DayZ – 15 Tips that Will Save Your Life
There are a million ways to die in DayZ, and no matter how good you are, death will happen at some point. Whether it’s bandits, zombies or simply glitching through a railing and falling off a building, you can’t escape death in Chernarus.
However, there are things you can do to prolong the inevitable, and we created a list to make sure that when all the bullets have been fired, you’re still one of the few left standing.
Get Some Bandages
Let’s start small. When you spawn, you’ll have a flashlight, a battery, pants, shoes and a t-shirt. After throwing the flashlight and battery on the ground, drag your t-shirt into your inventory, right click on it and tear the shirt into rags. These rags will save your life if you start to bleed, and you most likely will if you can’t find a melee weapon to deal with all the zombies. Once your blood starts to flow, get to safety and then use the rags to bandage up.
Get a Melee Weapon
We’re going to do our best to make this list a progression that will mimic the learning curve DayZ puts you through, so your second task (aside from eating and drinking) should be to find a melee weapon. The Firefighter Axe, Splitting Axe, Pick Axe and Machete should be at the top of your list, but in a pinch, anything will do. Use these to quietly take out any zombies you come across, aiming for the head if you want a one hit kill.
Carry Some Morphine
If you spend enough time rummaging around Chernarus, you’ll eventually break your legs and get stuck in the prone position. While you could go with the Wooden Splint to repair your fractured limbs, the easier of the two options is the Morphine Auto-Injector. It will only take up one slot in your inventory and should have you back on the road in no time. While you can use it to fix broken arms as well, we advise saving it for the more debilitating broken legs.
Avoid Known PvP Zones
The best way to avoid getting killed by another player is to stay away from locations that other players go to kill each other. While we never condone killing on sight, you should expect to get shot if you show up in Berezino, or the Northwest and Northeast Airfields. While those areas are great places to find guns and ammunition, there’s a solid chance you aren’t going to survive to enjoy it. Try hitting up smaller towns away from the high-traffic areas.
Watch for Aggro Zombies
If a zombie spots you, it will pursue you as long as it can to try and attack. Therefore, you should always see it coming at you, not running away from you. If a zombie bolts in a direction that isn’t you or someone you know, consider that an almost 100 percent guarantee that another players is nearby. This is one of the best tips that elite players use to locate their enemies when they are in a player-versus-player situation.
Stay off the Roads
Roads are made for vehicles, so do yourself a favor and stay off of them. It’s basic common sense, but there are many players out there that sprint down roads that connect popular locations. Quite frankly, if you’re doing this (after you read our advice not to), you likely deserve to be shot by a bandit, which lucky for you will almost certainly happen. Get yourself a Compass and start taking the back woods when you need to travel around Chernarus.
Don’t Wear Bright Colors
Hunters wear orange so other hunters can see them. Construction workers wear reflective vests so motorists can spot them. You are not a construction worker, and although you may do some hunting, wearing bright colors is more likely to make you the prey. Wear clothing that easily blends with your surroundings, and even consider using a can of spray paint to camouflage your Mosin and Firefighter Axe. Bandits can’t shoot you if they can’t see you.
Stay Out of Sight
We’re about to blow your mind, but the best way to avoid being killed on sight is to remain out of sight. That’s right, if you want to survive, your best bet is to make sure that other players don’t know where you are. To do this, approach towns from forests and bushes, using backyards and fences for cover. Don’t sprint down the road (See: Stay Off the Roads) where a merry group of bandits can take pot shots at you.
Scope Out the Area
Continuing from our previous tip, take a few minutes to investigate an area before moving into it. Find a spot that gives you a good vantage point and study the lay of the land. Are the doors and gates open? This can tell you if the area has been or is being looted. Are there sedentary zombies? This would indicate there is nobody around to cause them to enter an aggro state. Spend a few moments to get a feel for the situation. It will save your life.
Stay Perfectly Still
Building on our previous tip, make sure to stand perfectly still when you’re trying to spot movement. This is by far the easiest way to peep anything out of the ordinary. It doesn’t hurt to hold down your right mouse button as well, allowing you to zoom in for a closer look. If you’re lucky enough to have them, think about using a pair of Binoculars, or look down the Long Range Scope on your Mosin to get a closer look.
Crank Up the Volume
There are a lot of sounds in DayZ, and being able to hear them is right at the top of the list of things that will keep you alive. Whether it’s footsteps outside, the sounds of two people chatting in game or even the reloading of a weapon, your ears are equally important as your eyes. If at all possible, get your hands on a top notch headset that will allow you to fully experience the sounds of death and destruction around Chernarus.
Travel Very Lightly
Besides killing you simply for the giggles, the most likely reason someone will murder you in DayZ is because you have something they want. It might be a hat, a backpack full of ammunition, or even that fancy looking Mosin that’s all decked out. If at all possible, travel lightly in order to minimize the risk of being shot out of jealousy. Most people are still going to shoot you, but gives you a fighting chance. If you don’t need it, leave it for someone else.
Sawed off Shotgun
This one is some advanced ninja level nonsense right here, and it comes courtesy of perhaps that most loved DayZ player out there, Mr. Blackout. Find yourself an IZH-43 (Shotgun) and a Hacksaw. Use the Hacksaw to saw the barrel off, leaving you with a Sawed-Off IZH-43 that will fit into your backpack, taking up four horizontal slots. If someone tells you to drop your primary weapon, you can do this and still use your Hot Bar to quickly whip out and blast them with the Sawed-Off.
Get on TeamSpeak
If you’re playing this game by yourself, don’t worry about getting on a TeamSpeak sever to chat. If you’re with friends, do everything in your power to find one. They are relatively cheap to rent, and they will save you from having to communicate in-game, something that is way up on the list of things that will get you killed. Just as we told you to listen out for in-game chatter, you want to avoid being that chatter. This is a solution that will let you laugh it up with your friends while not alerting the enemy.
Logout in a Tree
When your adventure is finally over, try to avoid logging out in high-traffic areas. Since your body remains in game for about 30 seconds after exiting the server, there is a chance someone could walk up and kill you. Head into a wooded area, then spend a solid minute making sure no zombies followed you before leaving the game.
Congratulations, you survived another adventure in Chernarus.
