Call of Duty: Vanguard fans are likely still a month away from official information. Zombies info is typically revealed close to the launch of a new Call of Duty game, and Treyarch has specifically hinted that the All Hallow’s Eve event will bring the first look at the new mode. However, this has not stopped leaks from taking place, with insiders sharing major info and some interesting details found in the code for the game.
Call of Duty: Vanguard will supposedly be seeing the return of crafting, armor, and the upgrade system from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The same four Field Upgrades that Black Ops Cold War had at launch will apparently be returning, this time going by the name of Artifacts. New features include Sacrificial Hearts and Covenants, with the latter being some kind of challenge system and dataminers having no details on the former. However, the more surprising leaks are tied to War of the Dead, the mode’s first round-based map.
What War of the Dead’s Name Could Mean
While most of the small Zombies leaks can be attributed to various users that searched through the code of the Call of Duty: Vanguard beta, the larger leaks come courtesy of @TheMW2Ghost on Twitter. A reputable insider when it comes to early Call of Duty info, the leaker has proven correct on several occasions. As such, they have become a go-to source for fans that are on the hunt for some early info, and their latest comments about Zombies come with some major implications. For starters, they have claimed that the first Survival map for Call of Duty: Vanguard will be named War of the Dead.
Outside of fitting with the naming conventions of classic maps like Call of the Dead and Mob of the Dead, the name War of the Dead could have two meanings. The less likely option is that players will finally see The Great War, a legendary battle from the original Aether universe that was hyped up across several maps. While this map was teased heavily, the story went in a surprising direction, subverting expectations and never letting players actually experience The Great War in-game. While the Aether story is now over, and Treyarch is clearly moving on with its new Dark Aether story, many would like to see one last map in the Aether universe that shows this conflict.
While there is a small possibility that this title refers to The Great War, it is far more likely that it is referencing World War 2. Given Call of Duty: Vanguard’s World War 2 setting, it would make sense if the Zombies content was themed around that era as well. With Treyarch confirming that Vanguard Zombies will be a prequel, the most likely scenario is that the map will show other attempts made by the Nazis to build an undead army. Like Projekt Endstation, players will likely see hidden experiments that went awry, defeating the undead and cleansing each area. With most of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies characters being either too young or not yet born at the time of the war, it will be interesting to see how a World War 2-focused prequel connects.
Why War of the Dead’s Release Date Is Such A Big Deal
Alongside confirmation of the map name for the first round-based map in Call of Duty: Vanguard, @TheMW2Ghost shocked fans with their information on its release date. While the insider does clarify that the information is subject to change, it was shared by two different sources, meaning it is likely true. Apparently, War of the Dead will not launch alongside the rest of the game on November 5. Instead, it will debut in Season 1, which is set to begin on November 23.
While this is only a few weeks of waiting, having no round-based map at launch will still be a first for Treyarch. Every other Treyarch-made Zombies mode has had at least one map on day one, giving all players a traditional experience to jump into upon release. As for the Call of Duty series as a whole, only Sledgehammer’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare had a similar strategy. In that game, Exo Zombies was saved for the first expansion pack, with only an easter egg that revealed the mode was coming being included in the base version of the futuristic FPS.
It will be interesting to see how Call of Duty Zombies fans react to this surprising change. While it does make sense given the fact that Treyarch will be releasing a new round-based map in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War during Season 6, it will surely disappoint some players. Still, the delay will hopefully result in a better map and experience, something that should always take priority. On the bright side, the final thing @TheMW2Ghost mentioned about Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies is that there will still be some content for fans of the mode on launch day.
What Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies’ Launch Content Could Look Like
While Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies will not be getting a traditional Survival map until Season 1, fans will be getting access to a new type of experience. According to @TheMW2Ghost, this mode will be a mixture of Outbreak, Onslaught, and round-based Zombies. Based on that description, it will be different from what Zombies fans are used to - something that lines up perfectly with the comments Treyarch made back when Vanguard Zombies was first announced.
As for how this mode will play, fans currently have no clue how it will work. Zombies Onslaught sees two players fighting waves of the undead on Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer maps, while Outbreak has them completing objectives in the massive multi-team locations. How exactly Onslaught’s fast-paced gameplay loop can mesh with the slower style of Outbreak is tough to imagine, and the confirmation that some round-based influence will be present only complicates things further.
Perhaps the experience will take place in one massive region instead of having players teleport constantly like they do in Outbreak mode. Onslaught’s orb-focused objective could be one of the missions players have to complete in this new experience, while the play space could be detailed and full of easter eggs like a proper round-based map. Outbreak’s focus on looting could stay, with players exploring a location made specifically for Zombies as opposed to something that is reworked from multiplayer. This is purely speculation based on a leak, however, and fans should take it with a grain of salt. Either way, having a brand-new game mode instead of a Survival map as the day one content is interesting, as it instantly sets Call of Duty: Vanguard apart from past iterations of Zombies.
Call of Duty: Vanguard launches November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Reddit