Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 sends DMZ squads into X01, a maze-like weapons facility built around cargo bays, labs, tunnels, and a sealed vault. This guide turns the official preview into a cautious first-deployment plan without inventing secret routes or enemy weaknesses.

X01 is a new DMZ location, so treat the preview as a briefing

Modern Warfare 4 Season 1 opens the X01 Black Site in DMZ on November 6. Activision describes it as a former weapons facility near Hajin, with cargo bays, vehicle depots, underground labs, production lines, and a sealed Deep Vault. The layout is described as labyrinthine, with tunnels and multiple floors. That is a very different starting picture from dropping into an open area and following a familiar street toward a contract.

This guide is written before the Season 1 map opens, so there are no verified room-by-room routes yet. Any article claiming a guaranteed loot path, exact enemy weakness, or secret access code before players can inspect the live map should be treated carefully. The useful preparation is to plan for navigation, communicate clearly, and keep an exit in mind from the start.

The official briefing says Season 1 begins at 00:00 ET on November 6 across platforms. X01’s exact live layout and mission requirements may receive additional details before launch. Check the current Call of Duty blog and the DMZ Order screen when the map becomes available; those are better sources than an old clip from a preview build.

Build a practical kit for exploration and changing threats

Activision says X01 calls for careful planning, specialized equipment, and squad coordination. It also warns that stronger hostile forces and specialist enemies may be active inside. The preview does not publish the full gear list or precise enemy behaviors, so avoid locking yourself into a supposed counter-build before the game reveals those details. Start with reliable equipment that helps your squad stay supplied and respond to a fight.

Review your Survival Kit and loadout at the Forward Operating Base before deployment. The official DMZ guide describes the FOB as the place to manage Operators, Stash and Loadouts, Orders, and other preparation stations. Set up the gear you can afford to lose, then check whether your chosen order gives you a clear reason to enter X01. A focused kit is easier to evaluate than a bag filled with tools chosen at random.

Agree on squad roles in plain language. One player can take point and read the immediate route, another can watch the rear, and a third can handle map checks or order progress. These are flexible jobs, not fixed classes. Swap responsibilities if someone is downed or running low on supplies. In a dark, enclosed environment, keeping the group oriented matters as much as the exact weapon in hand.

Navigate the facility in small, named chunks

A multi-floor network of linked chambers can make direction harder to read. When X01 opens, use the Tac Map, compass, and named points that the live interface provides. The official DMZ guide notes that Orders appear on the HUD and Tac Map, and that the compass provides bearings and identifies the named point of interest you occupy. These tools can help the squad stay aligned while it learns the new site.

Do not try to memorize the entire facility in one run. Name the room or landmark your squad is entering, check the next connection, and confirm whether the group is moving up, down, or across a level. If the interface gives you a route or objective marker, use it as a reference rather than assuming it accounts for every hazard. A short callout such as “back to the vehicle depot, then lower level” is easier to follow than “go over there.”

Take note of reliable landmarks as you move: distinctive machinery, a cargo bay entrance, or an obvious corridor junction. If you need to retreat, retrace a known connection instead of guessing through a new doorway while under fire. On the first deployment, exploration itself is useful progress. You can learn which spaces connect and which choices create risk without carrying a rare loadout deep into the site.

Do not turn every hostile contact into a head-on fight

The X01 announcement warns that the facility may contain regular troops, specialists, and stronger entities. Activision says it may be unwise to engage them head-on and advises Operators to study the available combat options. Since exact enemy tactics and weak points have not been disclosed, the sound approach is to observe first, communicate what you see, and avoid fighting in a corridor where your squad has no room to reposition.

If contact begins, call the direction and whether the group has a clear route back. Do not chase a retreating enemy into a space your squad has not checked. A narrow tunnel can make it difficult to support a teammate who pushes ahead, while a multi-level room can create threats from above or below. Use cover and regroup at a known landmark if the fight becomes scattered.

Preserve resources for the objective and the route home. A small fight can still cost ammunition, healing, or time that you need later. If the encounter is not required by an Order and the squad can safely move around it, choosing not to engage may be the better result. That is a tactical recommendation based on the official warning about risk, not a claim that any particular enemy can always be avoided.

Read each Order before you move deeper

Ghost is described as the voice guiding squads through new DMZ Orders inside X01. Those prompts are meant to track the route, flag emerging threats, and signal what becomes accessible as a squad reaches new areas. Take a moment to read the current objective rather than sprinting toward the first interesting room. It can tell you whether the team should search, interact, defend, or change direction.

Choose one main objective for a first deployment. If it requires reaching a deeper area, decide which resources you are willing to spend to get there. If the order changes after entering a new section, stop at cover and confirm everyone understands the new task. This prevents one player from moving toward the old marker while the rest of the squad follows a different instruction.

The sealed Deep Vault is an obvious point of interest, but the announcement does not give the access procedure. Do not plan your first run around opening it at all costs. Learn the approach and the surrounding connections first, then pursue it when a live Order or your team’s supplies make that decision sensible. Curiosity is part of the appeal, but extraction remains the part that turns an exploration run into a successful deployment.

Keep an extraction plan active throughout the run

Activision says some extraction points can close as the facility responds to intruders. The briefing explicitly tells Operators to know where the nearest exfil is. That means extraction should not be a last-minute menu check. Identify the current escape option when you enter, check for updates as you move, and make sure the team knows the route before pushing deeper.

Set a simple early-extract condition before the squad begins. It might be completing the order, taking significant losses, running short on a key supply, or learning enough of the map for one session. Conditions can change in a live raid, but agreeing on a baseline makes it easier to leave before a teammate gets separated. If an exfil closes, pause and check the map and current guidance instead of assuming that the same route is still available.

The first X01 run does not need to be a maximum-loot run. A successful deployment can be a completed order, a new route learned, or a safe return with useful information. After extracting, make one note about where the squad lost time or became disoriented. On your next visit, change that one thing and build your map knowledge gradually.

A first-run checklist for Season 1

Before infil, read the order, review your gear at the FOB, and agree on who watches the route and the rear. On entry, locate the current objective and nearest exfil. Move through one section at a time, using named landmarks and short callouts to keep everyone oriented. If your team finds an unexpected threat, decide together whether it is worth engaging.

Before moving into a new level or deeper chamber, check supplies and confirm the route back. Do not let a sealed door or rare-looking room pull the squad away from an active objective without discussing the risk. If the situation changes, update the plan rather than relying on the original route. X01 is designed to feel hazardous, and a flexible team can respond better than one that insists on a single path.

This is a preview-based guide, not a map exploit or a claim about the live best route. Once X01 launches, follow the in-game Orders and official patch notes for any changes. The safest way to learn the new MW4 DMZ map is to gather information, stay together, and treat extraction as part of the mission from the first minute.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

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Facts and update details above are based on these official sources. Details can change as the game is updated.

TAGSModern Warfare 4DMZX01Extraction ShooterSeason 1Gameplay Guide