Activision‘s military shooter Call of Duty is attempting to get into the holiday spirit with a special event promising to bring ugly sweaters, elves, and even a Krampus to Call of Duty: Vanguard and Call of Duty: Warzone.
Dubbed “Festive Fervor”, the event was announced in a lengthy blog post on the official Call of Duty site. Developers say the Christmas-themed season will feature “limited-time modes, events, rewards, and features up to the New Year along with plenty of discounts on classic Bundle and new holiday-themed offerings.”
Festive Fervor will see “several limited-time holiday features”, including the introduction of ‘Armageddon Mode’. Previously known as ‘Drop Zone’, the mode is described as a “twist on Team Deathmatch” that sees teams fighting for control of a marked area where Care Packages will land. Once a set number has been collected, the control zone moves to a new area. In Armageddon Mode, though, “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.”
Players will also be tasked with taking out Elf Team Six, diminutive fighters “hidden around Vanguard’s Multiplayer maps” who “are ready to roast Operators like chestnuts on an open fire”. Taking out an Elf Team Six member before they disappear will “earn match score and Killstreak progress, a small gift that could help give your enemies something far worse than coal in their stockings.”
Perhaps the most amusing addition is Krampus, the counterpart to Santa Claus in folklore who punishes bad children over Christmas. Punishment remains central to the monster’s appearance in Call of Duty, with the horned creature targeting players “who act naughty and don’t play the objective in respawn-enabled game modes, or who camp in Team Deathmatch”.
The developers say Krampus will appear during multiplayer matches and target “whoever has the least impressive objective score, such as a pathetic Hardpoint time or a disgracefully low number of Domination captures”.
Players with poor performance will be hunted by the creature, who “won’t hesitate to eliminate his target with an absolutely devastating (and humiliating) Finishing Move.” However, players “might be able to defeat him before he delivers that powerful attack”.
There will also be a 12-day sale on bundles sold through the digital storefront, discounting items in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Vanguard, and Warzone. One such bundle will be Krampus Unleashed, which features a “Vinderblood” Operator skin for Vanguard’s Roland, a Legendary “Krampusnacht” marksman rifle blueprint, and a “Reindog Rampage” Finishing Move “that might be just as satisfying as that horned demon dealing justice on his own terms”.
The Festive Fervor event kicks off on December 16. An update will be pushed to Vanguard on December 15 at 9pm PT (5am December 16 GMT), while a Warzone Pacific update will follow on December 16 at 9pm PT (5am December 17 GMT).
In related news, Activision Blizzard’s chief administrative officer has written to staff, warning them to “consider the consequences” of joining a union. The company’s workers have begun unionisation efforts in the wake of allegations against the publisher and the recent laying off of QA staff at Raven Software, one of the Call of Duty studios.
The post ‘Call Of Duty’ announces holiday themed “Festive Fervor” event appeared first on NME.
