January 13, 2022

Call of Duty: Vanguard’s latest plan for the current era of Zombies has arrived, and it’s an enormously exciting time for players. The World War 2 shooter is still young, but developer Sledgehammer Games is pulling out all the stops to ensure Vanguard has staying power with Call of Duty veterans. Here’s everything you need to know about the Season One update, including details on new Zombies content and the upcoming Attack on Titan crossover.

What’s New With Zombies in Vanguard?

Survival gameplay comes to Shi No Numa in Vanguard Zombies’ new update.

Ahead of the celebratory “115 days”, January 15th, Zombies mode pioneers, Treyarch has shared an update of what’s to come. Black Ops Cold War introduced an enthralling era for Zombies with the Dark Aether storyline. Now, Vanguard is pushing the story forward with the promise of “roguelike” gameplay and the developer “soaking up” incredibly valuable feedback from players.

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To make good on that feedback, Treyarch will allow players to take the fight to the iconic map Shi No Numa. While the map has been briefly explored in the current Zombies experience, the latest update will introduce classic survival gameplay with the Void Objective.

“Clear the current wave of zombies, and the round goes up,” explained Treyarch in a press release. “Upgrade your weapon at the Pack-a-Punch machine, grind those camos, and survive as long as you can. You know the drill.”

Complete three rounds, and you’ll be asked to choose from two seemingly simple options: Flee or Survive. Brave it out in the swamps of Shi No Numa and you’ll be able to acquire 5,000 essence points. Make it past round 12 and you’ll be granted a unique reward that prevents Perks from dropping below Tier 2 if you’re downed. You may even get to see a glimpse of where the Dark Aether storyline is heading in the future. 

Leaving is completely optional, and the portal to Shi No Numa will remain open for the remainder of your Zombies match within Stalingrad. There are also opportunities to earn Sacrificial Hearts, which are vital to upgrading your Artifacts. 

Tombs of Rituals

The Tomb of Rituals will let you unlock powerful upgrades for your Artifacts.

Keep your Artifacts close, as Sacrificial Hearts can be used in the newly introduced Tombs of Rituals. Able to provide incredible upgrades to your Artifacts, Sacrificial Hearts are a great way to activate spellbinding abilities over the course of your game. 

You’ll be able to follow these upgrade paths along the way:

Frost Blast

• Tier I – Freezes normal and Special enemies for 3 seconds once they have been in the Frost Blast zone for 0.5 seconds.
• Tier II – Increases the Frost Blast radius by 100%.
• Tier III – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 3.
• Tier IV – Frozen normal enemies are insta-killed when damaged.

Energy Mine

• Tier I – Stuns normal and Special enemies hit by Energy Mine for 3 seconds.
• Tier II – Explodes 3 times in a row with a 0.75-second delay between explosions.
• Tier III – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 3.
• Tier IV – Increases the explosion radius by 66%.

Aether Shroud

• Tier I – Automatically reload weapons when activated.
• Tier II – Deal 500% bonus melee damage while active.
• Tier III – Gain 50% move speed while active. Duration extended from 5 seconds to 8 seconds.
• Tier IV – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 2.

Ring of Fire

• Tier I – Normal enemies inside the ring take damage equal to 2% of their max HP every second.
• Tier II – Players within the ring use ammo from stock.
• Tier III – Staying within the ring for up to 10 seconds increases the duration from 15 seconds to 20 seconds.
• Tier IV – Staying within the ring for up to 10 seconds increases your damage bonus from +50% to +75%.

Camos and Crafting

If you’re more of a camo grinder in Vanguard, this update will treat you to some wonderful new additions to Pack-A-Punch. Three new camos will be visible as you continue to upgrade your weapon, adding a delectable aesthetic edge to your zombie warfare. 

Accompanying these camos are two menacing additions to the Crafting Table: the Warmachine and Deathmachine. Both are viable Support options during the game, these additions will reign down hellfire on the undead. The Combat Shield, Katana, and Welgun SMG also appear through the mystery box and load-outs, offering a close-quarters edge for players of that persuasion.

Double XP For All!

Starting from 10am PT on January 14, players will be able to hop onto Vanguard for a dose of Double XP action. This will be live until the same time, January 18. 

Attack On Titan Content Finally Arrives

The Attack on Titan bundle includes several weapons inspired by the manga and anime series.

If all that Zombies content wasn’t enough, Sledgehammer Games is finally introducing the long-awaited Attack on Titan crossover to Warzone and Vanguard. According to the developers, the “epic collaboration” will be released on January 20. 

Players can purchase the Levi Edition Tracer Pack, which includes a whopping 10 items. The Titan Piercer is an exciting weapon blueprint fresh out of the anime’s lore. Players looking to make a statement can use the Steel Cut finishing move to humiliate unlucky enemies. 

Now if only we had Levi’s combat skills, too.

“Sgt. Daniel of the Hellhounds will be fully geared up for battle with the ‘Survey Corps’ Operator Skin included in this Bundle” stated Sledgehammer Games, with the Operator gaining a look inspired by fan-favorite character, Captain Levi Ackerman.

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Sam Comrie is a journalist and filmmaker based in Sheffield, UK. When he isn’t causing chaos in Just Cause 2, you can find him listening to Foo Fighters on repeat 24/7. Seen at NME, Red Bull Gaming, From Gamers Magazine, and JumpCut PLAY.