Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 DMZ is an extraction mode set in the Hajin Exclusion Zone. Prepare an Active Duty Operator at the Forward Operating Base, deploy to complete objectives and gather loot, then extract to bring rewards back for future runs. AI forces and rival players share the area, so completing an objective is only part of a successful deployment: you still need to get out.
DMZ Early Access is dated October 20, 2026, for qualifying digital preorders, ahead of the full game’s October 23 launch. Exact access can depend on platform availability, time-zone differences, and outages. The instructions below describe the 2026 mode and its current FOB systems.
The deployment loop
The Forward Operating Base, or FOB, is your home between deployments. Your Stash remains there while your chosen Operator takes a Loadout into Hajin. A successful exfil lets you return with equipment and loot, then store useful items, improve the base, and prepare for another run.
Your immediate objective should shape the gear and route you choose. A Story Mission gives a defined narrative task; a Dynamic Operation gives an objective and Supply Drop reward; Free Roam leaves the route open for looting, exploration, or another goal. None of those choices removes the need to watch the radiation timer and plan an extraction.
Prepare at the FOB
Use these stations before your first run:
| Station | What to do there |
|---|---|
| Operators | Select an available Active Duty Operator and review their status and Traits |
| DMZ Orders | Read the guiding objectives and rewards that can advance your Operator and FOB |
| Stash/Loadout | Store items that should remain at base and equip the gear for the next deployment |
| Firing Range | Check a weapon and optic against targets at different distances |
| Deploy | Choose the deployment type, then check the final Ready Up menu |
If you lack equipment, the Ready Up menu offers a Free Loadout. It gives you a way to begin building Stash reserves; successfully extract and you keep the Loadout items. You can also edit the Loadout and swap your Active Duty Operator before committing.
The recommended starting equipment categories are a Plate Carrier, a Backpack, a weapon, and a Medkit. The Basic Pack has eight available slots when you do not have a proper Backpack equipped. Smaller items can stack according to their defined stack sizes, so an occupied slot does not always mean only one individual item.
Armor Plates have a specific preparation rule: the Armor Slot is empty before deployment and fills automatically when you infil. Bringing additional plates depends on Traits that increase the Armor Slot capacity or an Armor Box Field Upgrade. Do not assume you can freely load an arbitrary number into that slot before entering Hajin.
Choose Story Missions, Dynamic Operations, or Free Roam
Story Missions
Choose a Story Mission when you want a defined briefing, narrative objective, and listed reward. The selection menu includes missions you can complete or replay. Check the briefing against your current DMZ Orders and those of your squadmates; you may be able to work on compatible objectives during the same deployment.
Story Missions and DMZ Orders are related planning tools, but they are not the same menu entry. Orders provide the ongoing directives that teach systems and support progression. Read both before deploying rather than following the first objective marker without knowing which task it advances.
Dynamic Operations
Dynamic Operations can be selected before infil or initiated through a Dynamic Ops phone found in Hajin. Completing one awards DMZ XP and DMZ Cash, followed by a Supply Drop. The additional loot increases in quality as you complete more Operations during that deployment, progressing from Common to Uncommon to Rare.
A Hunt Operators Dynamic Op directs you toward a rival squad. Choose it with that purpose in mind. Other Side Ops can offer a different pace: finding lost Supply Drops, repairing useful trucks, or climbing damaged radio towers for Lieutenant intel can support exploration and progression.
Free Roam
Free Roam is the flexible option for gathering crafting ingredients, exploring, or pursuing your own route. You do not need to select a Story Mission to enter Hajin. Decide on a practical goal before deploying, such as recovering materials for a particular FOB upgrade, so the freedom to wander does not leave you carrying an assortment of loot with no extraction plan.
For Dynamic Operations and Free Roam, Ground infil is free and starts the squad on foot in a random part of Hajin. Other methods have costs and may require progression:
| Infil method | Listed DMZ Cash cost | Main difference |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | Free | Random location, on foot |
| Polaris Dagor A1 | 5,000 | Lightly armored vehicle is delivered to the squad |
| LTV | 25,000 | Heavily armored vehicle is delivered to the squad |
| Helicopter | 50,000 | The squad enters in a helicopter, with a player piloting |
| Cargo Plane | 100,000 | Lets the squad choose a precise drop location |
These options are alternatives, not a requirement to pay for every deployment. Use Ground when you want the free route. At Ready Up, Squad Fill can add two allied players; leave it off when you intend to deploy without that automatic matchmaking.
Loot for the next run as well as this one
Search containers for useful equipment and consumables, then keep the needs of the current objective in view. Armor Plates, Bandages, keys, equipment, and crafting materials serve different purposes. A valuable item is not automatically more useful than the item that lets your squad survive the next encounter.
There are four Resource types: Synthetics, Electronics, Chemicals, and Metals. They are automatically broken down while looting and use a separate resource pouch rather than ordinary Stash slots. 3D Printer Ingredients are different: they remain as items in the Backpack during deployment and should be moved into the Stash after a successful exfil.
The Stash initially holds 40 general items and 12 weapons, with weapons counted separately. It is shared across your Active Duty Operators. Offload useful loot after each successful deployment so you are choosing deliberately what to risk on the following run.
Backpack contents outside Secure Slots are lost when you fail to exfil. Secure Slots require Backpack upgrades; do not assume every starting slot has that protection. Items deliberately left in the Stash remain at the FOB, which is why storing equipment before the next deployment matters.
If your Operator is eliminated, they become MIA and cannot deploy again until recovered. At the Operators station, spend DMZ Cash from your Bank to recover them and preserve their Traits. The cost depends on their Trait Points; recovery returns them without equipment, so build a new Loadout. You can instead dismiss the MIA Operator and start with a new one.
Read the HUD before committing to another fight
The Tac-Map shows objectives, points of interest, key buildings, caches, threat areas, and the spreading radiation. Use its grid and pings to coordinate a destination with squadmates. Key descriptions include grid locations, helping you work out where a key is relevant without trying every locked room you encounter.
The timer indicates when radiation conditions intensify. Recheck it when a fight or detour takes longer than expected. A successful objective does not guarantee enough time remains for another objective and a safe return route.
Threat Level appears under the compass and describes the expected enemy response in the current point of interest. It ranges from Low to Extreme. Human Operators are not included in this indicator, so a Low threat reading does not establish that no rival players are nearby.
Sustained disruption can bring a stronger hostile response. If the situation escalates beyond the squad’s equipment or position, break contact, take cover, use stealth, or move away until enemies lose their visual and audible track. Continuing to fire indefinitely is not the only way to progress.
The Hostiles Kill Count is another indicator to watch: filling its meter dispatches an enemy Hunt Squad and marks you for death. Read the squad HUD as well, including health, armor, wounds, and downed states, before deciding that the team can absorb another engagement.
Treat bosses and PvP rewards as optional commitments
Lieutenants can be active even when you are not deliberately hunting them. A Lieutenant Hunt tower provides a general location, while the Boss Board supports more focused preparation. These enemies have greater durability and distinct combat behavior, making a rushed encounter a different proposition from clearing ordinary patrols.
A Lieutenant’s Dog Tag Case is a particularly consequential pickup: it is shown on the Tac-Map, and carrying it broadcasts your position to other Operators. Taking the case can progress the Boss Board, but it also changes the extraction risk. The Lieutenant kill still provides XP and DMZ Cash without requiring you to pick up the case.
Commanders are separate roaming bosses and can require tactical knowledge beyond ordinary gunfire. Their rewards include valuable crafting ingredients, XP, and DMZ Cash. A nearby boss does not have to become the objective of every early run; consider your existing loot, equipment, and route before choosing another major fight.
Exfil with the rewards
Active exfil sites are selected from a pool of locations across Hajin and identified by green smoke. At a site, call the Twin Heli Exfil helicopter, hold the area while it approaches, then board to complete the deployment. Other squads may use the location as an ambush point, and the flare is loud and visible from a distance.
The mode also offers alternate methods such as a Fulton balloon or Flare. Their existence does not mean that every Operator begins each run with one available. For the ordinary route, identify an active exfil and leave time to reach it and defend the arrival.
Once back at the FOB, deposit equipment and ingredients, check Orders, and review what the run unlocked. DMZ has its own Player Level progression from 1 to 70. The 3D Printer opens at DMZ Player Level 2; the Vendor at Level 5; the Gunsmith at Level 10; and the Dog Tag Case station at Level 20. The Boss Board unlocks after your second completed DMZ Order. Those milestones give early runs a direction beyond filling a Backpack.
The dependable first-deployment goal is therefore concrete: enter with usable gear, complete a manageable objective, recover something useful, and extract. Each successful return expands the equipment and FOB options available for the next decision.
References for the game information above: DMZ Deep Dive, Part 2: How to Play – Forward Operating Base (FOB) Full Intel Guide, DMZ Deep Dive, Part 1: Tour of Duty – Hajin Environments and Threats, Full Intel Guide.
Related reading
Continue with DMZ Release & Early Access, PC System Requirements, and Early Access Eligibility.