CoD Vanguard players expose ‘pay to win’ Double Barrel Blueprint after nerfs

CoD Vanguard players have lashed out at yet another “pay to win” weapon Blueprint in the store as a certain Double Barrel Shotgun setup is able to break the rules and provide a unique buff.

CoD Vanguard may have only been out for two months, but we’ve already seen multiple instances of ‘pay to win’ bundles in the store. 

Outside of ‘copy-paste’ cosmetic packs, some purchasable items come with real gameplay benefits. We’ve already seen weapon Blueprints with exclusive Perks, and now, we have Blueprints that quite literally break Vanguard’s rules.

Following weeks of continuous Shotgun nerfs, there’s now a bundle in the store that lets players circumvent key restrictions to regain full power.

Activision

Using the Akimbo Perk blocks Underbarrels for all builds outside of a new premium bundle.

When using the “overpowered” Double Barrel Shotgun, there’s one crucial rule in effect. If you opt to run with the Akimbo Perk, dual-wielding shottys, Vanguard disables any Underbarrel attachments.

This has been the tradeoff since launch. Given the power of having two Double Barrels, eliminating one attachment is how Sledgehammer Games aimed to keep things fair. However, a new bundle arrived in Season 1 that goes against this logic.

CoD Vanguard’s Scavenger Hunt bundle, priced at 1,400 CoD Points (roughly $15), contains the Wild Marble Shotgun Blueprint. This build just so happens to feature the Akimbo Perk along with an SMLE Pistol Grip Underbarrel. It provides an advantage that no other Double Barrel build has access to.

Activision

This premium version of the Double Barrel Shotgun can only be bought through the store.

Naturally, this led to some backlash online as players exposed the bundle. “If you wanted to build this gun without the Blueprint, you wouldn’t be able to,” Reddit user ‘M4GIX’ explained.

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“I think it’s incompetence more than malice,” another player chimed in. “They just don’t know anything about the game.”

This isn’t the first instance of a ‘pay to win’ Blueprint in Vanguard, and if these first few weeks are anything to go by, it likely won’t be the last.

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Activision has already stepped forward to apologize for the “frustrating” state of Call of Duty during Vanguard. Though beyond this statement, we’re yet to see devs acknowledge and fix bundles clearly providing an unfair advantage.