Dayz General Vanilla Guide

DayZ: Beginner Tips To Get Started

DayZ is one of the most in-depth, community-driven survival games out there. Equipped with nothing more than a glowstick, a piece of fruit, a bandage, and the clothes on your back, you'll need to scavenge, evade, and survive. Your enemies are the zombies you'll face in the wilds, as well as the bandits, raiders, and cannibals of other players.

You can kickstart your journey early on if you find a bit of food and water, and maybe even a working firearm. However, you'll need more if you'd like to survive the world of DayZ. These tips and tricks should help newbies survive their adventures in Chernarus, but be mindful that this is a kill-or-be-killed world, after all.

Most important tip

You learn this tip over time and it makes as much sense in something simple as Dayz as it does in our lives.

Never trust anyone

This is the ultimate survival game, so having someone nearby is a worthwhile endeavor. Really, the only tip you need to know when it comes to making friends in-game is: don’t. Sure, partnering with a buddy from outside the game is useful. But if you decide to solo DayZ, then attempt to form a quasi-coalition with another player or two in-game, you're likely to have a bad time.

It turns out that the player community is pretty hectic at times. There is no reason not to kill an opposing player the moment you see them. Without a karma system or any penalties for killing on sight, players are left with an environment that rewards bandits and hunters. The thrill of the kill and the potential for loot – even just for a can of peaches – is omnipresent. You're better off going at it alone.

Summarizing and concluding whenever you come across another player, kill him, there's nothing more than this to say because the first opportunity he has will do the same...

Beginner Tips

1. Know Where To Get Food In A Pinch


The start of DayZ can be particularly difficult, purely because of the lack of food on offer. You'll be given a measly pear, apple, or plum when you spawn in, but your hunger and thirst gauges will also be in the yellow and declining fast. As such, your first half an hour will likely be rough.

Knowing where to get food in a pinch is key to navigating both this and the mid-game. Your best bet here is to either take down zombies, in the hope they drop spreads and canned meat, or to forage for more fruit. For the latter, open country lanes are worth checking out — they'll often have rows of fruit trees lining the sides. Orchards, however, are often barren.

2. Always Carry Chlorine Tablets


Likewise, you're going to need water. Unless you're well-hopping, which can be a risky endeavor if other players are in the vicinity, it's best to have a container — a bottle, a canteen, or even a cooking pot — on hand. Dehydration can affect blood regeneration, so you really, really need to be vigilant with water.

By having Chlorine Tablets on hand, you'll ensure a water supply almost anywhere on the map. You'll be able to draw from rivers, streams, and ponds without running the risk of Cholera, which can really derail your session. Drop a tablet into the container, and you're golden.

3. Remember To Disinfect


Following the theme of nasty side effects of lack of care, you'll also want to make sure you disinfect healing items before you use them. There's nothing worse than having a zombie cut you, then seeing your session end because you used filthy rags to wrap up the wound and got sick.

You can create bandages from clothing by tearing it up into Rags, but anything less than Pristine will need to be cleansed using Iodine Tincture, Alcoholic Tincture, or Disinfectant Spray. Damaged bandages should be disinfected too, just in case, and you can disinfect a Sewing Kit or Leather Sewing Kit before stitching yourself up.

4. Manage Your Clothing And Insulation


The nights are long and full of terrors. From wolves and bears to imperceptible zombies and players, pretty much any bump in the night is something to watch out for. What you don't want on top of all that is to get the flu and spend half the next day coughing and sneezing.

Having the right clothing means you largely don't have to worry too much about the cold. Hunter garments naturally offer the best insulation, and gloves, ski masks, and hats all help. Make sure to keep them in good repair, too — even items with the best insulation will be ineffective if badly damaged.

5. Don't Hoard Everything, Create A Stash


There's so much loot available on Chernarus that you'll be sorely tempted to keep it all. Plenty of us have looked at those spare magazines or tools and said "I might need that later." However, this isn't the way to go.

Traveling light is better because you'll have more stamina, and consume less food and drink to keep you sustained. If you insist on collecting things, find a very secluded place and create a stash from Wooden Crates or Improvised Shelters. Bases are cool, but they just invite players to raid them. Take advantage of low-population areas, or even bury your loot somewhere only you know.

6. Learn Loot Locations


If you're playing DayZ correctly, you'll spend much of your time looting the game world. Only a small amount of your session will be spent actually fighting anyone. The game isn’t all PvP, but to prepare for a fight when it comes up though, you will need better-tier gear.

So, learning loot locations should be a priority. First off, the Piano House, which has three doors and a piano on the first floor, usually has ammunition, guns, food, and clothing that spawn at random. Police stations and military convoys can hold some even better offensive gear. You may not get lucky every time, but chances are high you'll find something useful each time you visit a new spot. Be mindful of other players staking out these locations, looking to ambush beginners like yourself.

7. Items You Need


Of course, a game based around loot will have gear that is almost required of the player. First off, an improvised stone knife is always useful. Secondly, bandages and rags will save your life if you get into a scrap. Finally, a sawed-off IZH-43 shotgun can work wonders.

Why the shotgun? Well, besides fending off the occasional zombie and ambushing other players in close quarters, the sawed-off shotgun is useful if you have been ambushed. Most bandits will demand that you drop your weapons and gear immediately. They may not check your backpack, though, which will fit a sawed-off shotgun if it’s the right size. You can then pull it out quickly and blast away. To utilize this trick, you will first need the shotgun itself, then a hacksaw to saw off the barrel. Finding both can be a bit troublesome.

8. Carry Morphine


It’s relatively easy for a new player to pass over morphine injections after stumbling upon one in a hospital or clinic. If you spend enough time looting Chernarus, you'll break a leg eventually. You'll have restricted movement, and be prone to severe shock damage. You'll need to use a wooden splint to repair the fractured limb, but a morphine injection will keep you conscious. The item takes up just a single slot in the inventory, making it even more useful and conservative.

Sure, you could spend the morphine injection on a broken arm, but it's highly recommended that you save it for your legs. You can still escape from a fight with a broken arm, but not a broken leg.


9. Avoid The Roads


While all roads in this game lead to either a town or a city filled with loot, you will want to avoid using them at all costs. It’s nothing for a bandit to hide in the tree line and pick off unsuspecting players minding their own business. Alternatively, you may wind up in a ditch on the roadside, hands on your head, while bandits ruffle through your loot. A highway robbery is a very real possibility in DayZ, albeit one you can avoid if you're smart, careful, and quiet.

Furthermore, the roads in Chernarus were meant for vehicles, which were recently added back into the game. Cars generally indicate a well-armed player or a group who have survived the game world for an extended time.

10. Don’t Forego Reconnaissance


Before you approach any town, hamlet, or clearing in the game, you’ll want to stake out the area and perform a little reconnaissance. If you are lucky enough to have found a pair of binoculars or a rangefinder, recon is a little easier to accomplish. If not, you can simply find a nice bush or tree, wait a minute or two, and scope the entire area.

By scanning the tree lines, watching the top-floor windows, and noting the locations of any wandering dead before making a move, you can avoid a lot of chaos. For the most part, players grow tired of sitting in one spot for too long, but there is always the possibility of a lone sniper who has the patience of a snail. If you detect any movement, you should examine it for a moment, then survey the surrounding area. If you have a weapon and can get the drop on another player, you should do so from behind or the flank – never the front!

Beginner Tips

11. iZurvive (Or Other Map)


Learning the world map is the most challenging aspect of the game. Chernarus is so massive, with winding dirt roads and city streets, that navigating the entire expanse is nearly impossible for a new player.

If players have a second monitor, even better! If not, simply alt-tabbing to check out an interactive tool like iZurvive is a godsend. They typically feature an extensive map of the entire game world, including vehicle locations, helicopter crashes, fruit trees, and even road systems to help you navigate the woods. You'll need to examine a few road signs in-game, but once you know where you are, it's much easier to navigate.

12. Fishing


Fishing is a viable source of nutrition in Chernarus. If you can manage to fend for yourself near a lake, river, or ocean, you can survive into the late game with ease. This is a great option whether you're just starting off and find a fishing rod in a shipping container, or are making one for yourself.

To craft a fishing rod, you'll need to find the following materials: a knife, rope, a long wooden stick, and a fishing hook. Combining each item will craft a makeshift fishing pole. Secondly, a fishing trap can be fashioned out of a plastic bottle and a knife. This is an effortless way to catch fish passively. To cook a catch, players will need a fireplace and a knife to slice the fish. A frying pan or cooking pot will be useful here, but you can also just stick the fillet on the end of a sharpened stick.

13. Sickness


Bohemia decided the world of DayZ wasn’t quite challenging enough, so they added sickness to the game. The disease mechanic, which is rather simple, has various stages (itchy wounds, infected wounds, severely infected, and recovery). Each stage lasts for between ten and 40 minutes, depending on the severity of the injury and the particular stage a character is at. It’s important to eat and drink during each stage, as players will be more susceptible to starvation and dehydration while their wounds are infected.

Curing sickness, on the other hand, is quite simple and straightforward. Players can use either antibiotics or alcohol tinctures to clean the wounds. Upon applying the makeshift medicine, you'll immediately enter the recovery phase, indicated by a pill icon. From there, just wait it out.

Weapons Table.

Insulation Table

Food Info

Base Craft Info

Armor attachments

Elemental Crafting

Easy Craft

[JR Brand]

Well worded and solid survival tactics for mine. Especially the sawd/sawn off shotgun hidden carry (didn't know which pre-face suited, maybe both?) Cheers anyway.

[Mr Mighty Maz]

Also, the more weight the louder stick to 1 Firearm, and no bags, depending on the situation, and just eat and drink what you find.

[Mr Mighty Maz]

personally, IZuvived takes the fun out of exploring, and navigating. trusting nobody Ruins the fun of meeting new people and having fun adventures. :Food Tip, Kill a Chicken, Use the bones and Make a fishing rod, Make a Rope, Combine the Rope with a Long Stick, Combine the hook with a Worm, Fish, Cook Fish, and Enjoy.

[andCOMM]

8 planks + 16 nails = 1 wooden crate

[Myst Leissa]

because of color blindness I can't (easily) read the chart, how many nails/planks do I have to combine to make a wooden chest?

[Nada]

Thanks eggy

[Nada]

Will check that roland

[eggyracer66]

Thanks, Comrade, I wont forget this

[Sergeant Roland ®]

thanks for this...

also, it will be helpful if you could include a guide about the meaning of the icons of the HUD...

[Nada]

Thank you brother