Operation Vanguard Adds Campaigns To CSGO

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is introducing Operation Vanguard; a new progression system with missions, campaigns, and – obviously – case drops.

Access to the new features comes via an access pass which is currently billed at $5.99 (£3.59 in real money). Once you have that you'll get access to a journal which tracks your progress across the current lineup of 44 campaign missions as well as an upgradeable coin and six community-created maps to play in deathmatch, competitive and casual modes.

But what does any of that mean in terms of playing the game?

Well, it's not campaigns and missions in the narrative, single-player sense. Rather, it's an achievement-type system geared around getting you to play in different ways and across different modes and maps. Two campaigns come with the access pass and they're divided into branching mission trees. In order to tick missions off you'll have to do things like get 20 kills with a P90 in Deathmatch: Operation Vanguard mode, or win 16 rounds competitive on one of the new community-created maps like Bazaar or Marquis.

The progress you can make is time-gated as you're limited to completing two missions per week in these two starter campaigns, although Valve are quick to add that "you can take on optional Campaigns that will allow you to complete additional weekly missions" – those optional Campaigns costing £1.79 apiece, by the way.

Completing mission sequences will earn you challenge stars which, in turn, upgrade your coin. There are also case drops and weapon drops to be gained because – actually, why am I even explaining that? It's CS:GO.

And yes. There is an achievement mission for killing chickens.