Yesterday, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4‘s new extraction mode, DMZ, launched a few days “early” for players who digitally pre-ordered the military shooter. And a heads-up for folks who love dogs and might be planning to check out DMZ: The intro mission is going to be rough.
Modern Warfare 4′s new DMZ mode is basically a full-fledged extraction shooter, like Arc Raiders or Marathon, but shoved inside the latest Call of Duty release. Players hop into a large open-world map filled with enemy NPCs and other players to kill stuff, complete missions, loot what they can, and then try to extract with their ill-gotten goods without dying and losing it all. You know, pretty standard stuff for anybody who has played an extraction shooter in the last few years. But DMZ’s opening is different. It’s a more narrative-driven and scripted affair that starts with a soldier dropping into the DMZ with his trusty dog sidekick, Rex. However, things quickly go south for the duo just minutes after landing.
After petting Rex on the ground upon dropping in, you and the dog run off to a crashed drone with orders to retrieve its black box and data. But that’s when two North Korean soldiers ambush you. Rex saves the day by killing both of them, but in the process, he gets shot, wincing and yelping in pain. You check on the poor boy and then drag his injured body over to a spot to hide him where you’ll extract him later. That never happens, as minutes later the soldier you’re playing as in the intro gets captured and shot in the head.
It sets the tone for DMZ, that’s for sure. It also feels sort of pointless and cruel. Rex is left to bleed out and probably die under a bush somewhere in the DMZ as he waits for his owner, who is never coming back. What an odd way to start off your new online multiplayer mode.
I assumed this was just a tutorial to teach me about how to manage my dog companion in DMZ, but I’ve yet to unlock my own dog or see another player with a dog. Looking around online, I don’t see people with dogs yet either. DMZ just came out, so maybe we all need to play a lot more before we unlock a dog. But that does make me question why Rex and his fate were even included in Modern Warfare 4‘s DMZ opening tutorial.
Some online are already hoping we get a mission to go save Rex, which would be nice. Meanwhile, if you want to avoid watching a dog get shot and left to die, here’s a tip: Start up the intro and then exit once you gain control of the soldier. According to players online, this skips all of it, and considering you get no loot from the intro anyway, it’s not a loss.
Good luck, Rex. I hope we get to save you one day. And if not, well, I’m not sure why you were even here at all.