While there has been a fair bit of negativity around Call of Duty: Warzone since the launch of Caldera, one thing that has been heavily praised is the Vanguard playlists. Unfortunately, the latest Call of Duty: Warzone playlist update removed these options from the game, and fans are not pleased about the change back to traditional battle royale.
Call of Duty: Warzone’s Vanguard playlists have the same rules as normal battle royale matches, with one key difference: they only feature items from Call of Duty: Vanguard. This has been popular among players for several reasons, with the first being that everyone has a level playing field. Gamers are forced to use the same batch of guns, with many needing to level them up instead of having them all maxed out from the start. Further, the focused item pool removes controversial items like the Heartbeat Sensor, making for a less frustrating experience.
Despite all the praise for the Vanguard Royale playlists, Call of Duty: Warzone developer Raven Software has decided to remove them from the playlist rotation this week. On one hand, this is understandable, as the main playlists are excluding a lot of the weapons and content that is in the game. For Call of Duty players who miss the gear from Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War, this change is likely good news. However, for players who prefer the more balanced approach, this is a disappointing decision.
In response to the playlist announcement from Raven Software, Call of Duty: Warzone player and streamer FaZe Kalei questioned the developer about its choice. Spamming question marks and asking why the change was made, the pro player is clearly disappointed in the playlist adjustment. She also points out that only Plunder has kept the Vanguard rules, meaning that players will have to play the loot-focused game mode if they do not want to deal with weapons and gear from the other integrated Call of Duty titles.
Another professional Call of Duty player, @MVapulear, was just as frustrated as Kalei. After seeing the change, the streamer said that the game is “finished” if the Vanguard playlists do not return. With high profile content creators like TimTheTatman and Dr Disrespect already making their dislike for Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific clear, the last thing that the game needs is more complaints from influential voices. Unfortunately, it seems like this change is just not what the fan base wanted to see.
With changes like Call of Duty: Warzone’s ADS adjustments proving controversial as well, the community is clearly not pleased with the current state of the game. Hopefully, Raven Software can respond to the feedback sooner rather than later, finding a middle ground that satisfies a majority of players.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.