This iteration of Call of Duty’s iconic Zombies mode has a few caveats, including the divisive fact that Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies will not have a main quest until after season 1. The first Zombies experience will be known as Der Anfang, and it will task players with accomplishing Objectives to gather Sacrificial Hearts which can be used at the new roguelike feature Altar of Covenants. Altar of Covenants brings 32 randomized upgrades to Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies that could significantly enhance Der Anfang’s replay value.

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A post to Treyarch Studios’ official Twitter account announces that each of Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies’ lobbies–Public, Private, and Solo–will be running on dedicated servers, possibly to soften the blow of the mode’s absent main quest. While Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies appears to have extensive post-launch plans, it will likely take a while for them to kick into gear. This means that fans of Zombies may have to content themselves with Der Anfang’s fast-paced objective-based gameplay and roguelike-style upgrades.

The decision to host Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies’ lobbies on dedicated servers does appear to come with a downside: shorter kick times for inactive players. Treyarch Studios recommends that Der Anfang players stay as active as possible or extend the timer in the options menu if they need a break. In the meantime, the developers will be working on adding a Server Pause function as a post-launch feature–a fact which appears to irritate a number of fans who believe a pause button should be a basic element of gameplay functionality.

Despite Der Anfang’s differences from previous Zombies modes, it appears to be connected to previous titles and continues the Dark Aether storyline–or perhaps starts the storyline, as it serves as a prequel. Unfortunately, Call of Duty Zombies fans may have to wait until season 2 to get a glimpse at the full picture. As of writing, it appears that a number of fans continue to be disappointed that Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies will be launching without a round-based map.

Call of Duty: Vanguard launches November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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