At level 55 in Modern Warfare 4 you choose between Classic Prestige and Regular Prestige. Classic resets your unlocks for a 20% XP boost, a Permanent Unlock Token and bonus cosmetics. Regular sends you back to level 1 but keeps everything you've unlocked. You choose again at every Prestige.
It's the first Call of Duty to give you both, and the choice isn't permanent, so the question is really which one suits the next 55 levels. There are ten Prestiges, then Prestige Master runs all the way to level 1,000. Checked against Activision's Ready for Launch progression post.
Most of the Prestige rewards are shared by both paths. Classic adds bonus cosmetics and its own version of each Prestige's final reward, usually a "Prime" variant, as the payoff for starting over.
The Permanent Unlock Token keeps one level unlock available through every future Classic reset. Activision's own advice is to spend it on a Perk, Field Upgrade, Killstreak or piece of Equipment rather than a weapon.
The reason: any Weapon Blueprint you get from the Store or a Battle Pass permanently unlocks that weapon's base version too. Guns come back other ways. A late perk like Kill Chain or a top Killstreak doesn't.
Every Prestige pays a reward every ten levels, themed on a different Infinity Ward game. Prestige 1 goes back to Call of Duty (2003): the Sandstorm Operator skin instantly, then a loading screen, emblem, charm and decal from 10 to 40, and a Mosin-Nagant blueprint at 50.
Finish Prestige 10 and your level keeps climbing past 55 instead of resetting. Rewards land every five to ten levels up to 99, then every 25 levels to 1,000.
Player Prestige is the one covered here. Weapon Prestige is separate: max a gun, reset it to level 1, and chase the Pyroclast camos. DMZ Operator Prestige is separate again, trading gear and DMZ Cash for permanent Traits on one Operator.
Can I switch from Classic to Regular?
Yes, at the start of each new Prestige. You pick a track every time you enter the next Prestige level, so one Classic run doesn't commit you.
Do I lose my camos when I Prestige?
No. Activision lists level unlocks and Create-a-Class as what Classic resets, and camos come from weapon levels and challenges. Only Weapon Prestige resets a gun's level.
Does DMZ XP count toward Prestige?
Yes. DMZ XP feeds the 1 to 55 Player Progression, and every Prestige runs on that same track. It never works the other way: multiplayer XP doesn't raise your DMZ level.
