Call of Duty: Warzone and Vanguard’s Festive Fervor holiday event is coming up. Now, the devs have revealed what to expect — from the release date and rewards to the Krampus NPC and elf hunts.
As Mariah Carey’s voice blooms across speakers in the real world, festive Christmas trees are going to start blooming in the Call of Duty world. Across four games, CoD is bringing a number of celebrations to players in the name of holiday spirit.
In both Warzone and Vanguard, players will need to stave off a mythological Krampus NPC. Meanwhile, in Black Ops Cold War and CoD Mobile, there will be a number of discounted items in the shop as little presents.
Primarily set in Vanguard (multiplayer and zombies) and Warzone (Pacific and Rebirth Island), the event will have challenges, rewards, and a variety of new tweaks. Shipment will be enveloped in gift wrapping paper, a Krampus is going to attack players who don’t get on the objective, and some weird little elves will need to get hunted.
Vanguard & Warzone Festive Fervor holiday event: release date
As you can see in the roadmap, the Festive Fervor event will begin on December 17 and should last past December 25 at least, although the ending date has yet to be confirmed.
Simultaneously, a Black Ops Cold War discounted period will last from December 14 to 25 and there will be a multiplayer free access event from December 16 to 21. As mentioned, there’s a ton of new content coming during this timeline, so read on for the full patch notes.
Vanguard & Warzone Festive Fervor holiday event: full patch notes
Vanguard Multiplayer, Zombies Decked Out for the Holidays, Limited-Time Modes and Features
Forget reindeer games — Call of Duty: Vanguard will roll out several limited-time holiday features as part of Festive Fervor, including the reintroduction of a classic Multiplayer mode.
Armageddon Mode
Also known as Drop Zone in previous Call of Duty titles, this twist on Team Deathmatch brings enough Killstreak Care Packages to stuff a whole chimney.
At the start of a match, both teams will fight for control of a marked area somewhere on the map, where Care Packages will drop in on a set timer until a specific number of them are collected. At that point, the zone rotates to a new area.
Unlike previous iterations of Drop Zone, points are only scored through kills, with bonus points being awarded with kills earned via Killstreaks. That makes ripping open those presents your squad’s main key to victory, so lock down those zones and start reaping those rewards.
Elf Team Six
Outside of that limited-time mode, Operators can also earn Killstreaks through seeking and destroying the elite Elf Team Six.
Hidden around Vanguard’s Multiplayer maps, Elf Team Six are ready to roast Operators like chestnuts on an open fire if they aren’t found before they disappear.
Operators who take down these Elf Team Six members will earn match score and Killstreak progress, a small gift that could help give your enemies something far worse than coal in their stockings.
Krampus
While Elf Team Six can help the nice Operators achieve victory, there is something else in store for the ones who act naughty and don’t play the objective in respawn-enabled game modes, or who camp in Team Deathmatch:
The folk horror figure Krampus is coming to Vanguard, appearing during Multiplayer matches and targeting whoever has the least impressive objective score, such as a pathetic Hardpoint time or a disgracefully low number of Domination captures.
If you’re warned of Krampus’s presence, then good luck: he won’t hesitate to eliminate his target with an absolutely devastating (and humiliating) Finishing Move, although you might be able to defeat him before he delivers that powerful attack…
Multiplayer and Zombies Get Festive for the Holidays
Festive Fervor also rolls out to decorate Vanguard for the holiday season.
During Festive Fervor, Shipment becomes Shipmas, a winter wonderland of chaos blanketed in snow and, by the end of the match, whatever remains of those soon-to-be-smashed shipping containers.
Expect some subtle seasonal visuals in game modes like Domination and Hardpoint, as well as more holiday overhauls to places like the Gunbench and the wintery home base of Stalingrad in Zombies’ “Der Anfang.”
A Gift for All Vanguard Owners: 10 Free Tier Skips, 10% Seasonal XP Boost, and More
All the studios who worked on Call of Duty: Vanguard are thankful for your support this holiday season.
In the spirit of Festive Fervor, those who already own Vanguard — or purchase it before December 31 — will receive the following rewards, available for use starting on December 16:
- 10 Battle Pass Tier Skips for Season One. These are enough to automatically unlock a free Calling Card and 100 COD Points, or even more rewards if the Season One Battle Pass is purchased. Combine it with a Battle Pass Bundle, and you can get over 30 Tiers of content, which contains over 40 items across Vanguard and Warzone, right at the beginning of the season.
- A 10% Global Player, Weapon, and Battle Pass XP Boost During Season One. Earn that next Prestige Icon, weapon attachment, or Battle Pass Tier just a bit quicker with this XP Boost. Expert tip: the 10% XP boost for playing with a Clan, as well as the boosts from the Battle Pass and other sources, stacks with this reward!
- The 24 Vanguard Tiers of the Season Six Battle Pass. If you haven’t already earned them last season, anyone who purchases Vanguard will receive these for free.
Vanguard Multiplayer Festive Fervor Challenge — Details and Rewards
Throughout Festive Fervor, those who get in the holiday mood and complete challenges will get free rewards, including an Epic LMG Blueprint for conquering all six challenges in Vanguard Multiplayer or Warzone Pacific.
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In Vanguard, the Festive Fervor Challenges include eliminating some of those holiday nuisances across all Multiplayer modes, playing Shipmas, or simply getting in the spirit of the season and opening Care Packages like presents under the tree.
Your rewards for doing so include a Battle Pass Tier Skip, a Double XP Token, and cosmetic rewards for your weapons and player profile.
Warzone Pacific: Season’s Greetings from the Isles — Holiday Surprises Across Caldera, Rebirth Island
Vanguard won’t be the only place to get into the Festive Fervor spirit, as Caldera and Rebirth Island will have their own limited-time celebrations.
Caldera Receives Festive Fir Trees with Presents for All!
Those who drop into Caldera during Festive Fervor can’t miss the invasive vegetation among the palm trees and other Pacific foliage: Festive Fir Trees!
Marked on the Tac Map with a special tree icon, these temporary landmarks will be placed at specific points of interest across the island.
Any squad that stays within the Fir Tree’s zone — under the tree and around it — for a short period of time will cause several Supply Boxes to magically appear, including special Holiday Crates that could contain Legendary items for that match, limited-time rewards, or even some coal for those Operators on the naughty list.
Krampus — The Terror of the Isles with Plenty of “Gifts” for Festive Fervor
Beyond being a sign to do some good this holiday season, the coal found in those Holiday Crates does attract a certain folklore creature.
Krampus tends to spend his holidays on Caldera and Rebirth Island, where within minutes of a match starting, he goes on the hunt for sport. While his choice of target is more random here than in Vanguard, he does tend to hunt down those who received coal from the Holiday Crates.
This mythical creature will take three minutes to complete his hunt before he disappears for his next target, or he’ll be killed and give out a special permanent reward for the squad that faces his wrath.
Because these islands are his usual stomping grounds, Krampus has some other surprises in store throughout Festive Fervor. Fortunately, all of these are relatively nice — expect modifiers like increased chances of Legendary Supply Boxes or half-off Buybacks on each day of this holiday event.
Elf and Seek — The Gnomes Take Over the Islands
Just like Krampus, some mischievous creatures also call Caldera and Rebirth Island their home and are waiting for Operators to seek them.
These gnomes are just as carefree as Elf Team Six, hollering at any Operator who gets within 10 meters of them. Squads who find and destroy them will receive rewards like a Double XP Token or a Calling Card.
Vanguard’s Festive Fervor Event and Bundles Available in Warzone
Those who want to earn Festive Fervor’s ultimate Epic LMG Blueprint can alternatively complete six unique challenges in Warzone Pacific, each with a reward like a Battle Pass Tier Skip, Double XP Token, and more.
These challenges include dealing 365 points of damage to Krampus, destroying those pesky gnomes, or simply playing the game and roaming around Caldera or Rebirth Island.
In addition to this limited-time Vanguard event, all its Bundles are also available in Warzone Pacific, making it possible to dash through the sand as a Krampus lookalike or in that festive holiday sweater. (Note: There are some Vanguard-only items within these Bundles that cannot be accessed in Warzone Pacific; see the individual Bundles for details).
12 Festive Days of Deals — Black Ops Cold War Bundle Discounts
Black Ops Cold War brought a wide variety of Bundles to Operators across six seasons within Black Ops and Warzone, so you may have missed a few over the past year. Enter the 12 Festive Days of Deals: starting on December 14 — two days before Festive Fervor — a selection of Bundles for Black Ops Cold War and Warzone will receive limited-time holiday discounts.
Each day leading up to December 25, five Bundles from Black Ops Cold War will be available in that game and in Warzone Pacific. Most of them, such as the “Tracer Pack: Weaver Operator Bundle” that kicks off the deals on December 14, will be featured with special discounts in their Call of Duty Point Price.
However, the 12 Festive Days of Deals will also include one new Bundle: the “Battle Pass Vault Pack Greatest Hits,” a collection of late-Tier content from the first three Black Ops Cold War Battle Passes for those who missed out on those early offerings.
Enjoy these classic Bundles in Warzone Pacific or back in Black Ops Cold War, where Treyarch also has an extended 2XP and 2WXP feast planned for the holiday season, starting December 23.
Call of Duty: Mobile Celebrates 12 Festive Days of Deals, Also Starting December 14
Call of Duty: Mobile is getting in on the holiday festivities with its own huge discounts on Operators and gear through daily special sales.
Spread some holiday cheer with discounts on Crates, Draws, and Bundles, available for only 72 hours after the deal becomes available.
There will also be discounts on Lucky Draws and Bundles, such as the Ghost – Loose Ends Bundle and Holiday Draw Redux, as well as the return of holiday maps like Holiday Raid and Nuketown Russia during its own celebration of the holiday season.
