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For campaign and Stranded locks, entering a known code is normally the faster option. The combinations are fixed, so you can travel straight to the lock and open it without searching for a key. A key or keycard route is usually slower because it adds exploration, looting, enemy encounters, traversal and (in DMZ-style play) extraction risk. No published guide provides a controlled stopwatch comparison, so “faster” is a practical inference from those mechanics rather than a measured statistic.
What the comparison actually covers
Modern Warfare 4 uses two different access systems that are easy to confuse. Campaign and Stranded missions use keypad locks with predetermined combinations. DMZ-style loot rooms use physical keys or keycards that must be found and carried. A campaign combination does not substitute for a DMZ key, and a DMZ key does not help with a campaign keypad.
Gaming Route lists 13 campaign code locks across four missions and reports that each combination is fixed for every player and platform. That makes a documented code a reusable route-planning tool: identify the lock, move directly to it, enter the digits and collect the contents. By contrast, a keycard run has an acquisition phase before the room can be opened.
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The speed conclusion has an important limit. The available guides list locations, codes and mechanics, but they do not report controlled completion times for code entry versus key or keycard acquisition. Your actual result depends on spawn position, difficulty, combat, movement skill, whether the code is already known and how safely you can leave the area.
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All Modern Warfare 4 campaign codes and locations
The table below consolidates the 13 locks. Keep every leading zero: 0024, 0008 and 0078 are four-digit combinations, not shortened three- or two-digit entries.
| Mission | Lock or area | Code | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Following Orders (mission 3) | Lockbox/toolbox | 214 |
The clue is in a kitchen cupboard. The toolbox contains Medicine and a note. |
| Assassins (mission 8) | Door 1 | 5523 |
One of three fixed door combinations in the mission. |
| Assassins (mission 8) | Door 2 | 7632 |
One of three fixed door combinations in the mission. |
| Assassins (mission 8) | Door 3 | 9103 |
One of three fixed door combinations in the mission. |
| Stranded (mission 10) | Base Camp container | 0024 |
Keypad-puzzle supply crate. |
| Stranded (mission 10) | Cliff Near Base Camp | 0600 |
Keypad-puzzle supply crate. |
| Stranded (mission 10) | Southeast Village | 0078 |
Keypad lock; enter both leading zeroes. |
| Stranded (mission 10) | Big Sign | 1234 |
Keypad-puzzle supply crate. |
| Stranded (mission 10) | Small Island | 6789 |
Keypad-puzzle supply crate. |
| Stranded (mission 10) | South of Jamming Station | 8609 |
Keypad lock in the consolidated location list. |
| Stranded (mission 10) | Farm Field Hidden Bunker | 0330 |
Hidden bunker; the initial zero is significant. |
| Stranded (mission 10) | Island Hidden Bunker | 0008 |
Hidden bunker; enter three zeroes before the 8. |
| Escape (mission 13) | Wall safe | 8410 |
Contains Gaz’s dog tags and contributes to the Never Forgotten unlock. |
Stranded therefore accounts for eight entries in the consolidated list: six keypad-puzzle supply crates and two hidden bunkers. The six-crate count comes from The Based Otaku’s guide; Gaming Route’s October 2026 list supplies the two bunker locations and the additional keypad locations.
Mission-by-mission code routes
Following Orders — mission 3
Following Orders is mission 3 of the campaign. The lock is a toolbox or lockbox. If you want to solve it in-game, inspect the kitchen cupboard for the clue, then use 214 at the toolbox. The toolbox rewards Medicine and a note.
For a cleanup run, reading the cupboard clue is optional: walk to the toolbox and enter 214. Read the note afterward if you are pursuing the Noteworthy collectible objective; skipping the clue does not prevent a known combination from opening the lock.
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Assassins — mission 8
Assassins contains three coded doors. Treat them as separate locks rather than assuming one combination opens all of them. Use the code associated with the door you are standing at:
- First door:
5523. - Second door:
7632. - Third door:
9103.
Write the three values down before starting a replay. That avoids backtracking to a clue or repeatedly testing combinations while enemies are active.
Stranded — mission 10
Stranded is the largest code-cleanup mission. The six supply-crate puzzles expose number sequences that resolve to four-digit combinations, while two additional entries are hidden bunkers. A direct-code run should visit the named areas in whatever order matches your current position rather than crossing the map solely to preserve a guide’s order.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe consolidated locations are Base Camp (0024), Cliff Near Base Camp (0600), Southeast Village (0078), Big Sign (1234), Small Island (6789), South of Jamming Station (8609), Farm Field Hidden Bunker (0330) and Island Hidden Bunker (0008).
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Escape — mission 13
Escape’s wall safe uses 8410. Its contents include Gaz’s dog tags, and collecting them contributes to the Never Forgotten unlock. If the safe is your only objective, go directly to the wall safe; if you are completing the related unlock, confirm that the dog tags were collected before leaving the mission.
How the Stranded keypad puzzles produce their codes
You do not need to solve the visual clues when the final combinations are known, but understanding the pattern helps when a guide entry does not match the lock you are facing. The Based Otaku identifies six keypad-puzzle supply crates and records these clue progressions:
| Crate area | Clue sequence | Resulting code |
|---|---|---|
| Base Camp | 0006, 0012, 0018 |
0024 |
| Cliff Near Base Camp | 9300, 6400, 3500 |
0600 |
| Big Sign | 1000, 1200, 1230 |
1234 |
| Small Island | 3456, 4567, 5678 |
6789 |
Those sequences show why the lock expects four digits even when the first values look like partial progressions. Enter the final four-digit result, not one of the intermediate clues. For Southeast Village, South of Jamming Station and the two bunkers, use the consolidated location-and-code entries directly.
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Entering a known code correctly
- Confirm the mission and area. Make sure you are in the campaign or Stranded mission named in the table. A code from one mission is not evidence that a nearby DMZ room uses the same combination.
- Approach the keypad, toolbox or safe. Interact with the lock until the numeric input screen appears. If there is no keypad prompt, you may be at a different container or at the wrong structure.
- Enter every digit in order. Preserve leading zeroes. Type
0024, not24; type0008, not8. - Submit and wait for the unlock animation. Do not move away immediately after the last digit. Let the game confirm the opening before collecting the contents.
- Check the reward and objective state. Pick up the item or note inside. For Following Orders, the note matters to Noteworthy; for Escape, Gaz’s dog tags matter to Never Forgotten.
Entering a documented combination is normally the quickest campaign or Stranded workflow because it removes the clue-search step. It does not eliminate travel, combat or navigation time, so a distant lock can still take longer than a nearby objective.
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Why a key or keycard route behaves differently
DMZ-style loot rooms are designed around access items. A key or keycard is itself loot: you must locate it, survive long enough to carry it to the target room and usually extract with the result. Better-loot rooms can justify that effort, but the route is not a fixed sequence comparable to typing a campaign code.
Sources of time variation
- Spawn position: The same room can be close to one spawn and far from another.
- Search luck: Key availability depends on where you loot and what the run provides.
- Enemy contact: AI or player encounters can force detours, fights, healing or a retreat.
- Traversal: Water, cliffs, blocked routes and vehicle availability change the travel leg.
- Extraction: A successful room opening is not the end if the key, reward or mission objective must leave the map.
- Patch state: DMZ key pools, room contents and routes may change after updates, so a route that was efficient in one build may not remain so.
Planning the shortest safe key route
- Identify the exact room and required key. Do not assume a similarly named key opens every room in the area.
- Start from your actual spawn. Plot a path that avoids unnecessary compounds and keeps an extraction option available.
- Loot opportunistically. Search containers along the route rather than making a separate map-wide detour unless the key’s location is known.
- Decide whether to disengage. A fight that costs armor, ammunition and time can erase the benefit of a supposedly short path.
- Open the room, take the objective and leave. Mark an extraction point before entering so the final leg is not improvised.
This is why no single “keycard time” can be quoted responsibly from the available evidence. The run is probabilistic, while a known campaign code is deterministic once you reach the lock.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which method should you choose?
| Your target | Best default | Reason | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign lock with a published code | Enter the code | Fixed combination; no key search or extraction loop. | Traveling to the wrong lock or mistyping a leading zero. |
| Stranded supply crate or bunker with a published code | Enter the code | Direct access to the named location; clue reading is optional for opening. | Crossing the island unnecessarily or confusing a crate with a bunker. |
| Stranded puzzle when the code is unknown | Follow the local clue sequence | The sequence leads to a four-digit result for the keypad. | Using an intermediate clue instead of the final result. |
| DMZ-style room that explicitly requires a key or keycard | Plan a loot-and-exfil route | The access item is part of the room’s rules; campaign codes do not apply. | Enemy contact, changing loot availability or failed extraction. |
The practical decision rule is simple: if the lock is in campaign or Stranded and its fixed code is documented, use the code. If the target is a DMZ room that requires a key, accept that acquisition and extraction are part of the task and optimize the safest route rather than searching for a campaign combination.
Troubleshooting failed unlocks
The keypad rejects a code
- Check the mission name and lock location against the table. Assassins has three different door codes.
- Re-enter all four digits, including zeroes at the beginning.
0600,0330and0078are not interchangeable shortened numbers. - Make sure you are at the intended container. A nearby safe, door or bunker may have a separate interaction prompt.
- Allow the input animation to finish before pressing another key or moving away.
The code worked but the reward is missing
Wait for the opening animation, then inspect the entire interior and floor around the container. Mission objectives can also require picking up a specific note or collectible rather than merely opening the lock. In Following Orders, the toolbox note is relevant to Noteworthy; in Escape, the dog tags are the item tied to Never Forgotten.
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A guide’s DMZ key route no longer works
Recheck the game build and current map state. DMZ key availability and routes can change with patches, and the available evidence does not establish a permanent timing or spawn guarantee. Treat older route times as historical guidance, not a promise for every run.
What is fixed, and what can change?
Gaming Route’s 2026 guide states that the 13 campaign combinations are the same for every player on every platform. CODMunity’s Following Orders guide was updated October 16, 2026, and identifies that mission as campaign mission 3. The Based Otaku’s Stranded puzzle guide was updated October 17, 2026; Gaming Route’s consolidated Stranded list is current to October 2026.
Modern Warfare 4 early access opened October 16, 2026, so labels and locations should be read in that release context. Campaign combinations are presented as fixed, but DMZ key pools, room contents and routes are specifically subject to patches. If a future update changes a lock, verify the mission and edition before assuming a previously documented value still applies.
Bottom line for a fast run
Use a known combination for every campaign or Stranded lock. The fixed values let you skip clue searches, key hunting and extraction planning; just travel to the correct location and preserve leading zeroes. Use a key or keycard only when the target is a DMZ-style room that requires one, and judge that route by its safest loot-and-exfil path rather than by campaign code logic. The available guides support this as the faster default, but they do not provide stopwatch measurements.
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