DMZ in Modern Warfare 4 is an extraction mode with its own 70 levels, a base that grows as you play and Operators that can die. This guide lays out what unlocks when, how Traits and Operator Prestige work, and what to do in your first hours.
TL;DR
Your levels
DMZ 1 to 70, separate from 1 to 55
DMZ XP also feeds your normal 1 to 55 level. Multiplayer and Warzone XP don’t feed DMZ.
Failed exfil
You still keep the XP
DMZ XP from a deployment counts even if you don’t make it out. Your loot doesn’t.
Operators
18 Trait Points each
Spread across Warfighter, Scout and Survivalist. A dead Operator goes MIA until you pay to recover them.
First goal
DMZ level 10
That opens the 3D Printer, Vendor and Gunsmith, the three stations that make every later run easier.
Activision calls DMZ its extraction shooter: you deploy into Hajin, fight AI forces and other players, loot, complete objectives and try to exfil with what you found.
Between runs you live in the Forward Operating Base, the FOB, where your loot, your Operators and your progression stay. DMZ Early Access starts on October 20 for players who pre-ordered the Standard Digital or Vault Edition, and the full game launches on October 23. If you would rather have the early levels done for you, our MW4 boosting team plays DMZ progression too. Below is how the mode works when you play it yourself.
Three ways to deploy
| Deployment | What you do |
|---|---|
| Story Missions | Follow the story of the new threat in Hajin. Missions pay high value gear and in-game cash. |
| Dynamic Operations | Drop straight into an operation for cash and XP. Each completed one gives your squad a better Supply Drop. |
| Free Roam | No mission. Best for gathering 3D Printer Ingredients, chasing bounties and working on Orders. |
Your base starts small. These are the stations and when they open, in the order you get them.
| When | Station | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| From the start | Operators, Orders, Stash, Firing Range, Survival Kits, Bounty Leaderboard | Manage Operators, follow Orders, store loot and test weapons. |
| DMZ level 2 | 3D Printer | Craft gear from Resources and Ingredients, and upgrade the other stations. |
| After your 2nd DMZ Order | Boss Board | Pay for intel on Lieutenants and read about the Commanders. |
| DMZ level 5 | Vendor | Spend in-game cash on weapons and gear. The stock rotates every day. |
| DMZ level 10Key unlock | Gunsmith | Build weapons from scratch once you have their Weapon Manual. |
| DMZ level 20 | Dog Tag Case | Display the Dog Tags of players you took down. |
What the 70 levels also give you
In DMZ your Operator is more than a skin. Each one levels up, earns Traits and can be lost.
How one Operator grows
Recruit into a slot
You start with two Active Duty slots. The Operator you pick stays locked to that slot until you dismiss them.
Level the Dog Tag
Each successful exfil gives DMZ XP. The Dog Tag climbs 18 levels: Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Damascus and Onyx, three steps each.
Spend a Trait Point per level
Every Dog Tag level gives one Trait Point. The cap is 18, reached at Onyx III.
Pick Traits for good
Once you take a Trait it’s locked in. With 18 points you can finish two trees or spread across all three.
Combat Traits. Example: Possum lets you self revive into Last Stand once per match.
Loot and recon Traits. Example: Thermal Padding hides you from UAVs.
Staying alive. Example: Die Hard calls exfil for you if you reach it in Last Stand.
When an Operator dies
They go MIA. You can pay in-game cash to bring them back with every Trait intact, but they return without gear, and the more Traits they have, the more it takes. Or dismiss them and start a new one.
Once an Operator has all 18 Trait Points, you can Prestige them. It resets their Traits and gives one random permanent Trait. This is separate from the normal MW4 Prestige.
| Prestige | Weapons | Plate carrier and backpack | Ingredients | In-game cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Two, three attachment slots | Rare | Four Rare | 200,000 |
| Second | Two, four attachment slots | Epic | Four Epic | 300,000 |
| Third and later | Two, four attachment slots | Legendary | Four Legendary | 500,000 |
An Operator holds up to three permanent Prestige Traits. From the fourth Prestige on, each new one offers a different Trait that you can swap for one of your three, or decline. The required gear is consumed when you Prestige, so empty anything you want to keep from the Loadout and Backpack first.
Our team can take your DMZ progression and Operator levels off your hands while you play the parts you enjoy.
Weapon levels are shared with Multiplayer, but building a weapon in DMZ takes a Weapon Manual and in-game cash.
The 32 launch weapons
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Assault Rifles | 8 |
| SMGs | 5 |
| Shotguns | 2 |
| LMGs | 3 |
| Marksman Rifles | 3 |
| Sniper Rifles | 3 |
| Pistols | 4 |
| Launchers | 4 |
Gunsmith rules worth knowing
The fastest early path is the one the stations reward.
Follow DMZ Orders first. They teach the basics and pay resources, loot and cash.
Aim for DMZ level 10. The 3D Printer, Vendor and Gunsmith change how you gear up.
Offload your Backpack into the Stash after every exfil. It starts with room for 40 items and 12 weapons.
Extract every Recipe and Weapon Manual you find. Each one unlocks for good and pays 5,000 in cash on exfil.
Craft a Medium Backpack early. Its Secure slots keep items even if you fail to exfil.
Pick a Free Loadout when your Stash is thin. Anything you extract with is yours.
Play the long game with one Operator. Points reset only when you choose to Prestige them.
How you can infil
| Infil | In-game cash | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | Free | Random spot in Hajin, on foot. |
| Polaris Dagor A1 | 5,000 | Random spot, with a light vehicle air-dropped. |
| LTV | 25,000 | Random spot, with a heavily armored vehicle. |
| Helicopter | 50,000 | One squad member pilots in from the FOB. |
| Cargo Plane | 100,000 | The only option that lets you choose the exact drop spot. |
Other players
Dying, losing your Dog Tag to another player, or paying your bounty off clears it.
AI bosses
Grab a Lieutenant Dog Tag Case only when your exfil is close. Every squad nearby knows you have it.
DMZ Early Access starts on October 20, 2026 for players who digitally pre-ordered the Standard Digital or Vault Edition. Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, 2026.
DMZ has its own progression from level 1 to 70. It’s separate from the normal 1 to 55 player level, although DMZ XP also counts toward that one.
No. Activision confirms that DMZ XP earned during a deployment still counts even if you fail to exfil. You lose the gear you carried outside Secure slots.
No. DMZ XP feeds your 1 to 55 player level, but XP from Multiplayer or Warzone doesn’t feed your DMZ level. Weapon XP is the exception: it’s shared between Multiplayer and DMZ.
There are 66 Traits across three trees, but one Operator earns at most 18 Trait Points. On top of that, Operator Prestige can add up to three permanent Traits.
The Operator goes MIA and can’t deploy until recovered. Recovery keeps their Traits but not their gear, and gets pricier the more Traits they have. You can also dismiss them and start over.
At DMZ level 10. The 3D Printer opens at level 2, the Vendor at level 5 and the Dog Tag Case at level 20. The Boss Board opens after your second DMZ Order.
No. Operator Prestige is tied to one Operator and gives permanent Traits. It’s separate from the 1 to 55 player Prestige and the 1 to 70 DMZ level.
About the Author
Founder of EloAscend
Herberth runs EloAscend, whose Call of Duty team plays progression orders across Multiplayer and DMZ. This guide follows the official DMZ intel published by Activision on October 9, 2026, read in full.
Levels, Operators and the early grind, handled by players who run DMZ every day.
Sources
Editorial note: the author works at EloAscend, and this article links to EloAscend services. All numbers come from Activision's official DMZ guide published on October 9, 2026, read on October 16, 2026, before launch. We check them again in the live game after October 20 and update this page if anything changed.
