How to Beat the Warden in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 DMZ (Location and Drops)

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 DMZ, the Warden is a Lieutenant stationed in a mess hall at North Korea’s 14th Political Prison. The Warden uses a riot shield as cover, with armored guards close by; bullets aimed head-on at it are ineffective. Your squad must attack from the shield’s sides to take the Warden down.

Quick answer: Enter the 14th Political Prison courtyard, then push into the smoky mess hall. Have one player hold the Warden’s shield while the rest of the squad flanks and shoots the exposed side.

Warden location: 14th Political Prison, North Korea

The arrival card reads NORTH KOREA / 14TH POLITICAL PRISON / THREAT: HIGH, and the compass lists the area as 14th Political Prison at HIGH threat. The Warden contract runs as paid intel in two stages (a Lieutenant Hunt tower terminal also locates the nearest Lieutenant). The first is “Paid Intel: Reach Warden” and the second is “Paid Intel: Kill Warden”.

The prison is surrounded by a tall perimeter fence made of corrugated metal and wire.
Within the fence, white single-storey buildings stand around a muddy yard. Their windows are barred, and oil drums sit there.
The LIEUTENANT / WARDEN banner appears once you move between the blocks in the courtyard.
The encounter takes place in a block’s mess hall. It has a green floor, long dining tables, benches and posters, plus a Korean banner above the doorway.

The Warden can also be deeper inside the prison at THE CITADEL. There the banner reads LIEUTENANT / WARDEN / THE CITADEL, and the compass threat rises to CRITICAL.

How to beat the Warden and the riot shield

Take your entire squad. The Warden keeps the shield forward while firing around it, so shots from the front are wasted and the squad needs to come in from the sides.

Clear the guards in the courtyard first. Use the oil drums and the corners of the buildings as cover while you fire.

Enter the block and move through the corridors as a group. The corridors are full of smoke, and guards fire through it.

Reach the mess hall and find the Warden behind the riot shield, with armored guards nearby. Do not fire into the shield, because those shots are wasted.

Split up. One player keeps the Warden’s shield turned toward them while everyone else moves in from the sides. Shoot the Warden’s exposed body at close range until the Warden goes down.

The Warden falls in the doorway, and the riot shield drops next to the body.

Kill Warden side op reward

After the Warden dies, the game displays SIDE OP COMPLETE / PAID INTEL: KILL WARDEN. The side-op awards +500 XP, and a kill popup paid 632 XP. The kill also counts toward the Boss Board.

Warden drops: X-58 NYX SMG and Kang’s Dog Tag

The weapon the Warden leaves behind is an SMG using the X-58 NYX platform; its specific version may vary between matches. Check the ground next to the Warden’s body and the dropped shield.

INCARCERATOR: an ULTRA SMG worth $8,500, built on the X-58 NYX.
A plain X-58 NYX, lying on the floor next to the body and the riot shield.
KANG’S DOG TAG, which is the Warden’s dog tag.

If you are looking for the Warden’s dog tag in your pickups, search for KANG’S DOG TAG. It does not appear under the name “Warden’s Dog Tag”.