DMZ Beginner's Guide: FOB and First Runs

How a DMZ deployment works

1. Prepare at the FOB. Pick an Operator, take weapons and gear from your Stash, and check your DMZ Orders, the mission list that teaches you the mode; our DMZ missions checklist has the steps of each confirmed Order.
2. Deploy. A helicopter takes you into Hajin, solo or with a squad. You can pick a Dynamic Operation before you go, or find a Dynamic Ops phone in the field to start one. For Dynamic Operations and Free Roam you can also pay DMZ Cash for a faster way in, such as a vehicle dropped to your squad; the MW4 DMZ vehicles guide lists every option and price.
3. Loot and complete objectives. Containers, enemy compounds and buildings hold gear, cash and 3D Printer ingredients. Story Missions, Dynamic Operations and Side Ops earn DMZ XP and DMZ Cash.
4. Exfil before the storm. A timer shows when the radiation storm gets worse. Reach an exfil site and leave with your loot, or lose what is not protected.

You earn DMZ XP even when a run fails: Activision says there is no XP penalty for dying. What you lose is the gear you carried in. At the end of each run an After Action Report rates you from F to S++ on objectives, combat, looting.

Which FOB stations unlock at which level

The Forward Operating Base is your home between runs. It starts small and grows as your DMZ level rises, up to level 70. Move the slider to see what is open at your level.

Weapons: what the Gunsmith sells at launch

Until the Gunsmith opens at level 10 you fight with what you find. Any weapon you exfil with can be upgraded there with DMZ Cash, but to buy a weapon from scratch you first have to find and exfil with its Weapon Manual. Activision lists 32 launch weapons in 8 categories:

• Assault Rifles: 8
• SMGs: 5
• Shotguns: 2
• LMGs: 3
• Marksman Rifles: 3
• Sniper Rifles: 3
• Pistols: 4
• Launchers: 4

Launchers take no attachments. Weapon progress is shared with Multiplayer, so attachments you unlock there count here too. The Mastery Camos for each mode are in our MW4 camo tracker.

Your Stash, Backpack and Loadout

• The Stash starts with room for 40 items and 12 weapons (weapons count separately) and grows as you rank up. Everything in it is shared by all your Operators.
• Without a proper backpack you carry the Basic Pack with 8 slots. Anything in your backpack that is not in a Secure Slot is lost if you fail to exfil.
• Resources (Synthetics, Electronics, Chemicals, Metals) break down automatically while you loot and do not use Stash space. You spend them at the 3D Printer.
• Armor Plates fill your vest automatically when you infil.

Operators, Traits and what happens when you die

You start with 2 Active Duty Operator slots (3 with the Vault Edition); one more opens as your DMZ level rises. Each Operator keeps their own backpack and loadout and levels up a Dog Tag through Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Damascus, Onyx, with 3 levels each. Every Dog Tag level gives one Trait Point, up to 18, to spend in three Trait Trees: Warfighter, Scout, Survivalist. The DMZ skill tree guide explains how the trees work.

If your Operator is eliminated, they go Missing in Action. You can pay DMZ Cash at the FOB to rescue them with their Traits intact (the more Traits, the higher the price), or dismiss them and start a new one. A rescued Operator comes back without gear. Once an Operator has all 18 Trait Points, you can Prestige them for a permanent Trait.

How exfil works

• Exfil sites come from a pool of locations and are marked with green smoke.
• Call in the helicopter, then hold the site until it lands.
• Other ways out: a Fulton balloon or a Flare.
• Exfil flares are loud and visible from far away, and other squads may wait at exfil sites.

Before you head for an exfil, check the interactive Hajin map for the closest low-threat route. Rival squads can be waiting there too; the DMZ PvE and PvP guide covers Bounties and how to avoid player fights.

Playing solo: the Stealth Meter

In the June 2026 deep dive, Activision describes a Stealth Meter that helps solo players in particular: when an AI enemy is close to spotting you, you hear an audio cue and a HUD indicator turns from white to yellow to orange. Going prone or back into cover stops the alert.

Stealth also keeps the area calm. Every place in Hajin has its own threat level that rises when you fight, and quiet kills with melee, throwing knives or a suppressor help you pass through busy areas. The threat levels guide lists what each level brings.

First-run checklist

1. Open DMZ Orders at the FOB and read the first Orders before you deploy.
2. Take the Free Loadout or cheap gear for your first few runs.
3. Start somewhere rated Low in every area, such as Songdo Wharf, Mirae General Hospital or Cheongun Village outside the casino.
4. Open every container you pass, but do not stay so long that the storm timer runs out.
5. Do one Dynamic Operation: each completed Op brings a Supply Drop, and the drop gets better with each Op in the same run.
6. Watch the threat level under your compass and leave if it climbs.
7. Exfil early, move loot to your Stash, and reach level 2 for the 3D Printer.

Still deciding whether to buy? Price, cross-play and platform questions are answered in the DMZ FAQ, and the release countdown shows when DMZ unlocks for you.