The new Call of Duty: Vanguard celebrates its release on November 5th, and if you need more information before purchasing, you can find here a collection with many details about the download, the content, and the innovations in the game.
Call of Duty is bringing out CoD: Vanguard, the 18th main installment of the shooter series. The franchise focuses on fast-paced battles, a lot of action, and the relentless fight Soldier vs. Soldier.
If you are considering buying Vanguard or looking for all the important information at a glance, you are in the right place. MeinMMO presents 10 important things for the release.
1. Everything about the release – times, download, costs
When does Vanguard start? That depends on your platform. For consoles, the game will be released on November 5th at 00:00 and can be started. From 05:00 in the morning, you can start Vanguard on PC.
How much does the new CoD cost? PC players get it a bit cheaper and only have to pay 10,- Euros less for the corresponding editions. In total, you can choose between 3 editions:
- Standard Edition: 59.99 € (PC); 69.99 € (PlayStation and Xbox)
- Cross-Gen Edition: 79.99 € (only PlayStation and Xbox)
- Ultimate Edition: 99.99 € (PC); 109.99 € (PlayStation and Xbox)
How big is the download? Again, your platform determines the size of the download:
- PlayStation 5
- Download: 64.13 GB
- Free space for download: 89.84 GB
- PlayStation 4
- Download: 54.65 GB
- Free space for download: 93.12 GB
- Xbox One
- Download: 56.6 GB
- Xbox Series S|X
- Download: 61 GB
- PC
- 61 GB of disk space required
You can read more about the system requirements for PC here:
2. Pay attention to your edition when buying for console
What should you pay attention to regarding the editions? There are different versions of Vanguard on the console, and you should pay close attention to which one is right for you.
Players on next-gen consoles need the “Cross-Gen” edition if you buy the digital version to benefit from the advantages of better graphics and performance. You can also purchase a disc edition for the next-gen consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series, but these versions will not work on PS4 or Xbox One.
If you are still transitioning to the new consoles and are starting with a last-gen console, we always recommend the digital versions – they can be easily upgraded for an additional cost.
However, do not get the disc version of the Xbox One! It cannot be upgraded. The disc version of the PS4, however, can be upgraded.
3. Return to World War II
What setting does Vanguard offer? The CoD of 2021 goes back to the origins of the series, and you fight in World War II for the freedom of humanity.
In both multiplayer and campaign: You will experience many fronts at different times of the war and be sent almost all over the globe. There are locations for:
- Western Front – France
- Eastern Front – Russia
- Pacific Front
- African Front
- Germany and Alps
- Italy
- Japan
It’s always about stopping the nasty Nazis from their plans for world domination – this also applies to the zombie mode, where you prevent armored undead from overrunning Europe.
4. 3 major game modes – Campaign, Multiplayer, Zombies
What game modes does Vanguard come with? Like its two predecessors, Vanguard again relies on the trinity of solo, PvP, and co-op content.
What is there for solo players? There is a story campaign where you relive the history of the very first special unit. You will take on the role of various allied soldiers that you first get to know individually and then accompany on the hunt for a hostile Nazi officer.
A first glimpse of the gameplay is provided by a 9-minute mission trailer:
What is there for PvP players? The centerpiece of Vanguard is again the large multiplayer mode. In quick battles, you fight with almost 40 different weapons and many different equipment for every kill. The maps are spread across different locations around the world.
You can find more information about the multiplayer here:
What is there for co-op players? If you prefer to shoot NPCs, then the zombie mode is for you. Here you fight through large hordes of the undead and either find out how long you can survive or what secrets are hiding on the first map “The Beginning”.
More about the zombie mode can be found here:
5. The biggest innovations of Vanguard
What is different this year with CoD? The paid titles of Vanguard are released every year, and the developers always try to create something unique so that you remember a title particularly well. Vanguard also relies on some changes for this:
- Gunsmith with 10 attachments
- Anti-Cheat system “RICOCHET”
- Revamped zombie mode
- World War setting
- Combat pacing
- Adjusted movement
- Operator progression
- Destructible level elements
- Large amount of release content
- New standard mode “Patrol”
- Return of killstreaks
This is an overview of the most important adjustments. If you want more information on the individual points, you can visit here:
6. Massive multiplayer content at launch
How much content does Vanguard offer at launch? Unlike the two predecessors Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare, Vanguard is packed with content at launch.
It is still unclear how big the campaign and zombie mode will be. But the numbers from the multiplayer speak a clear language:
- 20 maps at launch
- Of which 16 are 6vs6 maps
- Almost 40 weapons at launch
- 8 standard modes
In terms of 6vs6 maps, Vanguard comes with double the amount compared to the predecessor Cold War. An overview of all maps, weapons, and modes has been prepared for you here:
7. New Anti-Cheat system “RICOCHET”
What’s the deal with the anti-cheat? Cheaters and hackers have been a plague of Call of Duty for years, and with the big, free Battle Royale Warzone, the problem has come more into focus.
With Vanguard, the CoD makers are essentially overhauling the entire security infrastructure in the background and also introducing a kernel driver for PC players that runs in the background. RICOCHET consists of several components:
- Server-side analysis tools
- Improved investigation processes
- Increased account security
- Kernel driver on PC
The kernel driver will, however, only be available for Warzone, and only the first three points of the list will go online at the launch of Vanguard. You can find more answers about the anti-cheat and the driver for PC here:
8. Advantages for PlayStation players
What advantages do players on PlayStation have? As in previous years, PlayStation players receive minor advantages, but there is no longer an exclusive mode on Sony consoles:
- The Battle Pass bundle gives you 25 level jumps instead of 20
- For PS Plus members, there is a monthly bundle with exclusive cosmetics for free
- In a PlayStation player party, you receive 25% more weapon XP
- Monthly there are 24-hour double XP events
- 2 additional loadout slots for equipment
The free cosmetics also work in the Battle Royale Warzone. You can find information about the current package of Season 6 of Cold War here:
9. Warzone gets the Vanguard engine and new map
How are Warzone and Vanguard related? The Battle Royale Warzone remains the link between the annual CoD titles. The live seasons run parallel and simultaneously bring content for Vanguard and Warzone. This year, however, the collaboration goes even further, and Warzone will even adopt the graphics engine from Vanguard.
However, there are even more similarities:
- All Vanguard weapons come to Warzone
- The cosmetics from Vanguard also work in Warzone
- Shared progression system
Additionally, there will be a completely new map for the Battle Royale at the start of Season 1 of Vanguard on December 2nd. With the start of “Caldera”, the setting of Warzone changes from a city in the Cold War to a green island in the Pacific.
How exactly the gameplay changes after the transition is not yet fully clarified. You can find more information on this topic in the following articles:
- Images and release of the new map “Caldera”
- 5 important changes when Warzone and Vanguard “fuse”
- Look at the map and important landing spots
We will embed the trailer for the start of the shared story of Vanguard and Warzone here:
10. What happens after the release
What happens after the release of Vanguard? The new CoD will be supplied with fresh, free content for about a year. There will be new maps for multiplayer, new adventures for the zombie mode, and a battle pass, with which you can unlock over 100 items for just under 10 Euros.
Part of the battle pass also includes new weapons, which you can get without additional costs when you level the pass to the corresponding level. Generally, gameplay-relevant content is completely free, only for cosmetics do you have to dig extra into your pocket.
The first live season goes online on December 2nd. However, the 17th 6vs6 map comes into play even before that – the Vanguard version of Shipment. More information about the plan after the release until the first season, including the roadmap can be found here.
After the release weekend, it will be seen how the new Call of Duty is received by players. Especially the setting caused a lot of skepticism at the presentation and is even a reason for many to skip Vanguard.
What is your current stance on a purchase? We would love to read your comments on the newest installment of the series and why you decided for or against a purchase.
If you would rather read something about why you, as a CoD fan, should still keep an eye on Vanguard, even if you don’t like the setting, click here: CoD Vanguard: Fans complain about the reason that makes the new CoD truly great for me
