Equipment in Vanguard comes in two categories: Tactical and Lethal. Lethal Equipment does exactly what the name implies — provide additional means of killing enemies — while Tactical Equipment is designed to help you with stealth and other activities that are not directly deadly. Read on for a full list of Vanguard’s equipment options, details on when and how they unlock, and our advice on which to choose for your ideal loadout.
Call Of Duty: Vanguard Equipment List
Tactical Equipment
There are six options for Tactical Equipment included in Vanguard at launch. These tools aren’t designed with lethality in mind, but instead help with intel gathering and counter-intelligence, provide cover and slow down enemies, or provide your own team with medical assistance. Your choices of Tactical Equipment are:
No. 69 Stun Grenade: Enemies caught in the stun grenade’s radius will have their movement speed and aiming slowed down. Smoke Grenade: This one does exactly what it says on the tin: lays down a smokescreen that severely hinders the vision of anyone within radius. (Unlocks at Level 11.) Stim: A medical syringe with just a hint of stimulants. Taking it regenerates your health and refreshes your stamina for Tactical Sprint. (Unlocks at Level 24.) MK V Gas: A tear gas canister that explodes on contact with the ground. The gas causes blurred vision, slowed movement, and coughing. (Unlocks at Level 36.) S-Mine 44: This proximity mine is triggered when an enemy runs over it. The explosive is designed to be non-lethal against enemies at full health and armour, but it does reduce the HP of characters caught in the blast radius. It can also provide useful intel on enemy positions. (Unlocks at Level 45.) Decoy Grenade: Deploy this to confuse enemies with simulated gunfire and fake radar signatures. (Unlocks at Level 52.)
Lethal Equipment
There are six options for Lethal Equipment included in Vanguard at launch. These are supplements to your choice of guns and are incredibly deadly when deployed correctly, so remember never to point them at anyone you don’t want to die. Your Lethal Equipment options are:
MK42 Frag Grenade: If you’re picturing a generic grenade, you’re probably imagining a frag grenade like this one. Once you pull the pin you have a couple of seconds before it goes off, allowing you to “cook” it (hold on to it long enough that your enemies won’t have time to throw it back to you). Upon impact it explodes, with its outer casing fragmenting into fast-moving projectiles to deal even more damage. Gammon Bomb: A hand grenade, basically. Explodes upon impact. (Unlocks at Level 9.) Throwing Knife: Kill enemies by throwing this at their head or torso. This item can be retrieved from a downed opponent’s body. (Unlocks at Level 19.) Thermite: Throw it like a grenade or stick it to a surface and wait for an unwary foe to blunder into it. When they do, it’ll explode into flames. The ensuing fire will only last for a short while but will do a lot of damage in that time. (Unlocks at Level 30.) Demolition Charge: You can use this one more like a grenade, but my advice is to stick it to a wall, run away, and detonate it remotely. (Unlocks at Level 38.) Molotov Cocktail: An improvised incendiary device that explodes upon impact. (Unlocks at Level 50.)
Best Equipment in Call Of Duty: Vanguard
Your choice of equipment will need to tie in quite closely with the guns you choose, with different equipment options complementing different weapon types. Fortunately, we’ve got a large number of loadout guides covering just about every gun you might want to know about, from the ever-popular assault rifles to more specialised choices like LMGs. In general though, Stim is a fantastic go-to for your Tactical Equipment, while you normally can’t go wrong with Thermite for your Lethal option. These two form a powerful combo: you can lob a Thermite grenade into a crowd of enemies for some spectacular pyrotechnic damage, before pumping yourself full of stimulants to aid a clean getaway. Regardless of which guns you’ve brought along, this is usually a pretty unbeatable tactic if you find yourself surrounded, and we recommend it in most situations where you don’t have another specific loadout in mind. If you feel like mixing things up a bit, the Demolition Charge can be substituted for Thermite for much the same results, or you could consider the MK42 Frag Grenade if you’re anticipating having to flush enemies out of cover rather than fighting your way out of a crowd. On the non-lethal side of things, shotgun fans might like to consider the MK V Gas, which slows enemy movement speeds and so makes them easier to hit. Or, if you’re looking to be a bit more proactive with your self-defense, a carefully placed S-Mine 44 can be as good as a real human teammate when it comes to watching your back. This is a particularly useful tool for snipers who don’t want to be taken unawares.
How to get more equipment in Vanguard and add it to your loadout
When you first begin playing Vanguard you’ll only have access to two pieces of equipment: the MK42 Frag Grenade (lethal) and the No. 69 Stun Grenade (tactical). As you gain Character XP and advance through levels, you’ll unlock more options to add to your loadout. To choose a piece of equipment, you simply need to select it while putting your loadout together before starting a match. That’s it for Vanguard’s equipment options, but there are several other factors to take into account when putting together your winning loadout in multiplayer. Be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to weapon stats so you know which guns to build your setup around, and take a look at our complete list of Killstreaks and recommended Field Upgrades to see which might work best for you.
