Guides
DMZ guides
Plain answers to the questions players ask most, from your first deployment to Operator Prestige. Every page shows where its facts come from, when it was last checked, and what is still unconfirmed.
Start here
How a run works, what you keep, and what to do first.
- MW4 DMZ Early Access and launch datesWhen DMZ Early Access starts, who gets in, what carries over to launch, and what to prepare before your first deployment.
- MW4 DMZ beginner's guide: how a deployment worksThe DMZ loop explained for new players: the FOB, the three deployment types, surviving Hajin, getting out, and what to do with what you bring home.
- MW4 DMZ first-day checklist: what to do in your first hourA step-by-step list for your first hour in DMZ: setup, your first two Orders, where to drop, and what to unlock after your first extract.
- What you keep and lose when you die in MW4 DMZDying in DMZ costs your gear and the cash you picked up, but not your XP. Here is exactly what survives a death, what is lost, and how MIA works.
- How to play MW4 DMZ soloThere is no solo queue in DMZ, but you can play alone. How solo matchmaking works, what changes without a squad, and how to stay alive.
- MW4 Vault Edition in DMZ: every bonus explainedWhat the Vault Edition adds to DMZ: a third Operator slot, a Deployment Kit and one-time Blueprints. How each works, and what is still unexplained.
- MW4 DMZ requirements: platforms, online and PC setupWhat you need to play DMZ: MW4 itself, an online subscription on console, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on PC, and what to do if you cannot connect.
- Hajin map guide: every major area and its threat levelAll 13 major areas of Hajin with their region and threat level, the repeatable sites on the Tac Map, and what Activision has said about secrets.
Extraction and survival
Getting out alive: exfil, radiation, healing, threat and squads.
- How to exfil in MW4 DMZ: every way out of HajinHow the helicopter exfil, Fulton balloon and flare work, when to leave before the radiation storm, and what happens to your loot when you get out.
- MW4 DMZ radiation storm, gas mask and the reactorHow the radiation storm closes Hajin, how long a deployment lasts, and what you need to survive the Haneul Nuclear Reactor.
- MW4 DMZ health guide: wounds, the Tourniquet and every healHow the Tourniquet and Wounded state work, which heal fixes what, and the Traits that keep you on your feet.
- MW4 DMZ threat levels, enemies and the Hunt SquadLocation threat levels from Low to Extreme, the AI enemy tiers, the Hostiles Kill Count and Hunt Squads, and how to keep Hajin quiet.
- MW4 DMZ squads: size, reviving, truces and assimilationSquad size and lobby rules, how to revive teammates, what happens when one dies, and how truces and assimilation work.
Bosses, bounties and keys
Lieutenants, Commanders, the Wanted system and locked rooms.
- MW4 DMZ bosses: Lieutenants, Commanders and the Boss BoardHow Lieutenants and Commanders differ, how to find them, what they drop, how the Boss Board works and how to survive the Dog Tag Case.
- MW4 DMZ bounties: how the Wanted system worksHow your bounty grows, what being Wanted means, how Bounty Stations work, how to clear a bounty and how hunters get paid.
- MW4 DMZ keys: how to find and use themHow DMZ keys work, how to read the grid square on a key, where keys come from, and which keys Activision has named.
FOB, gear and crafting
Stations, the 3D Printer, the Gunsmith, armor, cash and vehicles.
- MW4 DMZ FOB guide: every station and when it unlocksEvery Forward Operating Base station, the DMZ level that opens it, how the Stash and Bank grow, and what to unlock first.
- MW4 DMZ 3D Printer guide: resources, ingredients and recipesHow crafting works in DMZ: Resources vs Ingredients, the starter recipes and their costs, every recipe unlocked by level, and handy printer features.
- MW4 DMZ Gunsmith guide: Weapon Manuals, prices and buildsHow to unlock weapons with Weapon Manuals, what the Gunsmith charges for slots and attachments, found weapons, Blueprints and the Vendor.
- MW4 DMZ armor and backpacks: carriers, plates and Secure SlotsEvery confirmed plate carrier and backpack, how armor plates work at infil, Secure Slots, and the six loot rarities.
- MW4 DMZ Cash guide: how to earn it and what to spend it onHow DMZ Cash and the Bank work, every way to earn cash, what to spend it on first, and why not to sell every valuable.
- MW4 DMZ vehicles and infil: every ride, fuel and repairsEvery confirmed DMZ vehicle, notes from Activision's Hajin guide, how fuel and repairs work, and the infil options.
Missions and Orders
Story Missions, DMZ Orders, Dynamic Ops and Side Ops.
- MW4 DMZ Story Missions: every known missionHow Story Missions work, the five named so far with their locations and objectives, confirmed developer tips, and the weekly goal.
- MW4 DMZ Orders: chapters, tasks and rewardsWhat DMZ Orders are, why to do the first two straight away, the known chapters and Orders, and the Counterfeit tasks.
- MW4 DMZ Dynamic Ops and Side Ops: how they workHow Dynamic Ops pay out and how Supply Drops improve, the known Ops, and every Side Op with what it gives you.
Progression
DMZ levels, Operators, Traits, MIA and Prestige.
- MW4 DMZ Operator Prestige: requirements and rewardsWhat it takes to Prestige an Operator at every tier, what you get and lose, and how to prepare.
- MW4 DMZ Operators and MIA: slots, recovery and unlocksHow Operators work in DMZ, Dog Tag rank vs DMZ level, the four Operators unlocked by level, and how MIA recovery works.
- MW4 DMZ Traits: how Trait Points work and what to pickHow the three Trait trees work, how you earn Trait Points, the confirmed Traits worth knowing, and how to spend your first points.
- MW4 DMZ levels 1 to 70: what unlocks whenThe key unlocks on the DMZ level track from 1 to 70: stations, recipes, Operators, Stash space and Survival Kits.
How DMZ works
Short explainers for one rule or system each.
- After Action Report and ratingsThe report shown after every deployment: the F to S++ rating, how XP is counted, and how cash reaches your Bank.
- The Mission Item slotObjective items go into their own slot automatically, so nobody needs backpack space for them.
- Secure SlotsSecure Slots keep items when you die. How they work and what to put in them.
- Resources and IngredientsThe two kinds of crafting material: Resources break down from loot and take no space, Ingredients are rarer parts that do.
- Dynamic Op Supply DropsEach Dynamic Op you finish calls in a Supply Drop, and its rarity climbs with every Op in the same deployment.
- Hostiles Kill Count and Hunt SquadsA HUD meter counts the AI you kill. Fill it and a Hunt Squad marks you for death.
- The Tac-Map gridHow to read Tac-Map grid squares, and why every key names one.
- Match size and matchmaking60 players, 20 squads, squads of up to three, and how matchmaking groups players by goal.
- Reconnecting after a disconnectInfinity Ward says you can rejoin a DMZ match after a disconnect as long as the server is still running.
- Field Upgrades do not rechargeField Upgrades are one-use in DMZ. How to get them and which are worth carrying.
- Armor plates at infilYour armor slot fills automatically when you drop in. The two ways to bring extra plates.
- Weapon ManualsExtract a Weapon Manual to unlock that gun at the Gunsmith and get 5,000 DMZ Cash.
- Dog Tags: rank and trophiesDog Tag rank earns Trait Points; Dog Tags taken from players are trophies that pay out at exfil.
- The Bank and the StashHow much the Stash holds, how it grows, what takes space, and how the Bank works.
- Dynamic weatherRain, sun, fog and snow in Hajin, and what changing weather means for a run.
- Proximity chatNearby players can hear you. How DMZ proximity chat sounds and how to use it.
- The Lieutenant Dog Tag CaseEvery Lieutenant drops a Dog Tag Case. Picking it up broadcasts your position; extracting it pays off.
- Truce and assimilationHow to request a truce or join another squad with the Ping Wheel, and the four-player cap.
- The Stealth MeterThe white, yellow and orange warning before AI spots you, and how to react.
- ValuablesGem-marked loot you can sell for cash or spend on FOB upgrades.
News
Patch notes and verified game changes are published here as they land. No DMZ patch notes have been released yet.