Outside of bugs, the biggest point of frustration for the Call of Duty: Vanguard community seems to be killstreaks. While several streaks have been causing trouble, it seems like some Call of Duty: Vanguard players have now added the Guard Dog to that list.
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s killstreaks have proven to be annoying for a number of reasons. The Mortar Barrage makes it difficult to see in the part of the map where it lands, handicapping teammates just as much as it hurts the enemy team. The Bombing Run’s random pathing all-but-guarantees a death for the person calling it in, making it something to avoid. In the case of the Guard Dog, it simply takes too much damage to kill, something that has caused a number of players to vent their frustrations.
Unlike the bullet-resistant Flamenaut, there is no trick to kill the Guard Dog quickly, with players needing to be far back or able to pull off some quick melee attacks - something that is easier said than done. Redditor Ok_Needleworker_3046 started a thread highlighting the “overpowered” killstreak, with the player frustrated after an enemy dog took five shots to the head but was still able to kill them. They also take issue with the dogs’ abilities to climb ladders and reach rooftops, something they could not do in older games.
The player also makes a good point about the melee trick, as five headshots should certainly be enough to get the kill if two successful melee attacks can get the job done. Landing two melee strikes on a streak that can kill in one quick bite is also a risky move, as players could die by getting too close to the enemy hound. While Guard Dogs would be fairly common, as they are only a 6 killstreak, the Dead Drop glitch mentioned by BreathSoHot that provides infinite killstreaks is only making them appear more. As such, players are forced to deal with a lot of overly durable Guard Dogs.
Another criticism gamers have is that the Call of Duty: Vanguard perk Cold Blooded does not help players avoid the dogs’ attacks. Redditor acatnamedpizza highlights the description, which claims “AI killstreaks will not target you.” However, Guard Dogs seem to be an exception to that rule, making the perk feel useless to those that have it equipped. With the killstreak having so much armor, too, the frustration is understandable.
With Call of Duty: Vanguard players wanting the Face Off mode to return, purely to avoid killstreaks, it is clear that the fan base is unhappy with the streaks in their current state. Hopefully, Sledgehammer Games will make some adjustments sooner than later, as the Dead Drop exploit is making already-strong streaks unbearable.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.