Call of Duty: Vanguard is in the midst of its first beta weekend, with those that pre-ordered the game on PlayStation platforms having a chance to try it out a bit early. The Call of Duty: Vanguard beta features several modes, weapons, and scorestreaks from the game, with players also having the chance to try out a few of its maps. While the experience has certainly not been perfect, there is one big positive takeaway from its first weekend.
Call of Duty: Vanguard beta testers have pointed out a wide range of major issues. These include completely broken spawns that have made the game unplayable, as well as audio issues that have made it difficult to hear what is going on in the match. Visibility issues have been a major problem, too. However, one key purpose of a beta is to identify and solve these issues before release, and the speed with which Sledgehammer is fixing problems is a great sign for the game’s future.
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Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Beta Shows That Feedback Is Being Listened To
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s beta spawns were an immediate red flag for players. While spawns consistently come under criticism from Call of Duty fans, the ones in the new Patrol mode were ridiculous. Players would spawn directly behind or in front of enemies, dying to them unfairly or picking up some cheap kills. Players would share spawns or appear right next to an objective, too, with the spawns being completely random.
Instead of waiting until launch or a future beta weekend to make changes, Sledgehammer Games released a fix the same night that the beta went live. While it has not completely solved Patrol’s spawn problems, the patch has made them better, and the speed with which it was delivered is promising. Sledgehammer is clearly paying attention to feedback, and quick changes means that the fans of the game will hopefully not be stuck waiting days or weeks for changes.
Other aspects of Call of Duty: Vanguard are confirmed to be getting some adjustments soon, hopefully before the next beta test period. This includes the game’s visibility issues and the audio mixing problems, two of the bigger complaints tied to the beta. Even the beta itself shows improvement, as the overly red damage screen from the Champion Hill Alpha is nowhere to be seen. While there are more issues to address, like the community’s thoughts on suppression and the lack of a ping system, the progress that is already being made is clear.
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Beta Progress Is A Great Sign For The Full Game
When looking at Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Vanguard already seems to be in a better position to succeed. Not only is Call of Duty: Vanguard’s map count large, signifying more launch day content, but Sledgehammer Games seems to be fixing issues quicker than Treyarch has been able to. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Nuclear Sail 630 bug, split-screen issues, and other problems plagued the game for far longer than they should have. Hopefully, quick communication like what has been seen with the Call of Duty: Vanguard beta thus far continues so that history does not repeat itself.
With Call of Duty: Vanguard’s release also set to bring a new Call of Duty: Warzone map and an improved anti-cheat system, the game could be a necessary step forward for the franchise as a whole. While Call of Duty has certainly struggled over the past year, it could be ending 2022 on a high note. Sledgehammer is clearly listening to its fans, and if that continues beyond the beta, any potential issues with Call of Duty: Vanguard can be dealt with before they become a bigger problem. While it is a shame that the beta has not been a smooth experience for everyone, Sledgehammer’s efficiency and open dialogue with fans is something to be excited about.
Call of Duty: Vanguard launches November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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