The Combat Shield in Call of Duty: Vanguard May Be Broken

The latest Call of Duty: Vanguard title released last week and revisits the franchise’s traditional roots by taking players back to World War II. We follow six Operatives along their various missions and operations throughout the war. Alongside a great campaign, Call of Duty: Vanguard also brings back the multiplayer that Call of Duty is so notoriously renowned for. However, as with any new game, Vanguard does not come without its bugs and glitches.

While the majority of the existing bugs will be resolved in future updates, some of them are currently causing things not to function properly. This is generating a lot of aggravation among some Call of Duty players. Many players are presently frustrated because the popular Combat Shield, previously the Riot Shield, isn’t working the way it usually does.

The Problem with the Combat Shield in Call of Duty: Vanguard

The Combat Shield in Call of Duty: Vanguard functions as a barricade for players. It protects them from incoming gunfire and forcing the opponent to find another means to eliminate them. When the Combat Shield isn’t in use, like it is in prior games like Modern Warfare, it is placed on the player’s back and prevents shots from behind.

This isn’t the case in Call of Duty: Vanguard however, as when it is on your back the shield currently does not block any bullets. Now, based on previous functionality and in the interest of realism, you would expect the shield to block bullets regardless of placement. The fact that it doesn’t block from the back has proven to be quite frustrating for some players.

On the other hand, it could be that this functionality is not actually a bug and has intentionally been changed to balance gameplay. Some players are supportive of the new functionality. It can be considered quite cheesy to use a Combat Shield to protect yourself from the back, with no penalty to movement when it’s stowed away. So, in a way, the functionality of the Combat Shield is not designed in a realistic way regardless. Either solution will lead to frustrations from either side.

If this functionality is not intentional, then it is almost guaranteed Sledgehammer will roll out a fix for this issue at some point in the future. But it could be possible that it is intentional and how the combat shield is supposed to function now. The game has only been available for a couple of days at this point, so of course some malfunctions will be present. If you are someone who uses the shield as a secondary, for now it may be best to substitute it for another secondary until a patch is released.

Other Ongoing Issues Right Now

There are also plenty of additional issues afflicting the game right now, such as Skill Based Match Making putting people in lobbies much over their ability level. Another big issue is that in modes like Hardpoint, the spawn sites either favour one team or leave players vulnerable to spawn killing, which occurs when a player is eliminated shortly after respawning. I am yet to see a Call of Duty release that isn’t plagued by these issues however.

In most games, the spawn points are moved away from the current players on the map to give the player time to assess the area and start playing before confronting an adversary. The spawn sites are now fixed, allowing foes to camp in the zones and rack up dozens numerous kills without giving their opponents time to react and strike back. There have even been cases of people spawning behind enemy lines too, which clearly isn’t supposed to happen. Hopefully the spawn issue will be fixed soon, as this can be one of the most frustrating aspects at times.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is out now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and is available to purchase in our store now! Read all about the latest Call of Duty news and updates here!