An inside look at Zombies and Campaign mode in Call of Duty: Vanguard

As we near the release of Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: Vanguard on November 5, we’re excited to share with PlayStation players a deep-dive on two of the game’s core modes. It’s time to take a closer look at the epic characters and stories you’ll encounter across the single-player Campaign mode and in Zombies, the latter of which is developed by Treyarch, the studio responsible for bringing Zombies to Call of Duty more than a decade ago. 

From the international heroes forming the original Special Forces group, Task Force One, to the undead threat of Kortifex the Deathless, Vanguard is set to take PlayStation players on one wild ride on November 5, in addition to the massive amount of content players will experience with 20 maps coming to the Multiplayer mode at launch.

“Der Anfang”: The Next Chapter in the Zombies Saga

The next iteration of Zombies, developed by Treyarch Studios, is coming to Call of Duty: Vanguard on November 5.

Prepare to face a new type of evil, bond with new allies, and meet terrifying new enemies in a gameplay experience that gets you to the fun faster, all wrapped in a brand-new dimension of Zombies that you’ve never experienced before.

In Call of Duty: Vanguard, Treyarch is introducing a Zombies experience that builds on the Dark Aether universe introduced in Black Ops Cold War, in a franchise-first crossover that provides continuity from a lore standpoint while innovating on the core gameplay loop.

It began with the opening of the Dark Aether gateway at Projekt Endstation. As the Nazi experiment went catastrophically wrong, punching a hole through the dimensional veil, the effects traveled far and wide.

You are now stranded in the snowy graveyard of Stalingrad, held in by the dark magic of Kortifex the Deathless, one of five Dark Aether entities bonded with mortals via their otherworldly artifacts. The other four — Saraxis the Shadow, Norticus the Conqueror, Inviktor the Destroyer, and Bellekar the Warlock — are in revolt against Kortifex, and are now there to help you defeat him and Von List.

“Der Anfang” — the Beginning — introduces players to these Dark Aether entities via their artifacts, which were plundered by antagonist Oberführer Wolfram Von List, officer in command of the Die Wahrheit battalion in search of mystical antiquities to help turn the tide of the war in the Nazis’ favor.

Von List, now bonded with Kortifex, has gained the power to raise the dead. What better field to create an army of undead than the mass graves of Stalingrad, a year following the Nazis’ worst defeat in one of the war’s most decisive battles?

In this new chapter, Treyarch Studios takes players straight to the action, whether you’re looking for a quick match or a deep run. In addition to classic features like Perks, the Crafting Table, weapon upgrades, and the Pack-a-Punch, you’ll encounter the new Altar of Covenants, offering randomized upgrades for unique build options in every match.

The mode is developed on the same engine as the rest of Vanguard, for a seamless experience between all three of the game’s core modes. Additionally, you will be able to advance through Vanguard’s Battle Pass system via unified progression between Multiplayer, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Zombies. Your player level is shared between the modes, too, so you’ll always earn progress in tandem for a fully unified experience.

Campaign: The Rise of Special Forces 

In the single-player Campaign for Vanguard, Sledgehammer Games is bringing you to epic, history-altering battles across multiple fronts, seen through the eyes of five ordinary soldiers who become heroes forged in the fires of World War II. The story of Vanguard is ultimately about the origins of the original Special Forces unit that these five soldiers comprise — Task Force One — and about stopping a plot that could spearhead a Nazi resurgence as WWII appears to be coming to an end.

The game’s story arc begins at its climax: as a newly recruited soldier within the budding Task Force One, you are en route to a heavily fortified Nazi facility to obtain vital military intelligence — stemming from something code-named Project Phoenix — before it is smuggled out of Germany. 

Your squadmates are five soldiers whose individual actions helped turn the tide of World War II across four major fronts.  Each comes from a very different background, and none would have imagined themselves in the situation they’re currently in.  But each has had a moment in the war that allowed them to stand out from the rest: Australian Private Lucas Riggs in the North Africa Campaign, American Lieutenant Wade Jackson in the Pacific, Russian Lieutenant Polina Petrova who defended her home country in Stalingrad, British Sergeant Richard Webb in France, and your leader: Sergeant Arthur Kingsley of the British Army’s 9th Parachute Battalion, also in France.

Through Vanguard’s Campaign, you will live out the moments that made them heroes in the battles that helped change the world, and learn how they came together to spearhead Task Force One. You will also get to know the concept of international “Special Forces,” and ultimately, what brings them face-to-face with the man who is spearheading Project Phoenix: the ruthless Nazi Officer Hermann Wenzel Freisinger.

It is a deeply immersive, moving and character-driven story, that will be sure to keep players engaged throughout.

With an incredibly immersive single-player Campaign, an action-packed new Zombies experience, and a massive launch-day Multiplayer offering coming to Call of Duty: Vanguard, there will be a mode for every type of player from day one. Now gear up and prepare for the fight.

Deploy starting November 5. Rise on every front.