Modern Warfare 4 DMZ lets squads spend up to 100,000 DMZ Cash on vehicle spawns

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is giving players several ways to enter DMZ matches, and the more expensive options could provide a significant early advantage. Infinity Ward's latest look at the extraction mode shows squads spending up to 100,000 DMZ Cash to begin a deployment with a vehicle instead of taking the free on-foot option.

The money involved is DMZ's earnable in-game currency, not real-world cash. Even so, players with larger reserves will be able to spend those earnings on faster and better-protected ways of entering Hajin while squads conserving cash start from a random location on foot.

The standard infil costs nothing and places players on foot at a random location. From there, the price rises considerably depending on the vehicle selected before deployment.

Spending 5,000 DMZ Cash provides a Polaris Dagor A1, a tactical off-road vehicle designed for rapid movement across difficult terrain. The vehicle carries an entire squad and should allow players to cover substantially more ground immediately after entering Hajin.

An LTV costs 25,000 DMZ Cash and provides considerably more protection. Infinity Ward's broader vehicle breakdown notes that LTVs found around the map can carry an optional .50-caliber weapon, although it is not yet clear whether the vehicle supplied through the paid infil option includes that turret.

The next option is considerably more expensive. Players can spend 50,000 DMZ Cash to begin their deployment with access to a helicopter, giving a squad immediate aerial mobility across the Exclusion Zone.

That could have a major effect on how quickly teams reach objectives, bosses and valuable areas. A squad arriving by helicopter could potentially cross large sections of Hajin while players who chose the free infil are still moving away from their initial spawn.

The LTV and helicopter cannot simply be purchased from the beginning. The LTV option is unlocked by completing the Operation Iron Citadel story mission, while the helicopter requires Operation Grid Assault.

These requirements mean accumulated currency is only part of the system. Players will also need to progress far enough through DMZ's story content before some of the strongest infil options become available.

A fifth infil option costs 100,000 DMZ Cash, making it easily the most expensive choice shown. Its menu icon depicts an aircraft, but Infinity Ward has not explained exactly what vehicle it represents or how the deployment works.

The footage has prompted speculation that it could allow squads to enter from an aircraft and choose where they drop. That would potentially offer even more control than the helicopter, but this has not been officially confirmed.

Previous leaks described the top-tier option as an AC-130, although the aircraft shown could instead be a transport plane. Until Infinity Ward details the feature, its exact function remains uncertain.

DMZ Cash is earned by completing Operations, defeating valuable enemies, looting and successfully extracting. Players can bank that money between deployments and use it elsewhere at the Forward Operating Base, including for weapons, equipment and other preparation.

That creates a meaningful trade-off around the new infil system. Spending tens of thousands on a vehicle could put a squad in a stronger starting position, but that money could otherwise be invested in equipment or saved for future runs.

The larger question will be how effectively Infinity Ward balances experienced squads with substantial cash reserves against newer players entering on foot. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, when the new version of DMZ and its vehicle-based infil system will become available.