Call of Duty's newest iteration of Warzone, Warzone 2.0 is out alongside Modern Warfare 2 and it has a few additional modes that come with it such as the DMZ (De-Militarized Zone) Mode. In this, 3-player Operator Squads are given full reign over all of the Al Mazrah map where they can take on hordes of enemy troops, complete tons of different objectives, or even just actively hunt other players.
It's an (albeit a bit buggy) mode that blends a lot of open-world mechanics alongside some battle royale mechanics with elements of both PvP and PvE, which is where all the Escape From Tarkov comparisons are coming from. In any case, there's a lot to it, so it's no wonder that beginner players are a bit confused as to what they should be doing first. With that in mind, let's go over some of the most impactful things they can do in this Warzone 2.0 mode for permanent rewards or just things to do right after spawning.
8 What To Do Right Ater Spawning
Now the focus of this list is to talk about what objectives players should keep in mind over the course of their many different DMZ runs. But, as for the question of what players should do right after they spawn into Al Mazrah, these are some of the most helpful tips:
- Look for expensive items in nearby buildings such as Game Consoles, Hard Drives, or even Bars of Gold to sell at Buy Stations on the map to quickly get 2-Plate Armor or a Medium Backpack.
- Alternatively, look for the nearest easy contracts like the Radioactive Materials one to get cash for the Buy Station, or start looking for keys and Strongholds to find better armor and gear while looting.
7 Figure Out The Ins & Outs Of The Map
This is probably one of the most important objectives for any Warzone players who seem to like DMZ and plan to play a lot of it, and that's learning the ins and outs of the game mode. Basically, it means figuring out all the little nuances of enemy AI behavior, item spawn locations, and so on. Examples of this include figuring out how the AI enemies work. Do they hide from being fired at in particular ways? What are the different types of enemies? How are more populated in a zone?
Or, alternatively, an example of figuring out the map would be learning what the higher-value items are at a glance to save time looting, figuring out patterns in where better items tend to be, picking the best spots on the map for extracting without enemy teams showing up and so on.
6 Start Gathering Gear Like Weapons, Armor, & More
When a player dies in DMZ, they lose whatever guns (called Contraband) they were currently carrying permanently, with the only exception being their Insured Weapon. Instead of disappearing forever, the Insured Weapon will just go on cooldown until it can be used again. Additionally, they'll lose whatever they had on as well and go back to the default 1-Plate Armor and Small Backback. The only thing that stays no matter what are the options for Lethal and Tactical Gear as well as all the Field Upgrade options.
Now all of this Equipment can only be kept between runs if the player successfully exfiltrates. And, if they're carrying extra amounts of any of them, they'll be turned into EXP in the results screen as a way of stopping people from farming endless stockpiles of Large Backpacks and 3-Plate Armor. Guns, however, are different as players can absolutely stockpile on Contraband Weapons a decent amount, being able to hold 10 at a time in their pre-lobby Inventory.
5 Build A Steady Collection Of Keys
Keys are one of the other rewards players will get in DMZ from a multitude of sources such as:
- Looted from around the map.
- Found on defeated enemies, both of the AI and real player variety.
- Purchasable in different Buy Stations.
- Rewards from specific Faction Missions
Some keys open up a single locker, while others give the player access to an entire Shopping Center. Usually, players will want to access these areas to easily find the best gear like guns with lots of attachments, 3-Plate Armor, Large Backpacks, and Self-Revive Kits. So, players will want to steadily extract with these keys in their Inventory whenever they can to build up a stockpile. That way, if they make a mistake, die, and lose their stuff, they can just go back in with a key, carefully loot the area it opens, and get all geared back up again.
4 Farming & Grinding Faction Missions
The Legion, White Lotus, and Black Mous Faction Missions are the intended primary "objective" for DMZ. These are different tasks players can equip three of at a time that usually includes completing two or three specific objectives that will grant various rewards after the results screen.
Focusing on doing these leads to all sorts of rewards such as staggering amounts of easy EXP, all sorts of free Keys, Guns, Weapon and general XP Boosters, and even new Insured Slots at higher Mission Tiers. That isn't to say that these are the only thing that people should be focusing on in DMZ, but considering the benefits relative to the amount of work put in, it'd be absurd not to at least keep their objectives in mind when heading in.
3 Get The M13B From The Chemist
This is the big one that the community as a whole seems to be primarily focusing on. The M13B Assault Rifle is literally locked behind DMZ, as it is only obtainable in this mode. And, despite the polarizing opinion on this decision, it's led to a lot of groundswell about this specific weapon.
To obtain the M13B, players will need to go inside the Radiation Zone in any match, easily seen by the Hazard Symbol and yellow circular "zone" around it on the map. Inside here, they'll need to find the Chemist, an NPC in a full bright yellow radiation suit surrounded by elite, heavily-armored guards. Once they take out the Chemist, they then have to grab the M13B off their body and successfully extract it.
It doesn't sound too difficult, but considering that players will need (usually multiple) Gas Masks to last inside the Radiation Zone and that most lobbies usually have at least a few squads also trying to hunt this down at the same time, it's a bit more difficult than it first appears.
2 Get All Those Weapon Case Unlocks
Another one of the main objectives of Warzone's DMZ Mode is the Weapon Cases. On the map when they drop in, Operators should see an orange circle with a crate icon in the middle of it (but not the Radiation Zone) somewhere in Al Mazrah. Somewhere in here, there's a Juggernaut enemy, and a message will pop up on-screen when he's nearby. Find the Juggernaut and take him out and he'll drop the Weapon Case.
But, be warned, once a player picks up a Weapon Case, they're "marked" while carrying it and everyone else on the map can see where they are at all times. When it's successfully extracted, every player in that person's party will receive a permanent reward. There are 7 in all, and they unlock in the following order:
- Caution Tape Blueprint for the RPK LMG.
- Biohazard Weapon Sticker.
- Jungle Incognito Vehicle Skin for the Heavy Chopper.
- Gas Gas Gas Weapon Charm.
- Weapon Crate Calling Card.
- Weapon Crate Emblem.
- Biohazard Skin for Konig Operator.
1 Farming Weapon Unlocks For Other Modes
Last up, one of the most beneficial aspects of DMZ that people aren't talking about nearly enough is the fact that whatever weapons a player successfully extracts with are then unlocked for them in all MW2 modes.
This includes Multiplayer, Warzone, and of course DMZ. Doing it this way completely circumvents whatever requirements for unlocking the weapon had previously, such as the difficult unlock requirements for snipers. This can be a huge time saver for players who want to use a certain gun or are working towards specific Camos.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.