Welcome back Operators to another intel brief for DMZ Season 2! Today we‘re zeroing in on one of the most useful keys for boosting your loadouts – the Research Center Room Key. Having this key grants exclusive access to a room filled with high-tier loot at a prime location on Ashika Island.
This in-depth guide will provide everything you need to know about finding the Research Center, obtaining the key, opening the room, and utilizing the exclusive gear inside to gain a strategic edge on the battlefield. Let‘s get into it!
Why the Research Center Room Matters
The Research Center itself is situated east of the Town Center near the coastline (coordinates E5). Within the large H-shaped building is a locked room only accessible with the corresponding key.
![Annotated map showing Research Center location][annotated map]
This room consistently contains rare and powerful weapons, armor, killstreaks, and more not found anywhere else on the map. Having the key provides a leg up on kitting your operator with top-tier gear each match.
Some of the notable loot found inside includes:
- Base weapons like the RPK and Kastov-74u Assault Rifles
- Upgraded guns with unique attachments like legendary and exotic rarity blueprints
- Heavy duty level 5 and level 6 armor plates for maximum protection
- Automated turrets, sensor grenades, smoke screens and other rare killstreaks/tacticals
- Extra cash for buying additional loadout items
- Other keycards like Weapons Locker keys to unlock more areas
As you can see, having exclusive access to the Research Center room can make a huge difference in survival and strategic capabilities during DMZ matches. Now let‘s get into how to find and use this valuable key.
Step-by-Step Guide to Finding the Research Center Room
Once you‘ve acquired the Research Center Room Key, either from enemy drops, contracts, looting, or purchase, here are the steps to take:
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Check your Tac Map and navigate east from the Town Center towards the coast. Look for the unique H-shaped building.
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Approach the building by land or water and enter through any of the ground floor doorways.
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Inside, locate the staircase against the north wall and go up to the second level.
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At the top of the stairs, turn right and you‘ll see the locked door directly in front of you.
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Use the Research Center Room Key in your Inventory to unlock the door and enter the room.
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Congratulations, you now have access to the room‘s randomized loot! Grab all the valuables you can carry.
Here‘s a visual reference of the exact route:
With the key in your loadout, finding the physical room is straightforward. Now let‘s discuss how to get that vital Research Center Room Key itself.
Obtaining the Research Center Room Key
Unlike fixed location keys, the Research Center Room Key randomly spawns across Al Mazrah and Ashika Island. You‘ll need some perseverance and luck to obtain it.
Here are the main ways to try and acquire the Research Center Room Key during matches:
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Eliminating AI enemies – They have a small chance (1-2%) of dropping the key when killed. Take out as many as possible.
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Completing contracts – Particularly High Value Target (HVT) contracts that reward rare loot items.
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Looting supply boxes – Scour every crate and cache for potential key spawns.
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Checking buy stations – The key may randomly appear for purchase. Check each match.
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Searching Buildings 21 and 22 – These often contain rare weapon keycards so are worth investigating.
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Completing faction missions – When prompted, finish missions for Allied/Horus/Shadow factions.
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Checking the black market – Keys can appear here between matches if you missed them the first time.
With dedicated grinding across multiple matches, you‘re bound to come across the Research Center Room Key eventually. Equip it and follow the directions above to unlock the room.
Tips for Clearing Enemies First
Before entering the H-shaped building and heading upstairs, I highly recommend clearing the area of any AI combatants first. Here are 5 tips for safely sweeping the Research Center:
- Use suppressors – Kill enemies quietly without alerting others.
- Employ tactical grenades – Flush out rooms with flash or stun grenades.
- Activate UAVs – Use radar coverage to see enemy locations.
- Bring smoke grenades – Block lines of sight as you move in.
- Equip cold-blooded – Stay undetected against AI thermal optics.
- Attack from the high ground – Use the Research Center‘s roof to rain precision fire.
- Fire in bursts – Don‘t spray and pray, stay accurate.
- Cover all exits – Don‘t let enemies escape to alert others.
- Reload immediately – Don‘t get caught needing to reload mid-fight.
- Listen for cues – Audio can help pinpoint enemy locations.
Executing these clearing tactics smoothly will help you eliminate all resistance in the Research Center before heading upstairs to claim your loot.
Gearing Up Inside the Research Center Room
Once you‘ve unlocked the room, quickly grab every valuable item you can fit in your loadout and backpack. Here‘s a peek at the type of deadly loot you can expect to find inside:
Rare Weapons
| Weapon | Damage | Fire Rate | Mobility | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPK LMG | High | Low | Slow | Heavy suppression firepower. |
| Kastov-74u Assault Rifle | Medium | High | Fast | Agile kinetic rounds. |
| Rattlesnake Sniper Rifle | Extreme | Slow | Slow | One shot kill potential. |
Armor Plates
| Plate Rating | Protection Level | Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | Very High | Vital Organs | Stops .338 rounds. |
| Level 6 | Extreme | Full Body | Impenetrable armor plating. |
As you can see, the gear inside the Research Center room offers a major leg up in firepower and protection. With skill, you can leverage these loadout boosts to take on any challenge in Al Mazrah or Ashika Island.
Key Strategies for Extracting Safely
Once you‘ve loaded up on gear, use these strategies to escape safely with your newly acquired loot:
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Check the Tac Map – Identify the nearest extraction point to minimize exposure.
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Activate a UAV or Radar – See if hostiles are waiting outside.
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Toss smoke grenades – Provide cover for your exit path.
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Equip and use Overclock – Sprint faster under its effect.
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Put proximity mines on flanks – Cover your escape route.
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Mount up in a vehicle – Drive safely away from the hot zone.
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Take high ground – Use elevation to spot ambushes.
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Don‘t get greedy – Prioritize escaping rather than engaging enemies.
Mastering quick and quiet exfiltration takes practice but preserves your hard-earned rewards.
Additional High Value Locked Locations
Beyond the Research Center, there are a number of other locked rooms and buildings containing top-tier loot. Here are 5 additional high value keycards to pursue:
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Weapons Locker Keys – Provide access to armories of rare blueprints.
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Manager Office Keys – Unlock safety deposit boxes of cash and killstreaks.
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Shimizu Lodge Keys – Hideouts with contraband weapons and gear.
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Fortress Area Keys – Grant access to walled-off sections with loot caches.
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Green Weapons Case Keys – Open green weapon cases scattered around maps.
I‘ll be covering how to find each of these keycards in upcoming guides. For now, add them to your priority list!
Recap and Takeaways
Let‘s summarize the key points on navigating to and utilizing the Research Center room:
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The Research Center is located east of Town Center in an H-shaped building – enter and go upstairs.
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Obtain the random dropping Research Center Room Key by eliminating enemies, contracts, looting, and other DMZ activities.
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Inside expect to find rare Assault Rifles, Snipers, leveled armor plates, killstreaks, cash, and more.
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Clear enemies from the area first before heading upstairs to the locked room.
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Escape safely from the hot area using smoke, UAVs, vehicles, and other cover tactics.
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Also hunt for Weapons Locker, Manager Office, Lodge, Fortress, and Case keys to unlock more high value loot areas.
With the intel and strategies provided in this guide, you now have the blueprint to utilizing the Research Center room to get a powerful edge over the opposition. Keep this advice with you while exploring the secrets hidden across Al Mazrah and Ashika Island during DMZ Season 2!
Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments section below. As always, stay frosty out there Operators!
