Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Ranked Play works much like one would expect a competitive system to function. After going through a group of placement matches to determine their base skill rating, players move through skill divisions with the goal of being ranked higher by performing well individually and winning more matches than they lose. Alongside raising their skill rating, fans of competitive play can earn special cosmetic rewards that range from weapon blueprints to Calling Cards. Seasonal rewards will also be available, and the playlists that the mode uses follow the standard Call of Duty League rules.
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While the mechanics of this ranked mode are sound, and there is a lot for Call of Duty: Vanguard fans to appreciate about the way that it is designed, the community has been quick to call out items that they feel should be banned from Ranked Play. While players are always pushing for balancing changes in regular multiplayer, it is particularly important that overpowered items are kept out of a competitive setting. Fortunately, Treyarch has been quick to respond to the criticism it has received, announcing that two major restrictions have gone into effect.
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Marksman Rifles have been restricted, though for those that have followed the competitive Call of Duty scene over the years, this is hardly a surprise. All the way back during the days of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, fans were pushing to have semi-automatic rifles removed, with guns like the FAL infamously banned by MLG. As such, it is not too surprising that players wanted a category of weapons that is built around being semi-automatic removed from Ranked Play.
The other item Treyarch has restricted is the Intuition Perk, a powerful Season 1 addition that was unlocked in the Battle Pass. The Perk sees player vision pulsing whenever an enemy is nearby, even if they are around walls. This allows players to be prepared for every single gunfight, even if their opponents are not. Given how powerful Intuition is in the right hands, restricting it is undoubtedly the right call. As more feedback about Ranked Play is provided, it is highly likely that more items will join Marksman Rifles and Intuition on the restricted list.
As mentioned by Treyarch, the Perk and Marksman Rifles will still be selectable in Create-a-Class and will only show as restricted in-game. As such, players should make sure to remove them from their loadouts before jumping into a Ranked Play match.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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