Call of Duty: Vanguard’s World War II focus may be one that’s been utilized several times in past games, but the new Call of Duty game has some new Multiplayer experiences that haven’t been seen previously such as the new Patrol game mode. It’s a more unique objective-based experience that’s inspired by learnings from similar game modes, and it’s one that might end up being a new favorite when Vanguard releases.
During a hands-on preview with Vanguard’s Multiplayer environment, ComicBook.com got to experience the new Patrol mode over the course of several matches. Not all of those games were played within the Patrol mode, but those that were proved to be more enjoyable than many other types of Call of Duty modes that focus on objectives.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Patrol’s based on the Hardpoint game mode, a game mode which is similar to Headquarters itself. Hardpoint matches consist of one team locking down an objective to earn points until the objective location expires and it moves to another location. This ensures players have to move about the map instead of fortifying one position.
The problem with that, however, is that players end up hunkering down in multiple locations across the map as the point moves instead of just staying in one area the whole time. Camping and highly defensive measures are still prevalent albeit with a bit of travel time between setups.
That’s where Patrol comes in to change things. Patrol features one permanent area to stay within to earn points, but that objective moves about the map slowly like a spotlight instead of instantly teleporting somewhere else. This means that if you want to earn points for your team, you have to actively stay within its boundaries while moving with it.
While one might assume the constant motion makes things chaotic, it actually makes them quite tense. The circular objective moves rather slowly which means players have to actively focus on staying within its boundaries rather than running alongside it. This results in slow walks either standing or crouched while you constantly scan for enemies. Should the objective travel over uneven ground, you have to make snap decisions about which route to take if you want to keep the points flowing.
That’s the experience for those inside the circle, but for those on the outside who need to retake it, you’re in a much better position to do so in Patrol as opposed to Hardpoint or Headquarters. Because the objective is in constant motion, defensive fortifications are far less formidable in this mode. Any defenses put down in one spot are essentially invalidated within a few seconds once the objective’s moved on which made it feel as though a comeback was always attainable as long as you can set up the right ambush to overtake the objective.
Call of Duty: Vanguard also has a Champion Hill mode that’s totally new to this game, too, but we haven’t seen much of that yet. That’ll change soon whenever the game’s beta gets underway.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is scheduled to release on November 5th.
