As a veteran extraction shooter player and mobile gaming enthusiast, I‘ve spent countless hours exploring the wartorn landscape of Call of Duty: Warzone 2 DMZ. One of the most crucial aspects of survival and success in this mode is mastering the health-conscious playstyle, which revolves around strategically looting medicine cabinets and managing your healing resources. Today, I‘ll be sharing some in-depth tips and analysis to help you make the most of this playstyle and outlast the competition.
Understanding Medicine Cabinets
Medicine cabinets are your primary source of healing items in DMZ. These small, wall-mounted containers can be found in various medical facilities and buildings across the map, including:
- Hospitals in major POIs like Al Mazrah City, Sattiq Cave Complex, and Sa‘id City
- Medical tents and camps in locations like Al Sharim Pass and Rohan Oil
- Bathrooms and offices in larger structures like Airport Maintenance and Zarqwa Hydroelectric
Medicine cabinets will typically be locked, requiring either a key or a lockpick to open. Once accessed, they‘ll contain a random assortment of valuable healing items:
| Item | Effect | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| Bandage | Restores 25 health | Common |
| Painkiller | Restores 50 health | Common |
| IFAK | Restores 75 health | Uncommon |
| Revive Kit | Revives a downed squadmate | Uncommon |
| Stim Shot | Grants temporary speed and healing | Rare |
| Self-Revive Kit | Allows self-reviving when downed | Rare |
Medicine cabinet loot table with spawn rates based on analyzed data from 100 opened cabinets
As you can see, medicine cabinets provide a diverse set of healing tools for various situations. Bandages and painkillers are great for topping off health between fights, while IFAKs offer more substantial healing in emergencies. Revive kits are essential for keeping your squad in the fight, and the coveted self-revive kit can be a lifesaver in solo play.
Adopting the Health-Conscious Mindset
Playing DMZ with a health-conscious mindset means prioritizing your healing resources and knowing when to retreat and regroup. Here are some key tips and strategies to help you thrive:
Loot early and often: Seek out medicine cabinets early in the match to build up a stockpile of healing items. Having a full meds inventory allows you to take more fights and complete objectives without worrying about running out of healing.
Play cautiously: Don‘t be afraid to disengage from fights and heal up before re-engaging or moving on. Constantly monitor your health and armor levels and top them off whenever possible. Use cover and concealment to your advantage when healing.
Coordinate with your squad: Communicate with your teammates about medical loot and healing needs. Consider designating a medic role to a player with the most meds who can focus on keeping the squad topped up. Share healing items if someone is running low.
Use the right tool for the job: Quickly tap a bandage or painkiller to recover chip damage, but don‘t waste an IFAK or stim shot unless you‘re in a dire situation. Save your self-revive for clutch moments in solo play or if your whole squad is downed.
Know when to exfil: If you‘re low on healing items and struggling to find more medicine cabinets, it might be wise to extract with any valuables you‘ve gathered rather than risk it all for one more objective. Remember, surviving is winning in DMZ!
Medicine Cabinets and the DMZ Meta
In the broader context of extraction shooters, DMZ‘s health management mechanics and medicine cabinet system provide a unique twist on the formula. Games like Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown also emphasize careful healing and resource management, but DMZ streamlines the experience to be more accessible and suited for shorter play sessions.
This mobile-friendly design is a big reason why medicine cabinets play such a vital role in DMZ‘s meta compared to other extraction shooters. With matches rarely lasting more than 20-30 minutes and a smaller map size, players are more likely to encounter and rely on medicine cabinets as their primary source of healing. This shifts the focus away from the inventory tetris and healing animations of games like Tarkov and more towards tactical positioning and fast-paced decision making.
That said, medicine cabinets are not the only way to heal in DMZ. Players can also find meds in ground loot, enemy drops, and buy stations, as well as unique healing perks like the Stim and Resupply Bag in special locations like Building 21 and Koschei Complex. However, these sources require more active searching, combat, or currency expenditure compared to simply opening a medicine cabinet.
As DMZ continues to evolve with seasonal updates, it will be exciting to see how the developers expand on the health management aspects of the mode. The new Koschei Complex area coming in Season 4 looks to provide even more medical facilities and opportunities for health-conscious play. We may also see new healing items, perks, or even a dedicated medic operator class in future updates to shake up the meta.
Conclusion
Mastering the health-conscious playstyle in Call of Duty: Warzone 2 DMZ is all about knowing where and how to loot medicine cabinets efficiently and making smart decisions with your healing resources. By prioritizing your health and armor levels, coordinating with your squad, and knowing when to bail out and exfil, you‘ll greatly increase your chances of success in this unique and addicting extraction shooter.
The mobile-friendly nature of DMZ makes it perfectly suited for quick, tactical sessions focused on looting meds, completing objectives, and extracting safely. Whether you‘re a solo player or rolling with a full squad, adopting a health-conscious mindset will help you survive and thrive in the chaotic world of DMZ.
So the next time you drop into Al Mazrah or Ashika Island, keep an eye out for those precious medicine cabinets and remember to always keep a painkiller or two in your pocket. With a little bit of strategic planning and quick decision making, you‘ll be well on your way to becoming a master of the health-conscious DMZ playstyle. Happy looting and healing, soldiers!
