All DMZ changes in Warzone 2 Season 3: Barter System, Workbench, and more explored

Season 3 of Call of Duty Warzone 2 officially releases on April 12, 2023, and is set to bring major changes to the DMZ game mode. The third season will introduce brand new gameplay features and important adjustments such as the Barter System, Workbench, Active Duty Operator Slots, an all-new faction, and much more.

DMZ, which is short for Demilitarized Zone, is Call of Duty's version of an Escape from Tarkov-styled first-person extraction shooter title that takes place inside Call of Duty: Warzone 2 as an entirely separate game mode that shares similar gameplay mechanics, operators, and weapons.

Season 3 will feature plenty of in-game content for Warzone 2, including Alejandro and Valeria as the latest operators, four new weapons, Warzone Ranked, the return of Plunder, new cosmetic bundles in the store, and more coming throughout the season.

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Season 3 of Warzone 2 introduces new overhauls to DMZ including a brand new Barter System, Workbench, new bosses, and more

DMZ involves players dropping into a hostile environment that's filled with enemy AIs as well as a few other opposing players as they attempt to gather riches, complete contracts and challenges, defeat bosses, unlock new weapon blueprints, and successfully exfiltrate alone or with their squad.

The biggest update to DMZ is anticipated to arrive with Season 3 of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, bringing with it exclusive in-game content and game-changing mechanics such as new enemy AIs and factions, to name a few.

Without further ado, let's examine some of the significant new features that will be included in Warzone 2's DMZ in Season 3:

Barter System

The all-new Barter System with Season 3 (Image via Activision)

The Barter System is expected to be one of the most important mechanics added to the DMZ since the game's inception. The Barter System will provide opportunities to reward players who hold onto looted items throughout their gameplay.

Players must travel to a Buy Station, where they can trade in their stocked items for more expensive ones. Although peer-to-peer trading won't be possible with this system, players will be able to freely trade items with squad members and friendly Operators while playing the game.

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Workbench

The all-new Workbench system in Season 3 (Image via Activision)

Another significant addition to DMZ is the Workbench, an interesting option for players to modify their Contraband weapons by spending hard-earned cash during the match. Workbenches can be found near Buy Stations and will allow players to swap their current attachments for other unlocked ones from the Contraband's weapon platform or completely remove them from the build itself.

The Workbench is a great addition, as it will not only enable players to use contraband weapons more regularly in matches, but might also allow them to upgrade weapons that are dropped by enemy AIs.

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Active Duty Operator Slots

The all-new Active Duty Operator Slots in DMZ (Image via Activision)

With the most recent season, every player will begin with three Active Duty Operator Slots, equating to three separate Operators with their own specific builds. These slots will feature your favorite Operators who are equipped with specific items that they will drop into DMZ with. These items include Backpack, Plate Carrier, Killstreaks, Self-Revive, and Gas Mask.

Active Duty Operator Slots will enable players to create Operator presets that they can select before initiating a match. This will allow players to have their own specific build depending on their motive, such as if they only want to complete challenges, Story Missions, or to simply drop in, loot, level up weapons, and earn XP.

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New Faction

An all-new faction arrives with Season 3 of DMZ (Image via Activision)

As expected, factions are one of the core elements of DMZ. In addition to providing an overall narrative to this game mode's lore, they enable players to earn XP, contraband weapons, weapon blueprints, and other useful in-game items.

As of Season 2, the game mode features four highly classified factions: White Lotus, Legion, Black Mous, and Crown. With the upcoming release of the third season, an undisclosed faction is set to be introduced, and its name, for the time being, has been revealed as REDACTED.

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New bosses

Season 3 will feature new AI enemy bosses (Image via Activision)

Bosses are the most challenging and rewarding aspect of DMZ, featuring enemy AI with a massive health pool and custom weaponry that players can defeat in new and exciting ways in order to get their hands on some exotic new firearms and exclusive weapon blueprints.

Every boss is different in their own way and players can take them on all by themselves or with their squad. Season 3 will introduce two new bosses and an undisclosed secret buried deep beneath the Al Mazrah map.

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New Backpack and Plate Carrier types

Interestingly, Season 3 will feature brand new Backpack types and Plate Carrier variants, allowing new ways to stock up on items, armor up, and approach combat situations. Further details on their upcoming changes are expected to be revealed at a later date.

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Call of Duty Warzone 2 Season 3 goes live on April 12, 2023 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC (via Battle.net and Steam).