How to get a 3-plate Comms Vest in DMZ

One man recon specialist.

A Shadow Company trooper in DMZ, wearing full black lightweight armor and a helmet, wielding a sniper rifle outside of a castle.
Image via Activision

Call of Duty’s DMZ has an assortment of goods for you to use to gear your operator. One such item is an armored vest, and the quality of these varies dramatically.

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The three-plate Comms Vest is one of the more desirable armor vests thanks to its ability to alert players to nearby enemy operators, ensuring you won’t be caught out when trying to complete your next faction mission. Here’s an explanation about the three-plate Comms Vest in DMZ, what it does, and how you can get your hands on it.

What does the three-plate Comms Vest do in DMZ?

A screenshot of the barter recipe for the Comms Plate Carrier in DMZ
Screenshot by Dot Esports

The three-plate Comms Vest is an upgraded armor carrier added in DMZ season three. This vest is tactically one of the best armor carriers in the game right now as it comes with several unique benefits.

All Comms Vest benefits and effects in DMZ

Here are all the effects granted by the three-plate Comms Vest in DMZ.

  • Three refillable plates of armor.
  • Increased duration of all UAV technology, including killstreaks, UAV towers, and enemy AI UAV radios.
  • All UAVs will function as Advanced UAVs, revealing precise enemy locations and the direction they are facing.
  • Provides an audio cue when enemies are detected nearby.

How to unlock the three-plate Comms Vest barter recipe in DMZ

A screenshot of the Bounty Board unlock screen in DMZ, with the window for the Comms Plate Carrier selected.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Before deploying and heading to the Buy Station to barter for a Comms Vest, you have to unlock its recipe first by defeating the Wheelson mini armored vehicle in DMZ.

To unlock this recipe, you can either defeat the Wheelson in Building 21 or the miniboss version that roams the Tsuki Castle on Ashika Island. You won’t need to hack the Wheelson to gain access to Tsuki Castle: simply destroying the vehicle will be enough.

Defeating either should unlock the Comms Vest in the barter menu of a Buy Station. For either Wheelson, you will likely need the work of explosives, armor-piercing rounds, or a rocket launcher to quickly and effectively destroy the boss.

Three-plate Comms Vest barter recipe in DMZ

Once you’ve unlocked the recipe, these are the items you need to find to trade the three-plate Comms Vest from the Barter System in DMZ.

  • One Soothing Hand Cream
  • Two Batteries
  • One Encrypted Hard Drive

Once you have all the items required for the recipe, head over to a Buy Station. Select the Barter System tab, and click on the three-plate Comms Vest to trade it for the collected items. Trading items through the Barter System doesn’t require cash, but you must find the specific items by looting around the map.

Where to find Soothing Hand Cream, Batteries, and Hard Drives in DMZ

  • You can find Soothing Hand Cream as ground loot on tables, shelves, inside cabinets, in loot caches, and in toolboxes.
  • Batteries are commonly found in garages, electrical shops, construction sites, and similar buildings.
  • As for Encrypted Hard Drives, you need to search computer CPUs at office buildings, police stations, and other buildings. It’s rarer than a standard Hard Drive, so look in high-traffic areas or points of interest first.
Tip:

While Encrypted Hard Drives can be found on any computer, it’s best to try police stations or banks first. With so many computers in such a small building, at least one of them likely holds the Encrypted Hard Drive!

The three-plate Comms Vest is ideal for solo runs as it allows you to recon enemies for longer. The footstep audio boost also helps you navigate through tricky areas with AI and Operators. Make sure to purchase UAV killstreaks if you find them at the buy stations since they perfectly pair up with the Comms Vest.

Author
Image of Dipanjan Dey
Dipanjan Dey
Dipanjan Dey started his gaming journey with Doom 2 and Contra: Legacy of War back in 1997. Naturally, he gravitated to RPGs and FPS titles like Call of Duty, Halo, and CS:GO. Dipanjan has been covering stories and writing about video games for the past five years. Dipanjan has been working as a Weekend Freelance Author for Dot Esports since August 2022, covering titles like Fortnite, Apex Legends, CoD, and new releases.
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Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.
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Nicholas Taifalos
Weekend editor for Dot Esports. Nick, better known as Taffy, began his esports career in commentary, switching to journalism with a focus on Oceanic esports, particularly Counter-Strike and Dota. Email: nicholas@dotesports.com