CoD Vanguard players concerned as clips show return of infamous “squad spawns”

Getting good at Call of Duty is a grind and the game’s very best players have revealed, with a number of clips, arguably the biggest problem they’ve found in Vanguard: squad spawns.   

The vast majority of CoD multiplayer modes involve respawning, where players are resurrected after death. A mechanic felt nonstop in high-paced modes, experienced players care deeply about how spawns work.

Understandably, then, the feature has become a focal point for top players testing out Vanguard during the Open Beta. And, to the dismay of many, it appears that the mechanic is returning to the notorious “squad spawns” seen in Modern Warfare 2019 (whose engine this title is built on).

While MW19 was a very popular game, its competitive qualities were questioned by the game’s most active grinders. Now, they’re skeptical about Vanguard as well, as the Sledgehammer Games title is giving them unwelcome deja vu.

As you’ll notice Dillon ‘Attach’ Price mention during the clip, spawning in Vanguard’s Beta doesn’t seem… ideal: “What is this? What is this spawn system? Dude we’re chalked. We’re chalked, man.”

• Read more: Call of Duty: Vanguard players frustrated over “unplayable” PS4 version

A veteran CoD pro, Attach plays for the CDL’s Minnesota ROKKR and is therefore deeply invested in how this game will play at the most competitive levels. If he’s worried about such a base mechanic, that carries weight, but he’s far from the only one.

While another veteran CoD pro, James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks, responded with similar concern over the game’s spawn system — others, like the LA Thieves’ Dylan ‘Envoy’ Hannon, have been reaping the rewards.

• Read more: Karma shows why Vanguard weapon mounting is “even more broken” than Modern Warfare

At the moment, it’s unclear how Sledgehammer intend to tweak the spawns. They’ve already adjusted them once already, but players don’t seem satisfied.

The concern is that this system uses teammates to justify where you return from the dead, in which case an opponent could simply wait and keep sending you back to the dead. That’s a reasonable concern, so we’ll continue monitoring the situation and provide updates as they become available.