COD MW4 Outpost Locations: Every Stranded Outpost & Yellow Crate Guide

The Stranded mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 hides 26 yellow supply crates across one of the biggest open maps the series has ever shipped — and a huge chunk of them sit inside enemy outposts. If you're hunting the COD MW4 outpost locations, you're in the right place, because clearing these strongholds is the fastest route to upgraded weapons, armor plates, and Base Camp supplies. Knowing the COD MW4 outpost locations also keeps you from wandering a snowstorm-covered map for hours, so this guide breaks down every outpost, every crate coordinate, and the keypad codes you'll need along the way.

Why Outposts Matter in the Stranded Mission

Outposts are the backbone of the Stranded collectible grind. There are 11 outposts on the map, and according to player experience, every single one contains a yellow supply crate inside its main command or control building. That means roughly 40% of the 26 total crates are tied directly to clearing strongholds.

Clearing an outpost does more than hand you loot. It also:

• Removes enemy reinforcements that can swarm you mid-loot
• Unlocks fast travel points for quicker routing
• Spawns notes and intel tied to the 50-note achievement
• Gives you salvage and supplies needed for the Scavenger trophy

Community reports consistently note that outpost crates follow the same pattern: kill every enemy, then search the central building. Once you internalize that rhythm, the map becomes a checklist instead of a maze.

Full COD MW4 Outpost Locations and Crate Coordinates

The table below maps out the major outposts and their associated yellow crate coordinates. Coordinates come from community-sourced guides and may shift slightly depending on your platform version, so treat them as close markers rather than pixel-perfect pins.

If you're cross-referencing with a visual walkthrough, the IGN Stranded crate guide is a solid companion resource for screenshots of each building.

Mobile Crates: Train and Convoy Truck

Two of the 26 crates don't live at fixed coordinates at all. One rides the train that circles the map, and the other sits in the bed of an enemy convoy truck that loops around the Base Camp mountain. The train crate is easiest to grab at Logistics Station #10 in the southwest, since that's an enemy train depot. For the truck, community players recommend starting a fight at Infantry Checkpoint #3 to bait reinforcements, then checking the truck bed after you take it down.

Keypad Container Codes You'll Need

Several crates are locked inside shipping containers protected by keypads. Each container has a note nearby that hints at the code through a number pattern. Here's the cheat sheet:

A useful expert tip from community guides: opening any yellow crate inside a shipping container grants intel that marks other locked containers on your map. So if you're lost, crack one container open and let the game point you toward the next.

How the Number Puzzles Work

Each keypad note lists the previously used codes, and you have to spot the pattern. For example, the Small Island container shows 3456, 4567, and 5678 — the digits scroll left, so the answer is 6789. The Big Sign container shows 1000, 1200, and 1230, meaning you simply add a 4 to the last slot for 1234. Once you recognize the logic, these puzzles take seconds.

Route Planning: The Fastest Way to Sweep the Map

Trying to grab all 26 crates in one blind run is a recipe for burnout. Player experience suggests breaking the map into zones and using fast travel between main objectives.

Here's a practical route order:

1. Base Camp perimeter — grab the radio tower crate (644, 158) and the 0024 container before leaving.
2. Jamming Station (northeast) — collect the comms tower crate and the 8609 container.
3. Northern river — hit the Small Island container and the hidden bunker at 616, 168.
4. Western outposts — sweep Infantry Checkpoints #2, #3, and #5 in one loop.
5. Southern villages and sewers — finish with the Water Treatment sewer puzzle at 639, 165.
6. Train and truck — save the two mobile crates for last, since they patrol on timers.

Don't Skip the Sewer Puzzle

The Water Treatment building southwest of Base Camp hides one of the trickiest crates in the mission. You'll drop into a sewer, follow arrow patterns painted on the walls, and navigate two prone-crawl puzzle sections. Community reports warn that wrong turns trigger traps, but there's a checkpoint between the two sequences. The first pattern is up, right, up, up, left, left; the second is up, right, up, left, up, left, left, down. Get both right and you'll emerge with supplies, a note, and a crate.

Yellow Crate Rewards: What You Get and When

Crate rewards aren't tied to specific locations — they unlock based on how many crates you've opened total. That means the order you collect them doesn't matter, only the count.

If you already own an item when its crate tier unlocks, the game swaps in armor plates and extra Base Camp supplies instead. That's actually helpful for the Scavenger achievement, which requires repairing everything at Base Camp.

Tips for Clearing Outposts Efficiently

A few habits separate a smooth sweep from a frustrating one:

• Bring a drone or explosives for crates wedged behind boxes, like the Artillery Battery #6 container.
• Watch for tripwires in the hilltop store near 605, 115 — toss a grenade inside before entering.
• Use the tracking device from your backpack to home in on the moving truck crate; the red signal number grows as you get closer.
• Grab every note you pass — 58 exist on the map but the achievement only needs 50, giving you a small buffer.
• Fast travel between objectives to cut down on snowstorm walking time.

For broader context on how Modern Warfare 4 structures its open missions, the official Call of Duty site is worth a look.

FAQ

How many outposts are in the COD MW4 Stranded mission? There are 11 outposts on the map, and each one contains a yellow supply crate in its main command building. Clearing them all accounts for a large share of the 26 total crates.

Do I need to find every COD MW4 outpost location for the achievements? Not strictly. The collectible achievements require 50 notes and all 26 crates, but you can skip a few outposts if you grab crates elsewhere. That said, outposts are the most reliable crate source, so clearing them saves time.

What's the hardest COD MW4 outpost location to loot? Community players often point to the sewer puzzle near the Water Treatment plant and the tripwire-filled hilltop store as the two toughest crates, since both require puzzle-solving or careful explosive use.

Can I get the moving crates after clearing the map? Yes. The train and convoy truck crates patrol fixed routes regardless of outpost status, so you can chase them down at any point using your tracking device.

Whether you're chasing the full collectible set or just want better gear for the final bunker push, mapping out the COD MW4 outpost locations first will save you hours. Clear the strongholds, crack the keypads, and let the crate counter do the rest.