CoD Vanguard: Map Guide for Sub Pens

Sub Pens is a medium sized indoors multiplayer map that released with Call of Duty: Vanguard's launch on November 5. It was originally designed for 6v6 matches in standard multiplayer modes, though it is also available at multiple combat pacing's. Set in, as the map's name suggests, a Nazi Submarine Pen, this is a remake of the classic World at War map. Unlike the original map, though, this is a multiplayer map in 2021. Let's be real, if all of the maps in Call of Duty: Vanguard were like this, it would be a pretty shocking game. Here's the map description:

A U-boat base off the coast of France, this is where the Vanguard Special Forces make their attempt to disrupt the Axis’s Project Phoenix. This small-sized map has a massive submarine at center.

Possibly the biggest travesty of this particular map is that it takes an old classic that has been butchered within an inch of its life. The thing is, though, there are moments of genious here, and if you are sprinting around the flanking areas, there is certainly a decent amount of fun to be had here (a whole lot more than on the likes of Oasis, for example). Here is our Sub Pens Map Guide!

• All Multiplayer Maps in CoD: Vanguard

Vanguard Sub Pens Map Guide: The Map

Call of Duty: Vanguard's Sub Pens Map is a classic three-lane map, but with a twist. The central lane is a wide-open area with a giant U-Boat in its Pen. You can't go inside, which is fine, but you can climb on top, underneath, and around the sides. The significant thing to look out for, though, is that this central area is so badly flanked by the surrounding areas, and in particular, a large open window on the Western end of the map. Look out for this area, as you are bound to be sniped. Check out the Sub Pens Mini-map:

Vanguard Sub Pens Map Guide: Gameplay Overview & Tactics

Sub Pens was originally a DLC map for World at War, an absolute classic Call of Duty game from 2008. It's a close-range map that's quite drab, dark, and set on a submarine. Run up the lanes on either side of the Submarine, and engage in intense firefights in the surrounding areas, which feature a number of tunnels as well as a wide-open room that overlooks the entire map.

Sub Pens has great flow for an indoor CoD Map, but it isn't ideal when it comes to those sections on top of the Submarine. In fact, the key problem here is that the entire Submarine section is redundant due to the fact that it is flanks on two sides by high-up areas where players can fire down upon you, but you can't really fire upon them. This makes the map hard to prepare for, but we certainly do suggest to avoid this central submarine area as much as you possibly can.

Check out our gameplay first impressions of Call of Duty: Vanguard's Sub Pens Map:

We recommend an assault class loadout, featuring an assault rifle and possibly a shotgun for those intense areas around the Submarine. Avoid the Submarine, and thus avoid the need for any long-ranged combat and this will be absolutely perfect for Sub Pens. Keep a few lethals in your arsenal for those corridor like interiors, but be careful not to waste them as at times they will be the difference between life and death. The only other thing we would say is this: don't look at the water, it looks unbelievably bad.

• Call of Duty: Vanguard Campaign Review | A Dull Return to WW2