MW4 DMZ FOB upgrades: what to work toward first

If you cannot store the ingredients for your next craft, another weapon offer will not solve the problem. If your Bank is nearly empty, more cash capacity will not help yet. Pick the upgrade that removes a limit you are already hitting.

This is a planning guide, not a universal purchase ranking. Your next useful upgrade depends on what is in your Stash, how often you lose gear and which recipes you are trying to make.

First separate level unlocks from purchases

Your DMZ Player Level opens stations and awards capacity increases. The Printer has a separate upgrade menu for purchases using cash, ingredients and, where required, valuables.

Milestone	What changes	Your next decision
Level 2	3D Printer and starter recipes	Choose a replacement kit you can afford to craft
Level 5	Vendor	Compare available gear with your stored equipment
Level 10	Gunsmith	Budget for a usable gun before expensive attachment builds
Level 15	One extra Active Duty slot	Decide whether another Operator helps your rotation
Level 20	Dog Tag Case	Check tag storage before making it a collection goal
Level 25	5% off Gunsmith purchases	Keep the level reward separate from a purchased discount
Levels 18 and 32	More Vendor sale options	Exact extra slot counts are not specified
Levels 30, 50 and 70	Listed bounty payout bonuses of 10%, 50% and 100%	Do not add the percentages together; stacking is unconfirmed
Levels 22, 45 and 70	18 additional Stash slots at each milestone	Factor the upcoming reward into a capacity purchase
Levels 35 and 60	Six additional weapon Stash slots at each milestone	Reassess stored guns before buying more space

A reward appearing on the level timeline does not prove it has a separate purchasable version. Conversely, unlocking a Printer category does not pay the material cost of every item in it.

Choose by the problem you have

If this keeps happening…	Look at…	Check before spending
You cannot store useful ingredients	Stash Item Upgrade	Merge stacks and remove unwanted duplicates first
Your weapon storage is full	Stash Weapon Upgrade	Keep guns you will actually deploy with
Extracted cash is pushing against your cap	Bank Upgrade	Your current balance and displayed capacity
You repeatedly pay to recover Operators	MIA Recovery Discount	The upgrade’s price versus your rescue spending
You frequently buy Gunsmith builds	Gunsmith Discount	The current discount and actual upgrade cost
A component blocks several planned crafts	Ingredient Printing	Whether the upgrade unlocks that specific component
You want more Vendor selection	Vendor Item Slots or Weapon Offers	Whether you have spare cash to use the added offers

Compare the individual upgrade pages for tier costs, material links and relevant level rewards. A discounted purchase and extra Bank capacity solve different problems.

Printer upgrade costs

The Stash cost below is pictured in an official menu. The other listed tiers come from community-reported Printer cards; later tiers can differ. “Unlisted” cash is unknown, not free.

Upgrade	Effect	Cash	Materials
Bank I	250,000 total cash capacity	20,000	None listed
Bank II	500,000 total cash capacity	50,000	None listed
Bank III	1,000,000 total cash capacity	100,000	5 Infantry Invasion Plans
Stash items, shown tier	+18 item slots	10,000	10 Rigid Synthetics, 10 Electronic Sensors
Stash weapons I	+6 weapon slots	50,000	20 Reactive Metals, 10 Stock Rod, 5 Comms Module
Dog Tag Case I	+20 tag slots	10,000	10 Rigid Synthetics, 10 Biomaterials
Gunsmith I	5% off purchases	50,000	20 Reactive Metals, 10 CPU, 5 Power Regulator
MIA recovery I	5% off recovery	Unlisted	5 Regional Combat Notes, 10 Control Units, 10 Rigid Synthetics
Vendor items I	More purchase options	Unlisted	20 Electronic Sensors, 10 CPU, 10 Printed Circuit Board, 2 Prototype RF Module
Uncommon ingredient printing	Uncommon ingredient recipes	50,000	20 Biomaterials, 10 High-Tenacity Fibers, 5 Comms Module
Epic ingredient printing	Epic ingredient recipes	100,000	10 Binding Catalyst, 10 Printed Circuit Board, 5 Military Composites

Bank capacities are total limits, not amounts added. Bank II follows I; III follows II. Tier III’s new cost is community-reported, without a reviewed cost-panel screenshot here. Keep five Infantry Invasion Plans if you want it. The FOB tracker totals earlier unowned tiers; later costs remain unknown. The crafting planner includes tiers with reported cash costs and leaves incomplete totals out.

A Gunsmith Printer upgrade and the Level 25 reward both list 5%; how they combine is unconfirmed. Vendor item options also differ from weapon offers, whose full upgrade costs remain unknown.

A complete Stash upgrade shopping list

One documented Stash Item Upgrade tier adds 18 item slots and costs:

Payment	Amount
DMZ Cash	10,000
Electronic Sensors	10
Rigid Synthetics	10

Those ten Rigid Synthetics also represent the ingredient portion of two Medium Backpacks, each of which additionally needs 50 Synthetics. If you still need a backpack for your next run, decide which use matters first. Do not mistake basic Synthetics for Rigid Synthetics; they are separate materials.

Use the 3D Printer planner to add the Stash tier and two Bandages. Together they require 10,000 cash, 10 Electronic Sensors, 10 Rigid Synthetics, 30 Synthetics and 30 Chemicals. Select the shown Stash tier once; its price does not stand for every later storage upgrade.

A workable order for your first upgrades

1. Keep a deployment kit ready. Reserve the healing, armor and weapon you intend to use next.
2. Review the next level reward. You may be close to a capacity increase that reduces today’s pressure.
3. Choose one purchase. Put its ingredients ahead of optional crafts until it is funded.
4. Check valuables before selling. Some upgrades use them as inputs; a sale price is not their only use.
5. Reassess after the upgrade. More storage may solve the problem without needing another tier immediately.

For recipe basics, use the crafting guide. For the decision at the inventory screen, use what to keep, sell or craft.