DMZ MW4 Guide

What is DMZ in MW4?

DMZ is Modern Warfare 4's extraction mode. Activision calls it a PvPvE mode: hostile AI forces and rival player squads share one map^[1]. It launches alongside Campaign and Multiplayer on October 23^[8].

Activision says this version builds on what it learned from the original DMZ Beta^[2]. According to Destructoid, that beta ran during the Modern Warfare II era in 2022 and 2023 Reported^[9]. Unlike the old beta, which charlieINTEL notes was free to play through Warzone Reported^[10], DMZ now comes with Modern Warfare 4 itself^[6].

You play as an off-the-books CIA asset. Your job is to recover advanced military technology left behind after the Modern Warfare 4 campaign^[2][1]. The setting is Hajin, an exclusion zone where the Korean peninsula meets Russia. Activision calls it one of the largest Call of Duty environments it has built^[2].

How a DMZ MW4 run works

1. Gear up at the FOB. The Forward Operating Base is your hub between runs: stash, loadout, crafting and more^[11].
2. Pick a deployment and infil. Go in on foot, or pay for a faster entry^[2].
3. Work the map. Do objectives, loot, and fight or avoid AI troops and other squads^[1].
4. Exfil. Reach an active extraction site and leave by helicopter, or use an alternate method^[12].
5. Keep it or lose it. Extract and your haul carries into future runs. Fail, and the gear you carried in or found can be lost^[1].

Story Missions, Dynamic Ops and Free Roam

Before deploying you choose one of three options^[8]:

• Story Missions – replayable narrative missions that continue the Modern Warfare 4 story^[8][2].
• Dynamic Operations – objectives with several stages, created fresh for every match^[2]. They pay DMZ Cash and XP, and each completed Op brings a Supply Drop. The drops get better each time: Common, then Uncommon, then Rare^[12].
• Free Roam – no mission, just exploration^[8].

Side Ops pop up along the way, like repairing trucks, finding lost supply drops or climbing damaged radio towers. You can also hunt Lieutenants and fight Commander bosses^[12].

Threat levels and stealth

Every area of Hajin has its own Threat level. It's shown under your compass and runs from Low up to Extreme^[12]. Loud fighting raises it and brings tougher reinforcements; breaking contact brings it back down. The Threat readout doesn't count other players, so a quiet area can still hide a squad^[12]. A Stealth Meter warns you with a sound and a white, then yellow, then orange indicator when AI is about to spot you. Going prone or into cover can stop the alert^[2]. If your Hostiles Kill Count fills up, a Hunt Squad is sent after you and you become Marked for Death^[12]. A Time Remaining readout shows when the radiation storm will get worse, which is your cue to head for exfil^[12].

Exfil and what you lose

Exfil sites switch on from a pool of locations and are marked with green smoke. Summon the exfil helicopter, defend the spot until it touches down, and climb aboard^[12]. A Fulton balloon or a flare also works^[12]. Rival squads may lie in wait at an exfil, and the flare can be seen from far away^[12]. AllThingsHow adds, from pre-release footage, that you have to stay aboard until an on-screen countdown ends Reported^[13].

If you fail to extract, anything outside your backpack's Secure Slots is lost. Upgraded backpacks add those slots^[11]. The Operator goes Missing in Action (MIA) and can't deploy until you pay DMZ Cash to recover them, which keeps their Traits but not their gear. You can also dismiss them and start over^[11]. Recovery costs more the more Traits the Operator has^[11]. Dying doesn't cost you XP^[2].

Squad size and matchmaking

Activision says you can deploy solo or with a squad^[1][2]. Its FOB guide adds that Squad Fill teams you up with two other allied players, so a full squad is three^[11]. Destructoid's June preview and AllThingsHow both say squads go up to three players^[9][13].

On matchmaking, sources differ. In June, after speaking with Infinity Ward, Destructoid reported that matchmaking would be based on squad size, so solo players would face other solos^[9]. AllThingsHow, working from pre-release footage, says matchmaking tries to match squad sizes but lobbies can mix^[13]. We'll update this once early access is live.

AllThingsHow also reports 60 players in 20 squads per match, and no PvE-only option in early access Reported^[13].

The Hajin map at a glance

Activision has detailed 13 major locations and says Hajin has more than 60 named places in total^[12]:

• 14th Political Prison – walled prison complex in the northwest.
• Chang-san Air Base – air base built into a hillside, with a bunker larger than the base itself.
• Deadtown – abandoned town in the southwest.
• Imjin Farmland – open, flat rice fields in the south-southwest.
• Cheongun Village – northern border village with a casino.
• Mirae General Hospital – Hajin's main hospital, north of center.
• Cheonwang Peak Array – hilltop broadcast array in the middle of the map.
• Haneul Nuclear Reactor – heavily irradiated plant in the northeast.
• NuriGO Mall – shopping district with a big underground mall.
• The Grid – fortified center of Hajin City.
• Songdo Wharf – coastal district on the east side of Hajin City.
• Wolves Stadium – ruined baseball stadium area.
• Hajin River Heights – southeastern residential district.^[12]

See every location's threat levels on the MW4 DMZ map page

FOB, Operators and Traits

The FOB grows as you level up. Here's when each station opens, per Activision's October 9 guide^[11]:

Note: sources differ on two stations. Activision's October 5 posts listed the Bounty Leaderboard and DMZ Progression as unlocks rather than starting stations. We use the newer October 9 guide^[12][8][11].

• DMZ level runs from 1 to 70, separate from the 1–55 player level^[11].
• Operators: you start with two Active Duty slots and can unlock one more through DMZ levels^[11]. Each Operator keeps a separate backpack, loadout and set of Traits^[2][11].
• Traits: each Operator's Dog Tag levels up through 18 ranks, from Steel to Onyx (I–III each), and every rank gives one Trait Point^[11][12]. There are three Trait trees, Warfighter, Scout and Survivalist, with 66 Traits in total (22 per tree). A Trait can't be swapped once picked^[11].
• Prestige: an Operator with 18 Trait Points can Prestige by giving up set gear and DMZ Cash, for example 200,000 Cash the first time. In return they get a random permanent Prestige Trait, up to three^[11].
• Shared progress: weapon progression carries between Multiplayer and DMZ^[2]. Activision also says the XP and Weapon XP you earn during DMZ early access will carry over into your Modern Warfare 4 progression^[3].

Bounties and PvP

Killing other players builds a Bounty. Down four Operators, even if it takes several deployments, and you're Wanted. Nearby players are alerted when you come close^[11]. You lose your Bounty if you die and fail to exfil, if someone kills you and extracts with your Dog Tag, or if you pay it off at a Bounty Station^[11]. Hunters can buy intel on Wanted players at Bounty Stations, and they earn DMZ Cash by extracting with the Dog Tag of a player who has a Bounty^[11]. Proximity chat lets you talk to (or mute) nearby rivals^[2].

What we don't know yet

DMZ isn't live yet, so some things are still unconfirmed:

• Players per match. Only AllThingsHow gives a number so far (60) Reported^[13].
• Matchmaking for solo players. See the conflict above.
• Keys. Activision confirms keys open special loot rooms and that each key's description gives a map grid square^[12], but there's no key list yet.
• Full Trait list. Activision has named 21 of the 66 Traits so far^[11].
• Full Lieutenant list. Activision hasn't published one. Its short DMZ field stories feature a Lieutenant called Gorani and an enforcer called Bale^[12]. According to the community Call of Duty Wiki, the Lieutenants include Gorani, Roze, Bale, the Juggernaut and the Scavenger Reported^[14].
• Weapon strength in DMZ. No one has DMZ-specific data yet, so we don't rank weapons.

We'll update this DMZ MW4 guide once early access starts and reliable sources appear.

More DMZ MW4 guides

• MW4 DMZ release date and early access
• MW4 DMZ map: all 13 Hajin locations

FAQ

Sources

1. Activision – Official DMZ page · Activision · read 2026-10-19
2. Call of Duty Blog – Modern Warfare 4 DMZ: Explore the Hajin Exclusion Zone · Activision · 2026-06-06
3. Call of Duty Updates (@CODUpdates) on X · Activision · 2026-10-17 (00:40 UTC)
4. Activision Support – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Editions · Activision Support · 2026-10-13
5. Call of Duty Blog – Modern Warfare 4 PC Trailer, Tech Updates, and More · Activision · 2026-09-29
6. Call of Duty Blog – Modern Warfare 4 Launches October 23 as a Standalone Release · Activision · 2026-10-15
7. AllThingsHow – Is DMZ Free in Modern Warfare 4? · AllThingsHow · updated 2026-10-17
8. PlayStation Blog – Everything you need to know about DMZ mode · PlayStation Blog · 2026-10-05
9. Destructoid – MW4 DMZ developer interview (Scott Duwe) · Destructoid · 2026-06-06
10. charlieINTEL on X · charlieINTEL · 2026-06-06
11. Call of Duty Blog – DMZ Deep Dive, Part 2: Forward Operating Base · Activision · 2026-10-09
12. Call of Duty Blog – DMZ Deep Dive, Part 1: Hajin · Activision · 2026-10-05
13. AllThingsHow – How DMZ Works in MW4 (from pre-release footage) · AllThingsHow · updated 2026-10-17
14. Call of Duty Wiki (Fandom) – DMZ/Modern Warfare 4 · Fandom (community wiki) · read 2026-10-19