grundlestiltskin_. “I was testing it on the SVT in a private match and it was really fun, that gun is pretty average without it.” Whether Sledgehammer will make adjustments to the Vital Proficiency remains to be seen, but it’s clear that many Vanguard players want this attachment to receive some nerfs in the future.

CoD Vanguard players blast “new low” over unfinished animations ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard has hit a “new low” for players as they discovered broken and buggy animations remaining within the game. Sledgehammer Games unleashed Call of Duty: Vanguard into the world back in November 2021, but its reception wasn’t as warm as they may have hoped for. Players are continuously calling for popular modes like Zombies to be fixed, while classic features such as ranked play are only just appearing in the game. The problems are still mounting in intensity for Vanguard, as players are furious over the discovery of unfinished finishing move animations. YouTuber The Act Man blasts Vanguard’s “embarrassing” mistake Vanguard has heaps of glitches in the game already but this particularly baffling instance was discovered by YouTuber The Act Man. Known for dissecting the highs and lows of the CoD franchise on his channel, the content creator shared a video of this strange inclusion: “Activision is selling literally unfinished animations in Vanguard’s store bundles.” Demoing the ‘Winterwind’ finishing move within the game, the YouTuber went on to say: “This is a new low for COD. It’s more embarrassing than the pistol grips in WWII.” Activision is selling literally unfinished animations in Vanguard’s store bundles. This is a new low for COD. It’s more embarrassing than the pistol grips in WWII. Jesus fuck what is this?? pic.twitter.com/s419IS9K2D — The Act Man (@TheActMan_YT) January 29, 2022 Outraged by the state of the game, The Act Man simply stated: “Jesus f*** what is this?” An eagled-eyed player kindly pointed out that the ‘Winterwind’ finishing move is part of the Krampus bundle, which isn’t accessible via the in-game store. However, The Act Man has footage of more severely broken animations in reserve, as part of his upcoming Vanguard review. Ah, well I do have footage of other animations that are in the bundles and are also unfinished. Will show them in my Vanguard review. — The Act Man (@TheActMan_YT) January 29, 2022 Players have responded with frustration to The Act Man’s video as commenter @TheGoldenBoi8 said “Sledgehammer just can’t seem to make a good CoD.” Another commenter shared their sentiment, claiming Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision will fix future issues: “thank god Microsoft’s getting rid of the annual cod release, this is just depressing to look at.” While Microsoft’s plans for the future of the franchise remain under wraps, it wouldn’t be surprising to see CoD games enter longer development windows. Call of Duty: Vanguard is set to debut Season 2 in February after the developers delayed its launch to polish the game.

CoD Vanguard players already want “annoying” Field Upgrade removed ActivisionThe Call of Duty: Vanguard beta has finished, with the launch just weeks away, but players are already calling for one major Field Upgrade to be removed. Field Upgrades were first introduced to Call of Duty with Modern Warfare 2019. Perhaps the most divisive of the Field Upgrades was Dead Silence, which was more commonly a perk in previous iterations. Those Field Upgrades were also mimicked in Warzone, and with Vanguard’s use of the MW engine and a more robust experience between all CoD games expected, they once again arrive in Vanguard. Regardless of where you stand on Field Upgrades in general, there’s one that many players are getting increasingly frustrated by. While Dead Silence has perhaps caused the most debate among CoD players, Armor has been one that many players simply aren’t happy with in any capacity. The Armor Field Upgrade has long been a source of frustration for Call of Duty players, with Warzone’s Armor Plates making their way into the regular multiplayer modes. This isn’t new to Vanguard, with 2020 iteration Black Ops Cold War also featuring an Armor Field Upgrade. Some players had hoped that would be it, though, and are now venting their frustrations. For example, vol4lyfe123 received a lot of support on Reddit when explaining why Armor has no place in multiplayer. Saying that the Field Upgrade creates inconsistent gunfights, a number of players responded calling it “ridiculous” that the “extremely annoying” feature remains in the game. Some players, on the other hand, don’t want them removed, but want changes at least. Ulv on Twitter is one of these people, saying that the Field Upgrade needs a longer recharge rate, forcing players to use them more “wisely.” https://twitter.com/Ulvyyyy/status/1437647883050917888 The beta is the perfect time for both players and devs to test out almost everything about the game, so we may yet see some major changes. Whether this includes a complete removal or overhaul of Armor remains to be seen.

CoD Vanguard player sabotages $150k tourney with unbelievable team-kill snipe Activision / PexelsSome plays need to be seen to be believed. And one absurd team-kill snipe during a $150,000 Call of Duty: Vanguard tournament literally has to be watched, and rewatched, to even understand what happened. There’s no way to sugarcoat this situation. It’s maybe one of the most absurd Call of Duty clips of all time. With $150,000 on the line in the mixed-roster TST Vanguard Prosim tournament, a CDL pro made a pro callout and his content creator… immediately sniped him. And the worst part? The content creator was so locked in that he didn’t even realize he had just smoked his own teammate. It’s such a confusing, fast clip that, yes, we did need to explain it generally before you watch it. But check it out yourself below and we’ll dive deeper into what happened and how the CoD community reacted. $150k Vanguard tournament team sabotaged by wild team-kill snipe In case you missed it last night…@SallyIsADog was absolutely LOCKED during the $150k Vanguard tourney 😭pic.twitter.com/SJdgulBom9 — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) December 1, 2021 Team SallyIsADog was composed of the aforementioned content creator Sally, alongside a current CDL pro, a former CDL pro, a Warzone pro, and the tourney host. During one of their bracket matches, OpTic Texas starter iLLeY called out that he was “going tunnel.” So Sally proceeded to instantly jump tunnel, snipe iLLeY, and then respond “tunnel’s dead. Good comms.” The CoD community immediately lost it once people figured out what had happened. Former pro Slacked tweeted about how “turnt” the play was, with others calling it one of the greatest clips of all time. In response, Sally has simply explained that he was locked in and had tunnel vision. As team captain, he also gave iLLeY $1,000 in MVP prize money for not losing all composure. So, while this moment is definitely a bit embarrassing and may have cost the team their chance at $150,000, there are some bright sides. For one, thousands of people got to enjoy the delights of laughter. For another, we now know — if you’re going to kill your teammate, at least do it in style.

CoD Vanguard player proves that Combat Pacing options are broken Sledgehammer GamesCall of Duty: Vanguard offered fans the chance to tailor their games to suit their playstyles with the new Combat Pacing filter. But one dedicated player has collected some damning data that appears to prove that the option simply doesn’t work. CoD Vanguard was released with plenty of fresh ideas for the iconic shooter series, from the new Champion Hill mode to allowing 10 attachments to be added to weapons. One of the most exciting of all the innovations was the introduction of the Combat Pacing system. The idea is that players can choose if they want their matches to be tactical 4 v 4 affairs or chaotic big team battles. This seemed like a welcome inclusion when Vanguard launched on November, 5, but one player appears to have proven that feature isn’t working as intended. Reddit user ArduousAttempt collected data from 100 separate Vanguard matches, documenting the map and Pacing they were placed on. The user said that they had switched to Assault Pacing (20-28 players) after growing tired of Blitz (28-48 players) when the filter was turned off. Despite them specially requesting Assault matches, across the century of games they played the Pacing was evenly spread. They found themselves in 35 Assault games, 33 Tactical games, and 32 Blitz games. As you can see, this spread is more like what you would expect if the filter is on “All,” rather than if you had chosen to play Assault. “You’re not guaranteed to always get your selected pacing [but] you can not really say this feature is working at all right now,” concluded the player. It is worth keeping in mind that the Pacing filter is mainly a preference rather than a specific search criterion, most likely as a way to make matchmaking quick and easy. Even so, the fact that there was no difference in the type of match they played hints there is a problem. Others players responded to the post, reiterating that they want the Pacing options to have more impact. “If I search for Assault Domination, DON’T load me into Tactical or Blitz matches,” pleaded one fan. They also called for Sledgehammer Games to up the variety of Pacings on each map. Players have noticed that certain maps, like Bocage, are only playable with a certain number of players. We’ll have to wait and see if the devs address these issues in a future patch. For now, at least, fans will have to grin and bear matches on different Pacings.

CoD Vanguard’s Pick-30 gunsmith has players missing BO2’s Pick-10 ActivisionThe Call of Duty: Vanguard Multiplayer Beta is live for all players that have an access code. With a good amount of the community diving into the game, players are starting to miss Black Ops 2’s Pick-10 feature as Vanguard features a Pick-30 gunsmith. Black Ops 2 is one of CoD’s most beloved games in the franchise. From the maps to the gunplay, players thought the game was well balanced. With the evolution of Call of Duty, the gunsmith has seen many changes throughout the years. Some weapons can wield over eight attachments and multiple perks. Things that weren’t possible in previous titles. One of Black Ops 2’s most iconic features, the Pick-10 Create-A-Class system, is being extremely missed as Vanguard decides to bring its own twist to the gunsmith. Vanguard players want BO2 Pick-10 over the Pick-30 A huge part of CoD is the customization that players have access to with the gunsmith. With hundreds of different weapon and attachment combinations, players can really change the way they play. Content creator, JGOD, led the charge when he took to Twitter to voice his gripes with the new Pick-30 gunsmith in the Vanguard Beta. This has people in their feelings, reminiscing on the Black Ops 2 days. Went from a pick 10 to a pick 30+ 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/LvyEOEs3NE — James – JGOD (@JGODYT) September 16, 2021 In Vanguard, players can have an attachment for each slot available on their weapon. As each weapon allows for 10 attachments, this gives players over 20 attachments between their weapons. In Black Ops 2, players were allowed 10 things in total, this included, a gun, attachments, perks, and equipment. So in BO2, having 10 attachments on a weapon would not even be possible as it counts one slot as the weapon and another for each attachment. Players were mindblown by this feature and reflected on why BO2’s system was really good for CoD. Pick ten is the most balanced and has the best gameplay. Forces you to actually make intelligent decisions and trade offs. There is nothing intelligent about this tbh — Just Kco (@Kco2010kade) September 16, 2021 Pick 10 was the best create a class, man. This basic ass create a class from Mw2 is so bad… — 🍀 (@Luckyjust1y) September 16, 2021 I miss pick 10 class setups, you had to sacrifice one for another, all my clases were like, all for my primary weapon, and perks, sacrificing secondary, letals and tactical equipment — AlarNiko (@AlarNiko) September 16, 2021 Although there will always be an argument to which system works best, most players tend to lean toward previous gunsmiths than the newer ones. While there is realistically no chance that Sledgehammer Games will change the way the gunsmith works, it does raise the question for future CoDs and what they decide best fits their game.

CoD Vanguard players expose ‘pay to win’ Double Barrel Blueprint after nerfs ActivisionCoD Vanguard players have lashed out at yet another “pay to win” weapon Blueprint in the store as a certain Double Barrel Shotgun setup is able to break the rules and provide a unique buff. CoD Vanguard may have only been out for two months, but we’ve already seen multiple instances of ‘pay to win’ bundles in the store. Outside of ‘copy-paste’ cosmetic packs, some purchasable items come with real gameplay benefits. We’ve already seen weapon Blueprints with exclusive Perks, and now, we have Blueprints that quite literally break Vanguard’s rules. Following weeks of continuous Shotgun nerfs, there’s now a bundle in the store that lets players circumvent key restrictions to regain full power. When using the “overpowered” Double Barrel Shotgun, there’s one crucial rule in effect. If you opt to run with the Akimbo Perk, dual-wielding shottys, Vanguard disables any Underbarrel attachments. This has been the tradeoff since launch. Given the power of having two Double Barrels, eliminating one attachment is how Sledgehammer Games aimed to keep things fair. However, a new bundle arrived in Season 1 that goes against this logic. CoD Vanguard’s Scavenger Hunt bundle, priced at 1,400 CoD Points (roughly $15), contains the Wild Marble Shotgun Blueprint. This build just so happens to feature the Akimbo Perk along with an SMLE Pistol Grip Underbarrel. It provides an advantage that no other Double Barrel build has access to. Naturally, this led to some backlash online as players exposed the bundle. “If you wanted to build this gun without the Blueprint, you wouldn’t be able to,” Reddit user ‘M4GIX’ explained. “I think it’s incompetence more than malice,” another player chimed in. “They just don’t know anything about the game.” This isn’t the first instance of a ‘pay to win’ Blueprint in Vanguard, and if these first few weeks are anything to go by, it likely won’t be the last. Read More: Will Call of Duty still be on PlayStation? – Activision has already stepped forward to apologize for the “frustrating” state of Call of Duty during Vanguard. Though beyond this statement, we’re yet to see devs acknowledge and fix bundles clearly providing an unfair advantage.

CoD Vanguard patch completely breaks S&D one day before CDL season ActivisionJust one day ahead of the Call of Duty League’s 2022 opener, a February 3 Vanguard patch completely broke the Search and Destroy mode. The new bug crashed the entire match as soon as someone fired at the bomb defuser, though it may already be fixed. Competitive Call of Duty has always followed a similar pattern for modes. Every season, teams play on Hardpoint and S&D, with a third mode rotating annually. For CDL 2022, the three modes intended for play are Hardpoint, S&D, and Control. Unfortunately, in a last-minute effort to fix a “Silent Plant” bug with the tactical mode, Sledgehammer Games temporarily broke something else. As shared on Twitter by numerous players, it seems that February 3’s Vanguard patch made private S&D matches crash as soon as someone either planting or defusing the bomb was shot. Vanguard Search & Destroy bug completely crashed games …shooting at an enemy on the bomb in S&D now causes the entire game to crash CDL 2022 starts tomorrow 😵💫pic.twitter.com/5ZOBVwY0zL — Dexerto Esports (@DexertoEsports) February 3, 2022 As you can see in the clip, the S&D match crashed literally as soon as a bullet hits someone touching the bomb. Like a glitched scene from the Matrix, bullets freeze in mid-air, and the entire game stood still. This is obviously a concerning issue, especially since the CDL’s season is set to kick off officially with February 4’s first day of Major 1 Qualifiers. Call of Duty League 2022 concerns due to S&D bug New GA you are not allowed to shoot players defusing. You must instead loudly shout bang bang bang and they must stop and lay still. — Brice (@Bricetacular) February 3, 2022 Being able to shoot people defusing and planting bombs is pretty self-evident for competitive play, leaving the CDL’s opener in doubt. Some community members came up with unique solutions, like an honor rule to avoid shooting defusers. But there’s also the possibility they simply play on an older patch. Sledgehammer Games rushes S&D bug fix Just hours after this issue came to light, Sledgehammer Games rushed out a hotfix. As a result, Search games should be back in working order. The mode “should function properly with Silent Plant enabled,” devs followed up on February 4. 🔨 We have deployed a backend fix. SnD Private Matches should now function properly with Silent Plant enabled. https://t.co/KGOxXES2FB — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) February 4, 2022 However, given recent bug fixes have completely missed the mark, there’s a chance this update doesn’t quite fix the problem. We’ll be sure to keep you posted here if any further issues arise.

CoD Vanguard November 10 patch notes: 2XP & camo progression fixes, more ActivisionA new Call of Duty: Vanguard update went live on November 10. The game’s patch notes reveal fixes for 2XP tokens, camo progression, and other problems across multiplayer and Zombies. Call of Duty: Vanguard has only been out for about five days, but Sledgehammer Games are already attacking the game’s early bugs. While they haven’t quite fixed everything just yet, a new patch is cleaning up some of the mess. After players complained about 2XP, redeemable rewards, and camo progression bugs, the new patch brought fixes for a variety of those issues. Additionally, it fixed a Combat Shield issue and brought a bunch of Zombies changes. Vanguard November 10 update: 2XP, camo progression, more Patch notes for the new Vanguard update are live in-game. pic.twitter.com/GeuSRQgz5K — CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) November 10, 2021 While the patch hasn’t fixed the notorious S&D bomb glitch, it does tackle some other problematic areas. A number of fixes address random issues with the Gunsmith and Zombies, while one specifically tackles the Combat Shield-ruining bug. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the patch fixed all camo progression issues — but it does apparently solve the pistol problems. The solutions for 2XP tokens and redeemable rewards are sure to satisfy some fan complaints as well. Call of Duty: Vanguard November 10 full patch notes NOV 10, 2021 UPDATE 11/10 Campaign: Mid-level checkpoint save data has been invalidated. Note: Players have not lost all their campaign progress. Save loads will deliver players to the beginning of the latest level rather than their last checkpoint. – Users unable to redeem codes for incentives such as XP Bonuses, Calling Cards, and Emblems can now redeem rewards – Combat Shield will now protect player’s backs once stowed – Invisible player models in MVP voting and Play of the Game have been fixed – Fixed a bug affecting Constanze’s skin progression – Operator Challenges no longer appear to reset after completion – Inaccurate unlock requirements for Weapon Challenges now display correctly – 1911 Pistol will now progress past Level 50 – Weapons can now be accessed in the Loadouts/Gunsmith after Level 66 – ZOMBIES Camo Progression: All Pistol challenges can now be properly completed – Exfil: The kill count to Exfil now correctly tracks zombies killed – Bleedout Meter: Self-Revive meter no longer fails to show progress – Transmit: Players that die outside of the damage barrier no longer take damage over time upon reviving in the hub area – Legendary Covenants: All players should now be able to receive Legendary Covenant options at the Altar of Covenants – After-Action Report: Players are no longer returned to the Lobby when attempting to view post-match unlocks – Field Upgrades: Addressed an issue where players who recovered from being downed were unable to use Field Upgrades in rare instances –

CoD Vanguard devs confirm Ninja perk & weapon distortion changes ahead of release Sledgehammer GamesSledgehammer Games has announced a few changes to Call of Duty Vanguard ahead of its November release date. The biggest highlights include the removal of weapon distortion when firing and the addition of the iconic Ninja perk. On October 28, Call of Duty released a huge swath of updates addressing Vanguard, its Warzone integration, and what the developers have been up to since the public beta went live back in September. Among the many changes to the gameplay, the biggest standouts are the improvement to vision-impairing effects and the commitment to mobility options, as both areas received a major overhaul from the earlier version of the game. While these changes may seem small on the surface, they’ll have a profound impact on gameplay across the board. Vanguard devs replace Low Profile perk with Ninja Low Profile was one of the new Vanguard-original perks that blocked players from Piercing Vision – an effect that highlights players that have been damaged, making them trackable even if they retreat behind cover. That perk has since been removed and replaced with returning fan-favorite Ninja, which allows players to move around the map with silent footsteps, ensuring that enemies can’t pick up your trail via audio cues. “Our goal coming out of the Vanguard Beta was to give players a faster and smoother gameplay experience at launch. To achieve that, we’ve reduced weapon swap/pickup animation speeds and are bringing in new movement perks. We’ve also added the “Ninja” perk which allows you to have silent footsteps at all times.” In the second half of the beta feedback, Sledgehammer noted that there has also been an adjustment to visibility when firing your weapons in Vanguard. Originally, shooting any automatic weapon would cause a small amount of screen distortion at the end of your barrel. Guns would also release a hood amount of smoke while in use, but both of those features have been removed, along with a handful of other adjustments. Here’s the full list of changes: Distortion effects were removed from muzzle flash and we reduced smoke emitted when firing a weapon – Completed a pass on muzzle flash placement/coverage when aiming down sights – VFX Environment ambient placement for better sightlines – Removed the droplets of water that get all up in your face when it rains – Various bugs have been fixed including a bug where certain optics would stop enemy and friendly HUD icons from displaying while ADS – We’ve fixed cases of nametags appearing through Destruction – Lens flare reduced across all maps (we nerfed the sun) – We will continue to refine VFX, Lighting, and UI into launch and monitor player feedback surrounding the various topics of visibility. – All of these adjustments will be live in-game when Vanguard releases on November 5.

CoD Vanguard adds new Patrol game mode: How Hardpoint-inspired playlist works ActivisionPatrol is a brand new game mode in Call of Duty Vanguard, one that takes inspiration from Hardpoint but throws an interesting twist on the formula. Here’s how the unique playlist works. With every new CoD release comes new game modes and Vanguard isn’t ready to buck that trend just yet. While we already knew about Champions Hill, we now have another fresh playlist to dive into. Patrol is the latest multiplayer mode in CoD and players can get their first hands-on time during the upcoming Beta. The objective-based game type takes inspiration from Hardpoint but spins it in a new direction. Here’s a complete guide on how Patrol works in CoD Vanguard. How Patrol works in CoD Vanguard While Hardpoint features a set rotation of ‘hills’ that cycle throughout a match, Patrol boasts just a single “scoring zone” instead, Sledgehammer Games revealed. Rather than having to push ahead for the next objective, Patrol has just one capture point that’s constantly on the move. It appears to start at one point on the map and floats on a predetermined course throughout the entire battleground. As with most other objective-based modes, stepping inside the zone accumulates points for your team. The longer you’re able to maintain control of this scoring zone, the quicker you’ll win any given match. As you gain experience with the new mode and learn its pathing through each map, you’ll more than likely know to predict certain spawns and play accordingly. Think of it as one continuous game of Hardpoint, with teams fighting for control over a single objective for the entire game. Patrol joins the likes of Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, Domination, Search & Destroy, and Champions Hill. These are all the modes we know for certain in Vanguard at this point in time. There’s currently no telling if Patrol will outright replace Hardpoint altogether.

CoD Vanguard May 16 update patch notes ActivisionThe May 16 Call of Duty Vanguard patch notes brought a big change to the combat pacing system as well as minor adjustments to some weapon-related challenges and unlocks. Vanguard updates have come quick, fast, and in a hurry, throughout the first half of May. This time around the devs have turned their attention to fine-tuning the Combat Pacing public matchmaking system and a few other minor fixes. All of this follows the May 10 arrival of silent operators in Vanguard and the May 14 silent buff to the Automaton in what has been a very busy week for Vanguard. Call of Duty Vanguard May 16 patch notes The highlight of this patch is the removal of the Assault option in the Combat Pacing menu. This mid-sized lobby preference gave players a choice between the refined and fairly calm 6v6 style of Tactical and the chaotic stylings of the 48-player Blitz mode. An update has dropped in #Vanguard: ▪️ Nikita AVT and M1619 Camo Challenge reductions ▪️ Combat Pacing tuned for improved map rotationCheck out the Patch Notes for details 👇https://t.co/9Ku29ctdpP — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) May 16, 2022 In the notes, Sledgehammer cites that despite only 5% of the player base choosing to play Assault regularly, it was having an oversized effect on the matchmaking process. “By removing this option, we aim to improve map rotation across all Quick Play playlists. We will be monitoring your feedback and game analytics to assess if this change has made the desired improvements. Give it a try, and let us know how you feel. The second half focuses entirely on fixing up camo requirements for the new Nikita AVT and M1916 weapons that arrived in the Season 3 update. For the full patch notes, check out Sledgehammer’s entire update blog below. CoD Vanguard May 16 update full patch notes MULTIPLAYER Assault Combat Pacing filter removed from Quick Play and Featured Playlists – Minimum and maximum player counts for Tactical and Blitz Combat Pacings have been tuned. For more details check out the Sledgehammer Games blog for the most recent Patch Notes. – Nikita AVT (Assault Rifle) Corrected the requirements for multiple Camo Categories. Pack Tactics: 40/80/120/160/200/240/280/320/360/400 Eliminations – Surgical: 5/10/15/20/25/30/35/40/45/50 Headshots – Predatory Ambition: 5/10/15/20/25/30/35/40/45/50 Multikills – Reptilian: 3/6/9/12/15/18/21/24/27/30 Bloodthirsties – – – Corrected the requirements for multiple Camo Categories. – M1916 (Marksman Rifle) Corrected the requirements for multiple Camo Categories. Pack Tactics: 30/60/90/120/150/180/210/240/270/300 Eliminations – Predatory Ambition: 5/10/15/20/25/30/35/40/45/50 Multikills – Reptilian: 3/6/9/12/15/18/21/24/27/30 Prone Kills – Wildcat: 5/10/15/20/25/30/35/40/45/50 Holding Breath Kills – – – Corrected the requirements for multiple Camo Categories. –

CoD Vanguard May 12 update arrives with secret Automaton buff hidden from patch notes ActivisionA surprise Call of Duty: Vanguard update that rolled out on May 12 arrived with a secret buff for the Automaton Assault Rifle, one that boosted its standard magazine size from 25 to 30 rounds. Just 48 hours removed from the last CoD Vanguard patch and yet another update was swiftly pushed out on May 12. While the previous build came with a lengthy list of weapon adjustments, bug fixes, and plenty more, the new update was considerably smaller in scope. Only five specific changes were outlined in the official patch notes from Sledgehammer Games. Though a surprise weapon tweak not mentioned in the blog has since been discovered. After hopping back in on May 12, pro players quickly pointed out a secret buff to the Automaton. Rather than its usual 25-round magazines, this powerful AR now comes equipped with 30 bullets in each mag by default. CoD Vanguard May 12 update silently buffs Automaton AR Having been one of the strongest ARs in Vanguard since launch, the Automaton’s smaller magazine was often looked at as a way of keeping it balanced in the weapon category. While others like the STG44 and the Volk all boast larger mags in their default builds, they don’t pack quite the same punch as the Auto. Thus, the limited mag size ensured players couldn’t run rampant for all too long. Despite keeping to 25 rounds for the first six months of Vanguard’s cycle, the gun was surprisingly changed without mention on May 12. Now with 30 rounds in its default mag, expect to see the Auto popping up more than ever before. While some at the highest level of play, specifically AR mains, are stoked by the upgrade, others that have to contend in the SMG role are less than thrilled. we’re all excited for the AR to have 30 bullets in its mag. don’t get me wrong, i love it, but shouldn’t stuff like this just be default?! like when we praised them for adding “red dots back to the minimap” LOL — NYSL Clayster (@Clayster) May 12, 2022 CoD Vanguard May 12 update full patch notes Addressed an issue that caused a Server Disconnected error in Private Matches with the CDL ruleset enabled. – Arms Race Destroying the last remaining enemy base while enemies are within will no longer cause a UI error. – – M1 Garand (Marksman Rifle) Mindgames Camo Category now references the correct Magazine Attachment requirement. – – M1916 (Marksman Rifle) Progression toward challenges that require Marksman Rifles is now correctly tracked. – – Players who have reached Prestige 5 or higher will now see the correct Prestige emblem displayed throughout the menus. – CDL Midseason Pack Corrected the preview images for Roland’s “The Boss” Operator Skin and the “Love Massacre” Emblem. – –

CoD Vanguard March 31 update: Assault Rifle buffs, LMG nerfs, full patch notes ActivisionA brand new Call of Duty Vanguard update just went live on March 31, implementing a range of weapon nerfs and buffs, along with some key bug fixes. Here’s a look at everything included in the full patch notes. Just one week following the Season 2 Reloaded update, one that brought with it a range of new maps, modes, and equipment, yet another CoD Vanguard update has now been deployed. This time around, a new weapon balance pass headlines the patch as a range of Assault Rifles, LMGs, and even Melee weapons have all been put under the microscope. A minor Perk change along with some key bug fixes top it all off, but you can check out the full rundown for the latest CoD Vanguard patch below. CoD Vanguard March 31 update weapon changes 11 weapons in total were addressed with the March 31 CoD Vanguard update. Everything from particular attachment tweaks to overall gun adjustments were lumped into the patch. On the positive side, guns like the Type 11 LMG, M1 Garand Marksman Rifle, and the Machine Pistol Handgun were all buffed to various degrees. Read More: Top 20 highest-earning Warzone players – Perhaps most notably, however, the Cooper Carbine Assault Rifle had four of its attachments retuned. You may need to take another look at your loadout to ensure you have the best picks moving forward. Beyond individual weapon changes, a single Perk was also improved in the Vanguard patch. Engineer (Intel) should now be more effective, as highlights of enemy equipment and killstreaks have been made more visible. CoD Vanguard March 31 update patch notes The full CoD Vanguard March 31 patch notes can be found below. Modes Arms Race The “Escort” and “Eliminate” UI elements will now properly update during the sudden death phase of a match. – Addressed an exploit that allowed players to become invulnerable after dying to fall damage. – Addressed an issue that caused Buy Station purchases to not subtract from the player’s cash balance. – Players will no longer have an invisible weapon when the “Bioluminescence” or “Steamer” Blueprints are equipped. – – Ranked Play Updated Restrictions The Skal Crusher has been restricted in Ranked Play and can no longer be equipped to loadouts. – – – Updated Restrictions – Weapons Cooper Carbine (Assault Rifle) 22” Cooper Custom (Barrel) Increased ADS time. – – 8” Ragdoll Short (Barrel) Decreased recoil while firing. – – 18” Ragdoll G45 (Barrel) Decreased recoil while firing. – – Cooper 45rs (Stock) Increased initial recoil while firing. – – – 22” Cooper Custom (Barrel) – Armaguerra 43 (Submachine Gun) Addressed an issue that prevented progression of challenges in the Mindgames camo category. – – Type 11 (Light Machine Gun) Decreased recoil while firing. – – Bren (Light Machine Gun) Increased sprintout time. – Increased hip-fire spread. – Oak & Shield 590mm Model 2B (Barrel) Decreased ADS time (-8%). – – .50 BMG 50 Round Mags (Magazine) Increased ADS time. – Increased hip-fire spread. – – – Whitley (Light Machine Gun) .50 BMG 150 Round Boxes (Magazine) Decreased damage bonus (-32%). – – – .50 BMG 150 Round Boxes (Magazine) – M1 Garand (Marksman Rifle) Decreased ADS time. – .30-06 and 6.5 Sakura Drums (Magazine) Increased ammo capacity from 16 to 20 (+25%). – – – SVT-40 (Marksman Rifle) Increased ADS time. – – G-43 (Marksman Rifle) Decreased ADS time. – Decreased hip-fire spread. – – Kar98K (Sniper Rifle) Addressed an issue that caused slower than intended ADS time when an Optic Attachment was not equipped. – – Combat Shield (Melee) Addressed an issue that allowed enemy Attack Dogs to deal damage through the Combat Shield. – – Machine Pistol (Handgun) Decreased recoil while firing. – Decreased hip-fire spread. – – Perks Engineer (Intel) Increased the visibility of highlighted enemy Equipment and Killstreaks. – – User Interface & Experience Bug Fixes Operators will now properly walk in the lobby while a Combat Shield and Pistol are equipped in the favorite loadout. – Combat Pacing and Quick Play Filter selections will no longer be reset after returning to the Main Menu. – –

CoD Vanguard March 3 update: Fortified nerf, Gung-Ho buff, full patch notes ActivisionSledgehammer Games released an update to Call of Duty Vanguard on March 3, which saw two popular perks receive some significant changes. The Fortified perk was hit with a nerf while Gung-Ho was buffed. Here are the full patch notes from the update. The devs have been working hard to resolve their game’s biggest issues and the fifth patch of Season 2 is hitting key components. With the recent addition of Sticky Bombs, the Fortified perk had served as a huge counter to lethal equipment but that will not be the case anymore as sticks will kill anyone. Gung-Ho received a buff as this weapon proficiency will take spraying and praying to all new heights. Here are the patch notes from the March 3 Vanguard update. Vanguard March 3 update: Fortified & Gung-Ho nerfs ✔️ Spy Plane and Counter-Spy Plane speed decreased ✔️ Gammon Bomb lethality decreased in Hardcore ✔️ Fortified protection decreased against Sticky BombHere are all of the changes in today’s #Vanguard update 👇https://t.co/nB4gvqQ3Ir — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) March 3, 2022 This patch is led by a nerf the blast protection perk, Fortified. This has already seen a handful of changes throughout Vanguard’s history and now it will no longer protect players if they are stuck by a Sticky Bomb. This wasn’t the only change as the weapon attachment Gung-Ho was made a little stronger. The update now makes it take less time for the gun to be pulled out after sprinting. That could make running and gunning could be even stronger than ever. There were also some bug fixes to the new map Casablanca, which you can check out below. Vanguard March 3 full patch notes Multiplayer Maps Casablanca Fixed an issue where players would sometimes spawn near enemies in the Patrol mode. – Casablanca has returned to the map rotation in Patrol playlists. – – Modes Ranked Beta Intuition Perk and Marksman Rifles will now appear as Restricted items in pre-match Create-a-Class in Ranked Play. – – Champion Hill Fixed an issue causing a “Lost Connection to Host” error message when attempting to load the Champion Hill – Solo mode in Private Match. – – Attachments Gung-Ho (Proficiency) Decreased weapon sprint-out times. – – Equipment Gammon Bomb Decreased explosive damage and explosion radius in Hardcore modes. – – Perks Fortified Fully-healed players equipped with the Fortified Perk can no longer survive being stuck with a Sticky Bomb. – – Killstreak Spy Plane and Counter-Spy Plane Decreased cruise speed. – – Bundles & MTX Year of the Tiger Bundle The “Arrival of Luck” Weapon Charm has received an animation pass to improve physics and overall appearance. – – Death Bite Pro Pack Roland’s “Toxic Run” Operator Skin will no longer appear multiple times in the Customization menu. – – Zombies Bug Fixes Addressed an issue where the Sturmkrieger’s targeting could break when multiple players backed away from it. – Added general stability fixes to “Terra Maledicta.” –

CoD Vanguard March 10 update: Sniper buffs, S&D fix, full patch notes ActivisionA Call of Duty: Vanguard update has launched on March 10. The new patch notes include a fix for the Search and Destroy mode, a number of changes to sniper rifles, bug fixes, and more. The March 10 update addressed a bug in the Search and Destroy mode and to the Barracks and After Action report, but its biggest impact will be felt by those who enjoy sniping. Nearly five months after its September 16, 2021 release date, CoD Vanguard is making a serious balancing adjustment to the class. Three of the game’s snipers are being tweaked, alongside a flinch adjustment across most marksman and sniper rifles. The only snipers and marksman rifles that won’t be affected by March 10’s patch are the SVT-40 and the Gorenko Anti-Tank Rifle. Vanguard March 10 update: Sniper buffs, S&D fix, more As described in the patch notes, Vanguard is fixing an S&D exploit that allowed teams to see their enemies’ bomb location. Further, a number of UI fixes were made for the Barracks and After Action report screens. Most importantly, the game is changing a bunch of snipers. Outside of the SVT, Gorenko, and 3-Line Rifle, all marksman and sniper rifles are receiving a 30% buff to flinch resistance. Past that overall change, the Type 99, 3-Line, and Kar98k are all receiving buffs. The Type 99 is receiving a 20% buff to ADS time and an 80% reduction in weapon sway. The 3-Line is receiving a 50% reduction in weapon sway, a 50% reduction in flinch intensity, and a max damage range nerf of 63%. Lastly, the Kar98k’s ADS time is being buffed from 595ms to 500ms – a 16% buff that should delight quick-scopers. Full Vanguard March 10 patch notes Modes Search and Destroy Addressed an exploit that would reveal the enemy team’s bomb location. – Weapons Type 99 (Sniper Rifle) Decreased ADS time from 498ms to 400ms (-20%). – Decreased weapon sway while walking by 80%. – 3-Line Rifle (Sniper Rifle) Decreased weapon sway while walking by 50%. – Decreased flinch intensity by 50%. – Decreased max damage range from 40m to 15m (-63%). – Kar98k (Sniper Rifle) Decreased ADS time from 595ms to 500ms (-16%). – Sniper Rifles and Marksman Rifles Decreased flinch intensity by 30%. – This change does not apply to the SVT-40, 3-Line Rifle, or Gorenko Anti-Tank Rifle. – Attachments Shiraishi Short Barrel (Type 99) Decreased ADS time multiplier from -10% to -5% (-50%). – Bug Fixes Barracks Incorrect XP requirement values will no longer be displayed in the Career Progression menu. – Incorrect Prestige and XP values will no longer be displayed in the Level Progression menu. – After Action Report Prestige icons are no longer misaligned in the Level Up menu. – Incorrect Prestige values will no longer be displayed in the Summary menu. –

CoD Vanguard leaks suggest Attack on Titan crossover coming soon Activision / MAPPANew leaks regarding Call of Duty: Vanguard are heavily indicative that the Activision title will see an in-game crossover with the hugely popular Attack on Titan anime. Ambitious pop culture crossovers have become fairly standard in video games in recent years, with titles like Fortnite revolutionizing how multiplayer titles can incorporate a wealth of content. Taking a leaf out of Epic Games’ book, Activision have financed some mega crossovers in the Call of Duty series, seeing Scream’s Ghostface and Die Hard’s John McClane added as cosmetics. It looks like Vanguard will be cut from the same cloth, with launch-week leaks hinting at an anime crossover of epic proportions. Call of Duty leaker ‘Nanikos’ tweeted out on November 7 “been quite a few things found in memory dumps for Vanguard. The most interesting one being a mention of a “swordtitan,” as well as an “aot_titan” operator. The theory is that there’ll be an Attack on Titan crossover for Vanguard. (Probably sometime December if that is the case).” Attack on Titan is an incredibly popular manga series, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It has also been adapted into an acclaimed anime series, the final season of which will broadcast in early 2022. This could well indicate the timing of the crossover, with Attack on Titan likely wanting the crossover to take place slightly before their new series airs. https://twitter.com/_Nanikos_/status/1457309034206220289?s=20 Another leaker, Zesty, echoed the findings and suggested that a melee weapon inspired by the anime series will likely be one of the additions when the crossover comes. Eccentric melee weapons have become commonplace in CoD titles, and Vanguard looks like it’ll follow suit. Also, it looks like we are getting some sort of ‘Sword’ melee weapon that isn’t the Katana. It is codenamed ‘aot_swords’/’s4_me_swordtitan’ and when I read ‘AOT’ I just think of ‘Attack on Titan’…just a tinfoil hat theory though Property of Activision Publising Inc. — Zesty (@ZestyCODLeaks) November 5, 2021 Despite the leaks, no Attack on Titan crossover is guaranteed until confirmed by Sledgehammer or Activision. Having said that, the leaks are very good news for fans who want to see some anime and manga awesomeness added to the WWII title.

CoD Vanguard leaks reveal potential weapons and fan-favorite mode returning ActivisionProminent CoD leaker TheMW2Ghost has revealed a number of potential weapons in Call of Duty 2021, as well as claiming that a version of ‘Headquarters’ will return in the Sledgehammer Games instalment. As is the case with any new Call of Duty title, details have been slowly leaking about the 2021 instalment. Thought to be set in World War II and called Vanguard, the game will launch in fall of 2021 and will constitute Sledgehammer Games’ third solo-developed CoD title. The finer details though, like maps, modes and weapons, generally remain unclear until closer to the game’s launch. We now appear to be getting our first details on these features, shared by CoD leaker TheMW2Ghost. A reliable and well-known leaker, he has predicted a number of Calling Cards and other content correctly, including the news that Hijacked will be dropping in Black Ops Cold War Season 4. This has since been confirmed by Treyarch. On June 12, the leaker revealed some weapons that have allegedly been included in an early build of the game. “Saw some footage of CoD 2021 / Vanguard recently,” he tweeted. “Definitely WW2 uniformed soldiers. Saw a Kar98… some WW2 trench shotgun [and] molotovs.” He also claimed that the map looked as if it was set in an African palace, while the HUD was similar to that of World at War – the 2008 CoD title. Saw some footage of CoD 2021 / Vanguard recently. Definitely WW2 uniformed soldiers. Saw a Kar 98 (they were using MW19’s asset for it) some WW2 trench shotgun, Molotovs. The map they was playing on *looked* as if it was set in an African palace. HUD looked like WaW’s. — MW2 OG (@TheMW2Ghost) June 12, 2021 However, that was not all, with the leaker also stating that a version of WWII’s Headquarters could be in the game as well. “Saving the best for last… An iteration of Headquarters *might* be coming back for CoD 2021 / Vanguard,” he said. Saving the best for last… An iteration of Headquarters *might* be coming back for CoD 2021 / Vanguard — MW2 OG (@TheMW2Ghost) June 12, 2021 For those who didn’t play WWII, Headquarters was a virtual multiplayer lobby that players could move around in third person, completing challenges, and interacting with others. For all its potential, the mode struggled from launch because of lag and glitches and has not returned in a CoD since. While the leaker has been right before, players should not take these features as guaranteed until Sledgehammer or Activision confirm them. Plenty can change in the development process and, with the game’s launch still some months away, it probably will.

CoD Vanguard leaks reveal new operators and weapons for Warzone Season 2 ActivisionNew CoD leaks have uncovered new operators, weapons, and a new map that we can expect to release with Vanguard Season 2 and make their way into Warzone. With the first season of CoD Vanguard drawing to a close, many fans have been looking to what the second seasonal update will bring to the battle royale. The update was scheduled to come in early February, however, it has been delayed until February 14, with the devs looking to enhance game performance amid a myriad of issues for players. Despite delays, Call of Duty leakers and data miners have been able to get their hands on a slew of additions we can expect in Season 2, including two new operators and weapons. Reliable Call of Duty leakers ZestyLeaks and Hydra managed to get their hands on images of the new operators that will supposedly be arriving with the next season of the WWII title. Their leaks were shared by fellow dataminer Nanikos, showing off the key art for Season 2, the layout for a new Ground Map based in the Alps that is a work in progress, as well as two new operators – Anna and Gustavo. The new operators can be seen holding weapons, but they are slightly cut off in the leaked images. According to the leaker’s tweet, the new weapons seem to be the Chauchat – a French machine rifle – along with the Swedish KG M/40 LMG, and an unknown shotgun. Another weapon could be the Armaguerra OG-43, which can be seen being held by Gustavo in one of the images according to one reply to Nanikos tweet. https://twitter.com/arcadeplayertv/status/1484698949642502148?s=20 With Vanguard Season 2 being delayed beyond its original February 2 release, fans will be waiting just a tad bit longer till February 14 to get their hands on the new content. Though, they’ll be hoping the wider issues like constant crashes will also be addressed.

CoD Vanguard leaks reveal first look at new Gunsmith: 10 attachments, weapon perks, more ActivisionNew Call of Duty Vanguard leaks have given us our first look at the upcoming Gunsmith, revealing max weapon levels, attachments, perks, and a whole lot more. With each new CoD title comes an all-new Gunsmith allowing players to modify their loadouts and fine-time particular weapons. Just days into Vanguard’s Alpha and we already have our first look at this year’s iteration. Vanguard appears to be keeping in line with the past few games, maintaining a similar Gunsmith to those featured in Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, and Warzone. Based on this early look, however, tons of additional intel has also spilled out. From specific attachments to the maximum weapon level and everything in between, here’s what we know about Vanguard’s Gunsmith. CoD Vanguard Gunsmith revealed https://twitter.com/TheGhostOfMW/status/1431784526150254593 Vanguard’s new Gunsmith was first revealed in a leaked screenshot from prominent CoD dataminer ‘TheMW2Ghost.’ The image revealed an STG44 Assault Rifle in the Gunsmith. This classic AR appeared at the starting level, with just a Muzzle, Optic, and Stock available. Vanguard’s Gunsmith features two tabs, one for Attachments and one to Customize guns with various cosmetics. The leaked screen also included the typical weapon stats displayed in the bottom left. CoD Vanguard weapons have 10 attachments? Perhaps the biggest tidbit from the latest Vanguard leaks is that weapons appear to have room for 10 attachments. The STG Gunsmith image shows 1/10 attachments equipped at the starting level, with a Spitfire MK.3 Reflector Optic taking up the first slot. There’s no telling how powerful weapons might become with 10 attachments equipped all at once if that indeed ends up being the case. Though it would certainly be a steep increase from the likes of Warzone, which allows for just five in comparison. In fact, most weapons in Warzone today don’t even have room for 10 separate types of attachments, with most guns providing eight or nine categories in total. CoD Vanguard max weapon level confirmed While this batch of leaks pertains to the STG specifically, it indicates the current max weapon level in Vanguard is 71. This means you’ll be able to progress your weapons 70 times in total, unlocking unique attachments and perks with each level. Given this intel was pulled from an early build of Vanguard, however, it’s worth noting that this progression system may not be final. There’s every chance things change in the leadup to launch, with more weapon levels being added or taken away. CoD Vanguard weapon attachments and perks Along with the Gunsmith screenshot came a full list of weapon attachments pulled from the Alpha. All 71 unlocks once again pertain to the STG but indicate many that could be available across the AR category as a whole. Not only were specific attachments revealed, but so too were weapon perks. From ‘Nerves of Steel’ to ‘Heavy Hitter,’ there’s currently no telling what benefits these perks may provide. The full list of leaked Vanguard attachments can be found below. I typed them all up with each level that you unlock them and this seems to be a list of all Weapon Attachments and Weapon Perks in #Vanguard. Please note: all names and attachments are obviously subject to change, not make it to the final game, or more could be added, etc. pic.twitter.com/nmncIR2doi — MW2 OG (@TheMW2Ghost) August 29, 2021 As we’re still months out from the November 5 release, keep in mind that everything here is subject to change. These leaks stem from an early build of Vanguard and already be different in the latest version of the game. We’ll be sure to keep you updated here with all the latest as Vanguard’s release draws near.

CoD Vanguard leaks hint at London Docks remake along with more classic maps ActivisionNew leaks surrounding Call of Duty’s 2021 release, reportedly titled Vanguard, have hinted at the return of WWII’s London Docks, along with other classic multiplayer maps. While we’re already halfway through the year, Activision is yet to officially confirm any details regarding the next CoD title. Despite their silence, leaks have continued to slip through the cracks in recent months. From the alleged WWII setting to a whole set of new features on the way for an eventual Warzone integration, we already have a decent understanding of what’s on the way. Now, further leaks have spilled out revealing some classic maps that are reportedly in the works for this year’s release. Among the returning locales is none other than London Docks, according to prominent CoD insider ‘TheMW2Ghost.’ Just some small bits to share I’ve been told that the map ‘London Docks’ from WW2 is apparently coming to Vanguard as season dlc (1 or 2 I think) As well as a WW2 version of a very fan-favourite map from a very iconic cod game…. 👀 can’t share what that map is just yet though — MW2 OG (@TheMW2Ghost) June 27, 2021 London Docks was introduced in 2017’s WWII and hasn’t been seen since. The popular map quickly became a staple in the competitive scene, standing out as one of the most efficient maps for object-based modes. From Hardpoint to Capture the Flag, it was a fan-favorite throughout the WWII cycle and now appears to be on its way back in 2021’s Vanguard. However, there’s a chance it might not be included at release. As we recently learned, Vanguard is expected to launch with eight maps on day one. London Docks could be added later down the track in the first two seasons, according to the leaker. There’s no telling whether this will be a complete visual rework akin to various CoD map returns, or just a simpler port to the new title. Regardless, it’s clear that the trend of bringing classic maps back into the mix isn’t going away anytime soon. Moreover, ThemMW2Ghost also touched on additional maps in the pipeline. While no specifics were mentioned, they hinted a “WWII version of a fan-favorite map from a very iconic CoD game” is on the way. Possibilities are wide open in that regard, but let’s just hope it’s not a WWII reimagining of Nuketown. That would mark the 14th Nuketown remake in CoD history.

CoD Vanguard leak reveals popular World War 2 map coming soon ActivisionA new Call of Duty: Vanguard leak has shown a bunch of code strings for an upcoming update in the game, revealing that a popular World War 2 map will be arriving in the game soon. Since the Vanguard developers were also the brain behind World War II, it makes sense that they would bring some popular maps from the 2017 title into the current day with Vanguard. While rumors have run rampant since the game launched over which maps could come back, with London Docks being one particularly strong rumor, the first WWII map to come to Vanguard looks set to be something completely different. According to CODSploitzLeaks on Twitter, in a post that has since been withheld by the copyright holder, USS Texas, Sledgehammer Games’ answer to Hijacked, looks set to arrive in an upcoming update. ✅【噂】VanguardにWW2でお馴染みのUSS Texasがくる？ プレイリストにUSS Texasの文字 @CODSploitzLeaks#vanguard #cod pic.twitter.com/F92ed2I2TN — こっど民 | MW2最新情報 (@CODMlN) June 9, 2022 USS Texas became a hugely popular map in World War 2, with a range of different sightlines and verticality, allowing for players of all different playstyles to thrive. It’s unclear whether this is the only World War 2 map to be coming in Vanguard’s lifecycle before Modern Warfare 2 drops on October 28. As mentioned, the London Docks rumors have been rampant, but it’s still nowhere to be seen with just a few months left of Vanguard before MW2 arrives. Vanguard gets new maps each season, but this would mark the first time they go back and revisit past work, following in the footsteps of both Treyarch and Infinity Ward with remastering popular maps.

CoD Vanguard ladder bug costs LA Thieves a Grand Finals map during CDL Major 4 Twitter: DylanEnvoyThe Call of Duty League’s Major 4 kicked off on July 13 in New York, pitting the best players in the world against each other. When the dust settled the hometown Subliners took on the LA Thieves in the Grand Finals and disaster struck in the fifth map of the series. CDL Major 4 was one to remember well before anything devastating happened with two scrappy underdogs, both of whom came into the weekend fighting to secure their spot at the eight-team final event, roared onto the Grand Finals. While NYSL was in a worse position, and thus appropriately stole the show as they battled to punch their ticket, it was the much-maligned Los Angeles Thieves that ended up on the unfortunate side of the spotlight as the two teams battled in a Bocage Search & Destroy that had huge implications for the rest of the closing best-of-nine matchup. Envoy gets ladder-stalled…sort of It was in the 10th round of S&D with NYSL leading 5 to 4 when it happened. Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon and Sam ‘Octane’ Larew were in a 2v3 situation against the likes of Crimsix, PaulEhx, and Hydra. Envoy, who has quite the reputation for being slippery and sneaking behind enemy lines, did what he does best. While NYSL’s attention was focused elsewhere, he quietly crept up the ladder into ‘grandma’s house’ and looked primed to pick up a kill on Paul. While the first shot of his pistol landed like normal, his next few bullets were interrupted by climbing animation as if he was still climbing up the ladder and Mr. Ehx took advantage of the interruption, eviscerating him as his teammates took care of Octane and closed out the map. Losing a round like this is surely frustrating enough when $500,000 is on the line but to add insult to injury, this ladder issue has been known for months but clearly hasn’t been fixed in that time. Fellow pro player Peirce ‘Gunless’ Hillman pointed out that he first ran into during a game of Gavutu Control back near the start of the year and was surprised that no one had been interrupted by it so far this season. “I tweeted about that bug back in February and it’s still not fixed,” he complained. This isn’t the first time the LA Thieves have made unfortunate history this year, but their prospects look far better now than they did during the tragic effort that brought them into the record books back in June.

CoD Vanguard June 30 update patch notes: Changes for Multiplayer and Zombies ActvisionThe June 30 Call of Duty: Vanguard update brings some considerable changes to Ranked play weapon restrictions and adds stability improvements for the new “Shi No Numa” Zombies map. The CoD Vanguard Season 4 update introduced a new Ranked Play season, a new map, and made some weapon changes. The June 30 update builds upon that update by making a few changes to Ranked Play and Zombies. Let’s jump right into what’s included in the update. Vanguard June 30 update patch notes After not being included at the launch of Season 4, the Ranked Play top 250 skill division and leaderboard are now live. The Marco 5 and Push Dagger have both been restricted in Ranked play. Shi No Numa has received very positive feedback from the CoD zombies community, as players have been begging for a round-based map since the initial release of the game. The June 30 update addresses several Shi No Numa stability issues. A stability update has been deployed in #Vanguard! ▪️ Destroyed Trophy Systems progress Launcher Camo challenges ▪️ Fixed missing and inaccurate After Action Report ▪️ Corrected Operator Mastery challenge trackingCheck out the Patch Notes for details 👇https://t.co/408ewxMQwj — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) June 30, 2022 Full Vanguard patch notes: MULTIPLAYER Gun Game Players will no longer be incorrectly removed from a match for inactivity. – – Season Four Top 250 Skill Division & Leaderboard The Season Four Top 250 Skill Division and Ladder are now live! Rise to the top and claim your spot! – – Updated Restrictions Marco 5 (Submachine Gun) The Marco 5 has been restricted in-game in Ranked Play. – – Push Dagger (Melee) The Push Dagger has been restricted in-game in Ranked Play. – – – Marco 5 (Submachine Gun) – Corrected the challenge progression counter for Mastery Operator Skins. – Marco 5 (Submachine Gun) Survivalist Camo Category challenges can now be progressed as expected. – – Survivalist Camo Category challenges can now be progressed as expected. – Launchers Destroyed Trophy Systems will now progress challenges in the Surgical Camo Category. – – Addressed an issue that prevented the After Action Report from being displayed after a completed match. – Corrected the description of the Final Judgement Bundle. – Added missing names for various Finishing Moves released in Season Four. – ZOMBIES “Shi No Numa” Artifacts Addressed an issue that prevented players from using their Artifacts after dying in a co-op session. – – Gameplay Exfil Addressed an issue that automatically progressed the Eliminate Hostiles requirement needed to exfil. – – Flogger Trap Players will no longer experience an electricity effect around their HUD when hit by the Flogger Trap while holding a Wunderwaffe DG-2. – – – Exfil – Stability Various stability updates. – – – Artifacts –

CoD Vanguard Season 1.5 update patch notes: Sniper buffs, Incendiary nerfs, more ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard developers Sledgehammer Games have released a major January 11 update with a number of weapon buffs, fire nerfs, and plenty of bug fixes all crammed into the Season 1.5 patch. We’ve got the full patch notes below to get you up to speed. The CoD Vanguard Season 1.5 update was rushed out ahead of schedule at 4PM PT on Tuesday, January 11. From bug fixes to sizeable gameplay tweaks, there’s plenty to wrap your head around. Notably, the update buffed a number of snipers, nerfed incendiary damage, and sought to fix a number of dreaded packet burst issues. After Season 1’s unideal reception, these changes appear to be a step in the right direction. On January 11, Sledgehammer broke down the full update that arrived as part of Vanguard Season 1.5. The #Vanguard Season 1.5 update goes live today at 4 PM PT! ✔️ Bug & stability fixes ✔️ Weapon balancing ✔️ Content updates— Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) January 11, 2022 CoD Vanguard incendiary nerfs Fire ammunition rounds have become a serious cause for concern among Call of Duty players. While this is particularly prominent in Warzone, the issue also exists in Vanguard. To address the controversy, incendiary damage was nerfed and Dauntless was buffed to counter fire. CoD Vanguard Sniper buffs and Shotgun nerfs Music to the ears of many players, a number of weapon balancing changes also arrived in the new update. Of note, the M1 Garand, Type 99, 3-Line Rifle, and Kar98 all received buffs. Additionally, Hollow Point also had its damage range buffed – likely in response to the close-quarters shotgun meta. CoD Vanguard Mortar Barrage & perk changes The Mortar Barrage has come under fire as a seriously frustrating killstreak, with some players even begging for the streak to be removed entirely. Instead, Vanguard’s devs have opted to reduce the killstreak’s duration and the number of strikes in the latest update. Further, a number of perks have been tweaked to change the flow of games. High Alert received a nerf while Dauntless and Fortified were both buffed. Control, bug fixes, spawn changes Preparing the game for better competitive play, a number of changes were also laid out to fix bugs and issues with the Control mode alongside bug fixes elsewhere. Spawn adjustments are sure to please competitive players, while a number of packet burst stability improvements and camo progression bug solutions should be of interest to everyone. CoD Vanguard January 11, Season 1.5: full patch notes MULTIPLAYER UPDATES Several sources of packet burst have been identified and resolved – Several sources of Multiplayer crash errors have been identified and resolved – Xbox Series X players will no longer experience game crashing with CDN setting enabled – Playing with keyboard and mouse will no longer result in ‘controller needed’ message – Spawn logic has been tuned to improve small maps with higher player counts – Adjusted spawn logic for Domination on Dome – Spawns in Control mode have been significantly adjusted to: Prevent out-of-map spawns on Tuscan – Prevent spawning in the enemy’s line-of-sight on Bocage – Prevent players from spawning directly on teammates – – Attack / Guard Dog kills now count towards Panzerfaust Camo Challenges – STG “Reptilian” Camo Weapon Challenge is now tracking Bloodthirsty kills – STG “Predatory” Camo Weapon Challenge is now tracking Multikills – Katana unlock Challenge is now tracking properly – 3-Line Rifle can now be reloaded with the ZF4 3.5X Rifle Scope equipped – Addressed an issue that prevented the “Kill an Enemy While They Have a Spy Plane Active 5 Times” challenge from tracking in the Counter Measures career challenges – Addressed an issue where care packages would land out of reach when playing Armageddon on Tuscan and Daus Haus – Player selected camos will now appear during the match intro sequence – Locked Camos and attachments can no longer be swapped onto unlocked weapons – A bug resulting in missing Post-Match Flow has been fixed – A bug resulting in Type 100 Blueprint “Thunderhead” being invisibly in the pre-match countdown has been fixed – Weapons M1 Garand Reduced Recoil – – Type 99 Reduced Aim Flinch – Reduced ADS Time – Retain One Shot Kill potential for chest shots when smaller caliber ammo is used – – 3-Line Rifle Reduced ADS Time – – Kar98 Retain One Shot Kill potential for chest shots when smaller caliber ammo is used – – – M1 Garand – Ammo Hollow Points Removed damage range penalties – – – Hollow Points – Equipment Stun Grenade Reduced Stun Grenade damage in Hardcore modes – Reduced how long players are affected by Stun Grenades – – Incendiary Grenade Damage has been reduced – – – Stun Grenade – Killstreaks Mortar Barrage Duration of Mortar Strike has been reduced – Number of Mortar Strikes per streak has been reduced – Addressed issue where Mortar Barrage deployment was inconsistent – – – Mortar Barrage – Perks High Alert Slight delay added before Perk activates after being seen by an enemy – – Dauntless Gives immunity to fire and burning effects including Incendiary Rounds, Flamenaut, and lingering fire on the ground – – Fortified Reduces fire damage taken by 30% – Reduces excessive damage of all explosives – – – High Alert – Polish pass to improve and fix player collision issues with map environments – Overall polish pass on Destructibles throughout all maps – “Seasonal Challenge” menu is now present in the Challenges tab – Players will no longer experience visual rank swapping between players in Private Matches – The Objective progression bar will no longer clips into reticles – Unintended distortion of MVP images has been fixed – The continuous post-game level-up animation when players reach Prestige 3 has been fixed – Store: menu navigation has improved when viewing and toggling between Bundles –

CoD Vanguard January 31 patch totally misses mark with Search and Destroy audio fix ActivisionWhile Call of Duty Vanguard’s January 31 update looked to address a long-standing Search and Destroy audio issue, the patch completely missed the mark and actually did the opposite of what players expected. Three months out from CoD Vanguard’s launch and a number of early problems still linger. Although regular patches have been rolled out since Activision’s apology for the state of the game, some have ended up doing more harm than good. A surprise January 31 patch appears to fit that description once again. While the update addressed a range of Xbox-crashing bugs, it came with a secret change to the S&D game mode. Players have been able to hear enemies planting and defusing since the staple game mode went live. Looking to fix this oversight once and for all, the latest Vanguard patch ended up flipping the script in a hilarious misstep. Rather than muting these crucial audio elements for opposing players, the latest attempt from Sledgehammer Games went in the opposite direction. As ‘ItzSteaLthy’ uncovered shortly after the patch, “Activision didn’t fix anything.” Instead, this noise is now silent for those engaging in the action. If you happen to be planting or defusing, you no longer hear the relevant audio cues. Everyone else in the near vicinity can still hear it just fine, however. “Am I being trolled?” the player questioned. “You guys ‘fixed’ the bomb plant and defuse sound backward.” While a step up from the earlier visual bug that broke S&D, the mode is evidently still far from perfect in Vanguard. Given this adjustment was months in the making, there’s no telling how long it may be until a follow-up patch comes into effect. With criticism piling up already though, there’s a good chance we see this mis-fired change reverted sooner rather than later. With the Call of Duty League’s first matches of the 2022 season getting underway this weekend, there’s also no telling if pros will be able to compete on this patch.

CoD Vanguard January 27 update: Fortified nerf, bug fixes, full patch notes ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard released a new update on January 27. CDL players will rejoice now that the Fortified perk is getting nerfed. The overpowered blast protector is being changed along with other bug fixes and changes listed in the full patch notes. Ever since announcing the delay of Vanguard Season 2, the devs have been working hard to patch the game. For the second week in a row, Sledgehammer Games have released an update to fix big problems in the FPS. During the Call of Duty League Kickoff Classic, many players noticed how strong the Fortified perk was. This would save players from dying to grenades, Glide Bombs, Bombing runs, and other killstreaks. However, this is going away as the devs highlighted a massive overhaul to the perk that will make players vulnerable to these effects. On top of that, we received another perk change and some bug fixes in Multiplayer and Zombies. Vanguard January 27 update: Fortified nerf, bug fixes, more An update has been deployed in #Vanguard! Notable changes include fixes for the Perks, Fortified and Cold Blooded. See the full breakdown 👇https://t.co/ChxWhol6NK — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) January 27, 2022 This patch is headlined by the Fortified nerf which will no longer prevent players from surviving hits from the following the Goliath, Glide Bombs, Bombing Runs, Fire Bombing Runs, and direct hits from launchers. However, they did add some effects that the perk will protect you from like Flamenaut Explosions, Warmachines, and more. Cold Blooded also received a change, that now prevents players from being hunted by attack dogs. SHG fixed a bug where the Control game mode would crash randomly, as well as some Zombies issues like the Ring of Fire not working properly. You can check out the full patch notes here. Vanguard January 27 full patch notes Multiplayer Spawns Paradise Spawns on Paradise have been adjusted to address community feedback after players reported spawning next to enemies – Fixed a spawn resulting in the player falling through the map – Added invisible collision to prevent spawn trapping from one spawn point to the other – – Perks Fortified Fortified now adds protection from the following: Mortar Barrage – Warmachine – Flamenaut Explosions – Ammo Box Explosions – Gammon Bombs – Satchel Charges – – Fortified no longer protects against the following: Goliath – Glide Bomb – Bombing Run – Fire Bombing Run – Direct hits from launchers – – – Fortified now adds protection from the following: – Cold Blooded Cold Blooded now protects against dogs – Weapons & Attachments “Summoning” reticle from Graveyard Shift Bundle is now visible in Gunsmith – Fixed a bug resulting in Subsonic unintentionally disabling Ghost – Fixed a bug where weapon icons were showing up on interactable objects such as doors – UI/VFX Fixed a bug that resulted in the player appearing to be on fire, even when no damage was being dealt – Private Match Addressed an issue in Control where the match would end prematurely when a Codcaster disconnecte – Zombies Artifacts Addressed an issue where Ring of Fire Tier II dealt inconsistent damage – An upgraded Ring of Fire’s damage no longer causes damage to zombies above or below the placed ring – Ring of Fire’s damage now scales correctly per level – Addressed an issue where kills with Artifacts would charge the Artifact for an additional use –

CoD Vanguard January 20 update: Shotgun nerfs, fire buffs, full patch notes ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard released a new update on January 20, which finally nerfed shotguns, but made fire effects even stronger. Led by a Double Barrel nerf, here are the full patch notes. With recent news that CoD devs would be delaying the release of Vanguard Season 2 in an effort to fix the game’s stability, Sledgehammer Games have already begun the process by releasing a January 20 update. Vanguard shotguns have been deemed ‘overpowered’ by the community and most recently the Double Barrel has been destroying public matches. In response, the new update is reducing the damage of the popular Double Barrel loadout that players are using. On top of that, fire has been a hot topic (literally) in the game and now a perk will no longer counter this burning effect. Vanguard January 20 update: Shotgun nerfs, fire buffs, more An update has been deployed in #Vanguard! (yes we nerfed Shotguns)https://t.co/ChxWhol6NK — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) January 20, 2022 This patch is highlighted by the nerf to shotguns, specifically the Double Barrel. The Akimbo and Buck and Slug attachments received damage decreases, which should make this less annoying – especially on Shipment and Das Haus. Read More: Will Call of Duty still be on PlayStation? – Also, the perk Fortified will no longer make players invincible against any kind of fire damage. This include the Incendiary Grenade as well as the Flamenaut killstreak. You can check out everything that’s included here. Vanguard January 20 full patch notes

CoD Vanguard: How to get rid of blinding sun glare ActivisionThe Call of Duty: Vanguard Beta has given players an opportunity to test out the game and give feedback to the devs. From balancing weapons to fixing spawns there have been tons of things that need fixing but no problem is bigger than the blinding sun. Recently, a player figured a workaround to turn the glaring sun off, here’s how to do it. CoD: Vanguard is set to release November 5, 2021, but before the game is released Sledgehammer Games is working to solve issues that are present in the beta. There have been quite a few issues that have come up, some revolving around the spawn system and others regarding all the hackers in the game. However, one of the most annoying issues that has been talked about is the blinding sun and how bright it is on maps. While the devs have yet to fix it, a player seems to have found a solution. Vanguard’s sun is… pretty strong 😳 (via @Swagg) pic.twitter.com/JJePkOb29k — DEXERTO Call of Duty Esports News (@DexertoIntel) September 7, 2021 CoD Vanguard: How to turn the sun off One hot topic has been surrounding the glaring light the sun gives off on Vanguard. No matter what map you are one if you look at the sun it can take up your entire screen. While it has been a huge issue Sledgehammer Games has yet to fix this. However, ‘KIRNEILL’ on Twitter is hear to save PC players, providing a step-by-step guide to get rid of the sun. Here are the steps that they say to follow in order to turn off the sun. Go to Documents\COD Vanguard\playersBeta\adv_options.ini – Set PixelPerLightmapTexel = “1” // 1 to 256 – Set ParticleLighting = “0” // 0 to 5 – Playing the Vanguard Beta and the SUN is hurting your eyes or blinding you?🤔 Try This: – Go to DocumentsCOD VanguardplayersBetaadv_options.ini– Set PixelPerLightmapTexel = “”1″” // 1 to 256 – Set ParticleLighting = “”0″” // 0 to 5 No more Sun ☀️ *Sips Tea* ☕ pic.twitter.com/N11qknYG4p — KIRNEILL (@KIRNEILL) September 18, 2021 After completing these steps, players should now be able to load into the Vanguard Beta with no issues coming from the sun. Read More: Dr Disrespect sends Scump ‘ultra-rare’ gift after OpTic star obliterates Vanguard challenge – Even though this is just a fix for PC players, it is a step in the right direction as players now know this can be fixed in some manner and hopefully by launch, console players won’t have this issue.

CoD Vanguard hackers now have the power to instantly end games in beta ActivisionCoD Vanguard’s beta has only just begun and hackers are already spoiling it for players by manually ending games early with a click of a button. With CoD Vanguard’s beta in full swing ahead of the game’s release on November 5, the hype surrounding the brand new WWII FPS is at an all-time high. However, despite the fun gameplay, the community is experiencing the same old problems in Vanguard, with hackers running rampant in the beta. While some cheaters are using third-party software to wallhack and aimbot, others are showcasing new abilities by manually ending games early. Seemingly at a click of a button, matches are instantly ending and a cheater was even caught red-handed after being accused of using hacks. CoD Vanguard hackers ruin beta by ending matches early While the CoD community is usually concerned about being beamed across the map by a hacker, the cheaters are already showcasing new powers in the Vanguard beta. As highlighted by Twitter user and streamer EasyStomps, after accusing a cheater of using third-party software to wallhack, the hacker responded by saying that he was going to end the match. It was at that point that the game instantly ended early, ruining the match for both teams. Of course, this left EasyStomps confused and shocked that a player had that much power in a brand new title. “Man you guys are terrible at this game holy s**t, uh oh, alright, ending the game, oops, whoops”. Wait this cheater had walls in the Vanguard Beta and when we called him out he made the whole game end. I’m actually mindblowd! pic.twitter.com/2rz9ARSOVd — EasyStomps (@EasyStomps) September 19, 2021 Although Vanguard is still in beta, it’s already concerning how much power hackers wield when playing multiplayer matches. This is definitely an issue Activision has to address before the release of the game. While being torn apart by cheaters in-game is bad, it’s a whole other level when the community can’t finish a match. As of yet, the devs have not commented on the issue, but there’s no doubt they’ll be doing everything they can to stop hackers ahead of Vanguard’s release.

Call of Duty: Vanguard to bring back Gunsmith with two new features ActivisionGunsmith has been one of the many improvements that Call of Duty has made over the years, and the newest title, Vanguard, will be bringing back the mechanic. The release of any new AAA title is one that gravitates fans in, and this year has a flurry of titles for players to check out. From Battlefield 2042 to the latest installment within the Call of Duty franchise, there’s something for everyone. For Vanguard, the developers behind this year’s entry, Sledgehammer Games have high hopes in regards to the campaign and some of the new multiplayer features. One of the features that they’re bringing back this year and improving on is Gunsmith, and we’re going to break down how this mechanic will differ this time around. Vanguard Gunsmith to add new ammo types and custom ballistics While Gunsmith is still a viable feature within Call of Duty’s multiplayer, Sledgehammer games is taking the opportunity to improve on the aspect with even more customization options for players to dive into. Within Vanguard, players will be able to pick and choose different ammo types, and ballistics depending on the way they want to play. While we don’t know the specifics as of now, we can assume some of these will add increases to damage, accuracy, and material penetration. For those who don’t know, Gunsmith was originally introduced back in Modern Warfare 2019 and allows players to pick from up to five different attachments for aspects such as Front Grip and Stock. With the new addition of ammo and ballistics, this will surely take up an attachment slot for our weapons but could be a separate category altogether. We’re amped to see how these new features play out for the release of Call of Duty Vanguard, as it should add another level of tactical gameplay for fans of the series. Call of Duty: Vanguard will release on November 5, 2021, for PlayStation, Xbox and PC.

CoD Vanguard glitch makes your own Guard Dog turn on you ActivisionCoD Vanguard’s Guard Dog killstreak calls in a furry friend to accompany you on the battlefield. But what happens if man’s best friend decides to turn on you? One player found out the hard way. Attack Dogs have been a staple killstreak in the CoD series dating all the way back to World at War in 2008. They’ve gone on to feature in numerous installments since then, particularly the ones with a historical setting. In Vanguard, Sledgehammer Games took the idea one step further by introducing the Guard Dog, a single fluffy companion earned for a five-killstreak. They can be called in follow you around the map or defend a position, mauling everything in their way. Unfortunately, that also includes the owner themselves. A Vanguard player has discovered a strange glitch that forces your canine friend to turn on you. One Reddit user uploaded a video in which they were shockingly killed by their own Guard Dog just seconds after calling in the killstreak. After landing five kills in succession, they whistled for the dog to appear, and it spawned in the next room on Hotel Royale. Assuming they were safe, they ran past the freshly spawned canine only to be instantly killed. If you look closely at the minimap, you can see that the Guard Dog is actually marked as a hostile from the moment it appears. This means the player was seen as an enemy – hence why they wound up as dog food. It’s worth noting that players have reported being killed by their own Attack Dogs in CoD for many years. This is usually because they got caught in the middle between one of the AI beasts and an unsuspecting enemy. What makes this occasion different is that the Guard Dog was accidentally called in as an enemy killstreak. Unfortunately, from the clip, it is tough to tell what the cause of this issue was. We’ll have to wait and see if this becomes a recurring problem, or it’s just a baffling one-off incident. If it turns out to be an ongoing issue, Sledgehammer Game will be quick to issue a fix.

CoD Vanguard gameplay reveals potentially grim fate for quickscoping ActivisionCall of Duty Vanguard is on the horizon and Sledgehammer Games decided to ramp up the game’s hype by 1000% during Gamescom 2021, revealing new gameplay for Warzone and Vanguard – but we might have some bad news for quickscopers. Quickscoping is something of an art form in CoD, with players wanting to show off their sniping skills by only looking down the sight for a brief moment (if that), before striking their enemy down. In recent times, there have been games that allow this to happen a little more than others, and early gameplay is always good to gauge how effective the sniping strategy will be in the upcoming game. Now that we have some footage to look at, it’s fair to say some players may not like what they see. CoD Vanguard gameplay revealed at Gamescom During the game showcase, a number of titles were given slots to promote their studios’ work – from Vanguard to Halo Infinite. In the Vanguard segment, Warzone fans were given a small taste of what life will be like after the new game’s integration, though it’s not looking good for quickscopes. Read More: How to play Call of Duty: Vanguard Alpha – Quickly after the Gamescom showcase went live, Call of Duty’s YouTube channel uploaded a Stalingrad demo playthrough, which showed just how slow ADSing with a sniper will be in Vanguard. (Timestamp at 2:37 in the video below) Vanguard sniper footage The good news for players, though, is that this is the first time that gameplay has been revealed by Sledgehammer – meaning it’s all subject to change, especially the little details. Read More: Call of Duty: Vanguard Campaign mode details – There is a chance that we could see aiming speeds like these increased before launch, for Multiplayer, but that remains to be seen. However, all we can judge right now is what’s in front of us and if you are a CoD player that likes to give quickscopes a try, this might not be your year to wield a sniper. For more Vanguard gameplay details, click here.

CoD Vanguard February 3 update: Welgun nerfs, S&D plant fix, full patch notes ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard received a new update on February 3, which nerfed the Welgun but also fixed a problem with silent plant in Search and Destroy. The deadly SMG is getting tuned down while the devs continue to fix the game’s bugs. Here are the full patch notes. Season 1 Reloaded of Vanguard brought the Welgun to the World War II game and it has been devastating on the battlefield. So much so, that a couple of its attachments are getting nerfed since the devs feel it has been “over performing.” While Sledgehammer Games have committed to fixing issues in the FPS game, they are already patching a January 31 update that failed. The silent plant feature was introduced but wasn’t working as intended. However, this patch corrected it and players will no longer be able to hear if someone is plating or defusing a bomb. Along with some camo progression adjustments and bug fixes, the February 3 update fixed some lingering concerns that have been in Vanguard. Vanguard February 3 update: Welgun nerfs, S&D plant audio fix, more 📢 It’s update time! Panzerfaust has been modified to be more effective against Spy Planes & Counter Spy Planes. Also, splash damage kills from the Panzerfaust launcher will now count towards Longshots. For all the changes in today’s update 👇 https://t.co/ChxWhol6NK — Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) February 3, 2022 This patch is highlighted by a nerf to the Welgun, which has been extremely good since its release. The devs noted that two attachments have been tuned down as a bug caused them to make the weapon stronger. SHG did not mention which attachments were glitched. Also, CDL players and fans are rejoicing as silent planting in Search and Destroy is now working properly. Players will no longer be able to hear when someone is planting or defusing a bomb, adding some more difficulty to the mind games. With the Season kicking off on February 4 this is great for the competitive scene. On top of these changes, the devs are making the Panzerfaust launcher easier to shoot down Spy Planes as well as getting longshots. So now it will be less stressful to unlock camos with this. You can check out everything that’s included here. Vanguard February 3 full patch notes Multiplayer Weapons Panzerfaust Panzerfaust has been modified to be more effective against Spy Planes and Counter Spy Planes – Splash damage kills from the Panzerfaust launcher will now count towards Longshots – – Welgun Fixed a bug affecting two attachments for the Welgun, causing it to overperform – – Bundles Attack on Titan Bundle The Ultrahard Steel MVP Highlight no longer shows the wrong animation in the preview – – Enjoy the Retreat The Demo Kit Blueprint for the Type 100 no longer blocks visibility when ADS-ing with a 3-6x scope – – Equipment Incendiary Grenade Smoke has been reduced (change implemented Jan 27) – – Private Matches Search and Destroy Silent Plant option now works in Private Matches – –

CoD Vanguard February 22 update: MP-40 nerf, Killstreak bugfix, full patch notes Sledgehammer GamesSledgehammer Games released a new Call of Duty Vanguard update on February 22 which aims to fix the Counter-Spy Plane bug as well as introduce a nerf to the popular MP-40 SMG. The studio has been working to mend some of the biggest problems facing the latest CoD title. We’ve seen the community raise concerns with aspects of Vanguard like its battle pass and overpowered guns labeled as ‘pay-to-win.’ While Sledgehammer works to address those specific concerns, the devs are shipping a fair amount of changes in their latest patch update to quell other issues that have come up. Vanguard MP-40 nerf One of the most popular weapons in the Vanguard meta copped a nerf in the February 22 patch that will decrease the damage you dish at range. As an SMG, the weapon must have been dealing more damage at a distance than the devs would have liked so the MP-40 is getting a balance change. This shouldn’t have a major impact on the gun but something Vanguard players should keep note of when trying to finish off a player at longer distances. Counter-Spy Plane fix for V-2 Rocket The lowly 4-kill Counter-Spy Plane killstreak was found to have the capabilities of preventing the 25-kill V-2 Rocket. But Sledgehammer are rectifying this bug with the Feb 22 patch. This means that the Counter UAV will no longer block people from calling in their V-2’s, an interaction that was causing some headaches for Vanguard players. Luckily, this shouldn’t be as big of an issue now that the devs are looking to keep the Counter-Spy Plane working as intended. Get a complete look at the Vanguard February 22 update below with the full patch notes, courtesy of SHG. Vanguard February 22 update patch notes Multiplayer Update Bug Fixes MP-40 (Submachine Gun) Rune Blueprint will now fire Shadow Tracer Rounds as intended. – – Welgun (Submachine Gun) Addressed an issue which prevented weapon unlock progression in Multiplayer and Zombies. – – Gorenko Anti-Tank Rifle (Sniper Rifle) Fixed a bug that resulted in the Atomic (Completionist) camo from being equipped. – – – MP-40 (Submachine Gun) – Balance Adjustments MP-40 (Submachine Gun) Decreased damage range. – – – MP-40 (Submachine Gun) – Bug Fixes Proficiency (Sniper Rifles) Addressed an issue that sometimes resulted in game disconnect while aiming down sights with the Quickscope Proficiency and the Hardscope Proficiency. – – – Proficiency (Sniper Rifles) – Killstreaks Bug Fixes Counter-Spy Plane (4 Killstreak) No longer prevents the V-2 Rocket (25 Killstreak) from being used. – – Mortar Strike (5 Killstreak) Addressed a graphical issue which caused smoke and fire effects to populate more than once. – – Bombing Run (7 Killstreak) Server Snapshot Error should no longer occur when using Bombing Run – – – Counter-Spy Plane (4 Killstreak) – Balance Adjustments Spy Plane (4 Killstreak) Enters and exits the play space significantly faster, making it more vulnerable to being destroyed. – – Counter-Spy Plane (4 Killstreak) Enters and exits the play space significantly faster, making it more vulnerable to being destroyed. – – Bombing Run (7 Killstreak) Improvements to the flight path determination logic to further avoid damaging the player who called it in. – Decreased damage and damage radius of bombs. – – Attack Dogs (10 Killstreak) Added an audio cue to further communicate the position of a nearby Attack Dog. – – – Spy Plane (4 Killstreak) – Bug Fixes Incendiary Grenade Addressed a graphical issue which caused smoke and fire effects to populate more than once. – – – Incendiary Grenade – Bug Fixes Addressed a typo in Anna’s biography to reflect setting accuracy. – – Bug Fixes Fixed a bug that prevented the Field Specialist challenge from progressing. – Addressed an issue which prevented “… kills while moving” challenges from progressing under certain circumstances. – – Combat Pacing is now available for Hardcore modes in Quick Play. – Bug Fixes Motherland The correct Calling Card “Food Ration” has been granted to players who purchased this Bundle. – – Bayou Bruiser The correct Padmavati Calling Card has been granted to players who purchased this Bundle. – – – Motherland –

CoD Vanguard fans demand serious weapon buffs to counter Riot Shields Call of Duty: Vanguard players are growingly increasingly furious about players using Riot Shields and are demanding the devs add more counters to them. For years, the Riot Shield has been one of the most annoying things to encounter in Call of Duty. When equipping the Riot Shield, players can use it to avoid being shot in the back – as it deflects bullets – or use it to charge at you headfirst. In many situations, you’re not left with a lot of options to counter a Riot Shield, especially if the enemy is running a class that nullifies grenade damage. The shields have, again, been a source of anger in CoD Vanguard, with many people deeming them to be a little too strong. So, they want the devs to start tweaking a few things. On November 26, Vanguard player and Reddit user youbuildbob started a thread on Vanguard’s subreddit. The player asked that the devs make improvements to FMJ that would counter Riot Shields. “Every game there are turtles running around the map with the shield on their back,” said the frustrated player. “If there’s no movement penalty to have the shield on their back, FMJ should at least shoot through it and give some damage.” While other players acknowledged that more counters to Riot Shields are needed, some think a buff for Armor Piercing would be more beneficial than an FJM buff. “I’d rather they put this buff on Armor Piercing,” said Mii_On_My_Wii. “It’s a far more niche ammo type than FMJ and would give it more of a purpose.” However, while some were with the idea of more ways around Riot Shields, one player thinks there are already enough counters. “If you can’t counter people primarying it [Riot Shields] I’m sorry but you should probably just get good,” they added. Since Call of Duty: Vanguard’s launch on November 5, players have demanded quite a lot of buffs and nerfs to various weapons, as well as other changes. So, we’ll just have to wait and see if Sledgehammer Games takes the calls on board.

CoD Vanguard fans blast devs as Ship Haus 24/7 fails to live up to its name ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard fans have taken aim at Sledgehammer Games after they removed the Ship Haus 24/7 playlist after less than a week of it being available. When a new Call of Duty title is released, players are quick to dive into multiplayer and see what’s on offer. From there, it’s not long before they’re grinding weapon levels and camos as they look to complete the difficult mastery challenges. Over the years, the developers have made the grind a little easier by incorporating playlists that focus on the smaller maps like Shipment, Nuketown, and Shoot the Ship. These 24/7 playlists are always fun for players as you’re able to blast through matches pretty quickly. With Shipment returning in Vanguard, it was bundled into the Ship Haus playlist alongside another tiny map – Das Haus. However, Sledgehammer have taken it away and fans aren’t happy. haud Plenty of CoD players across social media have expressed their displeasure with the playlist being removed, especially given the fact it was a 24/7 playlist, but it wasn’t even available in-game for a week.

CoD Vanguard fans beg devs to fix “game killer” Dead Drop glitch Activision/SledgehammerCall of Duty: Vanguard players are urging Sledgehammer Games to address the Dead Drop glitch as they believe it is ruining the game. With the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019, a brand-new feature was introduced to multiplayer in the form of Field Upgrades. Working similar to Payloads from Infinite Warfare, players could get everything from a Trophy System, to Dead Silence, and even a piece of Deployable Cover to use. However, issues quickly arose as some upgrades – mainly Dead Silence – didn’t work as intended or were simply too powerful and proved to be a hindrance for everyone in-game. Similar issues have appeared in CoD: Vanguard, with the Dead Drop upgrade – which gives players the ability to save their killstreak before dying – being exploited to let players have unlimited high-level killstreaks. So, with CoD: Vanguard Season 1 just around the corner, many fans have called upon Sledgehammer to get a fix implemented before the glitch ruins the game further. “Almost every game I get into now, people are just the Dead Drop glitch to get endless kill streaks,” noted Redditor Jayman109, who suggested the Field Upgrade be removed for the time being. “I keep getting into matches where the half has left because the map is full of attack dog. They have to fix this soon, it’s ruining the game,” added ThewayofFry. Other players called the Field Upgrade a “game killer” that makes the multiplayer side of Vanguard “unplayable” currently. “Anyone that disagrees with it being-game breaking clearly has not suffered at the hands of endless dogs,” commented one player. Some players questioned why the developers haven’t fixed it yet, given they’ve addressed other things like unlimited armor exploits. “Super annoying, you’d think this would be quickly and easily dealt with behind the scenes,” added another fan. With the Season 1 update just around the corner, it could very well be the case that Sledgehammer has a fix up their sleeve, but, there is currently no mention of it on their public Trello board. We’ll just have to wait and see if player frustrations are heard.