One of the most unique places in Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies is the central area of ​​Der Anfang, although it has both positive and negative sides.

Call of Duty: Vanguard has been out for three weeks, and zombie fans' disappointment with what the game has to offer is more obvious than ever. Although the campaign players are satisfied and the performance of the multiplayer game is significantly better than the beta version of Call of Duty: Vanguard, the lack of turn-based content in the zombies prevents the rise of this mode.

However, although it is undeniable that "Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombie" has serious flaws and lacks fans' love for the mode, it does have some interesting mechanisms. Although the covenant altar adds roguelike elements to the zombies, it turns out that the central area of ​​Stalingrad is even more fascinating. Like everything in Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies, it also has some shortcomings, although it will be interesting to see Treyarch use what it has learned to create better hub areas in the future.

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The biggest advantage of the core area of ​​"Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombie" is that it provides a breakthrough breakthrough, breaking the conventional action of assassination. Players will mainly accomplish goals in various locations, from guiding floating zombie heads to collecting runes for obelisks. However, the central area is not only to move from one goal to another, but to give gamers a chance to understand their direction and prepare for the next goal.

The central area gives players time to upgrade their weapons and obtain new weapons because the Pack-A-Punch machine and Mystery Box are always there. This is a huge benefit for public matches, because players don’t need to expect capable teammates to use Pack-A-Punch like in games like Moon or Shangri-La. They also don't have to worry about allies moving the mysterious box, because it is always waiting there. If players already have what they need, they can loot the surrounding area while waiting for their allies to get ready, open treasure chests, break crystals, or listen to the radio.

Since the central area also gives players time to use the restroom or do some things around the house, this is a necessary addition—especially the pause feature that is currently missing in Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies. Perhaps the coolest aspect of the hub area is that it expands as the game progresses, and players can unlock new areas to loot and purchase privileges. Although the Stalingrad Center is small, the concept of a zombie map that extends the player’s survival time is a good one.

However, as mentioned earlier, there are problems in the hub area. Perhaps the biggest is the constant loading screen that "Call of Duty: Vanguard" players will encounter. This makes sense whenever the player goes to the Merville farm or Shi No Numa swamp, but when they are already in Stalingrad, it is very frustrating. Quite a few goals will see players doing something in a building in the hub area. After completing the goal, they should be able to go out and continue playing. Instead, they need to wait for a 30-second teleport animation, which will only move them a few feet.

Unnecessary teleportation kills momentum, which is a major problem because Der Anfang aims to provide casual fans with a fast-paced zombie experience. Another problem is that the hub area has nothing to do except loot crates and break crystals. Although these functions should obviously be included, they are not enough to carry the hub area. A look at the outbreak mode of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War should clearly show how good the system is, because players need to complete special challenges in open world regions.

Even if the player has to complete a goal every time they return to the darkroom, it is better than the current one. Outbreak has fishing mechanics, dragon rockets, locked treasure chests, fury crystals, radio signals, Orda battles, etc. for players to use. In Der Anfang, when the player returns to the hub area, there is almost no reason not to go directly to the next target. Most importantly, there are no easter eggs in Del Anfang, which makes the hub area feel empty. Although the main mission is coming, smaller secrets will go a long way, making Stalingrad feel like a detailed zombie location that fans know and love. However, for now, this area shows all the flaws of the mode, giving players a chance to realize how much personality this new zombie iteration lacks.

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The Call of Duty Zombie community has made it clear that goal-based gameplay is not what it wants. Although objective mode is great as an additional option, such as Outburst, Raid, or Sadness, most players always prefer survival games. However, even if the zombies return to the turn-based focus, the concept of the hub area is still valid. For example, a variant of TranZit works well with the hub method.

Although a proper TranZit remake should obviously include the iconic bus, it would be great to get an additional variant that players can teleport between minimaps. Depressing map elements such as lava and fog can be ignored in this way, and players can switch between destinations at any time using the portal. Players can survive in the town for 10 rounds, and if they are bored, they can return to the bus stop. From there, they can prepare and deliver to farms, restaurants or power stations. If Bus Depot becomes a hub, it can be equipped with a Wunderfizz machine and add optional target portals, allowing players to complete quick missions in tunnels or fields.

If goals like escorts are only seen as replayable secondary content that provides additional rewards, and turn-based gameplay is prioritized as before, then new and old zombie fans will be satisfied. Turn-based is the foundation of zombies, and it should always be the core experience. The hub area can be a gateway to a faster version of turn-based gameplay, as it can help eliminate the time-consuming setup process that is common in survival maps. It will still feel like a zombie, which is what Call of Duty: Vanguard cannot do in its current state.

"Call of Duty: Pioneer" is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

More: Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombie feels like one step forward, two steps back

Call of Duty: Vanguard provides an action-packed campaign and a very interesting multiplayer game, although the zombie experience did not meet expectations.

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