The launch of Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: Vanguard is around the corner on November 5, and today we’re excited to share a deeper dive of two of the game’s core modes. It’s time to take a closer look at the epic characters and stories you’ll encounter in the single-player Campaign mode and in Zombies, developed by Treyarch.
From the international heroes forming the original Special Forces group in the Campaign, to the undead threat of Kortifex the Deathless players will encounter in the latest iteration of Zombies, Call of Duty: Vanguard is set to take Xbox players on one wild ride on November 5. This is in addition to the massive amount of content players will experience with 20 maps coming to the Multiplayer mode on that day.
Campaign: The Rise or Special Forces
In the single-player Campaign for Vanguard, Sledgehammer Games is bringing you to history-altering battles across multiple fronts, seen through the eyes of five ordinary soldiers who become heroes during the intense trials of World War II. The story of Vanguard is ultimately about the origins of the original Special Forces unit made up of these soldiers — Task Force One — and about stopping a plot that could spearhead a Nazi resurgence as WWII appears to be coming to an end.
The Campaign’s arc begins at its climax: as a newly recruited Operator within the newly-formed Task Force One, you are en route to a heavily fortified U-Boat facility to obtain vital Nazi military intelligence — stemming from something code-named Project Phoenix — before it is smuggled out of Germany.
The rest of your squad is made up of five soldiers whose individual actions helped turn the tide of World War II across four major fronts: Australian Private Lucas Riggs in the North Africa Campaign, American Lieutenant Wade Jackson in the Pacific, Russian Lieutenant Polina Petrova who defended her home country in Stalingrad, British Sergeant Richard Webb in France, and your leader: Sergeant Arthur Kingsley of the British Army’s 9th Parachute Battalion, also in France.
Through Vanguard’s Campaign, you get to experience the moments that made each of these soldiers heroes in some of the most significant battles in WWII, and learn how they came together to form Task Force One. You will also get to know the concept of international “Special Forces,” and ultimately, what brings them face-to-face with the man who is spearheading Project Phoenix: the ruthless Nazi Officer Hermann Wenzel Freisinger.
The Next Chapter in the Zombies Saga: This is Der Anfang
Now that we’ve touched on the immersive Campaign, it’s time to go into the terrors of the undead. Also coming to Call of Duty: Vanguard on November 5 is the next iteration of Zombies, developed by Treyarch, the studio who first brought the mode to Call of Duty in 2008.
In Call of Duty: Vanguard, Treyarch is introducing a Zombies experience that builds on the Dark Aether universe introduced in Black Ops Cold War, in a franchise-first crossover that provides continuity from a lore standpoint while innovating on the core gameplay loop.
Black Ops Cold War told of the opening of the Dark Aether gateway at Projekt Endstation. As the Nazi experiment went catastrophically wrong, a hole was punched open in the dimensional veil, clearing the pathway for Dark Aether entities to make their way into this mortal realm.
“Der Anfang” — the Beginning — introduces players to these Dark Aether entities via their artifacts, which were plundered by antagonist Oberführer Wolfram Von List, a Nazi officer in search of mystical antiquities to help turn the tide of the war in the Axis’ favor.
Players will find themselves in the snowy graveyard of Stalingrad, held in by the dark magic of Kortifex the Deathless, one of five Dark Aether entities who bond with mortals via their otherworldly artifacts. The other four — Saraxis the Shadow, Norticus the Conqueror, Inviktor the Destroyer, and Bellekar the Warlock — are in revolt against Kortifex, and are now there to help you defeat him and Von List.
Von List, now bonded with Kortifex, has gained the power to raise the dead. What better field to create an army of undead than the mass graves of Stalingrad, a year following the Nazis’ worst defeat in one of the war’s most decisive battles?
In Call of Duty: Zombies, Treyarch takes players straight to the action, whether they’re looking for a quick match or a deep run. In addition to classic features like Perks, weapon upgrades, and Pack-A-Punch, they’ll encounter the all-new Altar of Covenants, giving randomized upgrades for unique build options in every match.
Developed on the same engine as the rest of Vanguard, Zombies provides a seamless experience between all three of the game’s core modes. You will also be able to advance through Vanguard’s Battle Pass system via unified progression between Multiplayer, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Zombies. Additionally, your player level is shared between the modes, so you’re always progressing in tandem for a fully unified experience.
With an immersive and rich single-player Campaign, an action-packed new Zombies experience, and a massive launch-day Multiplayer offering coming to Call of Duty: Vanguard, there will be a mode for every type of player from day one.
Now gear up and be prepared to deploy starting November 5.
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