Before the DMZ Beta went live in 2022 as a bonus mode for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, it was widely considered one of gaming's worst-kept secrets. Pretty much everything about it had leaked in the months leading up to its launch.
When players did get their hands on it, the fledgling extraction mode was notably undercooked. The smarter AI for the time was impressive, but there was just not enough substance to keep a large player base active and excited.
Don't get me wrong, there were definitely DMZ die-hards in the Call of Duty community, but I was not among them. I liked the premise, and it certainly wanted to fill a void that had been left empty since I completed The Division's "Survival" DLC. But ultimately, I was convinced that I just wasn't meant to be an extraction shooter girly, and I made my way back to multiplayer and Warzone, where I belonged.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit Infinity Ward's studio and be among the first to see the reveal for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. This included the upcoming third mode — DMZ.
I'm not going to act like I wasn't surprised. Signs were pointing to DMZ's potential return, especially with the rise in the success of extraction shooters like Arc Raiders, for example, but I just wasn't sold on the idea that the previous DMZ Beta had warranted enough fanfare to justify spending 4 years of resources on this extraction mode over some other third mode like classic Spec Ops.
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I grew even more nervous about the state of DMZ after the reveal, as launch inched closer and closer with absolutely zero marketing or reveals for the returning mode. No mention of DMZ during the MW4 Open Beta.
Finally, we had "DMZ Week", with a rush of information about the new mode flooding Call of Duty's marketing. When I returned to the studio to go hands-on with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 this month, it was DMZ that I was most looking forward to playing, surprisingly. I was starting to warm to the idea of the mode in general, at least.
For me, these hybrid PvEvP modes can be a hard sell. In the original DMZ Beta of yesteryear, I often felt like the AI combatants were more of an annoyance than an actual threat — just an obstacle in the way of finding the next squad to take down because I was thoroughly Warzone-brained. While there were tasks to complete on the inside, they felt menial and didn't really add much to the overall experience. Looting was an option, but it just didn't mean much at the end of the day.
We started our hands-on time in the Forward Operating Base, the opening hub world for all things DMZ. It's nicely designed, but I do find that overall the HUB itself is a bit disjointed. There's a laptop for every feature. Walk over to this side of the HUB to check your dog tag collection; go back to that side to buy intel on Lieutenants you can hunt. Certain features are locked until you reach the minimum level requirement. Once we were familiar with the layout, we were placed into teams and turned loose to explore Hajin.
Welcome to Hajin
Before I get too deep into overall gameplay, I want to talk about the design of Hajin. The map for DMZ is absolutely massive, especially when compared to the previous map used for the DMZ Beta, Al Mazrah. Al Mazrah felt spacious, but barren. Hajin, however, is a massive map that feels dense and alive. The large buildings tower against the DMZ's skybox, teeming with enemy AI that pose legitimate threats to your safety in the zone. Lush open outdoor areas offer plenty of trees with beautiful foliage and tall grass as cover, making it possible to take a stealthy approach when hunting targets.
The world of Hajin feels real. If you're looking for bandages, check a hospital. Need ammo? Head to a police station. This isn't a new concept, not even for Call of Duty. The original DMZ and the first attempt at Warzone 2.0 both relied on this mechanic of lootable items being found in areas that made sense instead of just stuffed in a box against the wall. For DMZ, it serves an added benefit of forcing players to explore areas outside of popular hot zones.
It's easy for communities to lock into certain areas of maps, especially ones this big, and only want to fight for control of a certain building or lootable box. But the most basic mechanics of Hajin are designed around that. If you're going to level up your operator, you're going to have to eventually go into dangerous areas to collect valuable gear and crafting materials.
Gameplay with meaning and depth
My biggest complaint with the original DMZ Beta was that completing tasks felt like they had little to no purpose. I'm happy to report that Modern Warfare 4's DMZ is overflowing with opportunity. From the story missions that continue the events of the campaign, to the dynamic ops that piece together new challenges with every deployment, to lieutenant hunts, and PvP encounters, this year's DMZ has plenty to offer players of all skill levels.
In my first attempt at DMZ during the hands-on period, I was paired up with a Sherpa from the development team and another player. We were pretty amenable to just exploring Hajin, taking in whatever came our way. Our Sherpa set us up with some dynamic ops that would let us get a little extra XP, and we dove in with the intent to free roam. We didn't start empty-handed; we had beginner-level vests and basic free loadouts to get us started.
Before long, we were collecting the necessary gear to take on bigger challenges, exploring areas with increased threat levels. Collecting gear and returning to the FOB gave us the opportunity to upgrade our operators' skill trees, making our progress feel even more meaningful than just "go in, grab things, get out." We became attached to our operators and their kits.
That is, until another team saw us heading for an exfil and opted to run us over with their trucks.
With my operator now MIA in the exclusion zone, I was left with a choice: Pay the ransom to get her back, or take the loss and go in as a fresh little newbie again.
I paid the ransom.
But then I decided to return to the DMZ for another run, this time solo. I'm too agreeable for my own good, and playing with a squad had left me following along with what they wanted to do. I wanted to see what happened if I went in and followed my own whims. I headed to a laptop in the base and ponied up $10,000 for intel on the location of a Lieutenant, a sniper with a ghillie suit and deer skull mask.
I didn't head straight for the marked lieutenant; I gave myself some time to look for important gear in case I ran into trouble. A med kit, some bandages, extra ammo. When I felt confident I could handle the fight, I headed that way. The lieutenant I had picked wasn't a particularly challenging one, but for a solo player with lower-tier weapons and armor, it certainly proved to be a challenge. I grabbed the dog tags when all was said and done and made my way to exfil, where I threw up a truce flag from the menu wheel and hoped for the best.
My next deployment into DMZ was once again with two additional players. This time our group took a more adventurous approach, diving into some of the more extreme areas of Hajin. We were grossly underleveled, but that didn't stop us from tackling the enemies that were coming at us. By playing it smart and working together, we were able to slowly fight our way through the mission and take down its in-world boss. We hadn't yet finished the mission in its entirety, and there was one other problem: the gas was coming.
We had a choice to hit the only exfil left, which was 900+m away, or we could attempt to finish the mission and hope that an in-place exfil would drop as a reward. Right as our helicopter took the air, the gas overtook the zone. We made it out, but only barely.
DMZ is an exhilarating addition to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
Call of Duty's third modes have always been a bit of an enigma. Treyarch's Zombies mode is an actual gold mine, building up a completely separate world that still ties in with the mainline title it's attached to and creating an intense alternative to multiplayer and Warzone that you can easily get lost in for hours, both solo and as a squad. It's genuinely impressive, but Infinity Ward's third mode, namely Spec Ops, never quite hit the community the same way that Zombies did.
The DMZ Beta was a dice roll for Modern Warfare 2, and whether it genuinely paid off at the time is dependent entirely on who you ask. But if we scope out and look at how the DMZ Beta has evolved into the DMZ that is part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, I think it is safe to say that Infinity Ward has finally struck third-mode gold.
And I've finally found something to fill the void left behind by The Division.
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