Let's be real. Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies was a bit of a disaster at launch. When Sledgehammer Games and Treyarch announced they were teaming up, expectations were sky-high. People wanted a follow-up to the masterpiece that was Black Ops Cold War. Instead, what we got was Der Anfang. It wasn't just a different direction; it felt like a totally different game, and not necessarily in a good way.
The shift from the traditional round-based formula to an objective-based "hub" system felt jarring. Honestly, it felt like the developers were trying to reinvent a wheel that was already spinning perfectly fine. If you were looking for a classic Call of Duty Vanguard zombies map back in November 2021, you simply couldn't find one.
Der Anfang: The Experiment That Divided the Community
Der Anfang was the debut experience. It took place in a snowy, ruins-filled version of Stalingrad. Instead of opening doors and surviving waves, you interacted with a portal that whisked you away to small chunks of other maps like Shi No Numa or Hotel Royal. You'd do a task—Harvest, Transmit, or Blitz—and then get teleported back to the main square.
It was repetitive.
Small.
Surprisingly empty.
The lack of a Pack-a-Punch quest or even a basic Easter Egg at launch was a massive oversight. Treyarch eventually added more content, but the damage was mostly done. The community was vocal. They wanted rounds. They wanted wall buys that actually mattered. Most of all, they wanted the feeling of being cornered in a dark hallway, sweating because they were one hit away from "Game Over." Der Anfang just didn't provide that tension. It felt more like a rogue-lite mode than a true Zombies experience.
Terra Maledicta and the Struggle for Identity
Then came Terra Maledicta. Set in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, it followed the same hub-and-spoke model as its predecessor. While the aesthetic was cool—vibrant yellows and greens clashing with the dark aether—it suffered from the same core issues.
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Basically, it was more of the same.
You still had the Altar of Covenants, which gave you random buffs like "Brain Rot" or "Unholy Ground." This was actually a decent mechanic, borrowed loosely from games like Hades, but it couldn't carry the weight of an entire game mode. The introduction of Vercanna the Last and the fight against Kortifex the Deathless added some much-needed lore, but the gameplay loop remained thin.
A lot of players felt like they were just running errands for ghosts.
The Return to Tradition: Shi No Numa Reborn
Everything changed—or at least tried to change—with the Season 4 update. Treyarch finally listened to the shouting on Reddit and Twitter. They brought back Shi No Numa. But this wasn't just a port of the World at War classic. It was a "reborn" version specifically tailored for the Vanguard engine.
Finally. A round-based Call of Duty Vanguard zombies map.
Shi No Numa Reborn was exactly what the doctor ordered, even if it arrived late to the party. It included:
- A dedicated Main Quest with a boss fight.
- The classic Wunderwaffe DG-2.
- Flogger traps and zip lines.
- Traditional wall buys.
It felt like Zombies again. The swampy atmosphere, the sound of the hanging corpses creaking in the wind, and the relentless pressure of the rounds actually scaling in difficulty gave the game a pulse. If this had been the launch map, the narrative surrounding Vanguard might be completely different today.
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The Archon: A Bittersweet Finale
The final map, The Archon, was a bit of a head-scratcher. It was essentially a round-based version of Terra Maledicta. While it was great to have another round-based option, reuse of assets is always a sore spot for the CoD community. It felt like a "best of" compilation of things we'd already seen, just rearranged into a different format.
The boss fight against Kortifex was grand in scale, but the journey to get there felt like a retread. You're back in the desert. You're seeing the same palm trees and the same sand-swept ruins. For a finale, many expected something entirely new—perhaps a trip to the Dark Aether itself or a completely unique locale.
Why the Tech Mattered (And Sometimes Hurt)
Vanguard ran on the Modern Warfare (2019) engine. This meant the movement was tactical. You had mounting. You had tactical sprint. The guns felt heavy and punchy. In many ways, this was the most "realistic" looking Zombies has ever been.
But realism isn't always fun in a mode about magical demons and Nazi zombies.
The engine's lighting made some areas incredibly dark, which was atmospheric but occasionally frustrating for high-round players who need perfect visibility. The destruction mechanics—walls breaking apart when you shot them—were a neat novelty but didn't actually change how you played the game. It was a "Call of Duty Vanguard zombies map" quirk that looked great in trailers but felt secondary to the actual slaying.
Comparing Vanguard to the "Golden Era"
If you compare these maps to something like Der Eisendrache or Origins, the gap is wide. Those maps were built with layers of secrets. You could spend thirty hours on Origins and still discover a new way to optimize your staff upgrade. Vanguard's maps were much more "what you see is what you get."
That’s not inherently bad for casual players. If you just want to jump in for 20 minutes and kill some undead, Vanguard is actually quite accessible. You don't need a 40-page manual to understand how to Pack-a-Punch. You just do the objectives. But for the hardcore "Easter Egg hunters," the lack of depth was a dealbreaker.
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Actionable Tips for Surviving the Vanguard Maps
If you're heading back into the game now—perhaps to finish off some weapon camos or see the story through—there are a few things you should know.
First, ignore the "Tier 1" covenants early on. Save your hearts for the Rare or Legendary buffs. Things like "Death Blow" (which returns ammo to your clip on headshots) are literally life-saving when the hordes get thick in Shi No Numa.
Second, the Decimator Shield in Terra Maledicta is your best friend. It’s not just for defense; the blast radius is huge. Use it to clear out the Boom Schreiers before they get close enough to end your run.
Third, don't sleep on the "Simeon" artifact. The frost blast is arguably the most consistent way to get out of a corner. In a Call of Duty Vanguard zombies map, movement is everything, but sometimes the pathing gets weird and you'll find yourself stuck on a piece of geometry. The blast gives you those three seconds of breathing room you need to reset.
The Legacy of Vanguard's Undead
Looking back, Vanguard Zombies serves as a cautionary tale about moving too far away from what makes a franchise work. Innovation is great, but it has to supplement the core loop, not replace it entirely. The developers eventually found their footing with the Shi No Numa remake, but by then, a large portion of the player base had moved back to Cold War or Black Ops 3.
It’s a game of "what ifs." What if every map had been round-based? What if the hub system had been a side mode like Outbreak? We'll never know. What we do have is a collection of four distinct experiences that, while flawed, offer a unique take on the Aether story.
Next Steps for Players
- Start with Shi No Numa if you want the classic Zombies experience; it’s the most polished and rewarding map in the game.
- Focus on leveling up your Artifacts in the loadout menu before jumping into high-round attempts; the base versions are significantly weaker.
- Use the STG-44 or the Whitley LMG for your first few runs; their damage fall-off is much more forgiving than the SMGs on larger maps like Terra Maledicta.
- If you're hunting the Main Quest, bring a teammate. The final boss fight in The Archon is significantly more manageable when one person focuses on the mobs while the other deals damage to Kortifex.
Vanguard Zombies isn't the pinnacle of the series, but it’s a fascinating chapter in the history of Call of Duty. Whether you love the objective-based gameplay or live for the round-based grind, there’s enough here to occupy a weekend—provided you know which maps are worth your time.