Mastering the Onslaught: A Comprehensive Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies Early Game Strategy Guide
Welcome, soldier, to the front lines of the undead war in Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies. Those first few rounds can feel like a frantic scramble for survival, a desperate dance between grabbing points and fending off the horde. It's easy to feel overwhelmed, but fear not. A strong start isn't just about surviving; it's about building an unstoppable foundation for the later, more chaotic rounds. This guide is your essential training manual, designed to transform those shaky early moments into a calculated and powerful launchpad. We'll break down everything from your very first move to the critical transition into the mid-game, ensuring you're equipped, empowered, and ready to dominate the Dark Aether.
The cornerstone of your early game success lies in a simple mantra: Points Over Kills. In the initial rounds, your primary objective isn't to eliminate zombies with style; it's to farm as many points as humanly possible. Why? Because points are the lifeblood that unlocks everything – better weapons, Perks, and access to new areas. The most efficient way to rack up points in the early stages is by utilizing the "point farming" technique. This involves shooting zombies in the legs or arms to maximize the number of hits before securing the kill. A single knife kill might be quick, but you earn a flat 90 points. However, shooting a zombie eight times (10 points per shot) and then knifing it (90 points) nets you 170 points – almost double the reward. Make this your religion for Rounds 1 through 5.
Your loadout choice is your first strategic decision, and it has a profound impact on your early game flow. While you might be tempted to bring a powerful shotgun or an LMG, the meta for a truly optimized start often leans towards the SVT-40 or M1 Garand. These semi-automatic rifles are point-farming powerhouses. They allow for precise limb shots, have ample ammunition from the start, and pack enough punch to handle the early zombies with ease. Pair this with a knife as your melee weapon. Until around Round 4 or 5, a single knife lunge is an instant kill, saving you precious ammunition and allowing you to use your primary weapon purely for point generation. This early game loadout optimization is a non-negotiable secret of high-round players.
Now, let's talk about your sanctuary and your most powerful tool: the Altar of Covenants and the crafting bench. Your first 1,500 points should almost universally be spent on a Stielhandgranate at the crafting bench. This isn't just a grenade; it's your "get out of jail free" card. If you get cornered or a zombie sneaks up on you, this explosive is your savior. Immediately after, your focus should shift to the Altar of Covenants. Your first Covenant purchase is critical. While personal preference plays a role, "Deadly Damage: Critical kills trigger a small Aether explosion" is arguably the best early game Covenant you can get. It creates a chain-reaction effect, allowing you to clear tight groups of zombies with a single well-placed headshot, dramatically speeding up your point farming and survival rate.
As you accumulate points, the world of Perks opens up. Don't rush to buy them all at once. Prioritization is key. Your first 2,500 points should almost always go to Stamin-Up. The increased sprint speed and duration are invaluable for creating distance, kiting zombies, and navigating the map safely. It is, without a doubt, the most impactful early game Perk. Following Stamin-Up, your next purchase should be Juggernog. The increased health is a obvious survival boost. The third Perk slot is more flexible; Quick Revive is excellent for solo play or if you're playing a supportive role in a co-op game, while Elemental Pop can add some helpful crowd control. Saving Speed Cola for a bit later is often a wise choice, as reload speed is less critical when you're carefully managing your shots in the early rounds. This early rounds perk priority system ensures you're investing in what will keep you alive and mobile first and foremost.
A common point of confusion for new players is the relationship between rounds and zombie health. In Vanguard Zombies, zombie health increases with each round, but it caps at specific milestones. The most important cap to know is that zombie health stops scaling after Round 10. This is why your early game weapon selection is so crucial. The weapon you start with and the first wall-buy you invest in need to be effective enough to carry you through this health cap transition. A common and highly effective strategy is to save your points to purchase a wall-buy weapon like the Cooper Carbine or STG44 from a central location once you have around 5,000-6,000 points saved up. These weapons are reliable, have good ammo reserves, and can be easily upgraded via the Pack-a-Punch machine when you're ready.
Speaking of the Pack-a-Punch machine, your goal by the end of the early game (around Round 7-10) should be to have at least one weapon Pack-a-Punched to Level 1. The damage boost is monumental and is your ticket to smoothly handling the mid-game. To afford this, you must master the art of the "train." This doesn't mean running around aimlessly. It means moving in a wide, circular or figure-eight path, grouping the entire horde behind you into a neat, manageable line. Once they are grouped, you can turn, unleash a burst of fire or a lethal equipment, and then continue running. This zombie training technique for beginners is the single most important movement skill in all of Zombies. It prevents you from being surrounded and allows for efficient crowd control. Practice this in the more open areas of the map from the very beginning.
Finally, let's consolidate this into a step-by-step early game survival roadmap for the first seven rounds:
- Round 1-2: Use your starting rifle to shoot every zombie 6-8 times in the legs before knifing them for the kill. Do not use grenades.
- Round 3: Craft a Stielhandgranate. Continue point farming, but be mindful that zombies now take two knife kills. Rely more on your weapon.
- Round 4: Open any essential, low-cost doors to create better training spaces. Purchase your first Covenant from the Altar, aiming for Deadly Damage.
- Round 5: Purchase Stamin-Up. This is your mobility milestone.
- Round 6: You should now have a sizable points reserve. Purchase Juggernog for survivability and then buy your primary wall-buy weapon (e.g., Cooper Carbine).
- Round 7-10: Your focus is now on building your train and dealing with the growing horde. Farm points aggressively to save up the 5,000 points needed for Pack-a-Punch Level 1. Once you achieve this, you have officially and successfully graduated from the early game.
By internalizing these strategies – the point farming discipline, the perk priority, the effective training, and the clear upgrade path – you will no longer just survive the early rounds of Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies. You will conquer them. You'll enter the mid-game with a powerful weapon, essential Perks, and the confidence to face whatever the Dark Aether throws at you. Now, gear up, soldier. Your undead dominion starts now.
