Let’s get you some key cards to the mysterious new building on the 21st

by Arthur · December 19, 2022

All you have to do is follow the damn train…and, you know, don’t get shot.

For a game that is technically still in beta, Duty calls‘s DMZ must have been a fun experience. The DMZ’s latest twist involves a new playable area that can be selected when you load into the DMZ – but you’ll need a keycard to enter. You can find key cards for this new area throughout Al Mazrah. So, do you want one? Don’t worry: this guide will cover some common ways to find Building 21 keys, as well as how to stay alive long enough to escape with one.

DMZ is a PvPvE extraction based game mode that is new to Warzone 2.0. Here, several teams of three are deployed Codits battle royale map, Al Mazrah, competes for lootable resources, fights in intense firefights with incredibly difficult (sometimes unfair) bots, and other players who may or may not be friends. Go in, do what you want, survive, ex-file, rinse and repeat. Until now, Al Mazrah has been the only map available in the DMZ. That kind of started to change with Season 01 Reloaded, which introduced a new (and apparently harder) area. Many players have already found key cards for the new location. You can also.

A screenshot shows the office-like interior of Call of Duty's new DMZ location: Building 21. — A screenshot shows the office-like interior of Call of Duty’s new DMZ location: Building 21.

No, it is not Control. See the new and mysterious DMZ location: Building 21.

Where to look for Building 21 Keycards

Like other equipment in the DMZ, Building 21 key cards are randomly distributed. But you can prioritize certain locations to increase your chances of finding one.

For now, much of what follows is based on hearsay and documented examples on the internet. r/DMZ is a great place to keep track of discoveries in this mode (and will likely be one of the first places players will start reporting the discovery of an entry point to Building 21). As a note: You can only store 20 keycards in your stash at any one time. So if you have other keys saved for random locations, you may need to use those before aiming to find a Building 21 keycard. There appear to be three types of Building 21 key cards, “Blue Access Card”, “Red Access Card” and one called “DRC Building 21 Access.” These seem to come in “used” and “worn” varieties, although the meaning of that is not known right now. Based on how other keys work in the DMZ, it’s safe to assume that this indicates how many uses you get out of a key.

Players also discover notes with ultra-cryptic hints about Building 21’s location. No one has been able to make heads or tails of these yet.

Red and orange thief caches, while rare, seem to be a good source of keycards. However, the chance that one contains a key card is entirely up to the RNG. You can usually find these caches in fortresses, fortresses, and on the train that moves around the map. These are dangerous places, so be careful. If you’re lucky and find one on the first try and without much of a firefight, it’s time to get Dodge to stash that key in your inventory.

Random supply drops may also contain key cards. These spawn randomly (you’ll hear an announcement that a supply drop is coming—as will any other player you’re competing against). But you can also trigger one by capturing a SAM site.

Speaking of which, if you have the faction quest asking you to capture a SAM site and loot a supply cache that it shoots down, you can possibly kill two birds with one stone here. The DMZ is often about finding opportunities to take out several targets at the same time.

Supply caches shot down by SAM launchers may contain Building 21 keycards.. Unlike loot caches and other supply drops, capturing a SAM site and having a supply cache drop from a plane is a bit more bureaucratic. That’s not a bad agenda to set when loading into the DMZ.

The commander’s helicopter appears to have a Building 21 key card. As all DMZ players know, a very deadly and aggressive helicopter will spawn at random times and places, loudly announcing that you must leave the area and that it will fire on anyone it detects (god help you if it does). If it’s in range of a captured SAM launcher, or if you have the right equipment, you can take it down and loot the remains. The RAPP H is a great LMG for this – and you can load it up with anti-tank ammo if you have it on hand (you can select it as part of the Field Upgrade when you load). Bots also often carry around rocket-propelled grenades, especially robots that patrol small villages.

DMZ: How To Stay Alive While Hunting Building 21 Keycards

The DMZ is unpredictable. Setting out with a specific agenda in mind is smart, but you never know what the random combination of loot, bots, and players will bring. Here are some general tips if you’re going out looking for key cards for Building 21.

When loading into the DMZ, choose whichever weapons you’re comfortable with, but make sure you or your team have a combination of the following:

Tactical Equipment: Spotter Scope or heartbeat sensor

Lethal Equipment: Proximity Mine or Claymore

Field upgrade: Recon Drone, Ammunition Box, Portable Radar or Anti-Armor Ammunition Box (if you plan to take down the commander’s helicopter)

read more: Warzone 2.0‘s DMZ: Everything you need to know about the game’s best new mode

My personal loadout always has a Spotter Scope, Recon Drone and Claymore, but any combination of the above will work for you. And if you go in with two friends, you can pretty much cover all those bases or have some room to experiment.

Because the DMZ is so deadly, you need to prioritize your ability to get to the extraction point if you want to get out with a Building 21 keycard. Toward that end, here are some dos and don’ts:

Do: Approach all locations with absolute caution. This is where Spotter Scopes and Heartbeat sensors come in handy: Keep your distance from any location that might be remotely occupied, and use the Spotter Scope to check an area for resistance. You should never, ever, enter any given area blind in the DMZ.

Do: Get out of there the second you find a key card. Sure, that intel contract looks very tempting. Or maybe you’ve found a safe to crack. Forget it. A Building 21 key card is what you’re here for, and once you get it, your priority becomes extracting it safely. Getting out of the DMZ is a mission unto itself. Bots can patrol the area. Exfil campers (re: other players) may be heading to the area. Walk with caution. Send a person in to call in the helicopter; Retreat to safety and run to board the second it’s within climbing distance. Never let your guard down until you are safely in the air.

Do: Search every medical kit you see. Since the last update, the DMZ has more Self-Revive Kits and Revive Guns. You can find these in a number of places, but they are most often in the square medicine boxes you find mounted on various walls. Having a self-revival kit can mean the difference between getting out with a key card and losing all your stuff.

Do: Get an armored vehicle if you can. Sometimes you have to race across the map to hit an extraction point (the 25 minutes the DMZ gives you to complete all your tasks will be gone before you know it). Armored vehicles aren’t invincible and you can take damage from the inside, but they fare much better than the game’s other rides.

Don’t: Take on contracts, hack UAV towers, or try to complete objectives other than searching for keycards. You are here to find a Building 21 key card. That means you have two goals: find a card and exfiltrate. While a completed contract is required to get an exfil dash and a benefit, it may not be worth the risk if you’re just chasing a keycard.

Don’t: Shoot anyone (players or bots) unless you are being shot at. Ammo and armor can run out quickly if you’re not careful, and firefights with all opponents in the DMZ can turn into a resonant cascading shitshow of non-stop combat that will end in your death and the loss of all the loot you’ve collected.

Don’t: Stay on the train for a very long time. Yes, that train has great loot (possibly even key cards), but you’ve borrowed time every second you spend on board. It’s a giant beacon for other players to find great gear, and bots will open fire on it with wall-piercing rounds the second they suspect you’re around.

No one is quite sure what awaits in Building 21, but having a mystery like this to chase in a remarkably unpredictable mode like the DMZ is pretty exciting. Good luck scoring these key cards.