For Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies players that had given up on the game, the latest update was exactly what they needed to see. The midseason patch saw the addition of round-based Zombies content through a new objective type, with killstreaks added as well as some Pack-A-Punch camos. However, it is the Tome of Rituals that may be the most impactful addition of all.
Since launch, Call of Duty: Vanguard players have claimed that the game’s Artifacts are underpowered. This is understandable, as they are successors to the incredibly strong Field Upgrades from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. With those abilities able to be upgraded, it makes sense that players would want to do the same in Call of Duty: Vanguard - and thanks to the Tome of Rituals, they can do just that.
How Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Tome of Rituals Works
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Tome of Rituals provides buffs just like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Aetherium Crystals. However, the key difference is that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Field Upgrade tiers were permanent unlocks. Once players spent Crystals to boost Ring of Fire, Aether Shroud, or whatever other Field Upgrade they enjoy using, the abilities would stay upgraded forever. In Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies, things work differently.
The Tome of Rituals sees players getting the ability to upgrade their chosen Artifact four times, with these buffs only lasting for the match where they were purchased. Each of the upgrades requires one Sacrificial Heart, which is acquired by completing one of the Der Anfang objectives. This is a smart decision on the part of Treyarch, as it gives Sacrificial Hearts more of a purpose. With the currency also used for the Altar of Covenants, players will now need to be a bit strategic about when and where they use their Hearts.
All Call of Duty: Vanguard Tome of Rituals Upgrades
Players will get access to four additional upgrade tiers for every Artifact, and some are returning favorites from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies. The upgrades are as follows.
Frost Blast
- Tier 2: Normal and Special enemies are frozen for 3 seconds after they have been in the Frost Blast zone for half a second.
- Tier 3: The Frost Blast radius is increased by 100%.
- Tier 4: The number of Frost Blast charges increases from 1 to 3.
- Tier 5: Frozen normal enemies are instantly killed whenever they are damaged.
Energy Mine
- Tier 2: Stuns normal and Special enemies hit by an Energy Mine for 3 seconds.
- Tier 3: Mines explode 3 times in a row, with a 0.75 second delay between each of the explosions.
- Tier 4: Increases the number of Energy Mine charges from 1 to 3.
- Tier 5: Increases the explosion radius of Energy Mines by 66%.
Aether Shroud
- Tier 2: Automatically reload weapons whenever Aether Shroud is activated.
- Tier 3: Call of Duty: Vanguard players deal 500% bonus melee damage while Aether Shroud is active.
- Tier 4: Players gain 50% movement speed while Aether Shroud is active. The duration of Aether Shroud is extended from 5 seconds to 8 seconds.
- Tier 5: Increases the number of Aether Shroud charges from 1 to 2.
Ring of Fire
- Tier 2: Normal enemies inside the Ring of Fire take damage equal to 2% of their max HP every second.
- Tier 3: Players within the Ring of Fire use ammo from stock.
- Tier 4: Staying within the Ring of Fire for up to 10 seconds increases its duration from 15 seconds to 20 seconds.
- Tier 5: Staying within the Ring of Fire for up to 10 seconds increases players’ damage bonus from +50% to +75%.
The new upgrades should prove useful when going for high rounds in the Void objectives or when working on Season 2’s main quest easter egg. With Ring of Fire restored to its former glory, and Frost Blast’s insta-kill effect making it more viable in late-game fights, players should be able to rely on their chosen Artifacts a whole lot more.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.