Call of Duty: Vanguard

Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded patch notes: New weapons, Operators, Fortress map

Nathan Warby
Vanguard Operators on Fortress map

Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded is the final major update of the game’s lifecycle, and here’s everything there is to know about it, including the full patch notes, the new Operators, as well as the Fortress map.

Modern Warfare 2 is set to arrive on October 28 and now that the multiplayer beta is over, players are hopping back into Vanguard Season 5 which is the final chapter of the Call of Duty title.

Season 5 Reloaded is bringing a ton of new content for the community to enjoy, and we’ll go over everything you should know about the update, from the new weapons and Operators to the full patch notes.

Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded start date

According to Sledgehammer Games, Season 5 Reloaded will arrive on September 28, 2022 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST. While content will go live on Wednesday the 28, the update has already rolled out as of September 27.

Sledgehammer also confirmed that the update would only roll out to PlayStation and Xbox players. Due to a crashing issue that is being investigated, PC players will not access Season 5 Reloaded on September 28. We’ll keep you posted as to when the update is set to arrive on PC.

The current Battle Pass runs until November 16, which is the Warzone 2 and DMZ release date.

New weapons in Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded

According to the Season 5 Reloaded blog post, players will be able to earn two more weapons — the BP50 Assault Rifle at launch and the Lienna 57 LMG later in the season.

BP50 weapon Vanguard AR

The BP50 appears to be a version of the F2000 from the original Modern Warfare 2, known for its relatively low damage but blistering fire rate. This should make for a strong close-range option when it finally arrives.

Meanwhile, the Lienna 57 LMG excels during midrange gunfights. Due to its excellent accuracy, the weapon can maintain sustained fire without producing too much recoil. This will no doubt also make it a long-range threat once you unlock the proper attachments.

New Operators in Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded

Seraph Operator Vanguard

Season 5 Reloaded is set to bring back the antagonists Gabriel T. Rorke and Seraph from CoD: Ghosts and Black Ops 3 respectively. You’ll be able to unlock them in their own separate bundles.

Other classic Call of Duty villains like Raul Menendez and Khaled Al-Asad already arrived at the start of Season 5. It remains to be seen how much the Rorke and Seraph bundles will cost when they’re added to the game.

Fortress map in Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded

Vanguard Fortress map

Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded will add a brand-new medium-sized multiplayer map called Fortress later in Season 5. The developers confirmed that this map is set in the Mediterranean and described it as a “maritime graveyard” that has an old ship in it.

Fortress looks like a colorful map with plenty of different areas to discover. The new map suits both long-range and close-range weapons: “Loadouts of all stripes perform well on Fortress, whether you cover the open ground with a long-ranged weapon or move quickly between obstacles, bringing the fight up close.”

Vanguard Season 5 Reloaded patch notes

  • NEW: Fortress (In-Season)
    • Battle in a desert graveyard featuring the remains of old ships; Fortress is a medium-sized map with a loose three-lane structure.
    • Coming soon: Fortress 24/7 Featured Playlist
  • Beheaded
    • Reduced Hardpoint boundaries near the Record Shop to prevent unintended capture points.
    • Addressed an exploit that allowed players to reach an unintended location near the Clothing Store.
  • Paradise
    • Equipment and Field Upgrades will no longer fall through the bridge near the Cliff Path.
  • Radar
    • Improved enemy dog AI pathing near the Vehicle Bay.

  • Blueprint Gun Game
    • Blueprint Gun Game is now available in Private Matches.

  • Corrected a grammatical error in the Tank Triumphant Seasonal Challenge description.

  • Addressed an issue that prevented players from earning Mastery Operator Skins for Task Force Immortal Operators.
  • NEW: He “Seraph” Zhen-Zhen (Tyrants)
    • Seraph grew up in the Singapore Quarantine Zone, daughter of a high ranking officer of the 54 Immortals. She honored her lineage and excelled within the syndicate becoming its youngest ever Enforcer. She is a living embodiment of the 54I’s will, strictly quelling dissent within its ranks, while projecting the syndicate’s force and ambition wherever it’s needed. Her dedication and skills are unmatched, as she proved when she willingly offered her own arm in return for the honor of receiving a cybernetic limb from the 54I.
    • Available to purchase via Bundle.
  • NEW: Gabriel T. Rorke (Tyrants)
    • Gabriel Rorke graduated from the US Naval Academy and became a Captain in the Marines. During an assassination mission in Caracas, Venezuela, Rorke braved the flooding city to locate and kill General Diego Almagro, leader of the Federation. During the chaos of his squad’s extraction, Rorke was left behind. He was found by The Federation, who brainwashed away his loyalties, turning him into a man with an undying vendetta against his own.
    • Available to purchase via Bundle.

  • NEW: BP50 (Assault Rifle)
    • This fully automatic bullpup assault rifle boasts a high fire rate while reminaing deadly and accurate at long range.
    • Complete an unlock challenge or purchase a Bundle to earn this Weapon.
      • Get 15 ADS Kills with an Acog Optic Equipped
  • NEW: Lienna 57 (Light Machine Gun, In-Season)
    • This compact LMG is capable of high accuracy during sustained fire at short to medium ranges.
    • Complete an unlock challenge or purchase a Bundle to earn this Weapon.
      • Get 15 Longrange Kills
  • Marco 5 (Submachine Gun)
    • Improved coverage and appearance of equipped Mastery Camos.
  • RA 225 (Submachine Gun)
    • Decreased muzzle smoke VFX to improve visibility while firing.

  • Improved performance of loading UI images on previous console generations.
  • Addressed an issue that prevented players from accessing the Customization menu.

Bundles & Cosmetics

  • Corrected multiple animations while using the Down to the Wire Operator Skin for Beatrice.
  • Addressed an issue that caused the T-1000 Operator Skin to not reflect properly in the lobby walk sequence.
  • Optic Attachments will no longer appear smaller than intended on the Armored Strength Blueprint for the Cooper Carbine.

ZOMBIES

  • “The Archon” 
    • Addressed an issue where players would rarely fall through the map when sprinting into a door and purchasing it simultaneously.
    • Addressed various visual discrepancies on the map, such as missing textures, missing geography, or rare instances where a Zombie may appear to clip into a rock while climbing over it.
    • Addressed a rare issue where a Boom-Schreier could spawn in a locked portion of the map and be unable to navigate to the player.
    • Addressed a rare issue where a Zombie could spawn outside the map shortly after unlocking the Pack-a-Punch machine.
    • Zombies spawning during Exfil will now have their proper portal effect upon spawn.
    • The Decimator Shield will now play “pick-up” dialogue when acquired by a player.
    • You take me into battle? Our tales shall be GLORIOUS!
    • Players that join during round 1 will no longer trigger the opening conversation to play again.
    • Kortifex will now display “immune” when appropriate.
    • Kortifex’s lightning ball attack will now ignore downed players.
  • “Shi No Numa”
    • Addressed a rare issue where players could sometimes take damage when navigating to Dig Site from the Altar of Covenants.
  • “Terra Maldicta”
    • Players who join a match in progress will no longer experience a yellow filter on their screen if the host is in the “Isle of Blight” area.

  • Assault Rifles
    • Automaton
      • The 5.6MM 25 Round Mags now accurately display an increase of 25 rounds/mag, instead of 30, in the loadout menu.
  • Marksman Rifles
    • M1 Garand
      • Blueprint: Grand Cafe
        • Addressed an issue where the .30-06 20 Round Drums would provide 16 rounds instead of 20 as expected.
  • Attachments
    • Reticles
      • Multiple in-game Zombies reticles have been updated to align with their loadout preview.
  • Lethals
    • Monkey Bomb
      • Addressed a rare issue where dropped Monkey Bombs by zombies could sometimes fall partially into the ground and could not be obtained.
  • Pack-A-Punch
    • General
      • Reduced muzzle flash and smoke volume on Pack-A-Punch upgraded weapons.
    • Push Dagger
      • The Push Dagger Pack-A-Punch Level 1 camo now properly wraps around it.
    • The following named weapons will now use the intended Pack-A-Punch bullet audio when upgraded.
      • BP-50
      • Lienna 57
    • The following named blueprints will now use the intended Pack-A-Punch bullet audio, tracers, or muzzle flash.
      • Bitrate Banger
      • Chromosonal
      • Identity Theft
      • Liquid Medal
      • Mixed Oxide
      • Motorhead
      • Neo Paleocene
      • Persistent Mission
      • Schadenfreude
      • Spaceship Grey

  • Artifacts
    • Addressed an issue that prevented players from utilizing their Artifacts if they obtained them while, or shortly after, being downed and revived.
  • Covenants
    • Death Blow and Critical Expertise no longer refund or overflow lethal equipment when paired together.
  • “The Archon”
    • Trial of Resilience
      • The HUD smoke treatment associated with transporting cursed objects has been disabled due to frequently flashing while a player is moving.
  • Enemies
    • Zaballa the Deceiver
      • Addressed an issue where Zaballa the Deceiver would sometimes fly away when eliminated.
  • Challenges
    • Camouflage Challenges
      • Addressed an issue that prevented the Wildcat and Deadeye challenge progression if the player killed the Sturmkrieger with their backpack.
        • Addressed an issue that prevented the Welgun from contributing to the Plague Diamond camo progress for the Submachine Gun category.
    • Season 5
      • “Desert Dominion”
        • Addressed an issue that prevented this challenge from tracking.
  • Stability
    • Added new stability improvements and exploit fixes.

For more on Call of Duty, check out best Vanguard controller settings as well as our piece on the Warzone Pacific Season 5 Reloaded update.

Source: Sledgehammer Games

Image credits: Activision

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