It's time! Sledgehammer Games will finally reveal Call of Duty Vanguard, the next Call of Duty game, and it all kicks off in Warzone with The Battle of Verdansk!
Here's everything you need to know about The Battle of Verdansk, Call of Duty Vanguard, and the latest updates.
LATEST - Servers Are Back - The Battle of Verdansk Begins
Call of Duty Warzone servers are back live with The Battle of Verdansk ready to go!
To get a look ahead at the upcoming Call of Duty Vanguard, you don't want to miss it. With such a massive event, some server issues are expected, so get in while you can!
Multiple Event Times Coming...
We don't know exactly when the Vanguard Reveal Event is going to be taking place - other than the first iteration of this in-game event explained below - but Call of Duty has confirmed that you'll be able to experience it more than once.
As you can see in the Tweet below, it looks like the Battle of Verndansk is going to take place multiple times over the weekend.
There are no details just yet on how often this will be, but we can imagine Raven Software is planning to clear everything up following the first iteration of the event on August 19th.
When does the Warzone Reveal Event start?
The "Battle of Verdansk" is due to take place at the following times:
- 10:30 August 19th - PST
- 13:30 August 19th - EST
- 18:30 August 19th - BST
We know this isn't an ideal time for a lot of people and we think Activision know this too. We don't have any word on whether this event is going to last the day or be more of a one-off thing. If it follows other limited-time Call of Duty events, it should at least last a few hours.
Due to the fact that this is a game reveal and not a map change, we're expecting things to be around for at least 24 hours.
DOUBLE XP - Earn it while you play!
Call of Duty is ramping things up for their Vanguard Reveal Event - due to take place in Warzone later today and over the weekend - and it has been revealed that you can actually earn Double XP, Double Weapon XP, and Double Battle Pass XP while you take part.
The recommendation is that you "drop into Warzone an hour early for target practice"; however, we imagine this is also being asked to help Raven Software prepare for the influx of players ahead of the actual event - which has now been confirmed as a PvE experience.
Make sure you check below for more on the current slate of teasers from Call of Duty's Twitter Account...
What do we expect to happen?
Sadly, we don't think Verdansk '84 is going anywhere just yet. We know people are getting sick of it, but it should still see out the remainder of Black Ops Cold War's lifecycle. The train, though... That can go.
At the moment, we don't know anything for sure but Call of Duty has released the following teaser:
"A new weapon is rolling into Verdansk...
"Assets in the field suggest an armored vehicle but intel is limited...
"Target arrival on location is 8/19...
"Squad up and work together to take it down.
It's all pointing towards a Second World War-era Armored Train hitting the rails in Verdansk '84. The way this is worded, though, would suggest that it's going to be a PvE event rather than just an addition to the map. These are few and far between, but Raven Software has been experimenting with them more - the NPCs you could fight in the basement of Nakatomi Plaza is a prime example of where they can work.
In addition to this, another teaser was shared...
" Intel from command indicates you will be rewarded for taking part in the #BattleOfVerdansk...
" New Weapon and Knife Blueprints, Bike Skin, Timepiece, and more...
"Join the fight, defeat the target, get to the Exfil and earn rewards."
It confirms that there's going to be a chance for players to earn rewards for taking part in the Vanguard Reveal Event this week. We can only assume that the Weapon Blueprint and Knife Blueprint you can see in the images above will be what we're getting.
Following on from this, another teaser has been shared...
"Target Incoming. A heavily armoured train is on route to Verdansk.
"Grab the TNT coordinate and use it at the ambush point...
"Schematics show turrets are weak points. Take them out, then take out the cars...
Squad up and work together to defeat the target."
This seems to confirm that the Battle of Verdansk is a PvE event in Warzone alongside the fact that it is actually about an Armored Train. We all knew that already, but it's good to see it in writing. We don't know how long this is going to take, yet, however. A standard Warzone match can stretch up to 25-30 minutes, so it could be something along those lines.
We don't know anything for sure just yet, but we'll keep you updated with the latest information - whether that's official or otherwise.
What else do we know about Call of Duty Vanguard?
At the moment, not a lot officially. The teasers seem to hint that Vanguard is going to still reflect the global scale of the Second World War, but they also seem to suggest that the war is in its final stages. The images being shared are of destroyed buildings, crashed planes... It all seems to follow the theories that this is going to be set in and around 1945 and the final stages of the war.
Sledgehammer Games has shared some of the key artwork for the game, but it does little to offer any clarification to this. It looks awesome, though, right?
Rumours are that Call of Duty Vanguard is going to release on November 5th, 2021. This is just one week before Black Ops Cold War's release date in 2020 and we expect to see some clarification regarding this during the Vanguard Reveal Event, provided that Activision stick to the time provided.