Vanguard Der Anfang: Perks, Pack-A-Punch, Portals, Extraction, And More

The Vanguard Der Anfang map is the only launch offering for the Zombies mode in Vanguard, and it shakes up the tried-and-tested formula dramatically. While previous Call of Duty Zombies staples like perks and Pack-A-Punch remain, portals and extraction are brand new features, among others. Worry not though because even if it looks daunting at first, this Call of Duty Vanguard Der Anfang guide has everything you need to know.

Vanguard Der Anfang Loadouts

Click to enlarge

The Vanguard Der Anfang loadouts and artifacts are the first thing you need to know about, before you even load into the level. It's a very similar system to last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. After reaching level four - which can be done in multiplayer - you can customise your loadout with a gun and an artifact. This is all you're allowed to choose so make your choice wisely. 

As far as guns are concerned, you can technically use guns you haven't unlocked yet in the premade classes and getting kills with them will level it up. There aren't many downsides to using these guns, but you can't customize it until it's actually unlocked so you're probably better off sticking to what you can use right now. Pick a gun you've unlocked, get in there, and get it upgraded. Fortunately, Multiplayer and Zombies both share guns and levels so anything you've unlocked there will carry over. Stats don't though, so guns that shred through foes in Domination or Hardpoint may not be your best choice against the hordes of the undead. With that in mind, our best Vanguard STG44 loadouts and best Vanguard MP40 loadouts are always a solid shout thanks to how versatile the gun is.

Vanguard Der Anfang Artifacts

Click to enlarge

While loadouts favour experimentation, meaning you're better off trying things until they work for you, artifacts have a little bit more intent to their design. Where the Aether Shroud is designed to get you out from a tight spot, Frost Blast is there to lock one down. Figure out how you like to play the game and pick something that compliments your style. After this, you're ready to get in there. Here's the full list of Vanguard Der Anfang artifacts:

Energy Mine: The Dragon of Saraxis spawns an Aethereal explosive, dealing massive damage to enemies who set it off.
Aether Shroud: The Mask of Bellekar cloaks you in Dark Aether, masking your presence from enemies for 5 seconds.
Ring of Fire: The Sword of Inviktor sparks a ring of Aethereal flame to boost damage for anyone within. Lasts 15 seconds.
Frost Blast: The Horn of Norticus summons a frigid vortex, damaging enemies with the initial blast and slowing those that enter.

Vanguard Der Anfang Pack-A-Punch & Mystery Box

Click to enlarge

Stalingrad is where you start in Der Anfang. It's generally the calmest area in the game and is designed to give you a bit of a breather. You can find the mystery box, Pack-a-Punch, a workbench and more that we will go over later in this guide. Essentially, if things are getting hectic or if your internet is playing up, this is a great way of getting a few minutes away from all the action. 

The thing to note about Der Anfang is it's created with a specific playstyle in mind. It is designed to have these bursts of adrenaline, then some time to recover. You are supposed to go into areas, complete objectives and get out alive. It gives these varied little rushes, then allows you some time to spend your points on new gear and upgrade your weapon. Stalingrad is sort of like the hub of Der Anfang - make good use of your time here.

Vanguard Der Anfang Portals

Click to enlarge

The portals are rather fascinating. They offer short bust challenges that you complete to open up the map. Call of Duty Vanguard scraps the old door system and now requires you to finish challenges to open them up. There are three central portal types, all of which make the map just a little bit bigger.  

First up is Blitz. This teleports you to an area and commands you to survive. Take down as many zombies as you can and hold off the area for a set amount of time to beat it. 

Another portal may have "Harvest" written above it. This is one of the longer challenges you have to defeat. In it, you kill zombies to pick up runes that you then deposit into the "Sineater". You have to do this three times to win. Generally, these areas are a little bigger, so make sure to take advantage of its size to avoid getting trapped. 

The final portal type is called Transmit. In this, you have to follow a zombie head until the end of its path. This is effectively an escort mission where you have to kill zombies and follow it. At least the skull isn't shouting "Leon" the whole time. 

Every time you do a portal, the game will get harder in return for more of the map being available. 

Vanguard Der Anfang Perks

Perks are a bit different this time around. You can get to them by opening up the map and the first use of each perk is free. After you've acquired one, it stays forever. The twist is that you can usually use a perk machine up to four times, having each time increase its effectiveness. If you go down after tier 1, that perk will drop down again. The perks you can find in Der Anfang are: 

• Aethereal Haste - Boosts movement speed
• Demonic Frenzy - Boosts reload speed
• Diabolical Damage - Boosts critical damage
• Fiendish Fortitude - Increases health
• Venomous Vigor - Boosts regeneration speed

Vanguard Der Anfang Sacrificial Hearts

Click to enlarge

From Stalingrad, you may see a sacrificial altar. This gives you covenant abilities in return for hearts. They are permanent buffs that work in a similar way to perks. You earn a heart by taking on any of three portal types and then you can pick a new covenant. Only three can be active at a time and, sometimes, they can work around specific abilities or builds. The higher the round, the better the potential covenants you can find. The abilities start to get rare and much stronger as rounds progress. You can replace any you don't like so it doesn't punish you too hard for getting it wrong.

Vanguard Der Anfang Chests & Crystals

This is only a short note but worth including. As the map opens up, you can grab all those perks but you can find small chests and clumps of crystals. Open the chest and smash the crystals to find more ammo and special drops. Generally, this may give you some scrap or a new grenade of some kind. Scrap can then be used to make new gear or repair some armor, like in Black Ops Cold War. Make sure to explore around to find the best stuff. 

Vanguard Der Anfang Extraction

As there's no Easter egg or quest to work towards in Der Anfang yet, there's nothing concrete to strive for. If you want to end the game and feel like getting a nice EXP boost alongside it, you can get an extraction at any point past round five. A small rune will show up on the fountain. Interact with it and it will give you a figure of zombies you have to kill before being extracted. Then, one final portal will appear to get you out of there. This loop should keep you busy until the proper Easter egg arrives.

Now you know everything there is to know about the Vanguard Der Anfang map, why not check out all of the Vanguard operators in multiplayer?