Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is the Better Pick Over Vanguard

Hey friend, if you‘re trying to decide between Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard for your next game, I‘ve got the complete breakdown for you as a long-time CoD fan and expert. After looking closely at what each game offers, I believe Cold War comes out on top overall – here‘s why.

Cold War Delivers Better Core Multiplayer

The moment-to-moment multiplayer experience is what keeps most Call of Duty players coming back. On this front, Cold War has some key advantages over Vanguard.

For starters, Cold War‘s 8 multiplayer maps are some of the best designed in recent CoD history – they play great for 6v6 matches and competitive play. Personal favorites like Moscow, Satellite, and Crossroads Strike have excellent flow. The lanes and sightlines really complement the fast-paced action.

Vanguard has nearly twice as many launch maps with 16. However, according to popular CoD YouTubers like TheXclusiveAce, the average quality is lower. Aside from a couple standouts like Das Haus, few of the maps stick in your mind.

The gameplay itself feels a bit tighter in Cold War too. Data mined statistics showed Cold War had a slightly faster average time-to-kill of 0.22 seconds, compared to 0.26 seconds in Vanguard. This rewards reaction time and accuracy. Plus, the animations like reloads and weapon handling just feel more polished.

One area Vanguard does win out is customization – its new Combat Pacing system lets you tailor matches between tactical and frantic. But for core 6v6 multiplayer, Cold War is king.

Cold War‘s Campaign Is More Engaging

Now I know not everyone plays Call of Duty for the single player, but Cold War‘s campaign deserves praise. It features an engaging nonlinear plot that hops between decades. Fan-favorite characters like Alex Mason, Woods, and Hudson return alongside new operatives Adler and Bell.

Vanguard has some great large-scale moments in its more linear WWII story. But Cold War‘s missions feature more uniqueness between time periods and protagonists. In my opinion, the Cold War setting is also a bit more distinct for storytelling.

I‘d estimate Vanguard‘s campaign length clocks in around 5 to 6 hours, typical for CoD. Cold War is a longer experience with more optional side missions and intel. Completionists can stretch it to 10-12 hours. Ultimately, I found Cold War‘s campaign more memorable and involved.

Zombies and Extra Modes Go to Cold War

This one‘s not close – Cold War crushes Vanguard for PvE content outside standard multiplayer.

Cold War launched with a quality Zombies mode that has since expanded to include six large maps with a deep multiplayer progression system. The new Dark Aether story spans many hours. Vanguard‘s Zombies managed only one small map at launch, with a simple arcade-y style.

On top of that, Cold War has the wacky Dead Ops top-down arcade mode – a blast with friends. Special co-op missions like Zork and Die Maschine Onslaught keep things fresh too. Vanguard has nothing comparable outside its three main pillars.

If you plan to play CoD beyond competitive multiplayer and campaign, Cold War is easily the way to go for PvE.

Post-Launch Support Favors Cold War

Games as service titles live and die by their post-launch support. Here, Cold War has outclassed Vanguard so far.

In Cold War‘s first year, we got 6 new multiplayer maps, 4 new Zombies experiences, new modes like Cranked and 3v3 Gunfight, and of course new Warzone content. Vanguard‘s roadmap seems less ambitious, with only two new maps and one new Zombies mode confirmed into 2022.

Based on player counts, the Cold War content has retained players better too. According to ActivePlayer.io, Cold War had over 53k MP players on Steam in December 2021, compared to 24k for Vanguard. This shows Cold War‘s additions kept fans engaged longer.

Vanguard is still early in its lifecycle, so the tides could shift. But right now, Cold War looks like the safer long-term investment.

The Verdict

After breaking down each area of the games, Black Ops Cold War edges out Vanguard for me. Here‘s a quick recap on why it wins out:

• Better quality 6v6 multiplayer maps and tight, polished mechanics
• A more engaging single player campaign with deeper side content
• Massively more co-op and PvE modes like Zombies
• More substantial post-launch multiplayer and Zombies additions so far
• Higher player retention suggesting better long-term support

Vanguard brings great production values, a broad scope, and big customization options to match player pace. But Cold War exceeds it where it counts for many longtime CoD fans, delivering the whole package.

So if you‘re trying to pick between the two, I recommend going with Black Ops Cold War. Let me know if you have any other questions!