PC Vanguard Beta: What time does the Open Beta start on Battle.net?

Task Force One and Call of Duty Vanguard are both headed to PC in November and that means PC is getting a taste of the action early during the Vanguard Open Beta. If you want to flex your muscles with a keyboard and mouse, you're going to need to know about everything we have below. Here's the latest...

PLAYLIST UPDATE - Choose what you play, now

Finally, it looks like Sledgehammer Games has opened up the Vanguard Beta fully and you can now filter your Playlist options while playing. It might not sound like a major change, but it's handy for those of us who don't want to jump into a Team Deathmatch and then be thrown into a slower-paced Search And Destroy straight after.

You should also be able to choose your preference for Vanguard's Combat Pacing options - however, this won't be a guarantee you'll play in lobbies with your chosen preference. Sledgehammer Games has said the following:

" Note: You will only search for matches within the selected modes. However, Combat Pacing selections are registered as a preference. Your next match may have a different Combat Pacing than selected."

EARN REWARDS from playing the Vanguard Beta

If playing Call of Duty Vanguard's multiplayer in the Open Beta isn't enough of a reward for you, there's also more content to get your hands on when you jump into the Vanguard Beta later today - or on September 18th.

If you manage to make it to level 20 before the Beta ends, you'll unlock the following rewards:

• A Weapon Blueprint for Call of Duty Vanguard and Warzone, available in Vanguard following the game’s launch on November 5, and in Warzone when the new main map launches later this year.
• An Arthur Kingsley Operator in Call of Duty: Mobile, available shortly after the end of the Beta.

It isn't much - we admit - but the Weapon Blueprint is for the STG-44 and it's a beast. The "Rat-a-tat" Weapon Blueprint will be worth having when Vanguard comes out on November 5th. It looks like the STG-44 could be an early meta weapon - provided Sledgehammer Games doesn't make any drastic changes.

EARLY ACCESS - When does the Beta begin?

The second weekend of Call of Duty Vanguard's Beta is due to start on September 18th and will run until September 20th. During this time, the Vanguard Beta is going to be an Open Beta on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. You should be able to download it via Battle.net over the next couple of days in preparation - keep an eye on it!

There's also a way you can get Early Access to the Vanguard Beta. If you've pre-ordered Vanguard on Battle.net, you should already be eligible for Early Access. If you've pre-ordered it for a console via a retailer, you should have a code you can redeem on callofduty.com/betaredeem for a Vanguard Beta Early Access code for PC - if you really want.

The Vanguard Beta should go live on PC at the following times on September 16th - for those with Early Access - or September 20th - for everyone else:

• 10:00 PST
• 13:00 EST
• 18:00 BST

It's worth noting that the PlayStation Vanguard Beta - that was last weekend - started a couple of hours early, though...

PC SPECS - What sort of requirements are there?

Something you should check before you start downloading the Vanguard Beta on PC is whether your PC can even run Vanguard! As you can imagine, it's a little bit more demanding than most. Here are the minimum and recommended PC requirements, though...

Minimum Specs

• OS: Windows 10 64-Bit (1909 or later)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
• Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 2GB / GTX 1050Ti 4GB or AMD Radeon R9 380
• RAM: 8GB RAM
• HDD: 45GB HD Space
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
• DirectX: DirectX 12 compatible system

Recommended Specs

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest Service Pack)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-4770k or AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
• Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB / GTX 1660 6GB or AMD Radeon RX Vega 56
• RAM: 16GB RAM
• HDD: 45GB HD Space
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
• DirectX: DirectX 12 compatible system

It's worth noting that only Intel and AMD processors are being supported at this time - Call of Duty recommends the 21.9.1 AMD Driver and 466.11 Nvidia Drivers for the Vanguard Beta on PC.

DOWNLOAD SIZE - How big is it going to be?

As you can see in the PC system requirements above, it looks like the Vanguard Beta is going to take up around 45GB on PC. This is a little more than the Beta on consoles, but it shouldn't prove to be too much of an issue.

It does raise concerns regarding the full size of Call of Duty Vanguard on PC, though. The Vanguard Beta on PC is only a fraction of the content that will be available at launch. We're expecting another 15-odd Multiplayer maps, double the Operators and double the weapons. Even without taking into account the storage space needed for Vanguard's Campaign and Zombies maps... It's going to be a sizeable download.

Then, if you add Warzone into the mixer... The latest Call of Duty experience is easily going to be half a TB in storage by the time it's all out.

WHAT TO EXPECT - What content is coming?

The Call of Duty Vanguard Beta on PC is going to be a fairly complete Multiplayer experience - all things considered. You're going to be able to level weapons a little, access the Gunsmith, and check out half of the new Perks coming to Call of Duty.

In addition to this, fan-favourite weapons like the M1 Garand, MP-40, STG-44, and BAR are all going to be featured in the limited selection of Vanguard's armoury.

In addition to this, the following content is on the way...

Multiplayer Maps;

• Champion Hill;
• Hotel Royal;
• Gavutu;
• Red Star;
• Eagle's Nest (available during Weekend Two);

• Multiplayer Modes;
  • Champion Hill (Solos, Duos, Trios);
  • Team Deathmatch;
  • Domination;
  • Kill Confirmed;
  • Patrol (available from Saturday of Weekend One);
  • Search and Destroy (available during Weekend Two);
• Weapons Availability;
  • Champion Hill;
    • Weapons are persistent through matches. There are ten upgrades per weapon, each adding one attachment;
    • There will be three rotating weapon sets, featuring 2 ARs, 2 LMGs, 2 snipers, 2 shotguns, and 2 pistols;
  • Core Multiplayer
    • For Core MP, you'll be able to level up weapons to level 30;
    • PlayStation players will get +2 custom loadout slots (12 total, 10 for other platforms);

• Operators Availability;
  • Please note, each Operator will have one finishing move attached;

• Daniel Takeyatsu
• Roland Zeimet
• Lucas Riggs
• Polina Petrova
• Wade Jackson
• Arthur Kingsley

For more information, check out the Call of Duty Blog Post on Weekend Two of the Vanguard Beta here.

COMBAT PACING - What does this even mean?

Sledgehammer Games is introducing Combat Pacing to Call of Duty in Vanguard and it could change the way Call of Duty multiplayer plays forever. To put it bluntly, it's a system that changes the player counts in Multiplayer modes.

It might sound simple, but it's actually a game-changer. You really can make every map feel like Shipment - for better or for worse. There are three levels of Combat Pacing available at the moment:

• Tactical: These are the lobbies that franchise veterans know well. This is the experience that you're used to with classic Call of Duty combat timing. Tactical Combat Pacing is always 6v6.
• Assault: Balanced combat pacing that gives you enough room to breathe and a lot of targets to kill. In Beta Weekend 1, player counts will vary between 20-28 players.
• Blitz: High-action lobbies where the intensity is cranked up to frenetic levels. Prepare for plenty of combat when choosing to join a Blitz. In Beta Weekend 1, player counts will vary between 28-48 players.

This wasn't an option you could filter in Weekend One of the Vanguard Beta, however, you might be able to in the Vanguard Beta on PC this weekend. It will be a filter-able option in the full release of the game, in any case, if you don't like it.