Operation Fallen Ember is the last MW4 DMZ story mission. It sends you into the Haneul Nuclear Reactor to pull uranium fuel rods out of the reactor, clean them, secure a warhead and escape by boat while enemy helicopters chase you. It looks frightening from the lobby, but with the right gear it is one of the easier story missions, with a fun puzzle in the middle. This walkthrough covers every step, the fuel rod puzzle and the fights at the end. We finished it as a squad in the first days of DMZ.
- Fallen Ember takes place at the Haneul Nuclear Reactor, an Extreme threat mission full of radiation.
- Wear a hazmat suit. You find them on walls in the area and on dead bodies.
- The heart of the mission is a puzzle: match the grid code on the console to a fuel rod in the reactor pool, three times.
- Clean all three rods, then secure the warhead. Two bosses spawn there, a smoke enemy and then Colossus, who drops the boathouse key.
- Escape by boat with a teammate on the boat’s machine gun to fight off the helicopters.
- Rewards: a Reactor key, a Cargo Plane and $25,000.
Operation Fallen Ember at a Glance
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Location | Haneul Nuclear Reactor, Hajin |
| Threat | Extreme |
| Recommended equipment | 3-Plate Armor Vest, Medkit, Gas Mask, Radiation Blockers |
| Main objectives | Breach the Reactor, Secure the Rods, Extract Decontaminated Rods |
| Rewards | Reactor key, Cargo Plane, $25,000 |
The enemy is moving uranium rods, and your job is to break into the reactor and take the rods before they can use them. Ghost and Lieutenant Ko support you on the ground. Fallen Ember is the last mission on the story mission tree, above Operation Iron Citadel and Operation Grid Assault.
Click to enlarge Fallen Ember on the mission select screen. 
Before You Start: Get a Hazmat Suit
The whole mission takes place in heavy radiation, so a hazmat suit is what makes it doable. You find them hanging on walls around the reactor and on dead bodies you search. Try to get one for every player in the squad before you start on the objectives. Bring the recommended gas mask and radiation blockers as a backup.
Click to enlarge A hazmat suit on a wall hook at the reactor. 
Operation Fallen Ember Walkthrough
1. Reach the Reactor
Head through the tunnel in front of your spawn and follow the road to the reactor gate.
Click to enlarge The road to the reactor gate. 
2. Unlock Reactor 01
Work your way into the reactor building and find the control panel. Press the red button on it to lift the safety lockdown and unlock Reactor 01.
Click to enlarge Press the red button to unlock Reactor 01. 
3. Pull the Three Fuel Rods
This is the puzzle. The console in the Reactor 01 control room shows a letter and a number on a grid, for example B6. That code matches one of the fuel rods in the water of the reactor pool below. Go down to the pool, find the rod with that code and interact with it twice: once to open its container and once more to finish. Then head back up and confirm at the console.
The console then gives you the next code. Repeat the same steps for the second and third rod, three in total.
Click to enlarge The console grid tells you which rod to pull. 
Click to enlarge Open the matching fuel rod container in the pool. 
Click to enlarge The lettered and numbered rod grid seen from above. 
4. Decontaminate the Fuel Rods
Take the rods to the decontamination chamber in Reactor 02 and clean them one after another. Each one comes out as a clean depleted uranium rod. Enemies spawn in while you work, so keep someone on watch.
Click to enlarge The decontamination chamber in Reactor 02. 
Click to enlarge Each rod comes out clean. 
5. Secure the Warhead
Follow the marker out of the reactor building to the warhead. The moment you arrive, enemy reinforcements spawn in, and the mission turns into a boss fight. Get your armor plates topped up and your squad in cover before you walk up to the marker.
6. Take Down the Two Bosses
Two heavy enemies come at you, one after the other.
- The smoke enemy. First comes a tanky enemy who fills the area with smoke. He soaks up a lot of damage, and the smoke hides him.
- Colossus. Next is Colossus, the Commander with the minigun. He fires in bursts: a few seconds of shooting, then a few seconds of nothing. Stay in cover while he fires and only shoot back during the pause, or that minigun lights you up. Taking him down also counts for the Boss Board, where Commanders pay $50,000.
When Colossus goes down he drops the boathouse key. Pick it up, unlock the garage door at the boathouse and raise it.
Click to enlarge The reinforcements come in under a cloud of smoke. 
7. Rendezvous with the Chopper
Take the boat out of the boathouse and head for the chopper. Enemies fire RPGs at you from the shore and helicopters follow the boat. Put one teammate on the boat’s machine gun to shoot the helicopters down while another drives.
8. Escort the Chopper
Once you reach it, the chopper takes the warhead and flies off. Moments later a nuke goes off in the distance, and the mission is complete. Then make your way to exfil.
Click to enlarge Enemy helicopters chase the boat. 
Click to enlarge The nuke goes off as the mission ends. 
Where Squads Get Stuck
Do not let the lobby fool you. Fallen Ember is rated Extreme and reads like a scary mission, but it is quite easy once everyone wears a hazmat suit. Without one, the radiation is what ends your run.
The real fights are the two bosses at the warhead, covered in step 6. On the boat, the helicopter missiles never hit us, so keep moving and keep the gunner firing.
Rewards and Payout
Fallen Ember rewards a Reactor key, a Cargo Plane and $25,000. The Cargo Plane is the standout: it lets you parachute in on an exact spot of your choosing, an infil that otherwise costs 100,000 DMZ Cash. Finishing the mission is worth 12,500 XP, and the loot around the reactor is good too.
For the rest of the story, see our walkthroughs for Operation Critical Extraction, Operation Silent Ledger, Operation Shopping Hacks, Operation Iron Citadel and Operation Grid Assault. Our Hajin map guide shows where the Haneul Nuclear Reactor sits.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Operation Fallen Ember take place?
At the Haneul Nuclear Reactor. You work through Reactor 01 and Reactor 02, then leave by boat along the coast. The area is full of radiation, so everyone in the squad should wear a hazmat suit.
How does the fuel rod puzzle work in Fallen Ember?
The console in the Reactor 01 control room shows a grid code, such as B6. That code matches one of the rods in the reactor pool below. Go down, interact with that rod twice, then confirm at the console. Do this for three rods.
Is Operation Fallen Ember hard?
It looks scary from the lobby, but it plays quite easy once your whole squad wears hazmat suits. The tough moments are the reinforcement waves at the warhead, including Colossus with his minigun.
What are the Operation Fallen Ember rewards?
A Reactor key, a Cargo Plane and $25,000. The Cargo Plane lets you parachute in on an exact spot of your choosing, an infil that otherwise costs 100,000 DMZ Cash. Finishing the mission also paid 12,500 XP.
