Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies has arrived, and while it remains to be seen how well the mode will do in the long term, early reactions have not been the best. Longtime fans in particular seem to be let down by Call of Duty: Vanguard, with the mode lacking several things that had become staples of Zombies.
Obviously, the most controversial thing about Call of Duty: Vanguard is that Der Anfang is not a round-based map. Instead, players complete three objectives in three different regions, with the mode playing like a mix of Outbreak and Onslaught as opposed to Survival. However, while this lack of round-based content was on the list of missing features posted by Redditor TVC2389, it was far from the only issue that the player pointed out.
There is no main easter egg quest in Call of Duty: Vanguard at launch, with Treyarch stating that one is not coming until after Season 1. However, a bigger issue is that there have been no side easter eggs found thus far. With these mini objectives being crucial to other Zombies maps, as they give players something to do beyond the normal gameplay, there are far fewer side quests than expected inside Der Anfang. As such, the map has a lack of personality in the eyes of TVC2389 and several commenters.
The list mentions that there is no side mode like Dead Ops Arcade or Zombies Onslaught, meaning that if players dislike Der Anfang’s objective-focused style, they are out of luck. The lack of wall buys was pointed out, as was the decision to work ammo mods into the Altar of Covenants. Skill trees from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War were removed, meaning that players cannot upgrade their arsenals this time around. While perk tiers do return, they are purchased in-game every match as opposed to being a permanent unlock, which can be frustrating due to the prices of higher tiers.
Scorestreaks are not present, and while Treyarch has confirmed that features like server pause are in the works, they are not available in the current version of the mode. Perhaps the most shocking issue of all is that there seems to be no Wonder Weapons in Der Anfang, and if there is one, it has yet to be discovered. Even the Ray Gun is missing from the mode, which is shocking given the fact that it has appeared in every other Treyarch-made Zombies experience. No Pack-A-Punch camo is included, either, meaning that weapons do not look any stronger once they have been upgraded.
Hopefully, Treyarch takes these criticisms into consideration when designing post-launch Zombies content. Clearly, fans are disappointed in the mode’s new direction and the lack of expected features.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
