CoD Vanguard players expose “copy-paste” Christmas bundle ripped from WWII
ActivisionCall of Duty: Vanguard players have exposed a new ‘Secret Santa’ bundle in the CoD store that appears to be charging a premium fee for old content already accessible for free.
As the holiday season begins to wind down, the last remaining festive bundles are rolling out in the CoD store. Each day intends to highlight a new or classic pack at a discounted price. However, the latest set of goodies enraptured the Vanguard player base for all the wrong reasons.
A Secret Santa bundle is currently live at the time of writing. For the price of 1,500 CoD Points – roughly $15 – players can obtain two weapon blueprints along with a handful of emblems, finishing moves, and more.
One weapon blueprint, the Dasher Shotgun, immediately stood out to fans online. This particular item comes boasting an identical look to a free cosmetic previously available in 2017’s WWII release.
ActivisionThis Legendary blueprint gives the Shotgun a wooden visual with distinct red highlights along the Muzzle and Barrel. Notably, it also features the ‘Trench Runner’ label printed along the base of the gun, as well as a soldier silhouette on the Rear Grip.
It just so happens that this premium reward in Vanguard matches a free reward from CoD WWII. Sledgehammer’s previous entry in the franchise featured this exact cosmetic, only, it was free.
Rather than paying to unlock, players could earn the unique Trench Runner visual. By “completing Orders, prestige Divisions, and reaching new Social Ranks,” the Shotgun variant could be unlocked.
For those grinding Vanguard, however, there’s no way to obtain this once-free item without forking over some cash.
ActivisionNaturally, many were agitated by this new discovery. “The amount of effort put into this game is something else,” one player said on Reddit.
“[The] bundle is a straight-up copy-paste of a free WWII variant now being resold for $15,” another chimed in. “Could not believe my eyes when I realized what it was.”
Not the first time devs have been called out for duplicating premium rewards, this now appears to be a more common trend than ever before.
Be sure to keep an eye out as future bundles may employ the same tactic in Vanguard.
