At launch, Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies to bring major perk changes and no main quest

With only a few days left for the release of CoD: Vanguard Zombies, Treyarch has released more information on Zombies mode, including major changes to the iconic perk system, in a blog post published on November 1st. Vanguard's Der Anfang map will not include a main storyline Easter egg quest, according to the developers.

Dark Aether Abilities

Four Dark Aether entities were revealed for the launch of Vanguard in the recent worldwide reveal for Zombies. Through the use of ancient artefacts, these entities share their unique abilities with the playable operators. Additional abilities will be added after the launch, according to the new blog post, but no further details were provided.

At launch, players can expect four artefact options:

New Narrative Voices

These Dark Aether entities will contribute to the dialogue in Der Anfang, in addition to the gameplay benefits of using the Dark Aether artefacts. While demonologist Gabriel Krafft's voice will guide players through the map objectives, Oberführer Von List, Kortifex the Deathless, and the other Dark Aether entities will provide their own unique commentary throughout the game. Players will most likely want to try out all of the artefacts because each artefact's Dark Aether companion will have its own unique dialogue.

Altar Of Covenants Details Revealed

The Altar of Covenants, Treyarch's newest Zombies feature, gives players a variety of randomised upgrades to choose from. The Sacrificial Heart item, which is awarded to players each time they complete one of the map's objectives, can be used to purchase these upgrades. At any given time, players can equip up to three Covenants, and the Covenants available are randomly selected after each completed objective.

At launch, players will have access to 11 different Covenant upgrades, each with its own set of rarities, for a total of 32 upgrades to discover. The following are included in the initial set of upgrades:

Major Perk Changes

The Zombies perk system for Vanguard has undergone significant changes, according to Treyarch. As players complete objectives, they will gain access to new map areas, including the map's perk fountains. The base perk is now available for free for the first time in Zombies history. The game does, however, have upgradeable tiers that increase the power of the perks. This is similar to what players saw in Black Ops Cold War, but the tiers will be upgraded in-game by purchasing with Essence points earned from match rewards, whereas Cold War perks could only be upgraded once.

These are the five Perk Fountains available in “Der Anfang”:

Pack-a-Punch Changes

The Pack-a-Punch machine will still allow players to upgrade their weapons, but the initial upgrade cost will rise with the release of Der Anfang. Instead of the previous 5,000 points for the first Pack-a-Punch level, the first upgrade now costs 7,500 points, followed by 15,000 points for the second, and 30,000 points for the final upgrade.

Weapon tiers are now defined by their Pack-a-Punch level, which is marked by four colours:

Additionally, Vanguard Zombies, Pack-a-Punch weapons can now drop as loot from Vanguard's special Sturmkrieger enemy types or be awarded from the Mystery Box.

Custom and Preset loadouts

Continuing from Black Ops Cold War, you’ll have the ability to bring custom loadouts into Vanguard Zombies. This allows you to customize a starting primary or secondary weapon and designate the Artifact you’ll take into battle.

If you’re starting fresh on Day One, you might want to jump in with one of our five preset classes to get familiar with a variety of weapon classes and every Artifact. These include:

Post-Launch Content

Season 1 of Vanguard's post-launch content begins on December 2, bringing new content and features to Zombies. A new Der Anfang objective, new Covenants, new weapons, season challenges, holiday-themed updates, and more will be included in the seasonal update.

The main storyline quest will be missing from this year's Zombies mode. According to Treyarch, players will be surprised later in Season 1 with some surprises that will set the stage for the main quest to come.

Those who purchase Call of Duty: Vanguard for PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 will receive several exclusive bonuses, according to PlayStation's blog. Double XP events, extra custom loadout slots, five additional tier skips with the battle pass bundle, and more are among the benefits.