Anyone who is even remotely familiar with the Call of Duty franchise is well aware of the infamous "Press F to Pay Respects" moment. Originating from 2014's Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare during an early campaign funeral scene, the odd moment has gone on to cement itself as a meme and in the lexicon of gamers everywhere. This hasn't been lost on Call of Duty: Vanguard's developers, who have cleverly incorporated the "F" meme into the game.
Call of Duty: Vanguard, the latest entry in the long-running Call of Duty series officially launches today. The new title features a wide variety of new and legacy content, including over 20 multiplayer maps at launch. There are certain notable improvements from last year's title, including things like dedicated Zombies servers, something Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War players had been asking for since launch.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is developed by Sledgehammer Games, the same one behind Advanced Warfare, and therefore the "Press F to Pay Respects" meme. As demonstrated by Twitter user MissMolle, players can attain the amusing achievement (or trophy) only in the campaign, and only if they do a specific, rather suicidal action. The video shows the player making quick work of an enemy dog, then realizing a grenade is at their feet. While MissMolle attempts to throw the explosive back, it detonates just before release, killing them instantly and granting the trophy.
The meme-themed achievement is sure to spike the amount of players intentionally dying by their own hand for the sake of it. However, it isn't the only achievement in Call of Duty: Vanguard inspired by a meme. As made famous by the original 90s commercials, and even moreso by Family Guy, players can get an "OH YEAH!' achievment/trophy inspired by the Kool-Aid Man. Highlighting Vanguard's increased environment destructibility, players must Tactical Sprint through at least five destructible walls in the campaign.
While Call of Duty: Vanguard seems to have its hand well on the pulse of internet culture, 2020's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has a hilarious meme Easter Egg of its own. In Die Maschine, Black Ops Cold War's first Zombies map, players can trigger the famous "Coffin Dance" by hitting all five blue orbs hidden across the map. After the final orb is hit, zombies will break out into the viral video dance, complete with fluorescent lighting, a dancy beat, and a crate to mimic Ghana's famous pallbearers. Its safe to say all gamers appreciate unexpected meme content in Call of Duty titles.
With Call of Duty: Vanguard's release, there's bound to be some viral moments of its own that will surface online sooner or later. In the meantime, players may feel like pressing "F" for this player who spawned at the enemy spawn.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Polygon