There are a lot of ways you can strengthen your player in Zombies on Call of Duty: Vanguard. It can either be through weapon upgrades, covenants, and perks.
You can use different combinations of all these powerups and increase your damage output tenfold. It will make your runs enjoyable as you theory craft possible builds and reach the higher rounds in Zombies.
In this guide, you will learn more about the best perks in CoD Vanguard Zombies and what different combinations you can do with weapons and covenants to create an overpowered build.
What Are Perks?
Perks are essentially powerups that can be acquired through drinking in the colorful fountains found around Der Anfang. There are a total of 5 different perks you can acquire from 5 other locations.
Each perk can be upgraded to Tier 4 at a total cost of 15,000 Essence each. The first upgrade is always free, so make sure to drink one once you find one.
The perks available are as follows.
- Diabolical Damage – Critical Damage
- Aethereal Haste – Movement Speed
- Demonic Frenzy – Reload Speed
- Fiendish Fortitude – Increase Health
- Venomous Vigor – Health Regeneration Speed
All of these bonuses are going to help you reach the higher rounds. They are practically mandatory. The priority depends on your current setup, which will be discussed more later.
How to Get Perks
To get these perks, you will need to find the location of each fountain first. Their spawn locations are all fixed, so there is no need to search for them on every match.
However, if you have just started the match, you will need to unlock the areas by clearing the portals and advancing through the first few rounds. It will be easier to know which area to open once you know the location of each perk.
All perk locations
To keep things consistent, the picture above will serve as the primary basis of direction. This location is the spawn point for all the players who go in and out of the portal. You will be able to see the Altar of Covenants in the middle.
Aethereal Haste – Movement Speed
Located directly west of the Altar of Covenants, you can find the Aethereal Haste perk on the first floor inside the big building.
Venomous Vigor – Health Regeneration Speed
Located on the southeast side of the Altar of Covenants, you can find the Venomous Vigor perk in the open area between two buildings. It is next to the entrance of the basement, where you can get the Demonic Frenzy perk.
Fiendish Fortitude – Increase Health
Located on the northeast side of the Altar of Covenants, you can find the Fiendish Fortitude in the open area where you can find a staircase. You won’t miss it, as it shines bright red even from afar.
Demonic Frenzy – Reload Speed
It is located on the southeast side of the Altar of Covenants. You can find the Demonic Frenzy perk in the basement of the building near the Venomous Vigor.
Diabolical Damage – Critical Damage
Located on the northeast side of the Altar of Covenants, you can find the Diabolical Damage perk inside the building. It is located on the first floor in a tight corner near the stairs.
Best Perks to Prioritize
Depending on your weapon, you will need to purchase the best perks for your current build. Damage is always a priority, as shredding through zombies to clear more room to kite is how you finish the higher rounds.
#1 – Diabolical Damage
Diabolical damage is always the best perk to get on any weapon. This perk quadruples your damage when you hit enemies on their weak spot (head).
It will always be fixed as the best perk to invest in the early rounds. You can even avoid purchasing the Pack-A-Punch weapon upgrade if you are clipping heads all the time with this perk upgrade.
One of the best builds revolves around increasing your critical damage, which is usually paired with covenants like Cull the Weak and Cryofreeze.
The numbers above are only possible with a combination of the covenants mentioned and this perk upgraded to the max level. This is one of the best weapon builds and the best way to kill Sturmkriegers in CoD Vanguard Zombies. You can literally one-shot a slowed Sturmkriegers past round 20.
Critical damage will only scale better with semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and bolt-action guns. However, the increased damage output from guns with a high rate of fire will only be efficient if you can control the recoil.
The perfect example would be using the PPSH-41 or the Type 100. You need to be clipping heads with most of your shots to utilize the Diabolical Damage perk.
#2 – Demonic Frenzy
Reload speed is as important as critical damage for most guns. However, there is a covenant upgrade called “Death Blow,” which negates the benefit from Demonic Frenzy.
The Death Blow covenant gives you an extra bullet on your current clip if you get a critical kill. The rare version only gives you a chance, while the legendary version gives you two bullets back for every critical kill at 100% chance.
Shotgun builds will never have to reload their guns if they consistently land critical hits.
The rest of the weapons will benefit significantly from the Demonic Frenzy perk, especially with the tier 4 upgrade.
#3 Aethereal Haste
Aethereal Haste boosts your movement speed bonus. While it is lower on the priority list, you will benefit from it once you reach past round 15.
When Sturmkriegers start spawning frequently, you can dodge their minigun spray without sprinting. That benefit alone makes this perk mandatory.
The movement speed will also help you get past zombie hordes when they close in from all directions. You will also gain time to set up the Monkey Bomb since it has a long wind-up time. Zombies will have a hard time hitting you with your increased movement speed while strafing to throw the Monkey Bomb.
#4 Fiendish Fortitude
Fiendish Fortitude will increase your health from 100 to 200 when maxed out. In rounds 1-15, you can take a lot of hits from zombies as long as you have armor plates.
In rounds 20 and above, it will be mandatory to get the max upgrade on this perk. Without armor plates, three hits from a regular zombie can immediately down you. Without the Fiendish Fortitude, you can only take two hits.
You will have armor plates at this point, but zombies can shred through your three armor plates quickly with their increased damage output.
#5 Venomous Vigor
Venomous Vigor improves your health regeneration speed so you can quickly recover from getting hit. Getting hit once is a sign to reposition immediately and gain health.
After recovering health and getting some breathing room, you can get back to the action and start clearing zombies safely again.
It is essential to know which direction you should go after being hit. Use the best audio settings to hear where the zombies are coming from when they are near you. If you cannot glance at your minimap when things get chaotic, use your ears.
Why Do Perks Keep Downgrading?
You might have noticed some of your perks losing tiers. This is because perks upgrades go down by one tier each time you get downed. It is a huge risk investing in tier 4 perks early in the game.
For example, you can get your Diabolic Damage perk to tier 4 as early as round 4. Getting downed by zombies will downgrade your tier 4 perk to tier 3. That upgrade will be costly in the early rounds as that upgrade costs 7,500 Essence.
However, the first-tier perk upgrades are always free. If you get downed multiple times, you will still retain your perks at a minimum of tier 1.
Final Thoughts
Perks and covenants are all mandatory to help you survive in the late rounds. It is wise to invest in it early and avoid getting down at all times.
It will be easy to get a perfect run at the start once you get used to the stages and mechanics. Practice makes perfect!
