Call of Duty: WW2 has announced The Resistance, the shooter's first portion of DLC that promises three new multiplayer maps, a new War Mode and the next chapter of its Nazi zombies offshoot, named The Darkest Shore. 

From front to back, the three incoming maps include Anthropoid, Occupation and Valkyrie. Set in Prague, Anthropoid depicts the titular Operation Anthropoid assassination attempt of two high-ranking Nazi officers in 1942. This map includes a central dividing river with long-flanking paths, perfect for ranged sniper attacks. 

Valkyrie, on the other hand, is inspired by Hitler's Eastern Front HQ, otherwise known as The Wolf's Lair. Here, expect a medium-sized map with a "dangerous centre lane" targeted by mounted machine guns. Lastly, Occupation is a remake of the classic Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Resistance multiplayer map—complete with long, winding streets and storefronts fit for hiding out in.

The Resistance DLC's War Mode, Operation Intercept, tasks players with rescuing resistance members being transported by train. Here, you'll free the fighters, take down communications equipment, and, ultimately, halt the train. 

More on that is detailed here: 

As explained above, The Darkest Shore zombie mode kicks off in Mittelburg wherein your crew learns that Doktor Straub is operating on an island north of Germany. "Blanketed in fog, this island is surrounded by Nazi air and sea power," so reads this post, "and crawling with the Undead." Good luck with that. 

Call of Duty: WW2's The Resistance DLC is without a concrete PC launch date, however is expected to follow its PS4 debut on January 30. The base game also rolled out a PC update yesterday, targeting ranked play and multiplayer, among other things. Check out its patch notes in full over here. 

Despite its launch issues, Call of Duty: WW2 has spent the last few weeks getting its trenches in order. Now, developer Sledgehammer Games has announced its Thanksgiving double XP weekend will launch a day early, and that the previously delayed PC emblem editor will land on December 8. 

When it does it'll launch alongside the new Winter Carentan Map, within which the game's first Seasonal Community Event—named 'Winter Siege'—will take place. 

"One of the most beloved maps in Call of Duty history is now set in the cold and snowy winter of 1944 and will be free to all players for a limited time during the event and will be added to all MP game modes," says the developer. "Be sure to check out Domination and Hardpoint, they’re two of our studio favorites for Winter Carentan. We can’t wait to play online with you. Also, we have weekly Winter Siege rewards for players that join us throughout the event, and we’ll have more to share in the coming weeks."

WW2's Thanksgiving double XP weekend has also been brought forward—now set to kick off at 10am PT/6pm GMT today, and wrap up at the same time on Monday, November 27. 

Sledgehammer also notes a new update is due next week that will address map exploits and UI improvements among other things. 

Earlier this week, Call of Duty: WW2 developer Sledgehammer Games pledged its commitment to PC players amid ongoing server troubles. Now, global dedicated servers have been reinstated, and the war shooter's much-anticipated PC update is now live. 

Announced via Twitter overnight, XP has now been returned to normal progression and global dedicated servers are go—with the devs "monitoring results" for the time being. 

In a separate Steam community post, Sledgehammer announced that the WW2's long-awaited PC update is also live—and that it's clamping down on cheaters and hackers. 

"Cheaters and hackers create a plethora of issues in-game and ruin the overall experience for everyone," reads the post. "We are committed to banning those who exploit the game to gain advantage over other players. However, you all are integral to our process, and we appreciate your help. Please utilize the in-game reporting feature for suspected cheating."

The dev then lists a series of bug and general fixes the update targets which extends to the game's zombie mode, as well as buffing and nerfing a number of the game's guns. Speaking to the latter, expect the Walther Toggle Action Shotgun to deal more damage at "extremely" close range, while the BAR Rifle now has a decreased fire rate and widened hip fire spread. 

Full details on Call of Duty: WW2's PC update can be found in this direction. The latest on COD Points and Emblems can be read here. 

The Call of Duty: WWII emblem editor is a pretty great thing. It lets you do stuff like this: 

And this:

And this (On a completely unrelated note, the 2017 Game Awards nominations are out.):

And a whole lot more that you can see in this roundup of some of our favorites. The only problem is that it's not actually available on the PC yet. To be honest, I'm not sure if a release date for the PC version had ever been announced (it was available for consoles at launch) but there was obviously an expectation somewhere, because Activision said in yesterday's update patch notes that it's been delayed.

"Because most of our players are using a mouse & keyboard we wanted to take advantage of that, particularly for the UX around Emblem Editor. Therefore, we are taking some extra time to apply some more polish into the feature before releasing it on PC," the Activision support site states. "The Emblem Editor is planned to be released in December, but stay tuned for more details on what PC specific features we are adding."

It seems odd that this escaped notice until now, but if it gets us a better editor then I don't think think a little delay is too overly onerous. Also delayed, as noted on Twitter by Activision support, are Call of Duty Points, the in-game currency used to purchase Supply Drops.

This past weekend was double XP time for Call of Duty: WWII, but a number of players noticed, and complained, that they weren't actually getting double XP. It turns out that they were right—not because Sledgehammer forgot to turn it on, but because it forgot to turn it off. 

"We launched with 2XP active, unintentionally. Everyone was getting 2XP since 11/3 [the COD:WWII release date] and up until we made the playlist change late Thursday night, which effectively launched 3XP," Condrey explained in greater detail on Reddit. "Come Monday, when we turn off the XP bonus, it will effectively revert to what we should have had at launch (aka 1XP).  So early players, you got a huge head start."

Full credit to Sledgehammer for letting players continue to reap the triple XP (and the double XP weekend has been extended into Tuesday), but the replies to Condrey's Reddit post illustrates the problem it faces going forward: The general consensus, at least based on that thread, appears to be that the pace of progress is already a slow grind—and as of today it's going to be a whole lot slower.   

Players who haven't yet taken up online arms won't likely be bothered by that fact, but those who dove into Call of Duty: WWII straight-away—committed fans, in other words—may find it frustrating. Given EA's climbdown on Star Wars Battlefront 2 hero costs today, which demonstrates quite clearly that vociferous gamer anger works, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see similar crosshairs brought to bear on Sledgehammer and Activision next.

In his review, James reckoned Call of Duty: WW2's solo campaign failed to do history justice, but that its multiplayer "recalls the glory days of Modern Warfare." Server issues have however marred its social features—and developer Sledgehammer Games has now addressed how it plans to fix them, and when we might expect the forthcoming PC patch. 

In a blog post on its website, the devs describe WW2's post-launch period as a "whirlwind" wherein online issues have stirred frustration.

"While our previous Game Update which released early Friday solved several critical needs, unfortunately it also had an adverse effect on server performance," reads the post. "As a result, we moved to P2P (listen) servers. Overall, the game is stable, however we know that P2P brings things like Host Migrations and other issues that make for inconsistent gameplay experiences. Our objective to return to dedicated servers is our highest priority."

On dedicated servers, the post continues: "This weekend we rolled out various test solutions in limited markets in order to fully analyze real-world conditions without risking disruption. This level of data and diagnostics is helping us work toward a permanent solution as quickly as possible.  We’ve begun to test dedicated servers today in the US. We’ll watch this test closely, and once we analyze the results we’ll look to expand."

Sledgehammer says it's identified the root cause of game disconnects from servers which is said to also result in lost stats and lobby freezes. The dev then turns its attention to PC players, and the incoming PC patch. 

"We also want to reinforce our commitment to PC fans," the post adds. "We have the next PC Title Update ready to go, but we believe we need to work through the issues noted above first—many of which also affect PC players. For this reason, we’ll wait a bit longer before deploying the patch to the PC in order to ensure everything is the way it needs to be first… This is only the beginning, so thank you for playing. We won’t rest until we resolve everything we can for the community."

Read Sledgehammer's post in full here, while here's eight things Omri wished he knew before playing Call of Duty: WWII's zombies mode.

Sledgehammer’s return to World War II ticks the necessary boxes for slick shooting and quicktime events (during which you knee a Nazi in the nuts), but don’t be fooled by the plainness of its Zombies mode. Come the inevitable map packs, and the insanity will truly begin: celebrity cameos, exploding planets, something involving pizza, and zany gadgets more at home inside a clown’s suitcase than a laboratory. You must prepare. You must prepare now. Our Call of Duty: WWII Nazi Zombies beginner’s guide can help. 

WWII Zombies deviates from the previous perk-style system by introducing class loadouts and map-based powerup passives, but the biggest change is the debut of Jolts, the currency you get when you kill a zombie. To succeed in Zombies, respect the Jolt: it funds character upgrades, gun purchases, opens locked doors, and is the general mark of progress during a round. What’s the best way to get Jolts? Is that really David Tennant? Read on to learn it all.

Stay mobile and stay reloaded

Most of WWII’s zombies are of the standard shamble strain, but keeping them at arm’s length or farther demands constant attention to where you’re heading and how many groaning obstacles are in your intended path. Zombies can appear in front of you, around the corner, behind, or even from above or below. Check all of your angles, and don’t linger in one spot too long unless you’re prepared to use your class ability or toss out a grenade to avoid being overwhelmed. Keep your gun topped up as much as possible, especially if you’re wielding a boomstick or a bullet-spitter such as heavy machine guns with long reload times.

Focus on a specific goal or activity  

The wave you’re on dictates the ease at which you can accomplish tasks, such as unlocking a new area or exploring for secrets. You can certainly attempt to pack in multiple activities on a single round, but be aware of the heightened difficulty later waves impose on whatever you plan to do—say, unlocking the weapon upgrade machine at wave 10 instead of wave 6. You can certainly beeline to the final boss battle regardless of what wave you’re on, so figure out with your group what your intended round experience will be.

Use the shovel early for easy Jolts

Whacking that sleepy look off a zombie’s face with a digging tool isn’t just a pleasingly humiliating coup de grace, it’s also the best way to quickly earn the maximum amount of Jolts per kill—130 instead of the 100 gained from normal shooting. You can even dispense with your firearm entirely in the first three waves or so and solely focus on shoveling your way to a fat Jolt wallet useful for funding vital purchases later on. Remember to stay aware of the zombies’ increased health per wave, as it’ll take one extra hit per wave to down an enemy. Strong attacks using right click to focus your swing helps with recovering ammo and grenades, but you’ll be stuck in place for a few vulnerable seconds as you dig your shovel out of your victim’s nostril.

Stay on pace with the zombie power curve

Each wave bestows deeper health pools to all zombiesl, and your starting pistol will deal spitball-level damage by about wave 5. You’ll need at least a shotgun or SMG by then, and you’ll need to think ahead to the round’s endgame and appropriately upgrade your equipment in preparation for the truly difficult waves later on. If you feel your base weapons aren’t clearing waves effectively enough, get the weapon upgrade station unlocked and start spending Jolts on enhancing your guns.

Try your luck with the Command Room’s Mystery Box, as well—you could nab a beefy machine gun or powerful sniper rifle with one or two lucky rolls of the dice. The Blitz machines dotted throughout the village area and Bunker rooms are excellent flourishes to your firepower, increasing your reload speed, melee damage, run speed, and other bonuses for the duration of the round. Make those your priority.

Buy cheap ammo for your weapon by returning to its locker

If you’re comfortable with your chosen weapon, keep its initial locker location in the back of your mind for a quick loop to resupply. The Jolt cost for reusing the same locker is often in the low hundreds compared to the thousands needed to swap weapons at a different locker or pray to the Mystery Box.

Camouflage is the best ability for solo play 

The class loadouts in WWII Zombies are designed to complement each other when in a squad, and the Medic’s Camouflage is fantastic for swooping in for a safe revive on a downed teammate or to inflict some bonus bleed damage on a heavy boss-type enemy with the Serrated Edge augment. Consider favoring it over the other class picks for solo runs or to familiarize yourself with map layouts, as being able to vanish out of sight and recover safely is a great fallback tool. Be careful if you need to pop it close to a teammate—any surrounding zombies will instantly snap to the nearest visible target!

Delay the next wave with the straggler method

If you have the necessary Jolts to accomplish an objective or open a gate, you don’t need to blast down an entire wave in seconds. You can delay the deployment of a fresh mob by prolonging the current wave you’re on to explore or gorge on upgrades before pushing forward. An oft-used tactic is to whittle down a wave until one or two straggling zombies remain, keeping them close by as you complete errands. Proper distance is key—too close, and you’ll get swiped; too far, and the game will either despawn your pursuers and force them to reappear closer to you (often right in your face in a jumpscare) or cause them to break out in a loping sprint directly towards you. 

The characters that aren't Tennant are funny too

Yes, that’s David Tennant voicing and lending his face to the art-appreciating Drostan Hynd, but the remaining cast of celebrity-alikes are just as effective at swearing in a panic as everyone’s favorite high-pitched Scotsman. Ving Rhames’ Jefferson Potts or Elodie Yung’s Olivia Durant are typical top picks in a full lobby.

It starts out like any other Call of Duty. A man is talking at me in a car. We pass by more men with guns (Nazis) shoving someone around while a brassy ensemble plays some low menacing notes to underline their low moral position. My character looks down and a hand with painted nails twists the cap on a blade made to look like a pen. Huh.

I don't see Daniels' apeish hands or hear his southern drawl. Instead a woman says, "Soon this nightmare will be over." I realize I'm playing as Rousseau, a French spy about to go undercover and covertly stab some evil bastards with a pen knife. This is Liberation, Call of Duty: WWII's best mission by a mile. It's also the one that plays the least like Call of Duty. 

But Liberation isn't a great level just because it diverges from Call of Duty's usual shooting galleries. Those can be fun too. It's memorable because it strips you of your superhuman power to tear down entire armies and asks you to slow down, think, and observe. For such a breathless series, it's pacing whiplash. Liberation proves Call of Duty missions can layer on interesting ideas without stripping out fast-paced action or halting completely to teach players complex new systems.

Also, playing a spy is just cool. But let's take this step by step. 

First off, major spoiler warning. We're walking through the entire mission.

Bathrooms and basements 

Before entering the Nazi stronghold in Paris, you're given a fake identity and story to stick to. I figure Call of Duty will do the heavy lifting here and carry me through, but your in-game life ends up hinging on memorizing your cover story. Press a button to take out your papers and specific fields light up. You need to know your name, where you're from, why you're there, and who you're there for. For the last three hours of play I haven't exactly exercised critical thinking skills, so I start to panic. The last time I had to memorize terms out of the blue was for a Spanish exam, which didn't go well. I feel dread. 

But my worries subside a bit when I head inside. The compound is a beautiful building, unfortunately full of Nazis at work. Some idle in corners chatting with one another. Others smoke and stare. The face of my enemy is a really unexciting face. Evil comes with paperwork.

My goal is to find my contact Oberst Fischer and pick up some explosives from him, which I'll then plant on reinforced gates leading into the compound, making a clean path for the men with guns to roll in on. I'm told he's dressed as an officer in grey uniform. Problem is, there are a lot of officers in grey spread throughout the building, and I can talk to them all. I'm also going to meet with Herr Heinrich, an officer that Rousseau holds personally responsible for the death of her family. Revenge time. 

But before I get to all that, I obviously need to check out the bathroom. Most important of all videogame environment props is the toilet, and while it's not a fully functional bathroom, Liberation at least has one. It doesn't need to be there, but it is. It took multiple people to design and model and place a toilet that most players will only glance at. When developers are able to create detailed levels that aren't overtly designed to catapult you forward, games stop being amusement park rides and become believable spaces. Toilets: that important.

When I finally talk to someone, I get the prompt to ask if they're the man I'm looking for, initiate the code phrase with a question about a French poet, or apologize and leave. I'm not sure where to begin, so observe a man smoking a cigar in a dark corner of the building. The scene looks like something right out of an old photograph I might flip through in a textbook. I talk to a few grey dudes and ask where Fischer is. Eventually, one tells me he's probably in the basement, a place someone like myself doesn't have access to. 

There's a soldier standing guard over the door who tells me to get lost. He wanders off to look at papers on a pedestal, and I follow him from a few yards off. My instincts were right. I see a prompt on his ass and hold a button to steal the key with his back turned. I get the impression he is a very stupid person, and with that in mind, I open the door to the basement and head down.

I don't think there are other ways into the basement, but that's OK. Like a Telltale game lets you color your character with dialogue choices without truly altering the course of how things play out, Liberation gives you enough space to at least give the impression that there are other routes downstairs. Even if the only way into the basement is with the key, the solution requires observation and navigation skills, which makes me feel clever. And if a game can make me feel clever, then it's already achieved a monumental task. 

No one is terribly surprised to see me downstairs. Some men sit at a table smoking and playing cards. A grey guard leans on the wall nearby, and I figure he's the man I'm looking for, basement-based and all, so I open with the code phrase. He talks some shit about French poetry and asks for my papers. Oops. I stopped thinking about my cover awhile ago. Luckily, he only wants to know my name, which I do somehow remember and skirt through his suspicions, asking where Fischer might be now. I should've studied harder.

He's upstairs. Third floor, also off limits.

First contact 

Luckily, the elevator is open down here, and I can take it to the third floor. But I explore the basement a bit more before moving up. A jailed man sits in his cell while a nearby guard dozes off. A prompt implies I can free him, but I don't. Not worth it. Can't blow my cover. I don't know if he'll get out alright, but if everything goes to plan, he'll be free soon anyway. Still, it pains me a bit. In reality, I'd probably have to restart at a checkpoint a few minutes back and try again, but I'm not about to break cover or character.

I head up the elevator and find my man. I utter the code phrase, he responds with his half, and we find a place to talk in private. We trade briefcases, and I head upstairs to meet with Herr Heinrich, the bastard. His secretary says he'll be with me in a moment, so I scope out the room in the meantime. 

I read an errant document on his desk and notice my name and my contact's name. They've suspected us this whole time. It's a trap. I make a break for the window since there's a little interaction bubble hovering over it, but as I begin to fiddle with it, Heinrich enters. 

He gives a menacing speech with the Wolfenstein turned to 11, and asks who sent me. I get a few seconds to answer, but totally blow it. He confronts me,  but I gouge him with a broken bottle during a quicktime event, a very classic Call of Duty moment, and book it out the window. I wonder what happens if you answer correctly? Honestly, I like not knowing. 

From here, I need to circle the courtyard outside and plant two bombs without being spotted. Call of Duty's stealth isn't great, but the courtyard allows you to weave in and out of the building and climb up to a small ledge that rounds the perimeter. I'm fairly sure you can sneak directly through the courtyard too, if you're willing to put up with the wonky soldier AI. Now the choice isn't an illusion, it's real, even if it's still taking me to the same destination. 

On my way to the second bomb, I hear my contact's strained voice. He's been caught and I can rescue him if I like. It would mean going out of my way, but how could I not? Call of Duty could still learn to lay off the massive objective markers dictating every other action, but the choice to rescue your contact is a fairly tasteful moral test despite the massive lettering letting you know it's an option. I'm not sure saving him gives you an advantage later on, but I dig that ambiguity. Save the guy who helped you. Or don't. Up to you, jerk/hero. 

With two bombs planted, the perspective switches back to Daniels and company as they lead the assault to take and defend the Nazi base. We're back to shooting again, but with something to protect. I actually give a damn. Call of Duty earned its big, dumb action, and made it feel the tiniest bit more urgent than its typical slurry of soldier barks and violence tries for.

The ability to linger and examine a room, to chat up every grey-uniformed officer you see, to inspect the toilets, to make eyes with a man smoking a cigar in a dark corner—the ability to hide in plain sight is an inherent thrill in a series where you spend most of the time playing whack-a-Nazi crouched behind a hay bale. 

Though they don't play the same, Liberation and Call of Duty 4's All Ghillied Up succeed because they're the rare Call of Duty missions built around patience. They're a clear sign that the Call of Duty format is capable of asking players to do more than just point and shoot, and examples of talented mission design that I really hope we see more of in next year's war game. 

Over the launch weekend, Call of Duty: WWII's meta took a hard turn. Players are now using excellent custom emblems to claim victory over their opponents no matter the score, because what does losing matter if you look good doing it?

WWII's emblem creator apparently has more going on than someone as boring as me could imagine. Using the decals, resizing tools, and tons of layers, players are coming up with some ridiculous stuff, from their favorite food brands to accurate recreations of their grandfather's military emblems. Here's a glimpse at the best we've found so far, but if we're missing something special, go ahead and share it with us in the comments. 

[Note: The emblem maker isn't available on PC yet, so consider this selection as inspiration for what I'm sure will be far nicer tiny square pictures.]

8th Air Force homage

Reddit user ZombieLenBias made this emblem as an homage to his grandfather, who served in the 479th Fighter Group in the 8th Air Force. Nearly perfect. 

Pigeon perfect

In remembrance of all the hard working birbs out there, flying high in the sky and hanging out on telephone wires and such, Reddit user box77 made this colorful honorary. 

Football?

Is Chelsea the monster on the emblem? Why are they part of a football club? I sent the link to our UK team for translation. Until then, this lovely looking symbol remains a mystery. 

A bit cheesy

Doritos are an American pastime, so what better way to immortalize a very popular brand than by recreating it within a competitive game set during WWII? 

Irony is dead. Anyway, here's the Mighty Ducks logo.

'90s kids only!

Remember that movie? Here's an emblem made to look like the thing from the movie. Only '90s kids will remember that movie. If you weren't born in the '90s, you won't remember the movie. You'd have to be born in the '90s to remember. 

Seeing S.T.A.R.S.

Raccoon City. Why is it called that? Is there a place in the US named after squirrels? Oh well, here's a nice interpretation of a police department's logo from the fictional town that got nuked to hell. I'm pretty sure it got nuked. But I'm glad Leon got out. He looks cool in his tactical gear, and without his over-the-shoulder spin kicks, third person games would have been forgotten.

5th Marine Division

Alright, let's get another real world shoulder patch up in here. Reddit user eag424 made this recreation of the 5th Marine Division's patch from WWII, and it looks quite cool. Is that a spear and the letter V? Tip of the spear? Vanguard? That said, the spear makes it look like a W too, which I'll just say stands for 'Wow' because this is a nice looking emblem. 

Teacup man

It's Cuphead's head! Reddit user xTheFatJesus nailed the look of the cartoon cup person, but I'm concerned about where his body went off to. Thinking about the emblem at all has me imagining Cuphead's anatomy, like does he bleed? Does he have guts? Can you just peek at his brain over the lip there? Best not to linger on such thoughts. They'll drive a man to the brink.

ERROR [EMBLEM] NOT FOUND

Heh, fooled you, didn't I? That wasn't a real error message at all. It was actually a heading I wrote to imitate a real error message. So it goes for Reddit user joshshoewah's playful jab at the server troubles some players have reported over the weekend. He's channeled his frustrations into an emblem that looks like an error message, but is actually just an emblem he made to look like an error message.

The blue guy from the old man and kid cartoon

Reddit user IamMclovin made this cute portrait of Mr. Meeseeks, a character from Rick and Morty that is summoned into existence for an explicit purpose, then snaps out of existence once they complete their goal. They almost mirror the lives of my digital avatars in Call of Duty games: born to die. 

This has been nice

As the sun sets on this emblem showcase, it also sets in this emblem where the sun is setting. And also in our hearts, because we had a lot of fun here today.

Thanks princeapalia, we needed this. 

Call of Duty: WWII's social hub isn't all that social at the moment. High player volume since launch has caused connectivity problems across all platforms, and one of the fixes has been to make Headquarters a solo experience for now, Sledgehammer Games said yesterday.

That, along with deactivated leaderboards and a couple of performance updates, appears to have fixed the problems, Sledgehammer said. Although clearly it's not ideal—HQ is supposed to be a place where you can face off in 1v1 skirmishes, eyeball other player's outfits and...ahem...watch people open loot crates. "Headquarters will return to its fully-populated, shared experience shortly," the developer said. For now, you can still invite friends into the HQ so you're not completely lonely.

The connectivity problems also caused some players to lose ranks, which isn't ideal. The "vast majority" lost five ranks or fewer, Sledgehammer said, which at lower ranks is less than an hour of playtime. Still annoying, though, and the developer said it is "committed to making it up to the affected players", so watch this space.

For what it's worth I played the game's multiplayer for a few hours last night and it was basically lag-free, save for one game in which I was rubber-banding quite badly. I'm sure that more fixes are incoming over the next few weeks as Sledgehammer continues to tune the game up.

James' review of the shooter is live here, so go and have a read.