Warzone players divided over Battle Royale and Vanguard Royale modes merging

Luca Di Marzo
warzone Pacific Caldera map

Vanguard Royale is set to disappear at the start of Warzone Season 2 Reloaded with the Battle Royale mode expected to offer the best of both modes moving forward. The change has resulted in a divided reaction from Warzone players.

For some, Vanguard Royale offered a sanctuary from Warzone eras of the past. Without the ability to use Modern Warfare and Cold War weapons, Vanguard Royale put the game it’s named after in the spotlight.

The mode also offered other Caldera exclusive features which made it a unique experience. However, it has been revealed that both modes will combine to offer one all-encompassing Warzone experience. The change has left players divided as reactions to the merger continue to be mixed.

Warzone Operators in plane

The announcement took place as part of a massive Season 2 Reloaded information dump which focused on major changes to Rebirth Island. Despite highlighting Rebirth Island, the devs revealed that an increase to HP would be coming to Battle Royale modes alongside the Vanguard Royale merger.

Initial reactions have been mixed as some players think Vanguard Royale made Caldera shine and are worried about the Battle Royale mode’s ability to emphasize the map’s shortcomings. While others are excited at the prospect of a unified experience.

A comment under the above post from the Warzone subreddit explains how they’ve enjoyed the balanced feel to Vanguard Royale without certain overpowered weapons and equipment: “Massive L. Can’t wait to be beaming somebody and just get one tapped in the head by a KAR. Very excited to get the baby monitor out and running again too.”

The “baby monitor” the user alluded to is the Heartbeat Sensor that players were able to escape from in Vanguard Royale. Of course, this is expected to change as the modes merge with the new update.

Meanwhile, other comments explain how not forcing the use of Vanguard weapons will result in players returning to the game: “Also 50% of the player base returning. All of my friends quit when they were forced to use caldera guns and never went back.”

These players are happy that they’ll finally be able to use their favorite weapons from previous games in Warzone’s main offering.

The success of this streamlined mode will likely come down to Raven Software’s ability to tweak the experience with ongoing updates and patches to maintain a balanced state of gameplay that players can enjoy.


For more Warzone content, check out the new Warzone Rebirth Island Reinforced map that is coming in the Season 2 Reloaded update.

Image Credit: Activision

About The Author

Luca is an Associate Editor at CharlieIntel. An accomplished, writer with interests in sports and gaming alike, Luca is focused on Call of Duty and FIFA as a content creator. After earning his BA in English Literature at Concordia University, he began writing for Gamelevate, OddsShark, and H4X. Luca joined CharlieIntel in 2021. You can reach Luca at [email protected], or via X @TheLucaDiMarzo.