CoD Vanguard devs return with 2022 promises: Challenge fixes, Sniper buffs, more

Call of Duty: Vanguard developers have returned to work after a short holiday break, outlining the first big patch of 2022 while promising a number of bug fixes, balance changes, and gameplay improvements yet to come.

It’s been three weeks since the last Vanguard update arrived. When it comes to CoD, three weeks is a lifetime and the community has certainly been vocal about their frustrations with the latest release.

While Krampus has been tearing through lobbies all sorts of fundamental issues have risen to the surface. After a short stretch of radio silence as the dev team enjoyed a break, Sledgehammer Games is back in action to help fix Vanguard.

The first set of changes have already been detailed as promises have been made to fix a handful of the most crucial issues. Here’s an early rundown on what to expect from the first Vanguard patch of the year.

“The break is officially over,” Sledgehammer announced in a January 3 Twitter thread. While an immediate update wasn’t rolled out there and then, the return came with news of what’s to come.

Namely, the devs highlighted four key points as a top priority upon their return. First up, challenges are in line for a fix in the near future.

Since Vanguard launched, a number of weapons have been stuck in their progression. This has left players unable to complete the camo grind, but rest assured, that issue should soon be a thing of the past.

Next is a broader tease that suggests a number of “Perk adjustments” are on the way for one specific reason: “to help counter all things fire.”

If you’ve loaded into any multiplayer playlist over the holidays, you’ll know the Special Incendiary Grenade has been dominant. With almost every player running with the Season 1 Lethal, expect Perk changes to help reduce its impact. Similar can be said for Incendiary Rounds as well.

• Read More: CoD players highlight major flaw with Vanguard’s ‘disastrous’ perk system

Sledgehammer’s return also teased the first weapon balance pass of 2022. While specific details remain under wraps, we do know Snipers are set to be buffed while Shotguns are in store for additional nerfs after the first attempt fell short.

Last but not least, the “game-ruining” Mortar Barrage streak will soon be much less powerful. Just how soon these changes will come into effect, however, isn’t quite clear. Devs assured “more frequent updates” to follow and we should even have more specific details on the first big patch “this week.”

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As always, we’ll keep you up to speed with all the latest Vanguard changes as they’re announced — we’re expecting them to drop soon.