Call of Duty Vanguard’s fast paced combat can seem daunting at first, but with our multiplayer tips we’ll have you topping the scoreboard in no time. With plenty of Call of Duty Vanguard guns to pick from and 16 maps to play on at launch, there’s a lot to get your head around. Thankfully, we have plenty of loadout guides which focus on the best weapons in the game.
If you’re completely new to the series, you don’t need to worry about getting destroyed by experienced players as Vanguard features skill-based matchmaking. This ensures players of equal skill face off against each other, so you shouldn’t run into someone who has prestiged ten times in every Call of Duty game.
A common misconception about FPS games is that you need perfect aim in order to succeed, but that’s far from the truth, especially in the Call of Duty series. We’re going to look at some of the components in detail to get you started and improve your skills.
Always keep up to date with the current meta
The meta in modern Call of Duty games moves very quickly. If you aren’t paying attention, you might end up bringing nerfed weapons to the battlefield. It’s also possible to create a loadout that isn’t optimal, making it difficult for you to keep up with the rest of the players in your lobby. We highly recommend checking out our loadout guides for the popular Vanguard weapons – our guides are regularly updated to stay ahead of the latest balance changes.
Slow down and focus on the minimap
This might sound like an obvious tip, but there are a lot of players that rush into combat without thinking about the consequences. Once you reach the main choke points on the map, this is a good time to start playing tactically. Minimise the number of locations enemies can shoot you from by carefully considering where you take cover. More often than not, if you take cover in a particularly good area, you can pick off enemies as they run right past you.
You should always plan your route of attack by studying the minimap first – take a look at where your team is before running into battle. The potential to earn more kills by venturing off on your own is much higher than sticking with your team, but so is your chance of being killed.
Unless the enemy is using specific Call of Duty Vanguard perks, your teammate’s death is marked on the screen with a white skull. Knowing exactly where your squad died makes it easy to track where the enemy is likely to travel to. Use this information to your advantage by aiming down your sights towards the danger area, also known as pre-aiming.
Study every map
Your first few battles on the new multiplayer maps are going to be hectic, but over time you should start to see a pattern emerge. Pay close attention to the areas where most of the action takes place. Every map has certain runways and doors that players must go through – once you’ve established where these areas are, this is where pre-aiming can really come in handy. It does take a while to learn the locations of each of these areas, but this information can prove to be vital, especially in the early stages of the game’s life.
Build different loadouts depending on the map size
It’s important to come prepared with multiple loadouts to suit every type of map. There are plenty of small maps which lean towards close quarters combat – have an SMG loadout ready as this weapon type thrives in narrow spaces. Likewise, if you’re playing on a large map with lots of outdoor space, you may want to bring a sniper rifle to pick off enemies from a distance. You can get away with using an assault rifle on every map, but where’s the fun in that?
Utilise Vanguard’s new mechanics
There are three new mechanics in Vanguard: suppression fire, blind firing, and mounting. Suppression fire, coupled with the new destructible environments, allows players to drastically slow down enemies by hitting them with bullets. If you’re using an LMG, this mechanic might encourage you to fire continuously towards a group of enemies in order to pin them down. If any of the enemies escape and take damage, their slowed movement will make it easier for your teammates to score an easy kill.
Blind firing and mounting go hand in hand. Once you’re close to a flat wall, you should be able to fire your weapon without putting your body in any danger. Your accuracy won’t be great, however, at worst you’ll provide suppression fire to your team, and at best you land a lucky kill.
The mounting system has been revamped to make it worthwhile this time around. This also ties in well with our tip on slowing down in combat – mounting onto cover increases your accuracy, but it also makes you an easy target. This mechanic was difficult to use in the previous games as players were unable to move freely. In Vanguard, players can strafe while mounted, allowing you to avoid gunfire and line up a better shot.
Complete the objective
Another tip that should be common sense but surprisingly isn’t! It doesn’t matter If you’re going to go out of your way to pick a different game mode like Kill Confirmed or Domination, the least you can do is help your team out with the objective. You earn more experience points by winning games, so try to collect the most dog tags or capture every point.
That’s everything you need to know to step up your game in Call of Duty Vanguard’s multiplayer modes. Speaking of multiplayer, do you know about the new Warzone map? Caldera is set to replace Verdansk after almost two years – check out our Call of Duty Vanguard and Warzone Season 1 guide to see what else is joining the game.