Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies’ Season 2 content will officially arrive on February 14. When the big update arrives, players will have access to several pieces of content, ranging from an additional enemy type to a new hub map called Terra Maledicta. Wonder Weapons are returning in the form of the Ray Gun and Decimator Shield, while the first proper easter is being added as well. Pack-A-Punch camos will be added, a new objective type is coming, and the additional weapons and Operators that the Season brings will be fully usable inside of Zombies.

However, one aspect of this big Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies update that has gone under the radar is the new Artifact that is being added. Dubbed Healing Aura, the ability made its debut in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and it will function very similarly in Call of Duty: Vanguard. For players that prefer keeping their teammates alive over dishing out a lot of damage or saving their own skin, Healing Aura could be worthwhile. Before equipping the ability and testing it out in-game, it is worth learning about how it works.

Healing Aura and Its Upgrade Tiers

Healing Aura is tied to a new Dark Aether entity named Vercanna The Last. According to the lore provided by Treyarch, Vercanna’s clan was wiped out by Kortifex, the demon at the heart of the current storyline that will surely serve as the boss of the game’s final map. The last of her kind, Vercanna controls life energy and passes that ability on to Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Operators through the Wand of the Wilds Artifact.

Healing Aura’s default ability allows Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies players to summon green beams of light that instantly bring everyone in a match back up to full health. When players are getting trapped in higher rounds or taking serious damage, being able to instantly restore their health could save the day. With gamers able to see their teammates’ health on the HUD, those with Healing Aura will always want to keep a close eye on how their allies are doing.

As with the game’s other Artifacts, players can give their Field Upgrade a boost through the four tiers in the Tome of Rituals. They are as follows.

  • Tier 2: Regular Zombies that are near the player will be knocked down when Healing Aura is activated, while mini bosses will be stunned. Tier 3: All downed allies will be instantly revived once Healing Aura has been used. Tier 4: Players revived with Healing Aura will have all their lost perks returned to them. Tier 5: Players will be continuously healed for 10 seconds after Healing Aura is used.

Based on the tiers that Treyarch has listed for Healing Aura, the value of the Artifact is impossible to ignore. Not only are perks in Call of Duty: Vanguard expensive, making their restoration upon revival very useful, but being able to instantly revive players without being near them is huge. With the 10 seconds of healing after activation allowing players that are trapped in a corner to shrug off all incoming attacks and kill the horde, this ability could be getting a lot of use going forward. While players will have to spend Sacrificial Hearts at the Tome of Rituals to realize its full potential, Healing Aura seems like a perfect option for co-op play.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.