DayZis an open-world post-apocalyptic survival game renowned for its hardcore difficulty, with deadly threats emerging from the environment as well as other survivors. Thededication to realisminDayZ’sgameplay can be intimidating as players must learn to manage their health, caloric intake, and navigation while avoiding hostile zombies, wildlife, and enemies.
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Without the hand holding of traditional games, new players will need all the help they can get. Every choice can mean the difference between surviving or dying in the game’s harsh world, and the permadeath system raises the stakes even higher. However, when armed with the correct information, beginners can swiftly transform into adept survivors and learn to thrive in this brutal yet rewarding game.
10Loot Selectively
Given the scarcity of resources inDayZ, new players can be tempted to collect every item they see. This mindset results in a cluttered inventory of non-essential things, and in a game where every moment counts, quick access to vital items is paramount. For a more organized approach, players should loot with specific goals in mind, such as base-building or PVP.
Hoarding loot may also foster the idea that bigger is betterregarding backpack selection, which is not always true. Oversized bags are more visible to enemies, and their extra weight can significantly impact stamina and vaulting ability.
9Stay Hydrated, But Choose Your Water Wisely
DayZdemands that players stay hydrated, yet they should think twice before drinking from whatever water supply they come upon. The public water pumpsfound in cities and townsare the only reliable source of clean water, as all others risk infecting players with cholera if not adequately prepared beforehand.
Players should empty any water found in looted containers or purify the unclean water with chlorine tablets to avoid consuming harmful pathogens. Likewise, players should either boil or chemically disinfect water collected from a stream or other natural source to make it safe to drink.
8Improvised And Hygienic Healing
To avoid bleeding out, players must treat any injuries they receive as soon as possible. Fortunately, due to the scarcity ofessential medical resources, other items can be used in place of rare bandages. Rags, sewing kits and bandannas can all be used as improvised bandages.
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However, to avoid infected wounds, which are deadly unless treated, players must ensure they disinfect these resources before using them to address their injuries. To sterilize these items, alcoholic tinctures, iodine tinctures, and disinfectant sprays can be used.
7Confirm Your Kills
Without a killfeed to confirm kills, new players should remember that a player falling to the ground inDayZdoes not necessarily indicate their death. Players can be knocked unconscious after suffering a lot of damage, which can surprise novice players, as their opponent may appear dead when they are merely momentarily downed and will regain consciousness quickly.
Given this, players should be patient and ensure they have landed the kill shot before lowering their guard and looting their enemy. Unconscious survivors always lie in a specific position and have visible breath, which gamers can learn to recognize.
6Combat Is Not The Only Option
In general, players should crouch and be stealthy to avoid drawing the attention of an army of infected; nevertheless, even the most cautious players will inevitably alert zombies. In this case, even when armed withthe strongest weaponry, retreating to safety is a more realistic and viable strategy than confronting a horde head-on.
Once inside a building, a common tactic to avoid getting swarmed is to lure the zombies in, exit from another door, and lock them inside. Similarly, since infected cannot scale high points, elevated areas such as vehicles, shipping containers and roofs are ideal for players to climb on when overrun. From a safe distance, players can then tackle the zombies with asubstantial melee weapon, stepping back after each attack to ensure they don’t fall off.
5Stay Warm To Stay Healthy
One of the quickest paths to sickness inDayZis prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, usually by remaining in wet clothing. To combat the cold, players should seek shelter during rainy weather and dry their wet items by placing them near a fire. Players can wring out their clothes to speed up the drying process, transforming them from a Drenched, Soaked, or Wet state to a Damp condition.
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Players should also prioritize wearing well-insulated gear and finding heat packs, which can be crucial to maintaining a safe body temperature. By keeping good vitals and taking vitamins, survivors can also develop a more robust immune system, decreasing their chances of catching the common cold or flu.
4Use iZurvive To Navigate Effectively
A large part of the difficulty inDayZcomes from its realistic approach to navigation. Unlike in most games, players do not spawn with the ability to access a built-in map revealing their location and facilitating the creation of waypoints. Instead, players must rely on environmental cues such as roadsigns, landmarks, and even constellations to identify their position and traverse the map.
One external navigation tool, iZurvive, is a tremendous help, especially to new players. Available on browsers and as an app, iZurvive is an interactive map that allows gamers to identify their position, join groups, place markers, and access loot maps.
3Stay Stealthy
For players who may not be experienced withDayZgunplay, stealthiness can be the secret weapon for survival. When travelling, survivors should wear darker colors and embrace the cover of the treeline while avoiding hillsides, roads and trails, which make them easy targets.
Although light sources may be comforting, players should only use them as absolutely necessary, as these make players extremely vulnerable to detection. For situations requiring audio stealth, players can make improvised footwraps out of rags, which are far quieter than regular footwear. Additionally, animprovised bottle suppressorcan also be created using a plastic bottle and duct tape, allowing for quieter gunshots when hunting or sniping.
2The Power Of Cooking
Cooking in DayZ isn’t justan immersive mechanicbut a strategic choice that will drastically impact players' chances of survival. Different methods of preparing fresh food will result in varying food conditions: Raw, Boiled, Baked and Dried, and not all are equal.
Generally, cooking fresh food (including fruit and vegetables) significantly increases its caloric value and will extend its lifespan until it spoils. Players should, therefore, try to cook all their fresh food to get the most nutritional benefits.
If they are not wearing gloves, players should always wash their hands after butchering an animal, as eating or drinking with bloody hands can cause them to get sick. Fortunately, if a player can’t wash their hands, another survivor can feed them.
1The Condition Of Weapons Matter
InDayZ,items have varying condition stages, ranging from Pristine, Worn, Damaged, and Badly Damaged. Each step brings the object closer to the Ruined state, where it becomes useless. The condition of any item significantly impacts its functionality. For weapons, gun attachments, and ammunition, the state affects the firing rate, the likelihood of jamming, and accuracy, which means that the maintenance of a weapon can be the difference between survival and defeat in a moment of combat.
Players should therefore practice good preservation of their gear. Various items such as gun cleaning kits, sewing kits, duct tape, epoxy putty, and sharpening stones are invaluable to restoring items, including firearms, helmets, armor, and tools.
DayZis currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
