Call of Duty: Vanguard is one of the biggest departures Treyarch has made from the norm for how it handles Zombies. The mode has always been evolving with each new entry, but with Vanguard, there are some big changes. Whether you are new to Zombies or a veteran, you will need to keep these changes in mind. Here are the biggest changes in Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies that you need to know.
Der Anfang is not round based
At launch, the only playable Zombies map in Vanguard is Der Anfang (“The Beginning” in German). While the traditional way to play Zombies is to survive and kill all enemies until the round ends, Der Anfang relies on objectives. You will begin each game in Town Square. From here, you need to use one of the red teleporters to be transported to a place where you have to complete one of three objectives.
- Blitz – survive the incoming enemies for three minutes.
- Harvest – kill Zombies to make them drop runes. Deliver five runes to the floating Sin Eater to make it teleport. The objective completes after fifteen have been deposited.
- Transmit – escort a floating head in a cage through small corridors. A bubble surrounds you that acts as a safe zone.
Upon completing the first five rounds, you will unlock new areas of Town Square where you can buy and upgrade perks at all times.
Perks have been downgraded
Speaking of perks, they have been downgraded in Vanguard Zombies compared to Black Ops Cold War. Instead of upgrading them in the menus and always having those benefits, you will need to purchase upgrades every time you start a new game.
The first time you go to a perk fountain, the perk is free. However, this first drink from the fountain will give you a perk that is a quarter of the strength it was in past games. To get that full effect, you need to return to the fountain and buy upgrades continually. The prices are:
- Level one – free
- Level two – 2,500
- Level three – 5,000
- Level four – 7,500
Should you go down, you will lose one level off of your perks but will never completely lose the perk if it gets knocked down to the first level.
Points will be tougher to come by
In general, points are harder to accumulate in Der Anfang. Even though all of the map sections you will be on are small, the point system is the same as Outbreak in Black Ops Cold War, where zombie kills give much fewer points. This makes it so you will have to grind out a lot of kills to get enough points for upgraded perks and the Pack-a-Punch machine. That being said, you do get a large sum of points for completing objectives. Just be sure always to be upgrading to keep in the fight as rounds progress.
The Altar of Covenants
The Altar of Covenants is the newest upgrade station in Zombies and is found in the Town Square near the Pack-a-Punch machine. Every objective you complete will reward you with a Sacrificial Heart. Bring those hearts to this station to purchase upgrades. These upgrades include past ammo mods like Brain Rot, the replacement for Quick Revive, and other bonuses. There are different tiers to each upgrade, so be sure to check back to find better versions. Also, the stock will change every round, so always look for something better than what you have.
No Easter eggs
One of the most disappointing parts of Vanguard Zombies is that there are no Easter eggs at launch. While this is disappointing for many longtime Zombies fans, one is set to arrive after Season One, likely in Season Two.
Weapon upgrades are handled differently
In Black Ops Cold War, Treyarch added a new weapon tier system on top of Pack-a-Punch, having three upgrades. Those tiers included common, rare, epic, and legendary levels to denote how strong those guns were.
Now, all of that has been included in the Pack-a-Punch tiers. The only way to upgrade your weapon is in the machine, but now you can additionally get Pack-a-Punch weapons in the Mystery Box for the first time ever.
