Mechanics

How DMZ works: health, progression, bounties, vehicles, matchmaking.

• After Action ReportThe end-of-deployment screen: loot and DMZ Cash banked, a rating from F to S++ for Objectives, Combat and Looting, XP to your DMZ level and Dog Tag level (official, 5 Oct).
• Bounty system and notorietyKilling players earns a Bounty; four kills make you Wanted. Hunters buy intel at Bounty Stations and extract the target's Dog Tag to collect.
• DMZ camos and the camo huntDMZ has its own camos and its camo grind starts with DMZ early access on 20 Oct; a successor to the 2022 Serpentine camo hunt is planned for later seasons.
• DMZ OrdersDMZ Orders are an objective type featured in DMZ.
• DMZ progression: levels 1–70 and Dog Tag levelsDMZ has its own levels 1 to 70, apart from Multiplayer's 55; XP from missions, loot and fights counts even without an exfil, and each Operator's Dog Tag has 18 levels (official guide).
• Dynamic weather and world systemsDownpours cut visibility, fog changes routes, convoys move on roads, helicopters cross the sky and hostile forces reposition WMDs during a match (official, pre-launch).
• Free RoamOpen exploration of Hajin without structured objectives; the third way to play alongside Story Missions and Dynamic Operations (official, pre-launch).
• Health, wounds and healingMax health 150; the tourniquet gets you up from Last Stand at 100 with a wound, a Bandage lifts you briefly, a Medkit repairs the wound (developers' Q&A, 9 Oct).
• Hostiles Kill Count and Marked for DeathKill enough AI enemies in one deployment and the Hostiles Kill Count fills: an enemy Hunt Squad is sent after you and you are Marked for Death (official, 5 Oct).
• Infil and the Paid Infil systemInfil options and prices: on foot free, Polaris Dagor A1 5,000, LTV 25,000, helicopter 50,000, cargo plane 100,000 DMZ Cash (choose your drop spot).
• Keys and locked loot roomsKeys open special loot rooms; each key's description names its Tac-Map grid square, and Lieutenants can drop the key to their own room (official, 5 Oct guide).
• Locations of interest: stations, caches, towers, compoundsThe recurring map markers in Hajin and what each is for: gas, fire and police stations, clinics, caches, UAV and Lieutenant Hunt towers, compounds, Bounty Stations, SAM sites (official).
• Loot placementLoot is placed where it makes sense: tactical gear in police stations, medical supplies in hospitals, crafting resources in residential districts; damaged weapon variants exist.
• Matchmaking, squads and lobbiesQueue by deployment type; up to 60 players in 20 squads of three; solos and duos meet their own size when possible, not always; rejoin after a crash (developers' Q&A).
• MIA systemKilled Operators go MIA: pay DMZ Cash to recover them with their Traits (the price rises with Traits, gear is lost) or dismiss them.
• Movement, stamina and weapon tuningTac sprint is on by default; DMZ has its own weapon damage tuning around its armor; no armor-piercing or Stopping Power rounds for now (developers' Q&A, 9 Oct).
• Operator Prestige and permanent Prestige TraitsPrestige a fully levelled Operator (18 Trait Points) by giving up rare gear and DMZ Cash; each Prestige adds a random permanent Trait, up to three.
• Proximity chatVoice between nearby players with distance-based falloff, directionality and environmental reverb (official, pre-launch).
• Radiation storm and Time RemainingRadiation spreads across Hajin during a deployment; the Time Remaining timer shows when the storm intensifies; as it worsens, head for an exfil (official, 5 Oct).
• Secure SlotsSecure Slots protect stored items if a player fails to exfil, and players report they are featured on the Medium Backpack.
• Server CullingRicochet anti-cheat in DMZ: server culling, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on PC, stronger account security (developers' Q&A and Xbox Wire).
• Stealth MeterHUD indicator and audio cues (white → yellow → orange) that show how close you are to being detected, aimed at solo play (official, pre-launch).
• Tac-Map and grid coordinatesThe DMZ Tac-Map: objectives, POIs, threat areas, caches and spreading radiation on a grid with letters west to east and numbers north to south (D7 is Imjin Farmland) (official, 5 Oct).
• Threat Escalation systemEvery area of Hajin has a threat level (Low, Medium, High, Critical or Extreme) shown under the compass; loud play raises the enemy response, stealth calms it (official).
• TourniquetEveryone deploys with it: from Last Stand it gets you up at 100 health with a wound; it works again only at full health (official guide and developers' Q&A).
• VehiclesDMZ vehicles on land, water and in the air need repair and fuel at Gas Stations; the guide lists 14, from the Camper to the Monarch exfil helicopter (official, 5 Oct).
• Wanted statusWanted status is a gameplay mechanic that players can receive by taking down rival Operators.
• Weapon ManualsWeapon Manuals are extractable items used to unlock new weapons.
• What carries over between matchesPersistent across deployments: operator traits and skill trees, FOB upgrades and stash, weapon unlocks from Weapon Manuals, Bounty Leaderboard standing, XP and rank; no XP penalty for a failed exfil.