Call of Duty: Vanguard is upon us and with it comes one of the most intriguing Call of Duty games in years. Not only are we returning to the super popular if not well-worn scenery of WW2, but we are getting a brand new destructive environment system that will make maps more interactable and changeable than ever before. The graphic style also seems to be getting grittier as well and the visuals look absolutely incredible on the next-gen systems. The darker tone and more serious graphic style go well with the themes we’re seeing so far from the game, so there is plenty of hope to believe this will be the best Call of Duty game in years. Here is everything you need to know about Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Call of Duty: Vanguard Release Time, Release Date, Platforms, and Price
We are just days away from the Call of Duty: Vanguard release and here is what you need to know about when and where you can buy your copy of the game.
Call of Duty: Vanguard will be released on Friday, November 5 at 12:00 AM local time. That means you’ll be able to play the game the minute the clock strikes midnight. It is currently available for pre-order now with three different versions available at various prices.
- The standard version, which includes Call of Duty: Vanguard, the Mastercraft Blueprint in Black Ops: Cold War and Warzone, the Operator Arthur Kingsley in Black Ops: Cold War and Warzone, and the Frontline Weapons Pack. It is available for $59.99
- The Cross Gen version, which allows you to access both the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game while also letting you access the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X versions too. The Cross Gen version includes everything in the standard edition along with 5 hours of Double Weapon XP. It is available for $69.99
- The Call of Duty: Vanguard Ultimate Edition has a ton of extras included with it somewhat lofty price tag. This includes everything you get in both the standard and Cross Gen editions as well as 5 hours of Double XP, the Task Force One Pack, and the Vanguard Battle Pass Bundle which will give you access to any additional DLCs that release throughout the support of Call of Duty: Vanguard. It is available for $99.99
If you pre-order any of the aforementioned editions, you automatically gain access to the multiplayer open beta.
Call of Duty: Vanguard Leaks
So far, we’ve got only a little bit of information about how the story mode is going to work, but recent teasers released have given us some hints on what to expect. In the teaser trailer, you will see there are 4 playable soldiers in the campaign mode. Whether this means you play as each one in a separate mode and choose between them per mission remains to be seen, but the variety is definitely an exciting development.
At the end of the teaser trailer, we see all the soldiers fighting together, so we’re assuming at some point that all four are brought together to fight at some point. When that will happen in the story mode though is unknown for now. The playable characters confirmed to this point are the following.
- Private Lucas Riggs, 20th Battalion, Australian 9th Infantry Division of the British Eight Army
- Sergeant Arthur Kingsley of the 9th Parachute Battalion of the British Army
- Lieutenant Wade Jackson, Scouting Squadron Six of the United States Navy
- Lieutenant Polina Petrova of the 138th Rifle Division of the Red Army
This eclectic mix means we’re seeing soldiers from all over the world team up for this one in what should be a very exciting take on World War 2.
Vanguard Warzone Integration
Of course, these days we cannot have a Call of Duty release without some kind of Warzone integration, and this time, it will be the biggest integration yet. Not only are we getting a brand new map that will be replacing Verdansk called Pacific Caldera, but we will also be getting heavy weapon integration from Call of Duty: Vanguard that reportedly will allow different perks than ever before.
The new map is going to completely replace Verdansk and that means it will have a lot to live up to considering Verdansk is widely seen as the GOAT when it comes to battle royale maps. Sticking with the island idea, Pacific Caldera will add a more jungle-like atmosphere to Warzone and utilize boats of multiple sizes for you to get around the island. It should be a great change of pace for players starting to grow tired of the same map for almost two years now.
As far as how this will work within the Warzone setup, it’s tough to say as perks and attachments are all pretty much static there for the most part, so we might be seeing a whole new UI introduced to account for all of these potential changes.
New Combat Mechanics
This year’s edition of Call of Duty is coming with a ton of new tricks up this sleeve and the classic “it’s the same game every year.” statement cannot be said again as the mechanics are improving more than ever before.
Most notably, you can now blind fire when crouching behind cover, giving you the ability to buy some time when taking cover during a firefight. You will be able to aim down your sights while doing this as well so it will likely make for a much more accurate blind fire than what exists in most games.
Destructible Environments
When your franchise jumps into the next generation of gaming consoles, you have to have something special to go along with it, and with Call of Duty: Vanguard, that something special is the destructible environments. This completely changes combat as no longer can you just duck behind random objects for cover as those can now be destroyed with a grenade or other explosives.
It’s not just cover too as every map will have destructible parts. The maps degrade slowly over the course of a battle too and it will be really cool to see a battlefield start pristine and end as a bullet-riddled hellscape.
Call of Duty: Vanguard Multiplayer
At the core of every good Call of Duty game is a strong multiplayer component and so far, here’s what modes we know is confirmed for Call of Duty: Vanguard.
- Free for All
- Team Deathmatch
- Domination
- Kill Confirmed
- Search & Destroy
- Patrol
- Hardpoint
This is a solid collection to start the game off with and there will surely be updates and limited-time modes added on in the coming months as well. These modes will be playable in 16 of the 20 maps coming with the game.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available November 5th on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
