Champion Hill: Call of Duty Vanguard's New Multiplayer Mode, Explained
Last weekend, PlayStation players were given the opportunity to try out a brand new multiplayer mode being added in Call of Duty Vanguard. It's called Champion Hill, a round-robin, limited-lives deathmatch tournament that's heavy on the action and light on the clock. Here's everything we learned about Champion Hill, and what to expect when it goes live with Call of Duty Vanguard this November. Champion Hill will pit you in teams of two or three in a round robin of eight teams total. As a pair you'll have 12 lives between you, and as a trio that's bumped up to 18. If you lose all of those lives, you're out. If you're the last team standing, you win. Operators will start with a basic loadout of one weapon and a sidearm, plus $500 cash to spend in an initial Buy Round. You won't be able to afford much here – maybe an upgrade to your weapon and an armour plate or two – but you'll be able to browse the Perks, Streaks, Weapons, and Equipment available through four buy stations. These will be familiar to legacy Call of Duty players – it's a much more restricted loadout than you can score in Warzone for instance, but classics such as a perk doubling the duration of your tactical sprint are there. Weapon sets are predetermined, meaning you can't necessarily bring your favourites with you, but each round of Champion Hill will have an assault rifle, light machine gun, sub machine gun, shotgun, and sniper rifle available to buy. Weapons are also the only thing you're able to upgrade mid-round, with a total of 10 upgrades available before a weapon is maxed out. Of course, each upgrade will get more expensive, so be careful with that upgrade button. The open area where the Buy Rounds are held acts as a central pillar to four separate, smaller maps; Airstrip to the east, Courtyard to the north, Market to the west, and Trainyard to the south. While you're in each, you can actually hear gunfire echoing from the other maps as players face off in their own rounds. Meaning when the announcer declares a team eliminated, you can often hear the firefight that led to that team's demise. Each map also necessitates a different tactical approach. The Airstrip is as large as the maps get, with wider open spaces suitable for mid-to-long range weapons. On the other hand, run-and-gun players will feel at home in the more claustrophobic Courtyard. Over all Champion Hill is a damn fun mode that really benefits from how quickly it runs through. Small maps and 60-second rounds mean you're never far from the action, and when compared to a multiplayer mode like Warzone where you can wander 10 minutes without seeing an enemy, it's perfect for players who want to spend a quick half hour gaming with one or two mates. Produced by Clocked: https://happymag.tv/clocked/ Played and reviewed by Tom Cameron: https://happymag.tv/author/tom-cameron/ Additional gameplay from Alastair Cairns: https://happymag.tv/author/alastair-cairns #CallofDuty #ChampionHill #Gaming #CallofDutyVanguard #Clocked #HappyMag
Last weekend, PlayStation players were given the opportunity to try out a brand new multiplayer mode being added in Call of Duty Vanguard. It's called Champion Hill, a round-robin, limited-lives deathmatch tournament that's heavy on the action and light on the clock. Here's everything we learned about Champion Hill, and what to expect when it goes live with Call of Duty Vanguard this November. Champion Hill will pit you in teams of two or three in a round robin of eight teams total. As a pair you'll have 12 lives between you, and as a trio that's bumped up to 18. If you lose all of those lives, you're out. If you're the last team standing, you win. Operators will start with a basic loadout of one weapon and a sidearm, plus $500 cash to spend in an initial Buy Round. You won't be able to afford much here – maybe an upgrade to your weapon and an armour plate or two – but you'll be able to browse the Perks, Streaks, Weapons, and Equipment available through four buy stations. These will be familiar to legacy Call of Duty players – it's a much more restricted loadout than you can score in Warzone for instance, but classics such as a perk doubling the duration of your tactical sprint are there. Weapon sets are predetermined, meaning you can't necessarily bring your favourites with you, but each round of Champion Hill will have an assault rifle, light machine gun, sub machine gun, shotgun, and sniper rifle available to buy. Weapons are also the only thing you're able to upgrade mid-round, with a total of 10 upgrades available before a weapon is maxed out. Of course, each upgrade will get more expensive, so be careful with that upgrade button. The open area where the Buy Rounds are held acts as a central pillar to four separate, smaller maps; Airstrip to the east, Courtyard to the north, Market to the west, and Trainyard to the south. While you're in each, you can actually hear gunfire echoing from the other maps as players face off in their own rounds. Meaning when the announcer declares a team eliminated, you can often hear the firefight that led to that team's demise. Each map also necessitates a different tactical approach. The Airstrip is as large as the maps get, with wider open spaces suitable for mid-to-long range weapons. On the other hand, run-and-gun players will feel at home in the more claustrophobic Courtyard. Over all Champion Hill is a damn fun mode that really benefits from how quickly it runs through. Small maps and 60-second rounds mean you're never far from the action, and when compared to a multiplayer mode like Warzone where you can wander 10 minutes without seeing an enemy, it's perfect for players who want to spend a quick half hour gaming with one or two mates. Produced by Clocked: https://happymag.tv/clocked/ Played and reviewed by Tom Cameron: https://happymag.tv/author/tom-cameron/ Additional gameplay from Alastair Cairns: https://happymag.tv/author/alastair-cairns #CallofDuty #ChampionHill #Gaming #CallofDutyVanguard #Clocked #HappyMag