The fastest way to level DMZ in Modern Warfare 4 is to deploy on a Story Mission every time one is available, chain Dynamic Ops when it isn't, loot and shoot everything on the route, and always exfil. Day-one tallies put a Story Mission at 12,500 XP on its own, the biggest payout in the mode that doesn't depend on your rating.
That matters because the levels are nearly flat. Each one costs roughly 15,000 to 19,000 DMZ XP from level 2 to level 70, so a good deployment is a level, and a great one is two. The route below is built from Activision's DMZ Deep Dive posts and XP figures logged on the first day of DMZ Early Access (20 October). Expect the exact numbers to shift with patches.
The route, in order
- Deploy on a Story Mission. Finish it, then stay in and loot toward an exfil.
- No Story Mission open? Deploy straight into a Dynamic Op, finish it, start the next one from a Dynamic Ops phone.
- Open every container you pass and clear hostiles that get in the way. Both pay per action and both feed the Deployment Bonus.
- Exfil before the storm closes in. The Extracted Bonus is the one line on the report you only get by leaving alive.
- Read the After Action Report, pick what you under-scored on, and fix it next drop.
Why Story Missions first
A Story Mission is the biggest flat payout in DMZ and the one that doesn't depend on your rating. One logged run, Operation Shopping Hacks rated A, came to 30,224 XP: 12,500 for the mission, 4,875 for 65 hostiles, 900 for twelve containers, a 2,408 Extracted Bonus and a 9,541 Deployment Bonus. That is nearly two levels from one deployment.
Story Missions are replayable from the Deploy menu, and the FOB's DMZ Orders often line up with them, so you clear two objectives for one trip. Check your Orders before you pick a mission.
Dynamic Ops are the filler, and good filler
Dynamic Operations drop you straight into an objective with DMZ Cash and XP on completion, plus a Supply Drop that gets rarer with each Op you finish in the same deployment. Several objectives can be done without fighting a rival squad, which is what makes them good filler.
- Chain them: a Dynamic Ops phone in the field starts the next Op without leaving. Every completed Op in the same deployment raises the Supply Drop rarity, so the third Op is worth more than the first.
- Skip Hunt Operators: that Op sends you at a full rival squad. Fine for cash and tags, slow for XP if it goes wrong.
- Pick up Side Ops on the way: UAV towers, SAM sites, lost Supply Drops, truck repairs and Lieutenant Hunt towers all pay a little XP and sit on the route anyway.
Loot and kills: small numbers, big totals
Looting is the most reliable XP in the mode because nothing has to go right. Containers pay per open, so a route through a Police Station or Compound full of lockers adds up fast. Hostiles pay per kill, and Activision confirms rival Operators pay more than AI.
Keep an eye on the Hostiles Kill Count meter on the HUD. Fill it and a Hunt Squad is dispatched to find you, which turns a loot run into a fight you didn't price in.
Dying doesn't cost you the level
Activision confirmed it in the FOB guide: even if you fail to exfil, the DMZ XP earned during the deployment still counts. You lose the Extracted Bonus, anything outside a Secure Slot, and your Operator goes MIA, but the level progress is banked.
That changes the risk maths. An aggressive deployment that dies at minute twenty with two Ops done still pays more than a cautious one that exfils with nothing.
Traits and tools that speed it up
- Medium Backpack (level 2 recipe): Secure Slots mean a death doesn't wipe your ingredients, so you can keep pushing after you have the loot that matters.
- Container Looter and Hostile Looter (Scout tree): extra drops per open and per kill. Not extra XP, but more ingredients per run means more prints and fewer runs spent farming.
- UAV (level 13): reveals hostiles around you, so you walk into kills instead of hunting for them.
- Check the After Action Report: the 20 October patch fixed a bug where it could show 0 XP after your first match. If a run reports zero now, it is worth a support ticket, not a shrug.
When to switch targets
Below level 10 the FOB's Orders carry you; follow them and the Story Missions and you reach the Gunsmith without thinking about it. From 10 to 30 the Dynamic Op chain is the engine. Past 30, the unlocks are stash slots and Fire Support, so the smarter target is an Operator's Dog Tag and Trait Points, plus Lieutenants for cash, and the DMZ level comes with it.
Every level's unlock is in our full DMZ level list.
Rather have it done?
We level DMZ on your own account from any point to any target up to 70, Team up on any platform or piloted on PC. The cash, loot and Dog Tag progress earned on the way stay with you. Got questions first? The FAQ on our MW4 page covers how Team up and piloted orders work.
Questions players ask
How long does it take to get to DMZ level 70?
At roughly 1.17 million XP total and 20,000 to 30,000 XP for a strong deployment, it's somewhere around 40 to 60 good deployments. Slow runs that die early without an Op done can double that.
Do Soldier Rank Double XP tokens work in DMZ?
Activision hasn't said so in writing. Player XP tokens are expected to apply, since DMZ XP is Player XP, and MW4's tokens only tick down inside a match, so time in the FOB wouldn't be wasted. Test one on a short run before burning the rest. Weapon XP tokens only speed up your guns, not your DMZ level.
Does a squad level faster than solo?
A full squad clears Story Missions and Dynamic Ops faster and survives the exfil more often, and each player earns their own XP for the shared objective. Squad Fill drops you in with two other players if you have no friends online.