Call of Duty: Vanguard multiplayer preview — New modes don't change up the formula

Call Of Duty Vanguard Multiplayer Hotel Battle Source: Activision Blizzard

Update, Sep. 9, (5:xx pm ET): Shortly afterwards this preview initially went live, Sledgehammer Games announced that Call of Duty: Vanguard volition have an FOV slider on console at launch.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is the next entry in the annual franchise, with Sledgehammer Games taking the helm this yr. While our prior Phone call of Duty: Vanguard preview gave us overview of what pb programmer Sledgehammer Games is doing with the campaign — which stretches beyond four theaters of World War 2 — nosotros were recently invited to a digital event to check out the Call of Duty: Vanguard open beta a little early.

Much like the prior preview though, this comes at a time when Sledgehammer Games' parent company Activision Blizzard is facing a lawsuit, alleging sexist workplace practices and systemic abuse. It'll be a while before we get further updates simply it's something to keep in mind.

I got to play around three hours of Phone call of Duty: Vanguard's multiplayer offering, with several new and returning modes to explore. A lot of it is precisely what veterans of the serial will expect but at that place's a few new wrinkles to consider.

Old setting, new ways to play

Call Of Duty Vanguard Multiplayer Gavutu Docks Source: Activision Blizzard

Map variety is strong, with a broad range of locations that expect great. A Pacific isle is battered by storms as you lot weave through scuttled ships on the shore. A hotel in Paris goes from a pristine getaway location to a shooting gallery. Thick Russian snowfall blanketing buildings becomes spattered with blood. Sledgehammer Games previously promised that 20 maps volition exist in Phone call of Duty: Vanguard at launch and what we saw here is promising.

Map diversity is stiff, with a wide range of locations that await slap-up.

For better or for worse, histrion setup is extremely par the grade for this franchise. Create-a-Form returns with no massive overhauls. There's a variety of attachments and perks to cull from but overall it's nothing players haven't seen and used multiple games over.

I of the primal new modes in Telephone call of Duty: Vanguard is Patrol, where matches play out somewhat similarly to Domination but with a neat twist: There's just one zone to capture and it slowly merely steadily moves around the map. Every bit a result, combat is a constant seesaw between the two teams, with clever plays and grenade spam needed to clear the area in order to go a moment'southward residuum. Exercise y'all save killstreaks for the correct moment and move together with your team, or but constantly trickle in? Either style, it'south a frenetic mode and one I enjoyed a fair bit.

The killstreaks themselves are a mixed bag. Dogs are back, in perhaps their most infuriating grade ever, and then gear up to have your middle leap every time you hear the unmistakable sound of barking that precedes incoming one-hitting kill bites. Meanwhile, the Flamenaut suit is an armored reward that grants players increased protection and a flamethrower with space fuel. This is, in theory, a proficient idea also equally being a neat spin on the iconic Juggernaut adapt. In practice though, myself and others found that whenever the Flamenaut was called in, there was a high chance of the game immediately crashing, an issue that I hope Sledgehammer tin can gear up before long.

Unfortunately, Patrol was the exception, non the rule. If you're looking for lots of new modes exterior of the already-announced Champion Hill, there'south zero here to exist found.

Ramping up the chaos

Call Of Duty Vanguard Multiplayer Preview Beta Snow Source: Windows Central

Team Deathmatch and most other modes we played are notwithstanding pretty much what you'd wait, just the new "Pacing" system adds an interesting twist. Players can set their preferred pacing to determine how frenetic a lucifer is. If you similar standard 6v6 team sizes, you tin stay with that model. If you've ever wondered what happens when 24 players are packed and crammed into maps designed for 10-12 players, Blitz is the Pacing mode for you. I actually enjoyed the absurdity of information technology, equally players are mowed down in massive waves and killstreaks rain down with abandon. As long equally you don't take it too seriously, I tin run across this being a groovy way to make it laughs with friends and blow off some stress.

A more direct result is the spawning system. Spawns are hit-or-miss in general and are hardly ever considered "good," but the spawns I experienced beyond these maps are hands some of the worst ever in a Call of Duty title. I'd find myself continually spawning behind or in front of an enemy, leading to a lot of immediate deaths and kills that feel unfair for both sides.

New tech with mixed results

Source: Activision Blizzard

Sledgehammer is using the latest version of Infinity Ward'due south engine and even at this early phase, the new destruction technology has potential. Shooting out windows, doors, and floorboards to open up up new lines of sight every bit a match progresses feels adept and it works far improve than in the prior public Blastoff examination for the Champion Hill mode.

Archetype World War Two guns similar the BAR and MG42 feel good to shoot only the audio pattern doesn't feel quite correct. In that location'south a tinny sound to almost every firearm and the audio in full general seemed lower than normal across the board, something other players noticed as well.

Information technology's likewise worth mentioning that if you've enjoyed the inclusion of an FOV (field-of-view) slider on panel in Call of Duty: Warzone and Telephone call of Duty: Black Ops Cold State of war, ready for thwarting hither. Sledgehammer Games confirmed to us that at least for the Open Beta, the console versions of Call of Duty: Vanguard exercise not include an FOV slider. Hopefully this is something that'll modify by launch afterwards this year.

Summing it up

Call Of Duty Vanguard Multiplayer Eagle Nest Outside Source: Activision Blizzard

Overall, a lot of what is on offering in the multiplayer portion of Call of Duty: Vanguard is quite promising. At the same time, simply a couple of months out from launch, there's definitely still work to exist done in polishing and balancing everything beyond the lath. New modes like Patrol and the shenagins of Blitz are enticing, but if you're looking for this game to be a complete revolution or even general shake-up of everything Call of Duty offers, it'll autumn short.

At the end of the mean solar day, this is more Phone call of Duty.

At the terminate of the day, this is more than Call of Duty. A lot of players are going to appreciate that formula but I was personally hoping for a chip more than innovation than just a couple of new modes. This is doubly true because that the game is revisiting World War II, an arena that has been covered by many, many games before.

Call of Duty is an accented force from Activision, a sales juggernaut that is making its yearly debut in spite of the pandemic affecting game development worldwide. Every single studio at Activision now works on the Call of Duty brand, with every studio bar Infinity Ward directly contributing to the development of Vanguard. I hope this efficiency isn't coming at a price to potential innovation and creativity.

With both multiplayer and the campaign revealed, the last mode still shrouded in mystery is Zombies, which is again headed by Treyarch.

There's several dissimilar editions of Call of Duty: Vanguard available for preorder, though prospective players should annotation that unlike many titles, Call of Duty: Vanguard does non support Smart Commitment on Xbox or a free upgrade on PlayStation, meaning y'all'll demand to pay more to access the electric current-generation featureset. A lot of these features take non yet been confirmed but judging from other recently-upgraded Phone call of Duty titles, the features could include faster loading, ray tracing or 120 FPS support.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is currently scheduled to launch on Nov. five, 2022 for Xbox Serial X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4 and PC through Battle.internet.

Update, Sep. nine (5:20 pm ET) — FOV slider is coming at launch

A curt time after this preview was published, Sledgehammer Games revealed that the panel versions of Call of Duty: Vanguard will include an FOV slider at launch on Nov. v.

Best pick

Call Of Duty Vanguard Cross Gen Bundle Reco Box

Phone call of Duty: Vanguard — Cross-Gen Parcel

The piece of cake choice

If yous intend to play on Xbox Series X or Xbox Series Southward, this is the version of the game to catch. You'll want information technology to expect and run equally skillful as possible, which does mean information technology'll be a fleck more than expensive.

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