I didn’t extract anything worthwhile upon DMZ’s release so I waited just before wipe-out to play. Because I know Kuji rewards are going away, I primarily go for the crate whenever I can so my experience have been PvP oriented instead of looking for Ultras loot.
Kuji Crate and PvP
Honestly, the sweats are the best and worst part of this game. Going against these players and their loot fights genuinely sharpen your skills faster than countless double-digit exfills. Though going after Kuji most time usually ends in:
Wiping out a bot squad, sometimes winning a tough gun fight against 1-2 high-tier gear enemy squad. Sometimes you’ll have to be creative and run for other exfil points with the Kuji Crate while half the map chases you.
Getting merc’d within the first few minutes by a mythic 3 man squad(s) or getting third-partied in the last seconds of exfil and having your crate looted by a passerby.*
*To be fair, I have done some horrendous third-partying against last minute extractions that I am not proud of. But double karma always seem to come around.
Teammates
For this mode, it is definitely possible to exfil the crate on your own but having 1-2 other teammates doubles or triples the chance of exfil. They tend to a hit or miss, however, and I usually classify them in the following tier:
S Tier: 100+ DMZ matches, obtained Kuji or Lily Maru, so know what they are doing in each area. You can rely on them to defend perimeter, proactively scan for enemies, can win 1v1/2 gun fights without much help, and revive. They are great to play with and the team gets in-sync on objectives without talking. Can grind for multiple successful crate exfils if you stick with them.
A to B Tier: Good with MP but maybe a bit new on DMZ. Still a team player but will play a supporting role (scan for enemies, trigger exfils, revive). You’ll have to take in charge of fragging enemy squads but your teammates serves as a good distraction. You have unlikely odds on crate exfils (2-3 crate at best per 10 games) but they are good to play consecutive rounds nonetheless.
F Tier: This tier equally comprise of experienced and new players. New players deserve a little grace because they are still working out the mechanics/have only obtained a handful of crates. But experienced players are the ones that make you want to rip your hair out because you can’t understand how their brain works. The common grievance in this tier is STOP LOOTING WHEN YOUR TEAMMATES ARE ABOUT TO DIE.
Overall thoughts
Your DMZ experience heavily depends on who you play with. If you got paired with good teammates, remember to add them for next season’s grind. And pray you don’t meet ones that play like a streamer (lootmaxxing and survival at the cost of others).
Note: one thing I don’t get is why P2P players are trying so hard to gate keep Kuji from F2P. I get that you are good enough to get it consistently, but other players would like the chance to get cool character skins and blueprints without spending $100 on the game.
If you haven’t unlocked the rewards yet or you are getting it for your F2P mates – that’s great! But if you have mythic skins and weapons and all the shenanigans, then sweat in the first few months, unlock all the rewards, and GTFO!