The betas for Call of Duty: Vanguard have come and gone, giving fans of the series their first chance to check out its return to World War 2. Developed by Sledgehammer Games, Call of Duty: Vanguard continues the series' tradition of boasting an explosive campaign, full multiplayer mode, and a Zombies mode guest-developed by Treyarch. The game also utilizes the same engine as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to make it as beautiful as possible. While sticking to what makes fans love the series is great, the really interesting part of Call of Duty: Vanguard is what it does that is new.

For example, one of the game's defining features introduces destructible environments to the game that allows players to create new sightlines throughout matches by blowing up walls, shooting through doors, and various other tactical uses. However, Call of Duty: Vanguard is also introducing numerous new game modes to the series. The first of these is Patrol, a take on Domination that sees the control area moving around the map constantly to force teams to be more mobile and adaptable. The second is an evolution of Modern Warfare's Gunfight called Champion Hill, a mode that has has been getting mixed reactions since Call of Duty: Vanguard's betas.

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How Call of Duty: Vanguard's Champion Hill Mode Works

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Champion Hill sees players grouping up into eight teams of two or three, after which they play off against one another in a round-robin tournament. Every round of the tournament players sees players put into one of four small sections of a map made especially for the new mode. After each round, players are awarded money based on their performance to purchase different guns and equipment to use in the next round of the tournament. The mode brings an entirely new approach to Call of Duty matches, and Sledgehammer Games has said it hopes that the mode will interest the professional scene as well.

So far, the reception of the mode has been mostly positive, but with a few detractors thrown into the mix as well. Players have praised the mode for trying something new and for featuring intense engagements that put an emphasis on player skill and gunplay. The overall positive reception does indicate that Champion Hill could be a big game-changer for Call of Duty: Vanguard. However, players who do not view the mode as favorably have levied complaints about it not being as engaging as a normal Call of Duty match, being unbalanced, or not allowing less skilled teams a chance since better performing teams steadily get more improvements to their loadouts. One particular complaint that has been raised is in regard to the mode's killstreak system.

What's Wrong With Champion Hill's Killstreaks

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Killstreaks are a flagship feature of the Call of Duty series that rewards players for performing well throughout a match, rewarding them with powerful abilities like a UAV plane that reveals enemy positions or a squad of attack dogs that hunt enemies across the map. Call of Duty Vanguard has had some issues with its killstreaks already, but the ones available in Champion Hill are proving to be much more problematic. The mode has its own list of killstreaks, including extra lives, armor plates, death machines, or even deathmachines and flamethrowers. While none of these streaks are more powerful than what players have come to expect from the series, the environment of Champion Hill matches has proved to not be very well suited for them.

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This is because the killstreaks are effectively ruining the final rounds of a Champion Hill match for many players. The more expensive streaks take a long time to earn, which leaves the final rounds of Champion Hill being largely decided by which teams have a player who has saved up for a flamethrower of deathmachine so that they can dominate the final round. Not only are many players saying that this doesn't feel fair at all, but it is a particularly unfair feeling in a mode like Champion Hill, where getting killed by these streaks enough can see a team eliminated. Thankfully, Sledgehammer Games has already announced some changes coming thanks to Call of Duty: Vanguard's betas, so hopefully the developers will take a look at this issue as well before the game's release.

How Call of Duty: Vanguard Can Fix Champion Hill's Killstreak Problem

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There are a few different ways that the developers could address this issue in Champion Hill. One possible approach is to simply remove streaks from the mode altogether. This would prevent players from feeling as though they are getting unfairly killed while relying on the money rewarded between rounds to award good performance. If Sledgehammer Games does take this approac, it could be that the developers simply add a version of Champion Hill with killstreaks disabled while still offering the base mode as well. That way, players who want more of a classic Call of Duty multiplayer experience could have that, while others could have a more grounded experience as well.

Another option the developers could explore is simply changing the streaks to not be as devastating for enemy teams. This would include taking out the powerful weapons and devastating attacks while leaving the armor plates and extra lives. The developers could also some new options, like spawning with an extra piece of equipment. Killstreaks could even allow players to purchase their custom classes or the guns made with Call of Duty: Vanguard's revamped gunsmith feature.

It will be very interesting to see how Champion Hill changes for Call of Duty: Vanguard's release. The game's betas have received some positive reactions alongside the criticisms, so it seems like the game should satisfy many Call of Duty fans when it releases later this year. While Call of Duty: Vanguard is a contender for the best-selling game of the year, it could perform even better if Champion Hill is refined and becomes a major draw.

Call of Duty: Vanguard releases on November 5 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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