As a long-time Call of Duty player, I was thrilled to drop into the new DMZ extraction mode in Warzone 2. The expansive battlegrounds of Al Mazrah provide the perfect landscape for dangerous PvEvP missions – with deadly AI combatants and factions vying for control.
Familiar Factions Bring New Rewards
DMZ allows us to align with specialized factions like Phalanx to unlock powerful weapons and gear for dominating squad-based co-op missions. Veterans will notice the return of classic factions like Shadow Company and Demon Dogs in this new large-scale sandbox mode.
However, bugs and issues in early access content are unavoidable. Many Operators have noticed problems unlocking higher reward tiers for the heavy-hitting Phalanx faction.
From extensive personal experience, this guide will outline everything you need to know about overcoming those hurdles and unlocking Phalanx Tier 2.
Optimal Methods for Unlocking Phalanx Tier 1
Before accessing Tier 2, you first need to reach Tier 1 by gaining 400 reputation points. As a DMZ expert, I recommend focusing on two efficient methods:
- Completing Daily Faction Missions: These contract-style missions award 100 reputation points each. With enough repairs and ammo, most skilled trios can complete their daily sortie within 25-30 minutes.
- Extracting Contraband Weapons: Phalanx specialty weapons like the BAS-P yield 2-4 reputation points each. Extracting a full inventories worth can yield up to 40 bonus points per match.
Workarounds for Unlocking Bugged Phalanx Tier 2 Access
Despite warnings of a blocking bug for Tier 2, I‘ve managed to unlock it consistently by:
- Restarting Between Matches: Fully closing Warzone 2 and restarting seems to force a reputation recalculation.
- Repeating Daily Missions: Completing extra daily Phalanx missions beyond the required one eventually triggered my Tier 2 unlock.
Call of Duty Confirms Tier 2 Progression Bug
This issue has become so prevalent that Infinity Ward officially commented on blocking issues across DMZ faction progression paths:
"We are actively investigating an issue where Players are unable to progress to the next faction tier level, despite reaching the correct amount of faction reputation XP."
So temporary workarounds are key until a patch fixes Phalanx advancement specifically.
Gear for Optimizing Phalanx Contract Success
Based on extensive DMZ raid experience, I recommend all Phalanx Operators equip the following:
- Repair Tool – Critical for restoring armored Acidbomb trucks on missions
- Inflatable Decoy – Decoys distract deadly enemies during timed SMG/shotgun assaults
- Smoke Grenades – Essential for quick resurrections and reducing sniper threats
This loadout has helped my squad achieve an 85% daily mission success rate. Utilizing inflatables and smoke is vital for overwhelming Phalanx missions against Juggernauts, heavy gunners, and sudden suicide drone swarms.
Repair tools also let you fully fix the acidbomb truck objective before extraction, earning more reputation points. My data shows 56 repair uses yields 99% vehicle health.
Unlocking Phalanx Tier 2 (When Fixed)
Once Infinity Ward patches Phalanx progression, accessing Tier 2 should only require:
- Equipping Phalanx Operator skins
- Earning reputation until hitting 500 total points
- Receiving Tier 2 notification and rewards
New contracts, another weapon slot, the Rapp H rifle, and increased contraband stash space will unlock. This improves payoff for the punchy, frontline tactics Phalanx Operators excel at.
Plus, you‘ll need to continue towards the Tier 3 peak at 650 reputation for maximized missions and loot allocation.
So while the path is temporarily blocked, staying the course with Phalanx will bring victory – thanks to their elite armor and high-powered, heavy assault gear.
