Essential World at War maps that deserve remakes in Call of Duty: Vanguard for strategic gameplay enhancement
Introduction: The Legacy of World at War Maps in Vanguard
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s successful reintroduction of iconic maps like Dome and Castle has set a high standard for remakes, proving that classic World at War battlefields can thrive with modern gameplay systems. These faithful recreations have demonstrated how historical layouts can be enhanced by Vanguard’s mechanics, creating renewed interest in the franchise’s roots.
With several World at War classics already revitalized, which remaining maps offer the greatest strategic potential for Vanguard’s faster-paced, destruction-heavy combat?
Vanguard launched with an impressive roster of 20 maps, yet the community consistently gravitates toward specific layouts that reward tactical play. While contemporary designs like Numa Numa have their place, the enduring appeal of World at War’s battlefields lies in their balanced, multi-route designs that accommodate diverse playstyles.
Sledgehammer Games has masterfully adapted Dome, Castle, and Sub Pens, demonstrating how classic maps can be enhanced by Vanguard’s quicker time-to-kill (TTK), ballistic systems, and environmental destruction. These elements add strategic layers without compromising the original layouts’ integrity.
However, five additional World at War maps possess untapped potential for Vanguard integration. Each offers unique strategic opportunities that would complement the current map rotation while providing fresh challenges for both veteran and new players.
1. Makin: Coastal Close-Quarters Chaos
Set along Japan’s coastline, Makin specializes in intense close to medium-range engagements across interconnected wooden structures and waterways. The map’s beachfront layout creates natural choke points at bridge crossings while offering alternative aquatic routes through shallow waters for flanking maneuvers.
A central watchtower dominates sightlines, historically serving as a sniper perch to control bridge movement. However, savvy players can navigate beneath huts or utilize eastern pathways to bypass these sightlines entirely. This creates a dynamic risk-reward system where predictable routes are heavily contested while alternative paths require longer traversal times.
Makin’s dual variations—night and day versions—would translate exceptionally well to Vanguard. The nighttime iteration favors stealth and close-range SMG play, while daytime conditions promote aggressive, visible engagements. Pro Tip: In daytime Makin, equip the M1928 Thompson with extended magazines to dominate hut interiors, while nighttime favors the MP40 with subsonic ammunition for stealthy flanking.
Common Mistake: Many players fixate on bridge control without establishing map dominance first. Secure interior hut positions before challenging the watchtower sniper, as these provide cover and spawn control advantages.
2. Asylum: Institutionalized Firefight Strategy
Asylum’s architectural layout, featuring elongated corridors intersecting with expansive courtyards, creates distinct combat zones catering to different weapon specialties. The long sightlines are ideal for assault rifles and sniper rifles, while the interior spaces reward shotgun and SMG users who master close-quarters tactics.
Multiple flanking routes, including subterranean passages beneath decaying structures and courtyard charge routes, allow teams to break defensive setups. The map’s inherent structural damage—broken windows and crumbling walls—would interact dynamically with Vanguard’s destruction system, enabling new sightlines and breaching opportunities mid-match.
Advanced Strategy: Control the central courtyard by positioning LMG users with bipods on upper floors while SMG teams rotate through basement routes. This pincer movement forces enemies into crossfire situations. The BAR with 3-6x scope excels here for medium-range courtyard control.
Optimization Tip: Use Vanguard’s destructible walls to create new rotation paths rather than just offensive opportunities. Blowing specific walls in sequence can create faster flanking routes that bypass traditional choke points.
3. Upheaval: Urban Warfare Reimagined
Set in Berlin’s Pankow suburb, Upheaval recreates intense urban combat with multi-story residential buildings providing verticality alongside street-level vehicle debris and open areas. This creates layered combat where rooftop snipers duel while ground forces engage in close-quarters building clearing.
Three sniper towers historically dominated gameplay, but Vanguard’s destruction mechanics could balance this by allowing these positions to be compromised. Bullet-ridden walls and car clusters provide ample cover for advancement, while grassy zones offer riskier but faster rotation paths.
Counter-Camping Tactics: While original Upheaval suffered from camping in upper floors, Vanguard’s mechanics provide solutions. Use piercing vision ammunition to spot campers through walls, or deploy grenades that can destroy floor sections to eliminate entrenched positions.
Weapon Synergy: The Itra Burst excels in Upheaval’s medium-range sightlines between buildings, while the Combat Shotgun dominates interior spaces. Coordinate loadouts so your team covers both engagement ranges effectively.
4. Outskirts: Chaotic Urban Expansion
As World at War’s most expansive urban map, Outskirts transforms devastated cityscapes into multi-route battlefields perfect for Vanguard’s high-player-count Blitz mode. Numerous buildings, interconnected pathways, and bridge systems enable complex flanking maneuvers that reward map knowledge and team coordination.
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The map’s scale would accommodate Vanguard’s increased player counts seamlessly, creating target-rich environments without becoming overly chaotic. Original tank reinforcements could be reimagined as killstreak rewards or environmental hazards, adding strategic elements beyond infantry combat.
Blitz Mode Optimization: In high-player-count modes, avoid central pathways initially. Instead, secure building complexes on map edges to establish spawn control, then gradually push inward using coordinated squad movements.
Sightline Management: Outskirts features numerous overlapping sightlines that can overwhelm inexperienced players. Use smoke grenades strategically to create advancement corridors, and assign dedicated countersnipers to control key vantage points.
5. Cliffside: Pacific Theater Precision Play
Cliffside’s Okinawa-inspired terrain offers stark contrast to other maps with its wide-open sightlines across rocky cliffsides. This design favors precision weapons and strategic positioning over close-quarters aggression, providing a specialized gameplay experience within Vanguard’s ecosystem.
Extended sightlines make this map ideal for completing longshot challenges and practicing precision aiming. However, scattered bunkers and cliffside cover provide SMG and shotgun users opportunities for aggressive plays against sniper-heavy teams.
Sniper Counterplay: Effective smoke usage is crucial for crossing open areas. Deploy smoke in staggered patterns rather than continuous screens, forcing snipers to guess your movement while minimizing their adjustment time. The Type 99 with ballistic tuning for bullet velocity excels here.
Loadout Strategy: Balance your team with at least two dedicated snipers controlling main sightlines, two assault rifle users for medium-range support, and one SMG player for bunker clearing and flanking. The Automaton with 3-6x scope provides excellent versatility for multiple engagement ranges.
Conclusion & Future Prospects
While Sledgehammer Games hasn’t confirmed additional World at War remakes, the community’s positive reception to previous reintroductions and these maps’ inherent compatibility with Vanguard’s systems make them strong candidates. Each offers distinct tactical opportunities that would diversify gameplay while honoring Call of Duty’s historical legacy.
Mastering these potential additions requires understanding their unique strategic requirements. Consult our specialized loadout guides to optimize your performance across different map types and engagement scenarios:
Best Automaton loadout | Best Itra loadout | Best MP40 loadout | Best M1928 loadout | Best STG44 loadout
Final Insight: The most successful map remakes preserve original layout integrity while leveraging modern mechanics to enhance rather than overhaul gameplay. These five maps achieve this balance perfectly, making them worthy of consideration for Vanguard’s ongoing content development.
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