Warzone 2’s new sandbox extraction mode has a completely different feel than any other extraction shooter I’ve played. DMZ isn’t like Escape From Tarkov, where other players automatically become enemies, or Hunt: Showdown, where squads are the same size and everyone fights for bounties. It’s like a micro MMO like GTA Online, played in 30 minute chunks, with players (either in groups or alone) roaming around a large map, often moving in different directions and having someone in the way. Mainly care about their own business.
That someone was me when I learned the important rules of the DMZ. If a man is running towards him with bare hands and a desperate look he probably isn’t looking for a team, and if his old Burnt_Toast575 didn’t respond to my kind comments he would be malicious I have to guess.
As the word “team” up” grazes my lips, he lands three punches to my stunned face. Burny-T wasn’t looking for friendship. He only had eyes for my shiny weapon, but after a few punches he got it.
I really can’t fault it. Like most MMOs, it can be hard to play solo and it’s hard to trust Lando, who claims to be “cool”. He tried to capture the spirit of the mode by making friends instead of enemies (after all, DMZ isn’t about killing players like in Battle Royale).
While there have been some successes with the new ping feature which allows you to instantly invite nearby players to your team, we found the DMZ community to be too clichéd.
My only DMZ experience of him so far has been in all those ’90s movies in roles where gangs of spiky-haired thugs roll unsuspecting geeks around and stuff them into closets. That’s not to say that imbalance isn’t fun. It’s a thrill to lock yourself in an empty house until your roving APC shows up up outside. Indeed, stealth was an invaluable tactic for surviving a full DMZ round.