Cheeky CoD: Vanguard trick makes finishing moves completely useless

Nathan Warby
Vanguard player performing finishing move

Finishing moves are one of the most humiliating ways to be killed in CoD Vanguard. Luckily, there is a way you can wriggle out of them and take out your opponent in the process. Here’s how to do it.

There are plenty of different ways of taking out enemies in Call of Duty: Vanguard. From the huge arsenal of weapons to the powerful killstreaks, Sledgehammer Games has given players dozens of options for inflicting punishment on their opponents.

But easily the funniest and most humiliating is pulling off a finishing move – the ultimate way of asserting dominance in a match. However, if you’re unlucky enough to be on the receiving end, it can be frustrating.

Thankfully, if you think you’re about to be assassinated, there is an easy way to counter it if you’re willing to sacrifice one part of your loadout.

Vanguard players doing an assassination
Finishing moves are a flashy way of getting the final kill

Finishing moves have become a staple of the CoD series since their introduction back in 2019. Players who manage to sneak up behind enemies without them noticing can perform a showy takedown by holding down the melee button.

If you hear them coming but don’t have time to turn around, and you happen to have a throwing knife equipped, you can counter it.

All you have to do is hold down the throw button before the assassination begins, then release it once the animation starts to play. This will use plunge the throwing knife into the unsuspecting enemy and bag yourself an elimination in the process.

Check out this video from Reddit user Bigbillyclubs to see the technique in action.

According to posts on the official Vanguard Reddit, the counter can be achieved will holding any throwable like a Frag Grenade or Gammon Bomb. However, we recommend opting for a Throwing Knife so there’s no risking being caught in an explosion.

If you’re someone who runs around the map with an SMG, changing up your loadout to stop assassinations might have little benefit. But if you favor a sniper class where there’s a risk of being snuck up on, having a Throwing Knife handy could prevent some frustrating deaths.

It’s worth noting that the same counter can also be used in the same way on both Modern Warfare (2019) and in Warzone.


For more on Call of Duty, check out some of our other guides:

Best Vanguard settings | Most popular Warzone weapons | Best EM2 class loadout | Best Mac-10 loadout

About The Author

Nathan is a Games Writer at Dexerto and Charlie INTEL, primarily covering FIFA and Call of Duty, as well as general gaming news and guides. After leaving university with a degree in Sports Studies and a master's degree in Magazine Journalism, he took on a role as a local news reporter before moving into games media. You can contact Nathan by email at nathan.warby@dexerto.com.