Call of Duty: Vanguard has launched to a far more positive reception than people might have been expecting. And one of the biggest reasons for that is the multiplayer.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is already earning its name as a strong Call of Duty. We're very happy with it ourselves, and one of the biggest reasons for that has been the strength of the multiplayer experience. Here's our complete review!
The Maps
The maps are simply phenomenal. We knew a lot of them would be because so many of them were remasters from Call of Duty: World at War, but wow, even their original creations can meet the standard of Castle and Dome. For a full rundown of the maps (including footage of each ) just check out this guide.
A particular highlight would be Bocage, a French farm, that packs so much variation into a mid-size map it deserves a place among the top tier of maps in franchise history. And maps alone count for so much in a Call of Duty multiplayer experience that this really puts Vanguard in a strong position.
The Weapons & TTK
The weapons look and feel great, at the moment the MP40 and the Stg44 are too strong, but Call of Duty always open the games with one or two super-strong weapons that are easy to use. This just allows for parity early on in the game's life cycle.
The TTK is in a strong place, being faster than BOCW but slower than Modern Warfare 2019. The only real issue is here is the bullet bloom which means even when your crosshair is directly on an enemy you still might miss - but this is unpopular and might yet be changed.
Combat Pacing
The real standout highlight of Vanguard's multiplayer is the combat pacing system, the idea is that on any map you can choose to play either Tactical, Assault, or Blitz. This decides how densely populated the match is, and effectively how chaotic it is. With Tactical pacing, you get a game thats tense, and with Blitz, you get a shipment-like game. It's a fantastic way to capture multiple audiences.
Final Verdict? 8/10
Call of Duty: Vanguard is a great multiplayer experience and while the Champion Hill mode they tried to introduce was a bit of a failure, overall, it's very strong. Great maps, great weapons, a good TTK, and all built on a strong engine. At the moment we just need a few nerfs in the right places and the return of classic gunfight. Seriously devs, please drop Champion Hill.