How to complete the Data Collection mission in DMZ

You don't need to safely remove the hard drive for this one.

Image via Activision

Faction missions are key in DMZ if you want to unlock more insured weapon slots, or if you’re just looking for objectives to fill your runs. The Data Collection mission is one of the tier two faction missions for the Legion, and one players will have to complete if they want to continue their path with the faction.

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The Data Collection mission requires players to loot computers in Al Mazrah and come back with thumb drives and hard drives, but knowing where to look is essential (and a little bit of luck doesn’t really hurt, either). Here’s how you can finish the Data Collection mission.

How to complete the Data Collection mission in DMZ

The Data Collection mission is fairly simple in theory, though completing it may take you a few runs of DMZ. This faction mission requires you to loot a computer and extract with four thumb drives and four hard drives. This means you have to actually leave Al Mazrah with these items in your backpack, but the bright side is you don’t need to loot them all in one go. If you don’t have all the required items but the radiation is closing in or you’re in a dangerous spot, head to the escape helicopter with your goods and live to complete this mission in another sortie.

Finishing the Data Collection faction mission requires some direction and a good deal of luck. You need to know where to find the computers, then hope you can loot what you need from them.

Where to find computers in DMZ

In Al Mazrah, items are spread out similarly to the real world, so you can find computers in most places where you’d expect to find one if Al Mazrah was a real location. Some buildings and houses can contain computers, but you’re better off looking for high-scale infrastructure. Your best location is around Al-Mazrah City, which has several buildings and constructions that can have computers in them. The Police Station, U.S. Embassy, Post Office, and other landmarks in the city are prime spots for this mission. Office buildings in general can also contain computers, and the districts in Al Mazrah have plenty of those as well. Computers can also spawn in other locations, though, so if you’re away from Al Mazrah, keep your eyes peeled for them.

Spawning in Al-Mazrah City makes it easier for you to complete the Data Collection mission, so if you do spawn there, check the nearby buildings to rack up those thumb drives and hard drives, and possibly even find a weapon if you need one.

How to extract thumb drives and hard drives in DMZ

Though you may have found a treasure trove of computers in Al-Mazrah City by now, not all computers will carry the items you need. Some computers can just have electrical components, while thumb drives are relatively simple to acquire and hard drives are on the more rare side. Still, after looting enough computers, you should have a good number of them in your backpack.

To finish this mission, you’ll need to leave the DMZ with four thumb drives and four hard drives. You don’t have to finish this mission in a single incursion, however. Depending on the flow of a match and your situation, you may want to make a quick getaway to salvage what you already have, or you may want to push further until you have what you need. The key part here is successfully extracting with those items on your backpack.

Author
Image of Pedro Peres
Pedro Peres
Pedro is Dot Esports' Lead Destiny Writer. He's been a freelance writer since 2019, and legend has it you can summon him by pinging an R-301, uttering the word "Persona," or inviting him to run a raid in Destiny 2 (though he probably has worse RNG luck than the D2 team combined). Find his ramblings on his Twitter @ggpedroperes (whenever that becomes available again).