Every CoD Vanguard Perk: New Radar effects, Overkill returns, more

Brad Norton
Vanguard Perks

Call of Duty Vanguard brings a mix of familiar Perks and entirely new additions to the multiplayer experience and we’ve got a full overview of how they all work.

When designing your ideal CoD loadouts, you can never overlook Perks. Not only do they complement your playstyle, but some can provide game-changing effects to bring you to the next level.

For Vanguard, an experienced player will feel right at home with how Perks come into play. The Perk 1 slot focuses on survival and stealth. Perk 2 is entirely focused on gaining the upper hand through intel. While the Perk 3 slot is all about aggression.

Thus far, we have 12 confirmed Perks locked in for Vanguard thanks to the public Beta. While more additions are sure to arrive with the full release, here’s a complete rundown of how every Perk functions.

Every Perk in CoD Vanguard

Perk 1 Slot

Vanguard Perk 1

Ghost

First on the list is a Perk CoD veterans will be all too familiar with. Ghost is back once again in Vanguard and works just as you’d expect it to.

With this Perk equipped, you’ll be kept off enemy radars while moving as Spy Planes, Intel, and Field Mics are all active. In this iteration, it also reduces the effectiveness of Local Informants too, adding another layer of protection for your position on the map.

Fortified

Fortified serves as this year’s Flak Jacket alternative in Vanguard. Though this version of the popular Perk comes with a few additional benefits.

Not only does Fortified reduce damage from incoming explosives, it also speeds up how rapidly your health starts to regenerate. As a separate buff, you’ll also take less damage while mounted, crouched, and prone.

Low Profile

While Low Profile won’t keep you off enemy radars quite like Ghost, it serves a similar role in helping you remain undetected. 

Low Profile ensures you’re immune to Piercing Vision, a yet unknown boost in Vanguard. This may negate an entire Perk or even a weapon Perk. We’ll keep you posted here as more information comes to light.

Survival Training

Closing out the first Perk slot in Vanguard is none other than Survival Training. Similar to the Tactical Mask in previous years, this Perk provides a certain degree of resistance to stun effects.

It also makes you completely immune to gas grenades as well. Of note, however, Survival Training falls into the same Perk slot at Fortified, meaning you can only gain resistance to one type of equipment in Vanguard: lethal or tactical.

Perk 2 Slot

Vanguard Perk 2

High Alert

Kicking off the second Perk slot in Vanguard is High Alert. This Perk works in identical fashion to previous CoD titles, sending a pulse across your screen if an enemy spots you outside your field of view.

If an enemy sniper is scoped in and targeting you from across the map, High Alert will kick in and give you the heads up.

Radar

Unlike in previous years, firing unsilenced weapons in Vanguard no longer displays your icon on the minimap. That’s where the Radar Perk comes in.

This Perk ensures unsilenced enemies show up just as they did in earlier CoD titles.

Forward Intel

Another Perk that provides information on your enemies, Forward Intel comes with two buffs for your minimap. First, enemy reinforcements will be outlined with distinct indicators.

Second, the minimap itself is bigger than usual. This helps paint a picture of the bigger battle, rather than honing in on your nearby surroundings as usual.

Tracker

Finally, in the Perk 2 slot we have Tracker, another returning CoD Perk. This classic boost gives enemies footprint trails, allowing you to follow close behind and know exactly where they’re going.

Moreover, Tracker also comes with some bonuses for death markers. On one hand, enemies you kill will drop without death markers, obscuring their location from other nearby foes. The Perk also ensures you see enemy death markers at all times, highlighting where your teammates are getting in on the action.

Perk 3 Slot

Vanguard Perk 3

Demolition

Demolition opens up the third Perk slot in Vanguard, providing an extra lethal with every spawn. This allows you to overwhelm enemies with more grenades or molotovs than usual, proving effective in objective-based game types.

Holding the lethal action button also displays a unique arc with this Perk equipped, letting you see exactly where your throwable will land.

Double Time

Double Time is another mainstay in the CoD franchise at this point and it functions just as you’d expect in Vanguard. Your Tactical Sprint lasts twice as long with this Perk equipped.

As another added benefit, crouch movement speed also gets a small 30% boost as well.

Tactician

If you’re constantly throwing tactical equipment out, this is the Perk for you. Tactician restores your tacticals every 30 seconds without fail.

While this might not be much of an issue if you’re regularly dying and respawning, Tactician can prove beneficial if you’re holding down a site and striving for a lengthy streak.

Overkill

As the final confirmed Perk in Vanguard thus far, Overkill is back once again. As you’d expect, this popular pick allows you to run two primary weapons in your loadout.

Want to keep a shotgun on hand while you snipe? Overkill lets you do just that. Want a fast-firing SMG ready to go when your AR runs out of ammo? Overkill will keep you in the fight.


That’s the full rundown on every Perk confirmed for Vanguard at this point in time. With 12 Perks in total, you’ve already got plenty of options when customizing your ideal loadout.

Though there’s a good chance this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll keep you updated here as more Perks are revealed in the leadup to Vanguard’s release.