Vanguard is a matter of hours away and we can't wait to jump into Der Anfang, the first map in Treyarch's newly updated Call of Duty Zombies experience. Here's everything you need to know about how Zombies is different this time around and what to expect.
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MAIN QUEST - When should we expect an Easter Egg?
At the moment, we don't know when exactly we're going to see a Main Quest Easter Egg added to Vanguard's Zombies and Der Anfang. At this rate, it might just be Easter!
Treyarch has had the following to say in regards to Der Anfang's Main Quest:
" Starting on December 2nd, new Zombies content & features will begin to roll out in Vanguard, including a new Objective, additional Covenants, new weapons, Zombies Season Challenges, holiday-themed updates, and more. Players will also encounter some other surprise elements later in Season One that will set the stage for our upcoming Main Quest."
The Main Quest isn't going to be here until after Season One's launch in December, so we could be waiting until 2022 for anything to appear. There's going to be objectives to complete in Der Anfang, but nothing quite on the same scale as what we've seen from Cold War Zombies' maps recently.
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Hopefully, we'll hear more about the narrative after Vanguard launches.
DER ANFANG UPDATE - Only sections of maps being used
Nanikos, a notable Call of Duty leaker, has been sharing information about Der Anfang ahead of Vanguard's launch this week and it's raising some concerns...
It looks like Shi No Numa and Hotel Royal - two maps that are being represented in Der Anfang - are only going to be half represented in the new Zombies map. Only the main hut area of Shi No Numa is going to be available in Der Anfang and only the exterior rooftops of Hotel Royal are reportedly playable in Zombies.
In addition to this, Der Anfang's hub area - based on the Red Star multiplayer map - isn't going to be the full map either. Together, they should feel like a larger map and more aligned to what we expect. However, after Outbreak... Maybe we're expecting too much from Vanguard's Zombies.
ZOMBIES TRAILER - Check it out below!
Call of Duty has just released the first trailer for Vanguard's Zombies mode and we can't wait to jump in. You can check it out below:
We're expecting more intel to drop soon, but this looks like it's going to be classic Zombies chaos with locations both old and new to battle it out on. The undead really don't stand a chance...
FULL REVEAL - When does the trailer drop?
Earlier this week, a series of Vangaurd Zombies teasers were released on Call of Duty's social media channels - they are all building up to the full reveal of the next chapter in the Dark Aether storyline and it looks insane, frankly.
The main Call of Duty account posted the following:
Sledgehammer Games then shared this...
Followed by Treyarch, who shared the following:
It all paints an exciting picture - the Vanguard Zombies reveal trailer is due to drop at the following times:
- 08:00 October 14th PST
- 11:00 October 14th EST
- 16:00 October 14th BST
Expect there to be an accompanying blog post explaining what's going on - from the looks of it... It's going to be a bit chaotic.
WHAT TO EXPECT - The Dark Aether storyline continues
Vanguard Zombies is going to continue the Dark Aether storyline established in Black Ops Cold War - however, we're not quite sure how just yet.
The Dark Aether has been an issue for quite some time and Cold War Zombies' narrative is all around bringing Zykov - someone who's been trapped in the Dark Aether since the Second World War - back to defeat the Forsaken.
If you've finished the Forsaken Easter Egg, you'll know what happens and be left with quite a few questions. Vanguard Zombies is perfectly placed to explain the chaos that led to Zykov heading into the Dark Aether, but the teasers showcase something far more unusual than what we've seen before.
Clearly, the Forsaken isn't the "big bad" we thought and there's a new threat out there. Call of Duty's post also mentions "Demons" - something we've seen scattered throughout Call of Duty Zombies in the past - so expect an experience that will feel a lot more like the Zombies of games gone by. This narrative is different to the one in Black Ops, Black Ops 2, Black Ops 3, and Black Ops 4. However, they might be more connected than you realise...