Call of Duty Vanguard Patch Notes: December 16th Update


Welcome fellow Operators! If you're reading this page there's a high chance a new update has gone live for Call of Duty Vanguard and you may be wondering what exactly has been changed by Sledgehammer Games. Does your favourite weapon feel different? Does movement feel a bit quicker? To find out exactly what has been changed, it's worth checking out the latest Call of Duty Vanguard patch notes.

Just like previous COD titles, Vanguard is updated regularly with doses of weapon balancing, fixes to bugs, and all new playlists available in multiplayer and Zombies.

Whatever the changes are, we will detail everything from the smallest bug fix to the launch of a brand-new season. Here are the latest patch notes for Call of Duty Vanguard!

Latest News

16 December 2021 - Weapon Balancing Update

With Season 1 now in full swing, Sledgehammer Games has released the first patch for the latest season of post-launch content. Alongside some festive additions, the update fixes issues with Camo tracking alongside some weapon balancing.

9 December - New Patch

Just 24 hours after the start of Season 1, Sledgehammer Games has released another patch for Vanguard. The small update contains fixes to spawn logic and a few tweaks to Killstreaks.

7 December 2021 - Season 1 Patch Notes

Ahead of the launch of Season 1, Sledgehammer Games has unveiled the full patch notes detailing all of the changes coming to Vanguard. Check them out below to find out more.

18 November 2021 - Bomb Defuse Glitch Fixed

Sledgehammer Games has addressed an issue where players could see the other team attempting to defuse the bomb in Search & Destroy alongside a widespread nerf to shotguns!

17 November 2021 - Shipment Is LIVE!

The first post-launch map for Vanguard has gone live across all platforms. Players can now experience the close-quarters chaos of Shipment across all pacings and a dedicated 24/7 playlist.

11 November 2021 - New Patch Notes

Six days since the worldwide launch of Vanguard, Sledgehammer Games has released the second patch for the game. The update addresses several issues from the campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies, smoothing out various elements of the game.

COD Vanguard December 16th Patch Notes

COD Vanguard December 16th Patch Notes

MULTIPLAYER

Stability

Using Daniel's alternative skin will no longer crash the game

Seasonal Challenges

Progression for Seasonal Challenges is now visible, active, and tracking

Weapons

Bug Fixes

  • Riot Shield now blocks front-facing damage and bullets will not penetrate
  • The Firefight Blueprint has been fixed to remove light coming from the front end of the barrel and parts of the optic
  • Kar98K Hunter incentive skin no longer causes the gun to aim down the iron sights instead of the attached scope
  • Top Break muzzles no longer jump on reload
  • Corrected Loadouts using 7 Round Mags so the total ammo count is divisible by 7
  • Addressed multiple issues with charms in a QOL pass
  • Weapon animations have been polished and some glitches have been resolved

Balancing

Challenges

  • Panzerfaust Challenge has been changed from destroying ariel streaks to longshot kills

Weapons

Kar98k & Type 99

  • When using a lower caliber magazine, these weapons will now retain the ability for One-Shot-Kills when landing chest shots

Top Break

  • No longer reduces damage, but range reduction increased

Gorenko Anti-Tank Rifle

  • The default scope will no longer heavily obscure player vision when meleeing with the bayonet

Attachments

  • Melee range has been reduced for Bayonet when Reach Kit Perk is applied

Camos

Double Barrel

  • Corrected wording in the Death Artist Challenge to say “16 Gauge Mag” instead of “12 Gauge Mag”

Assault Rifle Alpha

  • Camos now show proper progression

M1 Garand

  • Camos now show proper progression

Cross-progression

  • Master Ribbons data from Cold War will now be imported and reflected in Vanguard
  • Getting kills in Warzone now counts toward challenges in Vanguard

Killstreaks

Mortar Barrage

  • Increased damage dealt by the Mortar Barrage Flare
  • Mortar Barrage has been tweaked to make deployment less difficult

Maps

Paradise

  • Fixed several out-of-map exploits
  • Fixed instances of unnatural hitching when jumping against ramped walls

Radar

  • Fixed issue which made some doors indestructible
  • Fixed out-of-map spawns and exploits

Desert Siege

  • Spawn tuning to reduce instances of spawning close to enemies
  • Fixed a rendering issue that resulted in intense fog for some players
  • Blinking texture issues have been fixed in several locations

Bocage

  • Bullet penetration issues for certain walls have been fixed
  • MK2 Frag Grenade blast radius no longer affects players who should be protected by walls

Red Star

  • Fixed a bug that resulted in lighting effects following the player like a spotlight around the map

Berlin

  • Distracting and graphically incorrect shadows no longer appear under light fixtures

Numa Numa

  • Removed invisible geo in Numa Numa that blocked bullets midair

Gavutu

  • Fixed an issue in which an invisible wall remained after it was destroyed

Demanysk

  • Demolition and Tactician Perks now operate as intended

Sub Pens, Castle, Oasis, Das Haus

  • Fixed out-of-map exploits

Modes

Control

  • Control is now live!

Champion Hill

  • Players will no longer crash out of Champion Hill Duos, resulting in the closure of the entire game
  • Players can now access Scoreboard and Spectate Mode

UI/UX

  • Users will no longer get errors saying they don’t have Crossplay permission when attempting to add other consoles to a party
  • Flairs now appear with every Prestige level-up, and XP bars should reflect Prestige progression
  • Duplicate Prestige icons have been fixed

CAMPAIGN

  • Fixed a progression blocker in the Lady Nightingale level caused by an unresponsive character

ZOMBIES

Objectives

Purge

  • Visibility improved in low light areas, making it more visually clear when capturing Control Runes.
  • The progress bar no longer overlaps various notifications such as Challenge Completions, Rank Ups, Weapon Level Ups, and more.
  • Professor Krafft will now acknowledge Purge objective completions.

Covenants

Brimstone

  • Brimstone no longer damages zombies when the player is downed.
  • Brimstone has been adjusted to now only deal damage to zombies that are in the player’s line-of-sight.

Dead Accurate

  • Launchers now work as intended with the Dead Accurate Covenant.

Swift Vengeance

  • Updated the description of Swift Vengeance to reflect that only weapon damage is increased with the use of this Covenant.
  • Knives now work as intended with the Swift Vengeance Covenant.

Weapons

  • Addressed an issue where weapons obtained from crates briefly displayed the wrong model when dropping.
  • Addressed an issue where some Mystery Box weapons would appear with their magazine detached from the weapon.
  • Addressed an issue that prevented players from loading into a match with their preferred custom reticle.
  • Addressed an issue that incorrectly identified some Launcher damages as critical hits.

Gameplay

  • Portals will now provide players with an opportunity to visit each destination before giving an option to return to the same location.
  • Closed various exploits that prevented players from taking damage from zombies.

Challenges

  • Melee Camo Challenges have been adjusted to count kills, not eliminations with the exception of Sturmkrieger Challenges.

UI

  • Zone names have been added in places where they were absent from the map.
  • The in-game scoreboard now shows the player in the correct ranking.
  • Addressed an issue with overlapping scoreboard UI.

Audio

  • Addressed an issue in which Operator and Announcer voice communications could compete with each other.

Subtitles / Text

  • Multiple fixes for subtitles when players select the English language setting.
  • Multiple fixes for voice lines and subtitles when players select the German language setting.
  • Multiple fixes for text descriptions when players select the Brazilian Portuguese language setting.
  • Multiple fixes for subtitles when players select the Polish language setting.

Stability

  • Addressed an issue that would sometimes kick a player to the main Zombies menu when Copying and Replacing loadouts.
  • Various stability fixes.

COD Vanguard December 9th Patch Notes

Vanguard December 9th Patch Notes

MULTIPLAYER

Modes

Shipment

  • Adjusted spawn logic to reduce spawn traps

Stability

  • “Server Snapshot Error” bug that resulted in being kicked from matches has been fixed

Weapons

  • Shotgun shots now correctly hit the front of enemies wearing stowed shields

Clans

  • Banning users from clans no longer results in an error

Killstreaks

  • Mortar Barrage
    • Improved visibility by reducing full screen smoke effects. As a result, players need to be closer to the barrage to be affected

UI/UX

  • 2XP splash icons now appear when 2XP is set on specific platforms

Progression

  • Match progression bar now displays the accurate current level of the weapon

COD Vanguard Season 1 Patch Notes

Alongside the release of a wealth of new content, Sledgehammer Games has made several changes to numerous weapons in the Vanguard arsenal alongside a range of bug fixes across a variety of game modes.

COD Vanguard Season 1 Patch Notes

GAMEPLAY

  • Did an overall pass on Mounting. Players reported issues regarding mount height and objects not appearing mountable.

WEAPONS

Balancing (Dec 9th)

  • General
    • Corrected Loadouts using 7 Round Mags so the total ammo count is divisible by 7.
  • M1 Garand
    • Reduced Recoil.
  • Type 99
    • Reduced Aim Flinch.
    • Reduced ADS Time.
    • Retain One Shot Kill potential for chest shots when smaller caliber ammo is used.
  • 3-Line Rifle
    • Reduced ADS Time.
  • Kar98
    • Retain One Shot Kill potential for chest shots when smaller caliber ammo is used.
  • Sniper Attachments
    • Hollow Points now reduce range.
  • Top Break
    • Using lower caliber ammo now reduces range instead of damage
  • Shotguns
    • Buck and Slugs
      • Reduced ADS speed penalty.
      • Reduced headshot multiplier.
    • Birdshot
      • Reduced headshot multiplier.

Gunsmith

  • Custom Mods: players can save custom builds.
  • Adjusted the camera position when selecting specific weapons or attachments. Players reported the weapon preview was cut off for a handful of attachments.

In-Game

  • Bug where players would load into game with an invisible weapon has been fixed.
  • Combat Shields now correctly display skins while stowed.

Progression & Camos

  • XP
    • XP rates have been increased for Snipers.
  • 3-Line Rifle
    • Bloodthirsty Challenges have been changed to Prone Challenges.

KILLSTREAKS

  • Mortar Barrage - (Dec 9)
    • Improves visibility by reducing full-screen smoke effects. As a result, players need to be closer to the barrage to be affected.
  • Flamenaut
    • Added damage direction indicators for players using Flamenaut.
  • Fire Bombing Run
    • Fixed issue where players did not see where the fire VFX started, resulting in players taking damage though they were not standing in the flames.
  • Attack Dogs
    • Fixed a missing VFX path when the whistling animation plays.
  • UI
    • Performance pass on Killstreak decals to reduce flickering.

FIELD UPGRADES

  • Dead Drop
    • Fixed a bug where players were continually awarded their top killstreak when using Dead Drop.
    • Charge time has been doubled.
  • Goliath
    • Made it easier to determine if a deployed Goliath is friendly

CHALLENGES

  • Fixed an issue with “Grizzled Veteran - Get X Eliminations in Hardcore Mode” not tracking properly.

PROGRESSION

  • Fixed bug preventing some players from unlocking reticles.

MAPS

  • Demyansk
    • Fixed an exploit where players could exit the map.
  • Oasis:
    • Fixed exploits where players could exit the map.
  • Tuscan
    • Fixed a rare issue where players spawn outside of the map.
  • Numa Numa
    • Fixed a rare issue where players spawn outside of the map.
  • Shipment (Dec 9)
    • Adjusted spawn logic to prevent spawn traps

CLAN

  • UI/UX
    • Fixed a bug where player names were blank in “incoming clan requests” if the request was received while in the Clan Request menu.

MENUS

  • Players will see a warning when equipping 2XP tokens while a global 2XP event is running.

PERFORMANCE & CONNECTIVITY

  • Improved stability when connecting to lobbies.
  • Fixed bug resulting in “Server Snapshot Error,” where players would get kicked out of matches and into MP menus. (Dec 9)

CAMPAIGN UPDATES

  • Stalingrad
    • Fixed bug where the game would crash when Polina picked up an NPC.
  • Battle of Berlin
    • Fixed a bug that would cause the game to crash after a cutscene.

ZOMBIES UPDATES

New Objective

  • Purge
    • Purge the Augmentors from existence by capturing powerful Control Runes throughout the area.
    • Augmentors will spawn waves of enemies as a defense mechanism as players attempt to capture the Control Runes.
    • Survive the enemy waves and successfully capture all Control Runes within the time limit for a perfect Objective completion and bonus rewards (Max Ammo, Max Armor, and Bonus Points power-ups).
    • Fail to capture all Control Runes before the time limit expires, and a huge horde of zombies will spawn that must be taken down to complete the Objective with standard rewards.

New Covenants

Wield five new Covenants with 14 total rarity tiers at the Altar of Covenants.

  • Brimstone
    • Deal damage to nearby enemies (Rare/Epic/Legendary).
  • Deadshot
    • Aiming down sights snaps the crosshairs to headshot location on enemies. Bonus damage on the first critical attack for each enemy. Removes weapon sway (Rare/Epic).
  • Dead Wire
    • Stuns an enemy (Rare/Epic). Stuns an enemy and nearby enemies (Legendary).
  • Scrapper
    • Gain more Salvage from pickups (Rare/Epic). Gain more Salvage from pickups and Objective rewards (Legendary).
  • Swift Vengeance
    • Deal more damage the faster you move. Activates shortly after you start moving. Fire while sprinting (Rare/Epic). Activates immediately upon moving (Legendary).

New Weapons

  • Season One Weapons
    • Once unlocked, players can bring in the all-new Cooper Carbine, Gorenko Anti-Tank Rifle, and Sawtooth Melee weapon in their Zombies loadouts at the start of Season One.
  • Launchers
    • All Launchers will now be available in loadouts and in the Mystery Box in Zombies at the start of Season One.

Career Challenges

  • Added 20 Zombies Season Challenges to the Barracks with unique Calling Card and XP bonus rewards to earn, including a Season One Master Calling Card for completing all 20 challenges.

Progression

  • Addressed an issue which prevented players from unlocking the Dark Aether Completionist camo.

Pack-a-Punch

  • Addressed an issue that prevented Pack-a-Punched Shotguns with 10 Round Drums from reloading all 10 rounds in a single reload animation.
  • Addressed an issue that could incorrectly flag un-upgraded weapons as Pack-a-Punch Level 1.

Gameplay

  • Closed various exploits including out-of-map exploits.

Stability

  • Fixed a stability issue related to the Frost Blast Artifact.
  • Fixed a stability issue related to multi-kills obtained via Equipment.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Call of Duty: Vanguard and Guides page.