> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.2ndshift.gg/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # MW4 DMZ Beginner's Guide: Hajin, Exfil, Operators and the FOB - URL: https://www.2ndshift.gg/modern-warfare-4-dmz-beginners-guide/ - Published: 2026-10-21T05:08:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T12:23:04.000Z - Description: New to DMZ in Modern Warfare 4? How Hajin, exfil, Operators, the FOB and crafting work, plus a simple plan for your first night. - Author: CJ Davis - Tags: Call of Duty, Gaming, Guides *Last updated: October 23, 2026, 7:30 AM CT* **DMZ is back in Modern Warfare 4**, and since the game fully launched Friday, October 23, it's open to everyone who owns Modern Warfare 4 ([launch guide, install size and Season 1 date here](https://www.2ndshift.gg/modern-warfare-4-release-date-everything-to-know/)). If you've never played an extraction shooter, here's how it works: you drop into a big map, grab loot, complete jobs, and get out alive. Die before you exfil and you lose what's in your bag. This guide covers what to know before your first deployment. ## The basics: Hajin, squads and deployments - **The map is Hajin**, an "Exclusion Zone" built around Hajin City and its surroundings. - **Squad or solo:** you can deploy alone or with friends. Turn on **Squad Fill** and the game adds two allied players to your team. - **Three ways to deploy:** Story Missions, Dynamic Operations and Free Roam. Dynamic Ops reward you with a Supply Drop that gets rarer as you complete more. - **Free Loadout:** you can take a free loadout on every deployment, so you never have to risk your best gear just to play. ## Exfil rules: what you keep and what you lose This is the part that trips up new players. - **Fail to exfil and you lose your backpack loot**, unless it's in a **Secure Slot**. Medium Backpacks have Secure Slots, so they're worth crafting early. - **Exfil successfully** and your loadout goes back to your Stash. - **DMZ XP always counts**, even when the run goes wrong. A bad deployment still moves your level forward. - **Your Stash starts with 40 item slots and 12 weapon slots.** Loot is automatically broken down into four resources: Synthetics, Electronics, Chemicals and Metals. Resources don't take up Stash slots. ## Operators: why dying actually matters DMZ uses **Active Duty Operators**. You start with two slots (three with the Vault Edition), and more unlock as you level. - **If your Operator dies, they go MIA.** You can't deploy with them until you pay DMZ Cash to recover them, or you dismiss them and start over. - **Recovery keeps their Traits but not their gear.** The more Trait Points they have, the more the recovery costs. - **Each successful exfil earns a Trait Point**, spent across three trees: Warfighter, Scout and Survivalist. There are 66 Traits, and once you pick one, it's locked in. - **At 18 Trait Points you can Prestige** the Operator for a permanent bonus Trait. The first Prestige costs 200,000 DMZ Cash plus rare gear, so it's a long-term goal. Note: Activision is investigating a bug that stops some players from Prestiging after meeting the requirements; see the official workaround in our [DMZ fixes guide](https://www.2ndshift.gg/modern-warfare-4-dmz-not-working-fixes/). ## The FOB: what each station does Between runs you're at your Forward Operating Base (FOB). Some stations are open from the start; the rest unlock as you play. | Station | Unlocks | What it does | | ------------------ | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Operators | Start | Manage and upgrade your Active Duty Operators | | DMZ Orders | Start | Directive missions that teach the mode and pay resources, loot and cash | | Stash / Loadout | Start | Store loot and build loadouts | | Firing Range | Start | Test weapons from under 10 m to over 100 m | | Survival Kits | Start | Open themed kits for supplies | | Bounty Leaderboard | Start | Weekly top 50 Most Wanted and top 50 Bounty Hunters | | 3D Printer | DMZ Level 2 | Craft gear and upgrade the FOB | | Boss Board | After your 2nd DMZ Order | Buy intel on Lieutenants and track Commanders | | Vendor | DMZ Level 5 | Buy weapons and items with DMZ Cash (stock rotates) | | Gunsmith | DMZ Level 10 | Build and upgrade weapons | | Dog Tag Case | DMZ Level 20 | Show off Dog Tags from your kills | ## Crafting: your first 3D Printer recipes At DMZ Level 2 the 3D Printer opens with a few starter recipes. Craft a Medium Backpack as soon as you can, because its Secure Slots protect loot when a run goes bad. - **Bandage:** 15 Synthetics, 15 Chemicals - **Medkit:** 30 Chemicals, 1 Binding Catalyst, 5 Biomaterials - **1-Plate Armor Vest:** 25 Synthetics, 25 Metals - **Small Backpack:** 25 Synthetics, 25 Metals - **Medium Backpack:** 50 Synthetics, 5 Rigid Synthetics One catch with weapons: to buy a base gun at the Gunsmith (an M4 is about 5,000 DMZ Cash), you first have to extract with that gun's **Weapon Manual**. Lose a weapon type during a run and it stays locked until you find the manual again. ## Threats: bosses, bounties and other players - **Commanders** are the big bosses: Colossus (armored, with a minigun), Deathstalker (a helicopter-sized drone) and a Tank. They show on your Tac Map when nearby. Avoid them on your first runs. - **Lieutenants** are guarded high-value targets. Kill one and its Dog Tag Case broadcasts your position, so exfil fast. - **Bounties:** kill four rival Operators and you become **Wanted**, which shows your location to nearby players. Other players earn a reward for taking you out and exfiling with your Dog Tag. You can pay off your own bounty at a Bounty Station. - **Infil options cost money.** A ground drop is free; a vehicle or helicopter costs 5,000 to 50,000 DMZ Cash, and a Cargo Plane (100,000) lets you pick an exact drop point. Stick to free ground drops until you're earning. ## Your first night: a simple plan 1. Take the **Free Loadout** and turn on **Squad Fill** if you're solo. 2. Run your **DMZ Orders** first. They're built to teach the mode and they pay out. 3. Loot light, **exfil early**, and don't chase Commanders yet. 4. Hit DMZ Level 2 and **craft a Medium Backpack** for its Secure Slots. 5. Spend your first Trait Points slowly. They're permanent. ## Our take DMZ is the mode that fits the 2nd Shift crowd best: no ranked pressure, and you can drop in for one run after work and still make progress, since XP counts even when you don't make it out. The Operator system gives every death real stakes, which is either the best or worst thing about it depending on how your night is going. Play it with a squad. Extraction shooters are twice as fun and half as stressful with people watching your back. Looking for a DMZ squad? We're dropping into Hajin in the [2nd Shift Discord](https://discord.gg/SbzeqKvGVA?ref=2ndshift.gg). Having trouble getting in? See our [MW4 and DMZ fixes](https://www.2ndshift.gg/modern-warfare-4-dmz-not-working-fixes/). *Sources:* [*Call of Duty: DMZ Deep Dive, Part 2*](https://www.callofduty.com/blog/2026/10/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-4-dmz-how-to-play-forward-operating-base-guide?ref=2ndshift.gg)*,* [*Xbox Wire*](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/10/20/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-4-how-to-get-started-operator-dmz/?ref=2ndshift.gg)*,* [*Call of Duty: launch intel*](https://www.callofduty.com/blog/2026/10/call-of-duty-intel-modern-warfare-4-launch-xbox-game-pass?ref=2ndshift.gg)*,* [*Activision Support: MW4 known issues*](https://support.activision.com/au/en/modern-warfare-4/articles/known-issues-in-modern-warfare-4?ref=2ndshift.gg)*.*