Call of Duty: Vanguard: Everything we know

Ready for Call of Duty: Vanguard? With the Call of Duty's annual release schedule, there's always something to look forward to for fans of the series. Officially announced back in August, Sledgehammer Games has revealed plenty for us to pore over as we prepare for our return to World War 2.

Call of Duty: WWII only launched in 2017, but Vanguard is taking us back to the 1940s again, and hopefully bringing a new version of the war we've seen play out in games and Hollywood many times over. 

Players have already had a chance to give the open beta a go in September, although Morgan's first impressions were that it's like Modern Warfare with wimpier guns. Nevertheless, with the imminent Call of Duty: Vanguard release date, there's plenty more look forward to, whether you're a Zombies fanatic, a Multiplayer grinder, or a Warzone camper.

When is the Call of Duty Vanguard release date?

The Call of Duty: Vanguard release date is November 5, 2021. Initially revealed in August 2021, a steady stream of information has been coming out ever since. With Multiplayer, Zombies, and Warzone all making their return for this year's WWII-based COD instalment.

Everything we know about Call of Duty Vanguard's multiplayer

Call of Duty: Vanguard works on the Modern Warfare/Warzone game engine, so it'll feel like reuniting with an old friend if you've experience with those. With 20 maps available to play, there'll be plenty of stuff to get stuck into at launch, and 16 of them will be traditional Multiplayer maps.

The other four are unique maps for the brand new Champion Hill game mode, which combines the limited lives of Search and Destroy with the frantic action of Team Deathmatch. There's also Patrol, which plays like Hardpoint, but the capture point moves through the map and forces encounters with the enemy team, along with the potential for some sly tactics. 

According to the Call of Duty blog, there are going to be even more options for customising your Multiplayer experience. There are three types of lobbies you're able to queue up for in the 'Combat Pacing' system, allowing you to choose between smaller and larger lobbies depending on how you feel like playing.

The Gunsmith loadout system is back, but with the option of up to ten attachments slots for some weapons. Hopefully, that'll be good for the meta and lead to some fun and unique gun builds. Sledgehammer has also added a destruction system in Vanguard, allowing players to tactically break bits of scenery and create their own hidey-holes around the map, while sliding your mounted weapon along edges.

What about Call of Duty: Vanguard/Warzone integration?

Warzone was one of the first places in which Call of Duty: Vanguard was teased. In August, there was a chance for winning teams to be sniped during the ending cutscene by Vanguard protagonist, Polina Petrova. Then, the Battle of Verdansk mission took place, forcing whole lobbies to take down a giant bullet-sponge train. It was a hilarious mess.

So we're sure to receive new Warzone stuff when Call of Duty: Vanguard comes out, including a new full-size Warzone map for the first time since Warzone launched in early 2020. We've had our fun in Verdansk, but it's definitely time for something new. 

Raven Software is working closely with Sledgehammer to make the integration as smooth as possible, and I expect to see plenty of guns enter the fray once Vanguard finally releases. Keep your eye out for our updated lists on the best Warzone loadouts—the meta is going to shift significantly.

What can we expect from Call of Duty: Vanguard's Zombies mode?

Zombies will be back in Call of Duty: Vanguard, led by the studio responsible for it all:  Treyarch. With The Haunting event underway, we're seeing zombies drop into Warzone again, so check that out if you're in the mood for some undead action. And keep your eyes peeled for future zombies in Verdansk during the event: Sharp fans will undoubtedly spot hints as to where the mode will go next.

Following the recent Zombies announcement, we know more about the mode and name of the map you'll be playing on: Der Anfang. It'll be a classic Zombies map with brutal gameplay and undoubtedly a hilariously esoteric Easter egg storyline to uncover.

Story-wise, we know that Nazi Oberführer Wolfram Von List was able to plunder alien artefacts with the power to bond humans with Dark Aether entities. It's all very arcane, but what's happened is that Von List has managed to gain the power to raise the dead. This just keeps happening.

Der Anfang is based in Stalingrad, the site of one of the bloodiest battles in history with an estimated 2 million casualties. The mass graves of Stalingrad seem like a decent option for a fascist looking to raise an army of zombies, I guess. He has access to all the undead baddies you're used to, as well as new additions like the Sturmkrieger, who has a machine gun (seems unfair) and the Boom Schreiers, who'll blow up in your face.

The gameplay of Vanguard Zombies will be slightly different than what we're used to. Der Anfang will now offer us the opportunity to get right into the action, transporting you through portals right into the thick of it. You'll be travelling to other Zombies maps like Shi No Numa and Multiplayer map, Hotel Royal, completing objectives, and gaining upgrades in your base at Stalingrad. There'll even be new loot items known as the Altar of Covenants. This offers a random upgrade every time you return from an objective, from familiar favourites like Brain Rot to Ammo Gremlin, who reloads holstered weapons over time.

What are the Vanguard campaign story and setting like?

The Call of Duty: Vanguard campaign is set in World War II and features battles from all four fronts. That's Western, Eastern, the Pacific, and North Africa. 

Throughout the campaign, you'll be tasked with taking multiple different characters with unique points of view through the action of tide-turning battles in the war. The characters are special forces agents who are loosely, but not one hundred per cent, based on real soldiers who fought during WWII. Four characters are available:

• Sgt. Arthur Kingsley, British paratrooper and leader of Task Force One
• Lt. Polina Petrova, sniper for the Red Army
• Lt. 1st Class Wade Jackson of the US Navy
• Pvt. Lucas Riggs of the Australian Army

These allied soldiers have put together Task Force One, a special unit that must face down SS and Gestapo leader, Heinrich Freisinger, who's attempting to keep Nazi rule intact during the twilight of the war.

It's a waiting game to find out more, so let's just hope the campaign lives up to the billing of being a world-spanning, epic adventure telling renditions of real-life stories of remarkable soldiers.

Will the Zombies Easter egg storyline make any sense at all?

Absolutely not.