Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies - How To Survive Solo Into The Super High Rounds 15+

Der Anfang is a strange little map in the Call of Duty: Zombies canon. Call of Duty: Vanguard plotted to change everything about its Zombies mode, but this map is hardly the change most players were looking for. Right now, it is mostly unfinished — there’s no Easter egg at launch, but there’s still a lot you can do on this map. Unlike most maps in the series, this one is actually pretty easy for newcomers. With the right loadout and purchases, we can reach Round 20 even in Solo.

And how do you do that? With the right strategy. Here, I’m going to go into all the details — what you need to focus on to succeed even on the extremely high and difficult rounds of Der Anfang. Once you unlock the entire map, you’ll still get random event challenge portals you can enter to progress to the next round. And you can keep going seemingly forever. If you’re looking to rack up lots of XP and kills solo or with a team, these are the weapons, perks, and upgrades you really need to look out for.

More Call of Duty: Vanguard guides:

Everything You Need To Know About Zombies | Der Anfang Map Guide | Settings To Change First

Reaching Round 5 | Beginner Steps

The first 5 rounds are important for learning the ropes. Zombies (mostly) won’t attack in the Fountain Plaza. Here’s what I recommend doing to get started.

If you’re solo, get a Shotgun. I prefer the Gracey Auto but any of the auto-shotguns can work well. With the Shotgun, can you clear out just about anything.

Save your points and purchase Pack-a-Punch upgrade for your primary gun first. Don’t bother using the Mystery Box.

Get all the perks as you clear out each section of the map. Just grab all of them — they’re all free at Tier 1.
- Complete the Blitz challenge first. You can get a free

Collect Hearts by competing events and use them to get anything that makes you more powerful. The Covenants are randomly generated, so it may take awhile to pop ones that are really useful.
- Dead Accurate and Cryofreeze are very good. Especially Dead Accurate. Get that one and its upgraded version ASAP. Mother Lode is also pretty good. Brain Rot is a good choice — everything else can be skipped.

After 5 rounds, you’ll be able to Exfil. You can go ahead and do that or stay into the high-tiers for more XP.

At Round 5, beware the new boss zombie, the Sturmkrieger — these massive killer zombies wield automatic weapons that can high you anywhere on the map. To kill them quickly, aim for the head or the back. Their backpacks will explode when you deal enough damage.

Round 5+ | Keep Going

At this point, you’ll just want to focus on upgrading to improve your damage and survivability.

Use your collected salvage to purchase Lvl 1 Armor. When you can, upgrade to Lvl 2 Armor ASAP.

Save up your points. If you’ve been killing zombies in the hub, you’ll quickly have enough points to upgrade to Pack-A-Punch Tier 2. Do it for your auto-shotgun.

Get Diabolical Damage Tier 2 after Pack-a-Punch Tier 2.

Check the Covenant Altar for Epic rarity versions of your current covenants. Like before, I recommend the following: Dead Accurate, Mother Lode, Cryofreeze / Brain Rot

At this point, keep your armor repaired and search for free rewards from chests or from red crystals you can shoot. Those chests that randomly appear can also drop Pack-a-Punch weapons. Very handy.

Round 10+ | The Waves Just Keep On Coming

I highly recommend saving enough points to unlock Pack-a-Punch Tier 3 by Round 10. Once you have the Tier 3 Auto-Shotgun, you’re basically set for the rest of the game.

Now that Pack-a-Punch Tier 3 is out of the way, you can start spending points on anything else you want. Hit up the Mystery Box if you haven’t found any Monkey Bombs yet. You’ll want to find Monkey Bombs as early as possible.

Use the rest of your money to upgrade perks. Get Tier 2 / 3 Diabolical Damage, Venomous Vigor, Demonic Frenzy, and more. Whatever you prefer. They’ll all help you survive longer.
- By Round 13-15, you’ll be able to get all Max Tier perks. Get the perks in this order:
  - Diabolical Damage
  - Fiendish Fortitude
  - Demonic Frenzy
  - Aetherial Haste
  - Venomous Vigor

Continue to collect salvage until you can craft Lvl 3 Armor.

Continue to purchase Covenants to cycle through the selections. Ignore Covenants that are dangerous to use — focus on damage, or random chances to get back munitions or freeze / brainwash enemies.
- At Round 10+ you’ll start to see Legendary Covenants. Upgrade when you get something good.

Round 15+ | Just Trying To Survive

Past Round 15, this is when the game gets very difficult. Zombies are spawning more and faster. They’ll swarm you in tight corridors. They’ll sprint, giving you very little time to take them out.

If you are downed, you’ll lose -1 Tier to all perks. You’ll have to re-buy Tier 4 perks. That’s the biggest danger in the later rounds of Der Anfang, and the only thing you’ll really need to speed points on at this point going forward.

Use Monkey Bombs often! Monkey Bombs will distract zombies and draw them away from you, giving you precious seconds. The tricky part is just anticipating when you’ll be swarmed, as it can take a few moments to actually place the Monkey Bomb. If you’re about to die, its too late.
- Get Legendary Mother Lode if you can. This gives you a very high chance of getting a Monkey Bomb returned to you after it is placed.

The final rounds are just about survival. Try to avoid the Sturmkriegers as much as possible and focus on completing your objectives. Play conservatively and don’t be afraid to drop Monkey Bombs whenever you can. It takes a little luck, but you can survive deep into Round 20+, even if you’re solo. You’ll earn a lot of XP and rewards for making it this far.