DMZ Story Missions

DMZ Story Missions are the story deployments of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's DMZ: replayable missions at set places in Hajin, on servers shared with other players, that follow a power struggle after the campaign. Named ones include Breaking New Ground, the Fallout mission, the Dark Zone mission, the Shopping Mission and Operation Iron Citadel; Activision has published no full list.

0:05 DMZ Story Missions are the story deployments of DMZ in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4: missions set in particular parts of Hajin, played on a live server with other squads, that you can replay and that pay extra at completion milestones. Activision's FOB deep dive (Oct 9, 2026) sums up their plot in three lines: "There is a power vacuum in Hajin. Follow orders, unmask the new threat, and destroy their operations across the DMZ." They are one of three ways to deploy, beside Dynamic Operations and Free Roam, and they run alongside DMZ Orders, the checklist of directives that guides the mode. Activision has not published a complete list of Story Missions as of Oct 25, 2026; the names below come from Infinity Ward's patch notes and Dexerto.

Quick facts

Mode	DMZ
Where	Set points of interest in Hajin, on a live server
Players	Solo or squads of up to 3
Replayable	Yes, and can be picked at random
Rewards	DMZ XP, DMZ Cash, loot, and extra rewards at completion milestones
Named missions	Breaking New Ground, Fallout, Dark Zone, Shopping Mission, Operation Iron Citadel
Full list	Not published by Activision as of Oct 25, 2026

Sources: Call of Duty, Jun 6, 2026, Call of Duty, Oct 9, 2026, Infinity Ward patch notes, Dexerto key guide.

How Story Missions work

7:40 In DMZ you play "a shadow CIA asset" sent behind enemy lines to secure weapons and technology left behind after the Modern Warfare 4 campaign, before they fall into enemy hands, as Activision's June reveal (Jun 6, 2026) puts it. Story Missions carry that plot. Each takes place in a specific point of interest on a live DMZ server, so other squads may be nearby with their own plans; they are built for both squads and solo players, and they are meant to be played more than once. The clip is the briefing that opens DMZ in Shirrako's walkthrough, after the tutorial mission.

18:38 You start one from the Deploy station at the FOB. The Oct 9 deep dive says missions can be replayed or picked at random, and reaching completion milestones pays extra rewards. The paid infil options (vehicles, a helicopter, a cargo plane) are listed for Dynamic Operations and Free Roam only. Story Missions earn DMZ XP like every activity, and that XP counts even if you die before you exfil. Mission items go into a dedicated Mission Item slot by themselves, so you never have to clear backpack space for them.

Orders and Story Missions together

1:19 DMZ Orders are the mode's "guiding Mission Directives", grouped in Pages, which serve as onboarding, story and challenges, with resources, loot and cash as rewards (Oct 9 deep dive). Activision's tip is to compare your Story Mission with your squad's current Orders before you deploy, since one run can often finish both. Activision's Hajin deep dive (Oct 5, 2026) calls Orders "among the most reliable ways to advance your DMZ Level while building up your Stash".

The Orders run to many Pages: an Order called "Philanthropist", which tracks Weekly Mission Challenges, sits on Page 19, and an "Underground" chapter rewards night vision goggles, per Infinity Ward's patch notes. The Boss Board, where you track Lieutenants, opens at the FOB after your second Order.

Missions named so far

Infinity Ward's launch patch notes name these Story Missions in their fixes:

Breaking New Ground: a mission with a door breach, a crashed drone and its tablet. Breaching the door could crash the game until the Oct 20 update fixed it. It is the mission people search for as "DMZ New Ground".
Fallout: a mission whose AI helicopters could get stuck, fixed Oct 23. Activision's headline regions call the area around the Haneul Nuclear Reactor "the irradiated Fallout reactor", and the reactor needs radiation protection and a gas mask (see Hajin).
The Dark Zone Story Mission: a mission with steps to obtain codes; markers could point at the wrong enemy until Oct 24.
The Shopping Mission: reinforcements arrived too often until the Oct 24 fix.

Dexerto's key guide adds Operation Iron Citadel, a story mission whose reward is the Supreme Leader's Bunker Access Card, a Legendary key. It opens a bunker at Chang-san Air Base (grid B6), down the stairs past the doorway marked "01" in the southeast part of the base.

Other fixes touched Story Missions in general: on Oct 20 Infinity Ward stopped missions from giving double credit, and on Oct 23 it fixed Lieutenant intel that did not update tracked Orders.

Tips for Story Missions

Escort missions can get you out early. GameSpot (Oct 20, 2026) notes that missions or operations where you escort a hostage can give you a private exfil on the hostage's helicopter, which can be safer than the public exfils other squads camp.

Missions in high-threat areas, such as the 14th Political Prison or Chang-san Air Base, draw heavier enemies the louder you are. Activision's advice for any objective is to break contact, use cover and stay quiet to keep the threat down (Oct 5 deep dive). The basics are on DMZ Beginner's Guide, and the repeatable jobs on DMZ Bounties and Dynamic Ops.

Frequently asked questions

What are DMZ Story Missions in MW4? DMZ Story Missions are Modern Warfare 4's replayable story deployments in Hajin, played on live servers with other squads, that follow the power vacuum left after the campaign and pay extra at completion milestones.

How many DMZ Story Missions are there in Modern Warfare 4? Activision has not published a full list as of Oct 25, 2026. MW4's patch notes and Dexerto name Breaking New Ground, Fallout, the Dark Zone mission, the Shopping Mission and Operation Iron Citadel.

What is Breaking New Ground in MW4 DMZ? Breaking New Ground is a Modern Warfare 4 DMZ Story Mission with a door breach, a crashed drone and its tablet. A crash when breaching the door was fixed on Oct 20, 2026.

What does Operation Iron Citadel give in MW4 DMZ? Dexerto says the Modern Warfare 4 DMZ story mission Operation Iron Citadel rewards the Legendary Supreme Leader's Bunker Access Card, which opens a bunker at Chang-san Air Base.

Can you replay Story Missions in MW4 DMZ? Yes. Activision says Modern Warfare 4's DMZ Story Missions can be replayed or picked at random, with extra rewards at completion milestones.

Can you do DMZ Story Missions solo in Modern Warfare 4? Yes. Activision built MW4's DMZ Story Missions for squads and solo players; turn off Squad Fill at the Deploy station to go alone.