Call of Duty: Vanguard has been revealed after months of rumors and leaks. The official reveal confirmed much of what said rumors claimed to be true, including its World War 2 setting. Call of Duty: Vanguard's reveal trailer primarily focused on showcasing its explosive single-player campaign that will take players across all four of World War 2's theaters of war, following a different protagonist in each.
However, developer Sledgehammer Games did have more to share. Not only does the game include its campaign, but also multiplayer, Call of Duty: Warzone integration, and Zombies mode that fans of the series have come to expect. It was also revealed that Treyarch will be guest-developing the Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Vanguard. Sledgehammer Games made it clear that the game's multiplayer will also be something new while trying to satisfy fans by using the same engine as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and announced that fans could look forward to an upcoming beta in order to test it out.
How to Play the Call of Duty: Vanguard Beta
It has been revealed that the beta for Call of Duty: Vanguard will be available on all platforms, including PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The beta will also be open to any interested players on those platforms, although fans can get early access with certain parameters. The open beta is available to all players on all platforms from September 18 to 20. However, by pre-ordering, PlayStation players getting even earlier access to Call of Duty: Vanguard.
The first weekend of the beta runs from September 10 to 13, and is only available to PlayStation players who have pre-ordered. However, Playstation users who haven't pre-ordered the game do still get early access starting on September 16. For fans who pre-order on Xbox platforms and PC, they get access starting on September 16 and can play uninterrupted until September 20. The beta comes after PlayStation fans got access to a limited alpha with Call of Duty: Vanguard's new Champion Hill multiplayer mode, and after the game's scheduled multiplayer reveal on September 7.
Available Game Modes in Call of Duty: Vanguard's Beta
As for what game modes players can expect, the beta will feature more than the alpha. It will include Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Kill Confirmed across the entire beta, with Search and Destroy only being available from September 16 to 20. However, fans will also be able to check out Champion Hill in squads of one, two, and three.
Champion Hill features a tournament-like structure of squads facing off in small maps until only one squad is left standing. Between rounds, players are able to purchase gear and weapons with the money earned based on their performance thus far. While some high-profile players like Dr Disrespect weren't very impressed after Call of Duty: Vanguard's alpha, others have found it to be exciting.
The other new mode being introduced through Call of Duty: Vanguard's beta is Patrol. Patrol is an evolution of Domination in that it sees teams fighting to control an area of the map to rack up points. However, in Patrol, the area will be constantly moving around the map, forcing players to constantly be adapting and following it around. Call of Duty: Vanguard has also confirmed the maps that will be included in the beta, which include Champion Hill, Hotel Royal, Gavutu, and Red Star, with Eagle's Nest appearing from September 16 to 20.
Everything Else Included in the Beta
The beta will also give players a look at what else they can expect when Call of Duty: Vanguard launches. This includes the game's custom loadouts, with PlayStation players getting access to 12 slots while Xbox and PC players get 10 slots. Players will also be able to upgrade their guns to level 30 and see some of the attachments and gunsmith elements in Call of Duty: Vanguard that leaked last month. Players will also be able to select from six new operators while playing in the beta, each including a unique finishing move.
The beta will also give players a look at Call of Duty: Vanguard's new Combat Pacing feature. The allows players to select what intensity they want their matches to be played at, from Tactical, Assault, and Blitz. Tactical will feature traditional 6v6 games that offer players some breathing room between encounters. Assault features matches of 20-28 players that give players room to breath while still offering plenty of action. Finally, Blitz offers nonstop action with lobbies of 28-48 players. The Combat Pacing feature is an interesting one that should help players customize how they want to experience Call of Duty: Vanguard's multiplayer offerings.
It will be interesting to see how well received the beta for Call of Duty: Vanguard is later this month. The game is positioned to take the series head-to-head with Battlefield, although the two next games in their franchises are taking very different approaches. Call of Duty: Vanguard's changes to the series' tried and true formula could prove to be successful, but there are also some negatives and positives to Vanguard sticking with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's engine. Only time will tell how it is received by its playerbase both during its open beta, but hopefully Call of Duty: Vanguard's various modes will be able to offer something to satisfy all of the series' fans.
Call of Duty: Vanguard releases on November 5 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.