When Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies was first revealed, it quickly became apparent that Treyarch was taking a big risk. Alongside entirely new mechanics like the Altar of Covenants, the latest take on Zombies moves away from the round-based format completely. Instead, players will constantly be completing objectives as opposed to just surviving, forced to do exactly what the game is telling them to at all times.

While taking risks is admirable, it has become clear that Zombies fans are not happy about what Call of Duty: Vanguard has to offer. A vast majority of the comments about the mode have been negative, with loyal players and content creators alike bashing Der Anfang and advising their fellow gamers not to buy the game if they only care about Zombies. While there is a chance that Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies improves in the future, the community reaction is clear; while the new mode gets some things right, it gets a lot more wrong.

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The Good: A Welcome Focus On Storytelling In CoD Zombies

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One of the biggest complaints regarding Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies was just how quiet Operators were. Aside from some generic quips when players picked up a mystery box weapon or got a few rapid kills, the playable characters were silent about all the craziness going on around them. This broke immersion, and with no conversations between the Operators, there was no reason to care about them whatsoever.

In Der Anfang’s story, though, Operators are more talkative. While players still have voices speaking to them as the match progresses, like Kortifex and Von List, the real star of the show is the Dark Aether entities that speak directly to the player’s character. Tied to each of the four field upgrades, these mysterious characters add a lot of humor and interesting lore as the match progresses. This dialogue between humans and demons is always intriguing, and it has the potential to make things like the upcoming main quest a whole lot more interesting.

While storytelling is the one major strength of Der Anfang, it is worth noting that the framework for the mode is solid. While objectives are not for everyone, most would likely enjoy the concept of the mode a lot more if it if it was a secondary option like Outbreak as opposed to the only choice. The Altar of Covenants also has a lot of potential, and it should only get better when more Covenants are added. Still, while Der Anfang can be made significantly better with time, it is hard not to see it as a step down from what Zombies is capable of.

The Bad: Unnecessary Changes To The CoD Zombies Formula

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Obviously, the change to a gameplay style that is so different from just surviving is a major problem. While Treyarch could have pleased round-based fans by offering a closed-off version of Shi No Numa, that has not happened. There is no traditional Zombies content whatsoever in Call of Duty: Vanguard, with players having no choice but to play the hugely different Der Anfang. While this is smart from one point of view, as it funnels all players into the new mode and forces them to give it a chance, this becomes frustrating for those who prefer how things used to be.

Zombies has had a round-based approach since its inception, so Call of Duty suddenly leaving that behind has been jarring for many players. Modes like Grief and Outbreak never caused as much frustration as Der Anfang for the sole reason that there was still normal, round-based content to enjoy alongside them. Stepping away from the type of Zombies gameplay that made the mode such a hit is something that nobody was asking for, as fans did not want Zombies to change this drastically. Players should always have options, and Call of Duty: Vanguard not allowing for that has understandably resulted in controversy. The situation is comparable to what would happen if a Call of Duty multiplayer launched without Domination, Search and Destroy, and Team Deathmatch, only offering brand-new modes instead.

On top of what feels like a complete abandonment of round-based Zombies fans, the perk system also feels like an unnecessary change. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s perk upgrades were a huge hit with players, as tiers could be unlocked at the main menu by spending an in-game currency. This made for permanent, RPG-like decisions, but Call of Duty: Vanguard’s approach sees perks being upgraded every match. While this would not be bad on its own, the price for the upgrades is absurd, especially with the beverages offering fewer benefits than the ones in Black Ops Cold War. With even experienced players being unable to fully upgrade all their perks in each match, the new upgrade system feels significantly worse, with players spending far more on five perks than they did on 10 in the previous Zombies mode.

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The Ugly: Missing Features That CoD Zombies Fans Love

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However, the biggest problem with Der Anfang is not expensive perks or even the switch away from round-based gameplay. While some Zombies fans may have been willing to take a chance on a bold new mode, the problem is that it lacks the polish and the features that fans have come to expect. Players cannot pause their matches like they have been able to in Treyarch’s past few iterations of Zombies, with that feature not coming until Season 1. There is no Pack-A-Punch camo, making upgrades feel lackluster since guns look no different. Most shocking of all, there is not a single Wonder Weapon in Der Anfang, with not even a Ray Gun able to be used by players.

Given how much personality Wonder Weapons like the Chrysalax have added to their respective maps, Der Anfang feels like it is missing something with no unique weapon for players to strive for. Mystery Box hits are less exciting because of this, and players feel significantly weaker than they have in other Zombies modes. Considering that Der Anfang is comprised of reused multiplayer and campaign assets, a Wonder Weapon of some kind could have helped the map to stand out and feel more original. This is just the tip of the iceberg, though, as the mode is lacking the biggest thing that makes Zombies unique - easter eggs.

While Treyarch has said that Der Anfang’s main quest is being saved until after Season 1, the bigger problem is the lack of side quests for players to complete in Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies. There is no easter egg song to discover, no fun easter eggs like Forsaken’s ghost or arcade machines, and no Wonder Weapon upgrade quest. Players have nothing to do apart from completing objectives, which is a genuine problem since it severely limits replayability. While the older Zombies content may have seemed like it was just surviving against waves of the undead, there was so much more to do beneath the surface. Sadly, when it comes to Der Anfang, players will have seen all it has to offer after a single match.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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