DMZ — 5 Features to Get Excited for in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s New Mode
Call of Duty’s upcoming DMZ mode sounds like it’s shaping up to be something special. Set on the new Haijin map and inspired by the events and locations from Modern Warfare 4’s Campaign, this open-world combat environment will challenge you to loot, complete objectives, fight both enemies and rival Operators, and extract before everything you’ve earned is lost.
Recent intel drops on the official Call of Duty Blog have given us a much clearer picture of what awaits in Haijin when DMZ launches as part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Players who have digitally pre-ordered or pre-purchased Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 can gain Early Access to the game’s Campaign starting Friday, October 16 and all of DMZ starting Tuesday, October 20.
The events within DMZ are set after the main MW4 Campaign, leaving a power vacuum in its wake. Now it’s up to you to identify a new, mysterious threat and dismantle its operations across the DMZ through various deployments. From scavenging for crafting materials and experimenting with new technology, to leveling up an Operator, the mode sounds like it offers plenty to look forward to. Here are five features to get excited for when you begin your deployment.
Crafting with the 3D Printer
The 3D Printer will be available back at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) between deployments and will serve as your primary crafting station to build equipment and upgrades for your loadout before you drop into Haijin.
The Call of Duty Blog shares that, as you progress through the DMZ, you’ll unlock new crafting recipes to create more powerful equipment – as well as upgrades to the 3D Printer and even the Forward Operating Base itself. Recipes can also be found on deployments and, presuming you extract in one piece, you can then craft those items for your Operator back at the FOB.
When focused on crafting new equipment, the two key things you’ll be looking for when looting on deployments will be Resources and 3D Printer Ingredients – these are the two types of main elements to craft all items.
There are four basic Resources to find during a deployment: Synthetics, Electronics, Chemicals, and Metals, automatically broken down from looted items, into your Backpack and Stash. 3D Printer Ingredients are rarer materials found in specific areas of Haijin and are valuable as an ingredient to make a new Item. Examples include Binding Catalyst, Biomaterials, Detonators, and Control Units, to name a few.
Once you have enough of these two types of materials, you can select how many copies of an item you want to craft at once, then choose where crafted items go: send completed items directly to your Stash for later or equip them directly to your Operator to quickly prepare for the next deployment.
Having this flexibility in how you want to engage the enemy during your deployment can open a variety of experiences in DMZ and can make each deployment feel like it matters, even if you come back to the FOB with zero kills to your name – at least you’ve got handful of electronics or a comms module to make it worth your time.
Running Story Missions & Dynamic Ops
Extraction shooters are always more engaging when every deployment has a clear purpose. That’s not going to be problem with DMZ as it will offer three ways to deploy: Story Missions, Dynamic Operations, and Free Roam. Of those, Story Missions and Dynamic Operations are two that really stand out with their defined objectives and high-tier rewards.
According to the Call of Duty Blog, Story Missions will feature narrative-led deployments that you can complete and replay, though some remain locked until prerequisites are met. Each entry provides briefing intel, required objectives, and rewards – usually high-value gear and DMZ Cash – along with options for a random mission and additional milestone rewards.
Dynamic Operations, meanwhile, give squads multiple goals to pursue within the DMZ. After deploying, you choose an operation and complete its objectives to earn DMZ XP, Cash, and the ability to call in a Supply Drop filled with unpredictable loot. That extra payoff adds anticipation to every successful Op while making Dynamic Operations a promising source of both Cash and XP.
Customizing Your Own Operator
Persistent Operators may be DMZ’s most exciting feature because they allow Haijin to leave a lasting mark on you. You’ll begin with two Operator slots, and unlock a third as you progress through DMZ levels. Each Operator then grows stronger by surviving deployments and earning DMZ XP.
Each successful exfil levels up your Operator’s Dog Tags, and this is the key to gaining Trait Points for your Operator. You can invest those points across the Warfighter, Scout, and Survivalist Trait Trees, creating a meaningful choice between specialization and flexibility: with a maximum of 18 points to earn, and a choice of over 60 Trait Points to augment your Operator, you can tailor each Operator to your skills and preferred role.
For example, Warfighter Traits include Combat Resistance, Quick Fix, and Viper Sense; Scout Traits include improved Thermal Padding, UAV Upgrade, and Field Crafting; while Survivalist Traits include Faster and Free Revives, increased Consumable Duration, and many more.
But here’s where it gets dicey: if an Operator fails to extract and becomes MIA, you must either recover them with DMZ Cash or dismiss them. Because recovery costs rise with Trait investment, bringing back a high-level Operator becomes increasingly expensive. Recovered Operators keep their Traits but lose their gear, putting real weight behind every deployment.
All the Looting
The chase for loot is at the heart of every extraction shooter, and DMZ makes each haul matter beyond the current deployment. Returning to base with a pack full of supplies doesn’t just feel rewarding – it improves your chances of success the next time you enter Hajin.
Once you drop into a deployment, looting should be a top priority. Searching containers provides resources for combat, supports marked Operations, strengthens your position in Hajin, and offers a reliable way to earn DMZ XP and advance the FOB.
Everything you acquire – including the contents of your Bank and Stash – is shared across all Active Duty Operators. That makes specialized Scout Traits valuable beyond a single character: you can send a skilled looter after high-value items, then equip those resources on the Operator best suited to a different type of action during your subsequent deployment.
Once you understand the basics, use the 3D Printer at the FOB to learn where specific materials are most likely to appear. Those hints can guide your route through Hajin and help you focus on locations that contain the resources your next craft requires.
Extracting Like There’s No Tomorrow
Now it all leads to this: getting out alive. If you’ve ever played an extraction shooter, you know there’s nothing quite like calling in an extraction and waiting for the ride out while every nearby threat closes in. That final sprint to exfil is where all the planning, looting, and hard-won progress are put on the line. Now it’s DMZ’s turn to make your hands sweaty and get your heart rate up.
That’s what excites us the most: the stories you’ll tell about escaping Hajin against all odds, carrying out the loot you needed, and keeping a hard-earned Operator alive for one more deployment.
Taken together, these systems make every deployment feel like part of a larger journey – one where the gear you craft, the missions you complete, the Operators you develop, and the loot you recover all feed into the next high-stakes run. Find out whether you’ll have what it takes to survive Haijin when DMZ launches as part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Pre-order Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 today to gain Early Access to the game’s Campaign starting Friday, October 16 and all of DMZ starting Tuesday, October 20.
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4 – Vault Edition
Activision Publishing Inc.
***. Also available in Modern Warfare® 4 at launch:
— Hunter Killer Operator Skin – Immediately unlock the Hunter Killer Operator Skin
— Gilded Pearl Camo Pack – Immediately unlock the Moonlit Pearl weapon camo. Plus, get access to unlock the Gilded Ruin weapon camo.
– Campaign Early Access, starting October 16th****
The Vault Edition includes:
– Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4
– Hostile Alliance Operator Pack
— 4 Operator Skins: Price, Valeria, Ghost, Blix
– Special Forces Operator Pack
— 4 Operator Skins representing the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and South Korea, each with voice packs in their local languages
– Signature Weapon Collection
— 5 Signature Weapons
– BlackCell (1 Season)*****
— Includes: Battle Pass, 20 Tier Skips, 1,100 CP and more
– DMZ Deployment Bonus
— Additional bonus content in DMZ
War erupts on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea launches a full-scale invasion that threatens to destabilize the world in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4.
A young squad of South Korean soldiers fight to survive on the collapsing front lines, while half a world away a vengeful Captain Price wages a personal war from the shadows as he stays one step ahead of those hunting him. As Price’s off-book mission collides with the forces behind the invasion, the war spreads beyond anyone’s control.
Modern Warfare® 4 pushes the series into darker and more dangerous territory, where consequence and escalation bring long-running storylines to a powerful and emotional breaking point.
– Campaign drops players into trench warfare in Korea, close-quarters combat in New York, high-octane chases through Paris, SAS night raids in Mumbai, and city-wide assaults to reclaim occupied territory.
– Multiplayer delivers grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and greater control define every engagement.
– In DMZ, players operate as an off-the-books asset behind enemy lines, where every extraction run into contested territory forces hard choices about which objectives to pursue, what to secure, and when to get out.
Available on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, not available on Xbox One. Not on Xbox Game Pass this year.
Online Multiplayer requires a Game Pass Essential subscription (sold separately).
TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot required for PC, other security measures may be enforced. Learn more at https://ift.tt/V4UBAys.
*Based on MSRP, discount applied at checkout. To qualify, must own and have played one of the following Call of Duty® titles on the same Xbox account as being used for current Pre-order: Modern Warfare® (2019), Modern Warfare® 2 Campaign Remastered (2020), Black Ops Cold War, Vanguard, Modern Warfare® II (2022), Modern Warfare® III (2023), Black Ops 6, or Black Ops 7. Offer subject to change, applies to Pre-orders only. Offer valid until 23rd October 2026. Visit support.activision.com/mw4 for full details.
**Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4 on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox on PC required to redeem. The Inner Circuit Weapon Blueprint features an Xbox 25th Anniversary visual treatment when used on Xbox Series X|S. On all other supported platforms, the Blueprint will appear with its authentic mil-spec visual treatment. Must be redeemed by October 23rd, 2027.
***Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox PC required to redeem. Sold / downloaded separately. Must be redeemed by October 23rd, 2027.
****Actual play time subject to possible outages and applicable time zone differences. Actual platform availability and start date subject to change.
*****BlackCell, Battle Pass, Call of Duty® Points and Tier Skips will be accessible in Modern Warfare® 4 upon availability of the Season 1 Battle Pass in-game. Redemption applies to one Season of the Modern Warfare® 4 Battle Pass only.
Content, features, services, online play, and support not available in all regions, and may vary, change, or terminate.
Requires an Activision account and acceptance of the Activision Software License and Services Agreement. A mobile phone number linked to your Activision account may be required to play Modern Warfare® 4.
Additional storage space may be required for mandatory game updates.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
©/TM/® 2026 Activision Publishing, Inc. This product contains software technology licensed from Id Software ('Id Technology'). Id Technology © 1999-2026 Id Software, Inc. 
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4
Activision Publishing Inc.
**. Also available in Modern Warfare® 4 at launch:
— Hunter Killer Operator Skin – Immediately unlock the Hunter Killer Operator Skin
— Gilded Pearl Camo Pack – Immediately unlock the Moonlit Pearl weapon camo. Plus, get access to unlock the Gilded Ruin weapon camo.
– Campaign Early Access, starting October 16th***
War erupts on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea launches a full-scale invasion that threatens to destabilize the world in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4.
A young squad of South Korean soldiers fight to survive on the collapsing front lines, while half a world away a vengeful Captain Price wages a personal war from the shadows as he stays one step ahead of those hunting him. As Price’s off-book mission collides with the forces behind the invasion, the war spreads beyond anyone’s control.
Modern Warfare® 4 pushes the series into darker and more dangerous territory, where consequence and escalation bring long-running storylines to a powerful and emotional breaking point.
– Campaign drops players into trench warfare in Korea, close-quarters combat in New York, high-octane chases through Paris, SAS night raids in Mumbai, and city-wide assaults to reclaim occupied territory.
– Multiplayer delivers grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and greater control define every engagement.
– In DMZ, players operate as an off-the-books asset behind enemy lines, where every extraction run into contested territory forces hard choices about which objectives to pursue, what to secure, and when to get out.
Available on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, not available on Xbox One. Not on Xbox Game Pass this year.
Online Multiplayer requires a Game Pass Essential subscription (sold separately).
TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot required for PC, other security measures may be enforced. Learn more at https://ift.tt/V4UBAys.
*Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4 on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox on PC required to redeem. The Inner Circuit Weapon Blueprint features an Xbox 25th Anniversary visual treatment when used on Xbox Series X|S. On all other supported platforms, the Blueprint will appear with its authentic mil-spec visual treatment. Must be redeemed by October 23rd, 2027.
**Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 or Call of Duty®: Warzone on Xbox Series X|S / Xbox PC required to redeem. Sold / downloaded separately. Must be redeemed by October 23rd, 2027.
***Actual play time subject to possible outages and applicable time zone differences. Actual platform availability and start date subject to change.
Content, features, services, online play, and support not available in all regions, and may vary, change, or terminate.
Requires an Activision account and acceptance of the Activision Software License and Services Agreement. A mobile phone number linked to your Activision account may be required to play Modern Warfare® 4.
Additional storage space may be required for mandatory game updates.
For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com.
©/TM/® 2026 Activision Publishing, Inc. This product contains software technology licensed from Id Software ('Id Technology'). Id Technology © 1999-2026 Id Software, Inc. 
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4 – Vault Edition Upgrade
Activision Publishing Inc.
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source https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/10/09/dmz-5-features-get-excited-for-mw4/
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