However, while players know a fair bit about each of the game’s three “pillars,” some smaller details remain a mystery. One of the biggest questions is how Call of Duty: Vanguard will handle its Prestige system. While the shooter is expected to feature a format similar to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s, nothing is officially confirmed at this time. As such, there is a chance that the system could be improved upon, with some small but meaningful changes able to be made with Sledgehammer’s latest game.
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Making Seasonal Rank Resets Matter
Overall, there is a lot to appreciate about Call of Duty’s new approach to Prestiging. Being able to level up in any active game, whether that be Call of Duty: Warzone or one of the premium titles, is a great mechanic. Outside of cross-game progression, the Prestige Shop serves as a great source of rewards and sees players unlocking new items consistently. Seasonal challenges are also terrific. Still, the system is missing something when compared to older Prestige formats, and that comes in the form of rank resets.
Part of what made Prestiging in older Call of Duty games such a rewarding grind is the fact that each new Prestige saw players’ arsenals being reset. This meant that they were truly starting fresh and were forced to unlock weapons and equipment all over again. Prestige tokens allowed gamers to bring one reward over to the next set of ranks, forcing players to strategize and choose one favorite gun or perk. While this was a bit much for some, and casual players never Prestiged because of this format, there is a good middle ground that would work in the new system.
Resets could come with each Call of Duty Season as opposed to every time players Prestige. This way, gamers would get to use all their weapons for a few months before having them briefly taken away. Whenever a new Season comes, ranks could truly be reset, making players go through a full grind once again. With weapons locked on Season start, Prestige tokens could return. More importantly, this would bring weapon variety back to Call of Duty. In Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, players had no reason to use anything but the meta weapons. If they had to start fresh each Season, though, players would have to use some less powerful guns until they rank up again, making for a more interesting experience.
Expanding The Prestige Shop With Legacy Camos And Special Cosmetics
The best thing about the Prestige system that was added alongside Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was undoubtedly the Prestige Shop. Every 50 ranks, players would unlock a Key that could be spent on any item in said Shop. This special store was expanded every Season, growing to feature every single Prestige emblem from the Call of Duty series and all the most popular calling cards from past games. Alongside this celebration of the franchise’s history, unique weapon blueprints were eventually added, making the Prestige Shop rewards a good incentive to keep leveling up.
While more Prestige Shop emblems would be welcome, like the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies ranks, there is already a great variety of emblems and calling cards in the shop. As such, future additions should take on new forms, with special outfits being one possibility. Exclusive emotes would also be a great thing to include, as would unique watch designs for each game’s cast of Operators. With the Prestige Shop being so great, it needs to be the standard for every Call of Duty game going forward, growing continuously and never being removed.
Perhaps the best option for additional Prestige Shop items would be Legacy camos. There have been so many iconic weapon skins throughout the Call of Duty franchise, and the Prestige Shop can honor that by including them as redeemable rewards. Players could spend their Keys on camos like Fall from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Bacon from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, or the Zombies Pack-A-Punch camos from Origins and Mob of the Dead. Mastery camos from older games could be included, too, likely costing more Keys. With camos able to be equipped on every weapon, it is hard to think of a better way to make the Prestige Shop more appealing.
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A Proper Reward For Hitting The “Final” Prestige Master
Alongside true Seasonal rank resets and an even deeper Prestige Shop, something more than an updated ribbon should be included once players hit Master Prestige for the final time. In Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, there were 200 ranks per Season, with Black Ops Cold War players hitting Master at level 200. Each time they hit Master, a star would be added to a ribbon on their profile, with players getting a finished ribbon if they hit Master in all six Seasons. However, this is all that was received for keeping up with the game and completing every rank.
Considering that players can only complete a ribbon with consistent dedication to the game, this feels like a reward that is a bit too small. The fact that a player’s name must be hovered over in a pre-game lobby to even see the ribbon only adds to this issue, as gamers cannot show off their accomplishment as easily as they can with calling cards or emblems. As such, a better Master Prestige reward should be introduced with Call of Duty: Vanguard, with a few options available.
One potential reward is an exclusive cosmetic, with players unlocking a hidden Operator skin or weapon camo once they complete their ribbon. This would make the year-long grind worthwhile, as players would have a reason to make sure they hit level 200 each Season. Another possibility would see permanent double XP being unlocked. With players having already completed all the ranks, this would allow them to unlock Prestige Keys at a faster rate. With the Keys unlocked every 50 levels, players being able to fly through the ranks beyond 200 would be hugely beneficial. No matter what form it takes, though, those who hit Master Prestige deserve a better reward in Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Call of Duty: Vanguard launches November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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