MW4 DMZ loot guide: what to keep, sell and use for crafting

You have five Rigid Synthetics and need room. Selling them creates space and cash. Keeping them, with 50 basic Synthetics, pays for a Medium Backpack. Saving ten instead contributes to a Stash upgrade. The useful choice depends on the job you want that loot to do.

There is no reliable universal sell list while some recipe and upgrade costs remain unspecified. There is a practical sorting method: reserve a kit, fund a specific goal, then sell what is left over.

For death protection and disconnect limits, see the Secure Slots guide.

Sort loot into five decisions

What you found	First check	Sensible next action
Basic resources	Which resource total your planned craft needs	Track the shortage; these break down automatically
Printer ingredients	Recipes and upgrades that consume them	Keep the amount needed for your selected goal
Healing, armor and equipment	Whether it belongs in the next deployment kit	Equip or store it before considering surplus
Valuables	Whether a planned FOB upgrade needs them	Sell only after checking that use
Recipe or Weapon Manual	Whether you can safely extract it	Prioritize the extraction needed for its unlock

Open an item page to check its crafting uses and how to obtain it. Before selling an ingredient, check the materials required by your next recipe and FOB upgrade.

What to keep when you need space now

Item in your bag	Check before selling or dropping it
Binding Catalyst or Biomaterials	Your next Medkit and other medical crafts
Nylon Cloth	Your Nylon Laminate or backpack recipe; the sale value alone does not measure its usefulness
Reactive Metals	The 2-Plate Armor Vest you need for the next deployment
Rigid Synthetics	A Medium Backpack versus a saved Stash-upgrade input
A key	A matching room on your planned route; keep unused keys in the Stash between runs
Radiation Gear / Hazmat Suit	It is discarded on exfil; do not plan around banking that suit for the next deployment

The Value field is not a Vendor purchase price. Before selling a scarce part, compare the current sale offer with what replacing it would require. Keep your chosen recipe’s inputs first, then decide what is surplus.

Resources are not loose ingredients

The four basic resources are Synthetics, Electronics, Chemicals and Metals. Normal resource loot breaks down automatically and goes into the resource pouch. Printer ingredients remain separate items in your backpack and Stash.

That distinction matters when reading a shopping list. Ten Metals cannot replace ten Reactive Metals. Electronics cannot replace Electronic Sensors. Match the full ingredient name before spending time gathering more of the wrong material.

Four useful keep-or-craft examples

Ingredient	One documented use	Why the decision matters
Rigid Synthetics	5 for a Medium Backpack, alongside 50 Synthetics	A backpack now competes with saving 10 for the documented Stash upgrade tier
Reactive Metals	5 for a 2-Plate Armor Vest, alongside 50 Synthetics	The Secure Scavenger Backpack also needs 10, plus other ingredients
Binding Catalyst	1 for a Medkit, alongside 30 Chemicals and 5 Biomaterials	Selling the catalyst may block a complete healing craft
Military Composites	2 in both Tempered Armor Vest and Secure Scavenger Backpack recipes	Choose which expensive item you are funding before collecting both lists

The crafting planner totals the known recipes you select. Use it to expose shared ingredients; it does not subtract your in-game inventory automatically. Compare its shopping list with your Stash yourself before deploying.

Protect the loot you actually need

Your Stash stays at the FOB and is shared by Active Duty Operators. Moving supplies there keeps them out of the next deployment’s backpack.

Secure Slots protect their contents if you fail to extract. Check which slots are secure, then place eligible items there deliberately. A backpack’s name is not a promise that every item inside survives a failed run.

Critical Story Mission and Dynamic Operation objects use the Mission Item slot, rather than ordinary backpack room. Do not discard useful gear merely to create space for an objective item that uses that dedicated slot.

Operator Prestige is a different event from a failed exfil. Remove items you want to keep from both the backpack and loadout before Prestiging, and put them in the Stash. See the Prestige requirements guide before confirming the reset.

A short routine after each extraction

1. Move ingredients and spare equipment into the Stash.
2. Merge compatible stacks to see the space you really have.
3. Reserve a loadout you are willing to risk next.
4. Choose one recipe or upgrade and set aside its inputs.
5. Review surplus valuables and equipment for sale.
6. Check the Bank’s remaining capacity before turning everything into cash.

While deployed, pin the recipe so relevant ingredients are highlighted. Once you have the material that was blocking your craft, extraction may be worth more than another room of unrelated loot. Use the material search guide to choose the next search area when something is still missing.