Weapon XP in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s DMZ comes from kills. Weapon level gates most of the camos on a gun’s camo list, so levelling it is most of the camo grind. A few camo challenges, including Gold and the three DMZ mode mastery camos, are tied directly to DMZ, so you complete them in the mode itself.
Quick answer: Deploy into high-threat areas like The Grid, Hanex Bank or DBN Headquarters. Fight near ammo and armor caches, skip contracts and looting, and exfil before the radiation countdown ends.
Checking camo challenges in the Gunsmith
Before you deploy, check what the weapon needs. You can read every requirement here, even when the gun has no attachments unlocked yet.
Tracking camos from the Challenges menu
You can also follow camo progress from the Challenges menu without opening the Gunsmith. The path reads CHALLENGES / CAMO CHALLENGES, with tabs for WEAPON MASTERY, MODE MASTERY and TRACKED & NEAR COMPLETE, and a row of weapon classes (ASSAULT RIFLES, SMGS, SHOTGUNS, LMGS, MARKSMAN RIFLES, SNIPER RIFLES, PISTOLS, LAUNCHERS, MELEE). Pick a weapon to see how many of its camos you have collected (shown as, for example, “0/15 CAMOS COLLECTED”), the next Military camo’s unlock line, and the NEXT MASTERY panel, which shows the Gold Camo Challenge with its “Complete the 3 Weapon Specific Camo Challenges” count (0/3). Selecting a camo from here opens the same CAMO SELECT screen.
Weapon camo unlock order and the DMZ Gold challenge
Weapon level unlocks the eight Military camos. The requirement is shown as “Earn N more weapon unlocks using the Han 86”, with N indicating how many unlocks remain. For a Han 86 showing 34/71 unlocks, Military Camo 7 calls for 27 additional unlocks, while Military Camo 8 calls for 33. The later camos each need an unlock condition first, and most add a challenge on top.
| Camo | Unlocks after | Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke (Special) | More weapon unlocks | “Get 75 Kills while Mounted against Enemies” |
| Stormwave (Special) | More weapon unlocks | “Get 125 Enemy Kills while using a silencer” |
| Red (Special) | More weapon unlocks | “Get 3 Enemy Kills without taking damage 50 times” |
| Gold | “Complete the 3 Weapon Specific Camo Challenges” | “Get 100 Enemy Kills in a single match in DMZ” |
| Platinum | “Complete 8 Gold Camo Challenges using Assault Rifles” | “Get 100 Headshots against Enemies” |
| Harmonic Break | “Complete 33 Platinum Camo Challenges” | “Get 50 Double Kills against Enemies” |
| Divergence | “Complete 33 Harmonic Break Camo Challenges” | None |
On a Han 86, the unlock lines read “Earn 24 more weapon unlocks” for Smoke, “Earn 45 more weapon unlocks” for Stormwave and “Earn 71 more weapon unlocks” for Red. The Han 86 has 71 weapon unlocks in total, so Red opens only once the gun is fully levelled. Stormwave needs a silencer on the gun: in the Gunsmith, open the weapon’s muzzle slot (GUNSMITH / HAN 86 / SELECT MUZZLE), where suppressors such as the XRK MIL-TAC SUPPRESSOR are listed with a cash price, and add one to the build.
Smoke, Stormwave and Red are the three Special camos. Gold is where DMZ comes in. You need 100 enemy kills in a single DMZ match, so one long deployment in a crowded area has to carry the whole challenge.
While you work on it, a HOSTILES KILLED counter at the top right of the screen tracks your kills for the deployment, and a “CHALLENGE COMPLETED” banner reading “GET 100 ENEMY KILLS IN A SINGLE MATCH IN DMZ” appears the moment you reach 100. Low-threat areas work too: the kills do not have to come from high-threat zones. Keep fighting until the count is done, then exfil before the radiation countdown runs out.
Prestige camos sit on a separate track. They begin with “Prestige The Han 86 – Assault Rifle” and continue through Prestige Master levels. Pyroclast Terminus unlocks at level 73 and Pyroclast Cascade at level 250.
DMZ mode mastery camos: Chiral, Ripple Tide and Helio
The DMZ row under the MODE MASTERY tab holds three camos. They form a chain, and each one opens after the challenge before it is complete.
| Camo | Unlocks after | Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Chiral | “Complete 33 Harmonic Break Camo Challenges” | “Get 2500 Tier 3+ enemy kills” |
| Ripple Tide | The 2500 Tier 3+ kills | “Exfil 2 LT dog tags in a single deployment 50 times” |
| Helio | The 50 double dog tag exfils | “Get 25000 Kills using a Legendary Weapon on a Max Level Operator” |
For Chiral’s Tier 3+ count, target the armored AI soldiers. They are the plated enemies that drop armor plates when they go down. Ripple Tide shifts the focus from raw kills to lieutenants. You need to carry two LT dog tags out of the same deployment, and repeat that 50 times.
Where to farm weapon XP in DMZ
When you enter an area, its threat rating appears on screen: LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, CRITICAL or EXTREME. As the rating rises, you encounter more AI and face stronger opponents, such as riot shield soldiers and armored troops. The increased enemy density helps level a gun quickly.
The Grid (CRITICAL)
The Grid is a set of fortified streets held by riot shield and heavy soldiers. Take cover behind vehicles and let the groups push toward you. Holding one spot keeps kills coming without much movement.
Hanex Bank (EXTREME)
Hanex Bank sits next to The Grid and is rated one step higher, at EXTREME, with dense AI of its own.
DBN Headquarters
DBN Headquarters is a tower with AI spread across many floors. Use the ascend ropes in the shafts to move upward. The rooftop is open to commander helicopters, so clear it quickly and move back inside.
Lighter options
- NuriGo Mall and NuriGo East (MEDIUM) have smaller AI groups and places to resupply.
- Mirae General Hospital has AI positioned through its corridors.
DMZ has its own kill challenges, and they progress while you level the gun. One of them is “KILL 300 ENEMIES IN AN AREA OF HIGH THREAT OR ABOVE.” Sessions in The Grid or Hanex Bank count toward it automatically.
Keeping a DMZ kill farm running
High-threat zones drain ammo quickly. Before you push in, open the Tac Map, locate the ammo and armor caches, and plan your fights around them. Between caches, refill with the ammo that AI soldiers drop.
- Use a suppressed rifle with an optic. It handles AI at range and inside buildings.
- Skip contracts and slow container looting, and spend that time fighting.
- Attack helicopters and a battle tank are among the Commanders that may appear above busy areas. Head indoors to block their line of sight rather than engage them outside with a rifle.
Call an exfil while the radiation countdown is still active. Otherwise, the kills and weapon levels from that deployment are lost.
