Call of Duty: Vanguard has already shown some of its multiplayer and MeinMMO collects the most important information for you about gameplay, maps, and modes.
On November 5, the new Call of Duty: Vanguard will be released and the multiplayer is, as always, the centerpiece of the series. What is already known about the mode, how the multiplayer is changing this year, and what content you can expect at release, you will find out here.
We are embedding the gameplay trailer for the multiplayer here:
- Important information about Vanguard:
Vanguard Multiplayer: All facts about modes, player counts, and new mechanics
As every year, some things will change in the multiplayer, and many mechanics are under scrutiny. Vanguard differs more from its predecessor Cold War this time and moves more towards Modern Warfare from 2019 – thus, the new CoD uses an upgraded engine from Modern Warfare.
For example, fans of killstreaks can look forward to their return. They were replaced by scorestreaks in Cold War, and with Vanguard, they are making a comeback. But that’s not all.
General features of Vanguard’s multiplayer
To start, we want to show you important mechanics of Vanguard that have a significant impact on gameplay:
- Loadouts / classes in Vanguard
- Killstreaks return
- Details on movement
- Details on gunplay
- Crossplay in Vanguard
- Destructible environments
- Information about the mini-map
- New ammunition types
How do loadouts work in Vanguard? The composition of your equipment works exactly like in Modern Warfare from 2019. You select a primary and a secondary weapon, choose 3 perks, and then have a primary and a tactical grenade. Field upgrades are also back.
In the gunsmith, you can customize your firearms. Unlike in previous CoDs, you can equip up to 10 attachments on weapons in Vanguard and adapt them to your playstyle. You can find details on loadout composition further down in the article.
What about the streaks? There were indications of a scorestreak system beforehand, but in reality, Vanguard has killstreaks again. The current CoD – Cold War – relies on a points system to bring these powerful equipment to players. Now it’s more about kills again.
Every kill without dying advances you up the killstreak ladder and grants you powerful military equipment to unleash on your enemies. To find out which streaks are already available in the beta, check further down in the loadout system of Vanguard.
What is there to know about movement? In terms of movement mechanics, Vanguard relies on proven features from Modern Warfare and brings the tactical sprint back into play. This is a short sprint that makes you run faster for a few seconds, but also means that it takes a bit longer to fire again after the sprint.
For more experienced players, a change in the interaction between tactical sprint and “slide cancel” may be interesting. Through a specific sequence of inputs, you can interrupt (cancel) your sliding in the current CoD titles.
This also resets the cooldown of the tactical sprint, and you can immediately tactical sprint again after a “slide cancel.” However, after the second “slide cancel,” there is a brief pause before your character goes back into tactical sprint.
What is there to know about gunplay? That Vanguard uses a polished engine from CoD MW also affects the gunplay. It strongly resembles Modern Warfare, and all the weapons we tested were easy to control even without attachments. Whether this remains until the release has yet to be seen. There may still be adjustments here.
What is certain, however, is that weapon resting is back. You can rest your weapons on edges or against walls to reduce recoil. As a new option, there’s also “blind firing.” This allows you to shoot from behind cover without fully exposing yourself.
Is there crossplay? You can play with your friends on other platforms again. Vanguard supports crossplay for PlayStation 4, PS 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
What about destructible environments? Vanguard brings destructible environments to a new level in Call of Duty, but these are rather minor details. You can run through some walls, destroy doors, or shoot off plaster from walls. However, these destructions rarely have a significant impact on gameplay.
How does the mini-map work? If an enemy fires their weapon without a suppressor, you don’t see them simply on the map. It works quite similarly to Modern Warfare again. However, there is the perk “Radar,” which shows enemies on the map without a suppressor when they fire their weapon.
What is there to know about weapons? There is now a dedicated attachment slot for ammunition types. This way, you can use subsonic ammunition to prevent a ping on the mini-map. But there is also explosive ammunition that causes environmental damage or decay ammunition that can significantly shake your enemy upon hits.
Multiplayer modes and combat pacing of Vanguard
What’s up with combat pacing? Vanguard does not include a large mode like “Warzone” from CoD MW or “Combined Arms” from Cold War. In these modes, different rules apply, and there are many more players on the maps. Vehicles were also a topic in these mega modes.
Vanguard takes a different approach: each mode and map can turn into such a large battle. For this, there are the new “Combat Pacings”:
- Tactical: Classic CoD experience with 6vs6 players
- Assault: Between 20 – 28 players populate a map
- Blitz: Between 28 and 48 players can gas it up on a map
- The exact number of players depends on the map
With a filter, you can select the desired pacing, and with this mechanic, a small team deathmatch turns into a chaotic slaughter that even on large maps reminds of Shipment or Nuketown.
On the tested maps, this actually resulted in a much faster pace and particularly benefited the large maps. You no longer have to wait long until the first enemy appears in sight, and you can constantly have an enemy sneaking up behind you, as you have 24 enemies, with someone always taking the long way around.
The new mode Patrol was a special experience. A whole train of soldiers stealthily follows the point, and enemies and friends stream from all directions onto the objective for continuous fights. When nearly a dozen players stand on the point, high kill series are guaranteed if you find the right line of fire.
What classic modes are in the game? At release, you can definitely find the following classic modes in Vanguard:
- Free-for-All
- Team Deathmatch
- Kill Confirmed
- Search & Destroy
- Domination
- Hardpoint
These are also the modes that you can always start in hardcore mode. There is also again the option to create private matches.
What new modes are in the game? At the release of Vanguard, there will be at least 2 new modes. The one tested in the alpha “Champions Hill” and the position variant “Patrol”.
Champions Hill is a kind of tournament. You enter the game with 12 team lives and have to assert yourself against regularly changing opponents. If you lose all lives, you are out of the game. In total, there are 8 teams, and the last standing team takes the victory. There’s also a cash system with which you can upgrade your weapons and equipment.
In Patrol, there is an area that yields points when a player from a team stands in the area. But unlike in Hardpoint, where new points continuously appear, in Patrol, the point continuously runs on. A new approach for the mode that can lead to nasty kill series, especially with the Blitz pacing.
The multiplayer maps of Vanguard
How many maps are there at release? Compared to Cold War, the CoD from 2020, Vanguard boasts maps at release. 16 6vs6 maps are ready:
- Hotel Royal: This is a hotel map with 2 levels in the heart of Paris.
- Gavutu: This map offers a heavily contested Pacific island.
- Red Star: Here you will fight in the ruins of winter Stalingrad.
- Eagle’s Nest: Players get a small map on a mountain peak in the Alps. It is the Kehlsteinhaus in Berchtesgaden.
- Castle: This is a remake of a map from CoD: World at War. The battle takes place in a Japanese castle.
- Dome: Another remake map where you engage in wild fights in a small hall.
- Bocage: A map in France where you fight over a devastated farmhouse.
- The House: This cool map is located in Germany and is a training area where Nazi special forces practice the capture of the White House.
- Decoy: This map is a fake village where your soldiers can shoot each other.
- Demyansk: A map in Russia where you fight over a village.
- Desert Siege: A map in North Africa by the Suez Canal. Expect dunes and houses with flat roofs.
- Numa Numa: A small map in the Pacific with a machine gun nest in the middle.
- Oasis: Another desert map where allied forces ambush the Nazis in an oasis.
- Sub Pens: In this small map, you fight in a German U-boat bunker.
- Tuscan: In this map, it’s about capturing an Italian village in Tuscany.
- Battle of Berlin: This large city map takes place in Berlin just before the end of the Third Reich. You can expect brutal house fights in the ruins of the Nazi capital.
In addition, there are the small maps from Champions Hill, which resemble those from firefight maps in size.
Is there a 3-lane structure? On the 4 shown maps, a clear 3-lane system was observed. Hotel Royale staggered a bit because you could access the roof, providing an additional combat line aside from the lower lanes. But overall, CoD is again relying on the old concept with 3 lanes.
What about vehicles? In none of the modes played and on none of the maps were large vehicles to get into seen. Whether this will change before release remains uncertain.
If you want to see gameplay from the beta, we are embedding 10 minutes of pure shooting action from the multiplayer here:
The loadouts and class system of Vanguard
How does the gunsmith work in Vanguard? The gunsmith resembles the version from Modern Warfare strongly but also provides detailed displays of weapon stats as in Cold War. In total, you can attach up to 10 attachments to each weapon and adapt the gun to your playstyle:
- Muzzle
- Barrel
- Optic
- Stock
- Underbarrel
- Magazine
- Ammunition type
- Grip
- Skill
- Kit
When you use the weapons in-game, you level up and gain more attachments that way. In the beta, the max level was 30, and for every level, you get an attachment. After release, some weapons may even offer more than 70 different attachments.
What perks are already known? An important topic is also perks, as these passive abilities can strongly influence playstyle and the game itself. We list the currently known perks by category:
- Extra 1 – Blue
- Ghost: Protects against detection when you’re moving
- Flak: Reduces damage from explosives and helps with regeneration
- Unseen: Immune to the effects of “Piercing Vision”
- Survivor Training: Resistance to stun, immune to gas
- Extra 2 – Red
- Alarmed: Enemies see you outside of the field of view, pulses the field of view
- Radar: Enemies appear on the mini-map when they fire without a suppressor
- Data Relay: Larger mini-map, enemy reinforcements are displayed
- Tracker: Enemies briefly leave footprints
- Extra 3 – Yellow
- Demolition Expert: Additional primary grenade and flight curve when throwing
- Fast Pace: Doubles tactical sprint and allows you to run 30% faster while crouched
- Tactician: Contributes a tactical grenade every 30 seconds
- Overkill: Carry 2 primary weapons
What killstreaks are already known? A total of 10 killstreaks were available for testing. There may also be more options in the finished game:
- Locating / 3 kills – Radar just for you
- Supplies / 4 kills – Random killstreak from drop
- Spy Plane / 4 kills – Radar for the whole team
- Counter Spy Plane / 4 kills – Disrupted enemy radar
- Glide Bomb / 5 kills – Controllable bomb from great height
- Death Machine / 5 kills – A kind of mini-gun with explosive rounds
- Mortar Fire / 5 kills – Marked area will be attacked
- War Machine / 7 kills – Grenade launcher that you do not lose
- Flamethrower / 9 kills – Protective suit including flamethrower
- Attack Dogs / 10 kills – Dogs attack your enemies
Which field upgrades are already known? Vanguard also relies on field upgrades again. These are small equipment with a certain cooldown that you can deploy faster through kills. The stealth mechanic Silence returns, and armored plates are also available in Vanguard:
- Supply Box – Provides ammunition and equipment
- Armor Plate – Gives you some body armor
- Goliath – Explosive mini-tank to control
- Directional Microphone – Shows enemies nearby on the mini-map
- Silence – Quiet steps briefly, shooting or knife kills restart the timer
All confirmed weapons so far
- Assault Rifles
- STG44
- ITRA Burst
- BAR
- NZ-41
- VOLK
- Submachine Guns
- M1928
- STEN
- MP 40
- Shotguns
- Shotgun with rotating cylinder
- Automatic shotgun
- LMGs
- MG42
- DP27
- BREN
- DMRs
- M1 Garand
- Sniper Rifle
- Three-Line Rifle
- Kar98k
- Handguns
- Submachine Gun
- RATT
- 1911
- Launchers
- M1 Bazooka
- Panzerschreck
- Melee
- FS Fighting Knife
- Primary Equipment
- MK2 Fragmentation Grenade
- Gammon Bomb (Contact Grenade)
- Molotov Cocktail
- Claymore
- Thermite
- Throwing Knife
- Tactical Equipment
- M18 Smoke Grenade
- Stun Grenade No. 69
- MK V Gas
- Stim
- S-Mine 44
These are all the weapons that were available in the beta we tested.
What happens after the release of Vanguard?
What comes after the release? Vanguard adopts the live season system from its predecessors and regularly brings new content:
- new maps
- new modes
- fresh playlists
- limited-time events
- seasonal events
- community celebrations
- and more
Does new content cost anything? Gameplay-relevant content will be completely free after the release. You have to unlock the new weapons first, but there is no paywall that prevents you from unlocking them.
When does the first season start? The first season of Vanguard starts on December 2. What happens until then is shown by the roadmap of “Season 0”:
Is there again a battle pass? Like in Cold War and CoD MW, Vanguard will also bring a battle pass to the seasons. In exchange for playtime and experience points, you will unlock plenty of cosmetics.
However, the pass costs if you want to unlock all the items for your inventory. A few tiers will be free, including the new weapons. But most are for premium pass holders. Whether the system is worth it for you can be found out here:
Vanguard and Warzone – Anti-Cheat & new map
How does the collaboration with Warzone work? It all works similarly to last year with Cold War, just on a much larger scale.
Warzone and Vanguard “merge” and share the seasons and also the technology after the transition. The topic in Warzone shifts away from the Cold War, towards the Vanguard setting, and the content of the battle pass and cosmetics works in both CoDs. In addition, the weapons from Vanguard also enter the battle royale.
Old cosmetic content and all weapons from Cold War and Modern Warfare remain in the game and usable in Warzone. With the first season of Vanguard, the life cycle of Cold War will likely also come to an end.
However, this time the integration goes even further. Warzone gets the graphics engine from Vanguard and thus also some gameplay upgrades. Moreover, the developers announced that Warzone will also receive a new map and the new anti-cheat system from Vanguard when Vanguard launches.
When do Warzone and Vanguard “merge”? With the start of the first season on December 2. In an extensive blog post, the developers shared a lot of information about the merger of the two shooters. You can find the new information about the Pacific map “Caldera” here.
More information about the merging of Vanguard and Warzone can be found here:
Zombies in CoD Vanguard
What is known about the zombies? The first map is called “The Beginning” and takes place in Stalingrad. We do not know all the details yet, but apparently it will not be a classic round-based map. You build a command center in Stalingrad, upgrade your weapons and items there, and then jump through portals to complete missions.
If you achieve a mission goal, additional areas will open at your command center and you will progress further in the story. More on the zombie mode can be found here:
Conclusion of the participating author Maik
Maik Schneider
Freelance author at MeinMMO
Conclusion – Vanguard seems to finally realize that the maps have gotten too big
Vanguard is already the third annual CoD I accompany with MeinMMO and I never had such a good feeling about the latest title. Even beforehand, I was convinced Vanguard would be really big and good, and the first matches further reaffirmed my view.
In recent years, the paid CoDs have become less interesting to me because the maps have always gotten larger while still maintaining 6vs6 as the norm. I enjoyed mode refreshes with more players on the “small” maps and was often on “Shipment” or “Nuketown”.
But with “Combat Pacing,” I now have the hope of being able to play Call of Duty the way I like – namely with more players. Not counting the tactical mode ”Search & Destroy.”
The attempts to establish a large mode in CoD never convinced me. Be it “Ground War” in CoD MW or “Combined Arms” in Cold War. But being able to approach the ordinary modes and maps with more players hits exactly my taste.
On top of that, the gunplay and movement from CoD MW that I prefer fits perfectly for a solid hype.
Maik Schneider
Freelance author at MeinMMO
