While there are many terrible things that can happen to you in DayZ, getting handcuffed by a Bandit is high on the list. If you find yourself in this position, chances are you’re not too far away from starting a fresh game. However, if a friend slaps cuffs on you, carelessly forgetting to bring a key, there is something you can do to break free from your restraints.
Use a Hacksaw
Assuming you either escaped from your captors, or your now apologetic buddy attempts to right this terrible wrong, you’ll need to locate a Hacksaw. These can be uncommonly found at industrial, residential and military loot spawns, as well as inside grocery stores. Of course, the chance of traveling any significant distance and finding a Hacksaw are slim to none, so unless you have one handy, you might want to move on to the next option.
Check out a video of FRANKIEonPCin1080p sneaking up on a Bandit and detaining him. Please note, this is not an acceptable way to break free from Handcuffs in DayZ. Many players consider this cheating.
Break Your Restraints
This is what we like to refer to as the elbow grease method. Handcuffed players can struggle to break their restraints by pressing the A and D keys on their keyboards. If the Handcuffs are in a Badly Damaged state, you should be able to quickly escape. If the cuffs are pristine, however, you may struggle for quite some time. Still, with no key or Hacksaw, this is your only option.
Have a look at this video, showing how someone can break free from Badly Damaged Handcuffs.
Of course, when you’re in handcuffs, the person who did this is usually around taunting you unmercifully. In this case, any attempt to escape may end in your death. As far as we can tell, the best course of action is never… ever… get handcuffed in DayZ.
