Updated on July 19, 10:56 a.m. (GMT+8): Updated to reflect Season 4 changes and the addition of the Phalanx faction.
Warzone 2.0 brings with it a brand new battle royale map and a new game mode modeled after games like Escape from Tarkov.
The extraction-style mode has been dubbed DMZ, where players have free rein to complete faction-based missions in Al Mazrah, take on additional side objectives, or engage with enemy Operators and AI combatants. They can also search for valuable loot, with the ultimate goal of fighting to survive until exfiltration.
Instead of dropping from a plane, players enter at random points around the map, so not everyone will be completing the same tasks.
DMZ is designed to be played in a squad of three, but you can also queue solo or as a duo. Here’s everything you need to know about the new mode.
Warzone 2.0 DMZ: Factions, contracts, and looting explained
Factions
The factions in DMZ are the Legion, White Lotus, Black Mous, Crown, and Phalanx. Your main objective is to complete missions given by these five factions.
These missions are selected prior to each match and can be completed at your own pace.
Legion
A private military contractor with conflicting reports about its ties to greater Western powers, the Legion is the first faction an Operator can accept jobs from, as they are desperate to gain a foothold in the global conflict.
White Lotus
After successfully completing multiple missions for the Legion, you will eventually learn about DMZ’s second faction, one fighting on its heels to regain silent dominance over the region.
In assisting the White Lotus, you may eventually help them retake their original operations base, which could ultimately reestablish the control they once had over the DMZ.
Black Mous
This third faction comes online only after you complete multiple missions for both the Legion and White Lotus, as they hold knowledge as the ultimate form of power.
Their missions are grounded in espionage and cyberwarfare, using technology found in the DMZ to have total reconnaissance.
Crown
The Crown faction has ties to the United Kingdom and was introduced in Season 2.
In order to get and complete missions for the Crown faction, players will need to own Modern Warfare 2.
Phalanx
The final and newest faction is a Phalanx. This group was introduced in the ongoing Season 4 and has something to do with Vondel, the new map for Warzone 2.
It looks like Phalanx and Black Mous will be working together on missions to learn more about a new threat in Vondel.
Contracts, world activities, and assimilation
In addition to the faction missions, you will have access to contracts and world activities. Just like in the regular battle royale mode, contracts can be completed for cash and other rewards.
However, their objectives differ from their battle royale counterparts. Some DMZ contracts (and their icons on the map) include:
- Secure Intel / Geiger Search (Magnifying Glass): Find intel on hard drives, then go to the nearest radio tower to upload its data. Alternatively, it may task you to collect Uranium rods found with a Geiger Counter.
- Elimination (Crosshair): Assassinate an AI target guarded by multiple combatants, or at least confirm their death.
- Hostage (Handcuffs): Rescue a hostage within a locked building, then carry them to the nearest helicopter exfil location.
- Cargo Delivery / Shipment (Briefcase): Depending on the specific Contract, find a vehicle or boat with precious cargo for a drop-off at a marked location. Feel free to keep the vehicle after the drop-off!
- Hunt (Skull): Hunt an enemy Operator team marked as high-value targets (HVTs), due to their activity within the DMZ match.
- Destroy Supplies (Bomb): Locate and destroy two supply sites with planted bombs.
World activities are side objectives that also offer rewards like cash. Examples of activities include safes, which can be drilled open to obtain cash, and SAM sites, which feature anti-air turrets that can be used to shoot down plans carrying precious cargo.
This is also a hostile world — be wary of sandstorms that will force you to evacuate.
You will encounter other players in DMZ matches as well. You’re free to engage or avoid these other squads, but there is also the option to “assimilate” with other teams.
Proximity chat can be used to strike up an invaluable alliance — after all, there is safety in numbers, especially if everyone is trying to complete the same faction mission.
And if you’re worried about being betrayed, friendly fire is disabled on temporary squadmates.
How looting works
Looting in DMZ is more complicated than in Warzone 2.0’s battle royale mode. You will have to manage your storage in a large Backpack, which can carry weapons, equipment, and other items.
In DMZ, you can carry the following items in a loadout:
- Two weapons with their maximum amount of ammo
- Two equipment pieces
- A field upgrade and killstreak
- Armor plates and gas mask
Everything else is stored in the Backpack. Every item picked up that is over loadout capacity is automatically placed into the Backpack. If an item is within a container, such as another Operator’s Backpack, you will have to select individual items to place within your own pack.
Anything you extract from the DMZ — cash, weapons, and other items — is kept in Storage, which you can access at any time between matches in the pre-match lobby.
However, the stakes are high. You only have one life in DMZ, and dying results in the loss of all non-permanent items in your Backpack.
Squadmates can still revive you, but you are always at risk of losing all the items earned.
There is a small safety net in the form of insured weapons. Everyone starts off with one insured weapon slot, but additional slots can be earned by leveling up with factions. You will be able to retain your insured weapons even if you die without extracting.
Read more about DMZ in Activision’s blog post.
