A day before release, the team behind Call of Duty: Vanguard is giving players a sneak peek at the weapons and loadout system launching with the game tomorrow. It's been several years since the franchise visited the WW2 era and Call of Duty: Vanguard aims to mix an iconic setting with modern systems.
Call of Duty: Vanguard utilizes a similar loadout system to what players have seen in Modern Warfare and Black Ops: Cold War. Customized loadouts for both multiplayer and zombies modes unlock at level four. The blog post gives an in-depth look at the weapons, perks, equipment, and offers some tips for starting out.
Players have access to the standard weapon loadout consisting of a primary weapon, secondary weapon, equipment, perks, field upgrades, and killstreaks/artifacts. The killstreaks are applicable to multiplayer whereas the artifacts come into play in Vanguard's Zombies mode. Equipment consists of lethal and tactical devices like frag grenades and stims. Field upgrades include items like a supply box to refill ammo and equipment to a jammer that jams the minimap of nearby enemies. Of course, players will also have access to blueprints for particular weapon configurations like in past titles.
Those familiar with the loadout system in Call of Duty should find themselves comfortable in Vanguard as well. There's not much, if anything outside of weapons, that has changed. But when a game has a system as comprehensive and intuitive as this, there's not much need to reinvent the wheel. For those experienced with one of the past three entries in the series, one shouldn't have any issues putting together a favored loadout and modifying it for the weapons available. For those new to the series, the tips provided as well as the premade loadouts give a solid foundation to start with.
It's good to see a rotation in the types of guns used throughout the franchise. It's one way to keep things feeling relatively fresh with each annual release. From the weapons of today in Modern Warfare to a throwback to the 80s in Black Ops: Cold War to the classics from an iconic era in Vanguard, each offers a fairly unique experience to the player. Call of Duty: Vanguard doesn't appear to drastically change the formula, but like previous entries, continues to refine it.
While consistency is good for an annual franchise like Call of Duty, one has to wonder at what point this weapon loadout system will grow stale. Some may argue that it won't and each additional release only refines the experience and adds to it. And knowing what to expect prior to investing always makes the buying decision that much easier. Love it or hate it, this weapon modification system is around for at least another year.
Call of Duty Vanguard releases November 5, 2021, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.
Source: Call of Duty Blog