When it was announced that Treyarch would be makingCall of Duty: VanguardZombies, fans were immediately excited. As the original creator of the mode, Treyarch has made the best iterations of Zombies, with the co-op experience evolving with each new Black Ops game. For the first time ever, Treyarch will be making Zombies for a game outside of its own, with the studio assisting Sledgehammer with the development ofCall of Duty: Vanguard. Now, the new mode has been revealed.
Call of Duty: VanguardZombies’ reveal trailerfeatures some interesting things, like demons and the iconic map Shi No Numa. However, for those who paid attention to the first footage of Der Anfang or checked out the deep dives into this Zombies mode, it will have become apparent that Treyarch is doing something entirely new. Players will not be playing a round-based map on launch day, something that could turn out to be good or bad forCall of Duty: Vanguard.
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How Der Anfang Is Going To Play
As mentioned above, Der Anfang is not a round-based map. Instead, it is a mixture of Onslaught, Outbreak, and Survival. LikeZombies Onslaught, the mode reused some locations from multiplayer, such as Hotel Royal and Red Star. Similar to Outbreak, there will be different objectives for players to complete in separate regions. Finally, like Survival, players will have access to a Mystery Box, Pack-A-Punch, loadouts, and more.
Each objective will see players teleporting to a different region; the farms of Merville,swamps of Shi No Numa, and staircases of Hotel Royal will serve as the different play spaces. Players will go to each from the main hub, which is a reworked version of Red Star from multiplayer. In each region, players will complete an objective. One will see them hunting down Zombies, another will task players with escorting a head, and a third will ask players to collect and deposit runes inside special obelisks. After each objective is completed, the game will get harder just like in Outbreak.
A neat touch will see the Red Star hub area growing after players have completed an objective, with new parts of the map being unlocked. Players can then buy new perks or access the Altar of Covenants, a system that adds roguelike elements to the game. Gamers will be able to makeproper builds in Zombies, returning to the altar between objectives to pick from a lineup of game-changing buffs. Extra damage when standing still and brain rot are just some of these abilities, so it will be interesting to see what setups players come up with.
Why Der Anfang Could Be A Misstep
The issue with Der Anfang has less to do with the mode itself and more with the lack of content coming alongside it. As far as fans know, there will be no round-based maps available forCall of Duty: VanguardZombies at launch. As such, gamers will have no choice but to play Der Anfang, even if they only want a traditional round-based Zombies map. Because of this,fans of old school Zombies contentcould feel no motivation to get the game, holding off until later on when Survival maps are added.
Thehigh round Zombies communitywill also have nothing to look forward to when it comes to Der Anfang. While players could compete to reach high world tiers, it lacks the same feeling that traditional high round play brings. Leaderboards may not be present, and the interest of a large chunk of Zombies fans could be lost. Further, much like Outbreak did not get a proper main quest until months after release, the same could happen for Der Anfang. If this is the case, those interested in Zombies’ story could be left wanting more, waiting for post-launch content that the launch day experience does not provide.
There is also the chance that Der Anfang does not feel as fun to play as the modes it is pulling from. WhileOutbreak has proven to be a success, part of its appeal is the open world nature. Der Anfang does not look like it will feature vehicles, chests to hunt down, or side objectives to complete. It is clearly going to be its own unique take on Zombies, and while innovation is always a good thing, there is a chance that this attempt to do something different does not work out. While it is worth being optimistic and giving it a chance, Der Anfang not being a Survival map instantly makes it a gamble.
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Why Der Anfang Could Be A Success
Though Der Anfang is undoubtedly a risk, there is a lot going for it. Treyarch’s last attempt to innovate wasOutbreak mode, and while many do still prefer round-based gameplay, it successfully brought a whole new audience to Zombies. Outbreak won over the casual fan by doing something new, as players unfamiliar with Zombies could find enjoyment in the open world gameplay. After all, there is a steep learning curve seen with round-based Zombies, as players need to memorize different puzzles and learn each map’s mechanics. In Outbreak, though, they are guided every step of the way.
Der Anfang seems to be aimed specifically at the casual audience, and while this may bother some hardcore players, it is a good thing for the health of the mode. While Zombies fans are dedicated, that community had struggled to expand for years due to the growing complexity of the maps.Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warmade easter eggs easieralongside some simplified core gameplay, and with that working, it seems likeCall of Duty: Vanguardwill continue that trend. The mode has been described as something that gets players into the fight quicker, and it certainly looks like it will succeed at doing that.
As with anynewCall of Dutymode, there is no guarantee that Der Anfang’s approach is going to work. However, there is a chance that it becomes a huge success. Without innovation, there is no chance to find the next big thing, so Treyarch doing something fresh with Der Anfang should be appreciated. While it is a shame that round-based fans will likely need to wait for some more traditional content, it could be worthwhile. Funneling all players into Der Anfang during the first few weeks ofCall of Duty: Vanguard’s life gives it more of a chance to thrive, and Treyarch should get plenty of feedback about how it plays. It is hard to deny that Der Anfang is a huge risk, but it could certainly pay off.
Call of Duty: Vanguardlaunches November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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