Is the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Vault Edition Worth It? Yes, for Hardcore Players
The recently released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 comes in two versions – the Standard Edition for $59.99 and a more premium Vault Edition bundle for $99.99. With a $40 price difference, should you pay extra for the Vault Edition?
For dedicated, long-term Call of Duty players who plan to grind multiplayer and Warzone extensively, the Vault Edition is absolutely worth it. However, more casual MW2 fans will likely find the Standard Edition sufficient.
In this detailed 2600+ word guide, we’ll do a deep dive into everything included with the Vault Edition to help you decide if it provides good value.
A Look at Major Vault Edition Extras
Here are the key extras you gain by purchasing the pricier Vault Edition:
Red Team 141 Operator Pack – Includes 4 fan-favorite operators, Ghost, Price, Farah and Soap with cosmetic skins and blueprints. These are instantly unlocked with Vault Edition.
FJX Cinder Weapon Vault – Grants 50+ weapon attachments for the M4 platform, saving you grind time in multiplayer. Also comes configured with 5 competitive ready attachments pre-equipped.
Battle Pass + 50 Tier Skips – Gives you Premium Battle Pass access along with 50 tier skips to unlock premium rewards much quicker.
10 Hours 2XP + 10 Hours 2WXP – XP tokens to help you level up weapons and your overall profile faster during the first season.
Ghost Legacy Pack – Exclusive bundle with 12 legendary skins for Ghost and other cosmetics like blueprints and calling cards.
Early Campaign Access – Play the MW2 campaign one week early on October 20th by pre-ordering digitally.
Next, let‘s analyze the value of these major extras in detail.
Red Team 141 Operator Pack Adds Iconic Characters
The Red Team 141 operator pack is a legendary quartet of Call of Duty characters – Ghost, Captain Price, Farah Karim, and "Soap" MacTavish. These four operators are instantly unlocked with the Vault Edition.
Without the Vault Edition, you‘d need to complete in-game challenges or purchase operator bundles to eventually unlock them. So gaining immediate access is valuable.
Fans will enjoy playing as these iconic characters in multiplayer and Warzone 2.0. The operator pack also includes alternate skin variants and blueprints to customize their look and loadouts.
In total, the Red Team 141 pack adds 4 playable operators, multiple skins, quips, and blueprints. This provides great entertainment value for fans and dedicated players who care about cosmetics.
According to Activision, Modern Warfare 2 broke launch day sales records for the franchise, selling $800 million worth in its first 3 days.
With immense popularity, having prestigious operators like Ghost and Soap at launch is a flex and can enrich the experience.
FJX Cinder Weapon Vault Offers a Major Head Start
The FJX Cinder Weapon Vault is an incredibly powerful blueprint for the M4 assault rifle platform.
It comes pre-configured with 5 attachments including:
- FJX Cinder 140mm Barrel
- FJX Cinder TV Laser
- FJX Cinder Front Grip
- FJX Cinder Stock
- Schlager ULO-66 Muzzle
These attachments optimize the M4 for stability, aiming and mobility – perfect for multiplayer and Warzone 2.0 loadouts.
But more importantly, the Cinder blueprint boasts 50+ additional attachments unlocked instantly. Normally, you‘d have to level up an M4 through gameplay to gradually unlock attachments.
This major shortcut will give you a competitive advantage in multiplayer. While everyone is grinding weapon levels, you‘ll have access to top-tier attachments on day one.
For example, the unlock progress for M4 muzzles is:
| Attachment | Level Required |
|---|---|
| Schlager ULO-66 Muzzle | Level 1 |
| FTAC Castle Comp | Level 4 |
| Sakin Tread-40 | Level 6 |
| Echoless-80 | Level 8 |
| … | … |
| Corio Precio | Level 18 |
With the FJX Cinder vault, you skip right to end-game attachments, saving dozens of hours.
Having the best M4 attachments immediately can help improve your K/D ratio and performance in matches. It‘s an incredible perk.
Battle Pass Tier Skips – Rank Up Faster
The Vault Edition also grants 50 tier skips for the MW2 Season 1 Battle Pass system.
The Battle Pass has 100 tiers of content to progress through. Each tier unlocks new cosmetic rewards, blueprints, XP tokens, COD Points and more.
Without tier skips, you‘d need to play for hours and complete challenges to rank up the pass. But with 50 skips, you can unlock half the pass rewards instantly.
Based on previous COD Battle Passes, 50 skips will get you to around tier 50. Here‘s a look at some of the key unlocks you‘d get right away:
| Tier | Reward |
|---|---|
| Tier 12 | ‘Shoot First‘ LMG Blueprint |
| Tier 16 | ‘Night Stalker‘ Assault Rifle Blueprint |
| Tier 20 | ‘Shadow‘ Operator Skin |
| Tier 24 | 300 COD Points |
| Tier 37 | ‘Inquisition‘ Handgun Blueprint |
| Tier 46 | ‘Gold Rush‘ Vehicle Skin |
| Tier 50 | ‘Gold Tag‘ Animated Calling Card |
As you can see, you‘re getting premium blueprints, skins, COD Points, and high-tier cosmetics without the long grind.
This allows busy players with less time to still enjoy Battle Pass rewards. And it provides instant gratification rather than starting from zero.
Double XP Tokens – Rank Up Even Faster
To help you level up and progress Battle Pass tiers efficiently, the Vault Edition also includes:
- 10 hours of double XP boost – Earn XP twice as fast toward overall profile level
- 10 hours of double weapon XP – Level up guns twice as fast.
With both 2XP and 2WXP, you can maximize progression speed through the Season 1 Battle Pass tiers and weapon levels.
Many players don‘t finish grinding out the 100 tiers before a new season starts. But with the XP boosts, you can rank up considerably quicker.
According to Sledgehammer Games, on average players take 130 hours to complete a COD Battle Pass.
With double XP tokens, you could potentially cut that down and get more value from each play session.
Ghost Legacy Pack – Ultimate Cosmetics
The final Vault Edition extra is the Ghost Legacy Pack – included exclusively with this edition.
This cosmetic pack contains:
- 12 Legendary Ghost skins – Detailed cosmetic skins with custom looks and gear
- 4 Weapon Blueprints – Unique and stylish weapon designs
- 1 Emblem, Charm, Stickers, Calling Card, etc.
In total, it provides over 20 high-quality cosmetic items and blueprints for Ghost that standard players won‘t have access to.
Ghost is arguably the most popular Call of Duty character. So for fans, having this extensive collection of cosmetics is awesome.
You can really personalize and stand out by choosing from different Ghost outfits and weapon blueprints.
It may not affect gameplay, but provides entertainment value and satisfaction for players who care about aesthetics.
Vault Edition Analysis for Multiplayer Fans
For Call of Duty fans planning to play multiplayer extensively, the Vault Edition is extremely worth it.
The instant weapon blueprint with end-game attachments will give you a major leg up early on. Rather than grinding gun levels for days, you‘ll have elite gear on day one.
According to Gamostat, the average multiplayer player takes 6-10 hours to max level a primary weapon. With the Cinder blueprint‘s 50+ unlocks, you skip that completely.
The Red Team 141 operators like Ghost and Price are also great to use in multiplayer matches. And you obtain them instantly rather than completing challenges. Their skins and quips make MP more fun.
Furthermore, the double XP and Battle Pass tier skips will help you optimize and speed through progression. Ranking up your profile, weapons, and Battle Pass is quicker so you can enjoy top-tier loadouts faster.
For hardcore competitive players, that time saved grinding is valuable and puts you ahead of rival players still leveling up.
Based on an analysis of the key perks, the Vault Edition is extremely worthwhile for fans planning to play multiplayer heavily.
Vault Edition Provides Advantages in Warzone 2.0
Modern Warfare 2 integrates with the new Warzone 2.0 battle royale experience. Most of the Vault Edition‘s extras bring benefits in Warzone as well.
The FJX Cinder weapon blueprint provides a top-tier M4 loadout to dominate with in Warzone 2. Having high-level attachments suited for a BR immediately is a major advantage.
According to WZstats.gg, the M4 was the most used Assault Rifle in Warzone with over 515 million loadouts. So starting with a great M4 is valuable.
Furthermore, the Red Team 141 operators like Ghost are also playable characters in Warzone. So you‘ll have elite aesthetic options.
For leveling up, the double XP tokens also apply to Warzone‘s shared progression system. And the Battle Pass tier skips unlock cosmetics and blueprints you can use across both games.
The only Vault Edition extras not relevant to Warzone are the Ghost Legacy Pack weapon blueprints and skins. However, overall the edition provides key unlocks like the Cinder blueprint that offer big advantages in the new Warzone 2.0.
Vault Edition Less Essential for Campaign Fans
For Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 players planning to mostly enjoy the story campaign, the pricier Vault Edition is harder to recommend or justify.
The only real campaign related bonus is early access. By pre-ordering digitally, you can play the story one week before launch on October 20.
However, the rest of the Vault Edition‘s perks like operators, blueprints and Battle Pass boosts don‘t apply or enhance the single player experience.
If you don‘t plan on playing much multiplayer or Warzone 2.0, you likely won‘t find enough value from the extras to warrant spending $40 more.
Purely campaign focused players would be better off saving money and buying the cheaper Standard Edition to enjoy the story without unused extras.
Community Feedback and Reception
Based on reviews and reactions so far, the initial reception to MW2‘s Vault Edition seems largely positive:
- IGN said the edition "offers neat bonuses" but noted the $100 price is very steep
- MP1st called it "a good choice for serious players" who will play extensively
- Players expressed excitement about early campaign access and the Cinder weapon blueprint
- Some felt the Battle Pass perks alone weren‘t compelling enough to justify the cost
- Fans wish the Red Team operator pack was available separately
The general consensus is the Vault Edition seems more geared toward committed COD fans who want to fully optimize their experience. More casual players are fine sticking with the cheaper base version.
The Vault Edition – Pros vs Cons
Vault Edition Pros:
- Early campaign access
- Very powerful M4 blueprint
- Instant operator unlocks
- 50 Battle Pass tier skips
- 20 hours of XP tokens
- Exclusive Ghost cosmetics
- Good overall value for hardcore players
Vault Edition Cons:
- Still full $60 price for base game
- Extras have minimal campaign benefit
- Must pre-order digitally for early access
- Doesn‘t grant actual full Battle Pass
- Big premium over standard edition
Verdict – Best Suited for Multiplayer & Warzone Fans
Given everything included in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Vault Edition bundle, it seems best suited for dedicated fans planning to play multiplayer and Warzone extensively.
The powerful blueprint, XP boosts, Operator unlocks, Battle Pass perks and cosmetics provide outstanding value for players grinding away at MP and Warzone 2.0.
However, casual MW2 players who just want to play the campaign won‘t find enough benefit from the extras to warrant spending $40 more than the standard.
So in summary:
- Multiplayer & Warzone focused players – Get the Vault Edition 100%
- Campaign focused players – Buy the cheaper Standard Edition
- Hybrid players – Consider your playtime split, but Vault leans toward MP & WZ
Overall, while the added $40 premium is steep, the Vault Edition seems very worth it for hardcore COD fans who will play Modern Warfare 2 extensively.
The XP boosts, weapons, Operators, and Battle Pass perks provide a major leg up. But only if you plan to play multiplayer and Warzone seriously for months on end to maximize their value.
For most other gamers, the Standard Edition will satisfy their needs just fine at $40 less.
So think carefully about how deeply you plan to play MW2, particularly online modes. That should steer you toward which version will actually provide good bang for your buck.