Fires & logs?

[Swither (DayZ) 4]

Ok not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I can no longer chop kindling to make splints or a firekit?  Oh and yes I am using a pristine splitting axe.

 

Also I cannot chop any logs to make a fire either?  I have chopped away on all sorts of tree and nothing.  I crouched and searched, but still nothing.

 

Any ideas as I am fed up dying of hypothermia?

[chickenmcfuggits 49]

Log out and back in or try a different server? It could possibly be desync or something.

 

Try some different bushes maybe? I just tried to fill a jerry can yesterday and it didn't work at one particular gas station but worked at another.

 

You can also run in circles to warm yourself up a little and there is a group of medical assistance players that will come to help you, there is a medical group both on here and on reddit I believe.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Chzy

[GaryWalnuts 1680]

I know this is stating the obvious but make sure you're using the F key to chop and not left-clicking to swing the axe

[Mookie (original) 799]

You don't need to chop anything to start a fire. Go into the woods (under conifers is best) and hit F to 'search for kindling'. After a few tries you will 'find something'.

 

Then just craft it with rags to make a fireplace. Then repeat the search for kindling and when you find another stick, put it into one of the fireplace slots as you would a log. (You may not even need to do this to start the fire - I can't remember) 

 

Ignite and you're good to go.

 

If you want to immediately put the fire out, just remove the kindling from the slot and the fire will die immediately.

 

No axe needed, and no wear to it necessary.

[Wagamama 2]

I also have tried for the last two days to light a fire. Can't seem to get kindling either. Chopping down a bush while 'cutting kindling' doesn't work and I was in a deep forest looking for sticks, and tried unsuccessfully to 'find kindling' over 20 times. I figured in a deep forest would be a better chance and 20 times? I did log in and out a couple of times as it was over 2 days trying, still can't. Buddy eventually died due to wet and hypothermia. Those all night servers with rain can be deadly....

[Swither (DayZ) 4]

Cheers, got the kindling & log by following your advice Mookie and GaryWalnuts, thanks.

 

Just hitting F did the trick.   I was using left mouse button when it said to chop for kindling/logs.

[Mookie (original) 799]

I also have tried for the last two days to light a fire. Can't seem to get kindling either. Chopping down a bush while 'cutting kindling' doesn't work and I was in a deep forest looking for sticks, and tried unsuccessfully to 'find kindling' over 20 times. I figured in a deep forest would be a better chance and 20 times? I did log in and out a couple of times as it was over 2 days trying, still can't. Buddy eventually died due to wet and hypothermia. Those all night servers with rain can be deadly....

 

 

The search for kindling function can be frustrating, but keep going and you'll normally find it. It's usually three or four tries at most. Bear in mind, though, that if it's raining, you're not going to be able to light the fire, so you'll probably need to do it indoors - in a reasonably large shed or barn, etc.

 

The alternative is Gorka clothing or raincoats. Players in Gorka kit can just run around all day/night in the rain.

[eno 1049]

There are areas under trees where you can't collect rain. Makes me wonder if those are areas you could light a fire while it's raining?

[pilgrim* 3514]

Cheers, got the kindling & log by following your advice Mookie and GaryWalnuts, thanks.

 

Just hitting F did the trick.   I was using left mouse button when it said to chop for kindling/logs.

 

Be careful with your axe - when it gets to "badly damaged" you need to sharpen it on a stone to bring it back to "damaged" - if you cut down one more tree with a "badly damaged" axe (or maybe two) it becomes "ruined" and you can't sharpen it any more. And you know what a pain in the neck it is finding axes.. yes.. As soon as I've cut down my tree, I check the axe and sharpen it - first thing. Yo' jus lissen to the ole woodsman son, and you'll live forever, OK? That's how to do it - or else one day you get wet and cold and need fire and you cut logs, and .. be-hold, you forgot to check, and your axe is now "ruined"..

 

Up where  I live (France) they still do lumberjack competitions - axe heads specially imported from Canada, one of these guys told me.... Man I SAW that dude use his axeblade to shave the hairs off his forearm to impress the ladies - just in one pass. So it seems sad in DayZ you can only sharpen up your knives and machetes and .. whatever .. to "damaged" at BEST.. there should be a category ABOVE pristine called "Honed"

Ask any of the survivalists on this forum if they'd eve think of hanging out in the backwoods with a RUSTY knife...  ???  You got nothing to do all day except keep one eye on the steaks cooking, one ear out on the forest, and a blade to hone till it's Real Nice...

 

I guess you know - but you can find "small stones" by looking on stony ground same as "search for kindling", on stony ground texture you get "search for stones" instead (you can see the ground texture and also hear the difference in your footsteps). Or you can mine for stone using a pickaxe on any random rock-on-the-ground (not an old stone wall - dunno why? not cliffs - dunno why?).. just any rock on the beach or forest or in a field.. you get one large rock, you can then use the pickaxe to split it, if ya want,  to get two "small stones". You can hone with the big one or with one small one, as you like.. sing one or é big stones to build your fireplace is supposed to help the meat to cook faster - but I have not noticed a difference.. maybe I'm wrong about the fireplace thing.. but sharpening blades is 100% needful.

 

Also, If you keep you rocks in your pants pockets and a zombie hits you, the rocks or stone might get "ruined" (even the 4-place ones as big as your head!). True. Then you can't sharpen nothing with them. so next time you're dropping dead from hypothermia you just have to hope that zombie hurt his hand, bustin your rock like that.  they sure can hit.

 

p.s; you can't sharpen a pickaxe from "badly damaged" to "damaged" with a rock. Pity if you're a farmer.

 

jus keep you blade as sharp as you can, it gives you bigger percentage meat cuts too.

.xx pilgrim

Edited January 22, 2015 by pilgrim

[Mookie (original) 799]

I'm not sure if people have clocked my point that you don't need an axe at all to make a fire... And why use it if it's going to damage the blade?

[pilgrim* 3514]

I'm not sure if people have clocked my point that you don't need an axe at all to make a fire... And why use it if it's going to damage the blade?

 

True and useful to know

 

but a blade is also necessary (off the top of my head) for fishing, archery, cannibalism - and probably other stuff too, like opening cans and fighting.. so keep it as sharp as you can, why not ?

Then you can also cut fire-logs with it

[nillie 30]

Cutting down trees is a sure way to ruin your axe super fast. Which is kind of wierd, because thats exactly what splitting axes are for. Firefighter axes especially get ruined way to fast, while they are in fact almost indestrucatble. Even if they are not sharp anymore, its should still be possible to cut down smaller trees trough blunt force. It should just take longer. Anyway, the only thing i use an axe for these days is cutting down zombies.As guy pointed out, better to search for kindling on the ground. Works like a charm for me.

 

Note on repairing axes and blades : U can only use a stone to repair it from "badly damaged" to "damaged" as far as i know. For an axe this is maybe acceptable, but if your knife is not pristine, its really not helpfull for you. A pristine knife is a must have for skinning and quartering animals and various other stuff.

 

Can openers are quite common in bigger towns, so u can pick one of those op to open your canned foods. Using an axe can result in large spills, and will destroy the axe really fast.

If you dont find a can opener, pick up a screwdriver instead. If that gets ruined, you can just drop it on the ground and pick up a new one, as they are verry common just about everywhere.

Edited January 24, 2015 by nillie

[Mookie (original) 799]

 

If you dont find a can opener, pick up a screwdriver instead. If that gets ruined, you can just drop it on the ground and pick up a new one, as they are verry common just about everywhere.

 

And even if it is ruined, it will still open cans...

[jgbtl292 45]

sorry but i need no chance to find a kindling in the woods or in a tree .....  the same for stones on a place where thousands are

[Swither (DayZ) 4]

I'm not sure if people have clocked my point that you don't need an axe at all to make a fire... And why use it if it's going to damage the blade?

 

Now I'm confused.

 

How do I get the option or find logs/kindling if I don't have an axe?

 

If my axe isn't equiped, then no option to chop kindling/logs appears.  How do you get a search for them to work?

 

The Wiki even says 'Firewood is an Item in DayZ Standalone. It is required to fill up Fireplaces and can be achieved by chopping a tree with a Splitting Axe or a Firefighter Axe.'

Edited January 24, 2015 by Swither

[pilgrim* 3514]

Now I'm confused.

 

How do I get the option or find logs/kindling if I don't have an axe?

 

If my axe isn't equiped, then no option to chop kindling/logs appears.  How do you get a search for them to work?

 

The Wiki even says 'Firewood is an Item in DayZ Standalone. It is required to fill up Fireplaces and can be achieved by chopping a tree with a Splitting Axe or a Firefighter Axe.'

 

even with NO axe at all, go in the woods, look at the ground anywhere between trees and roll your mouse roller, you get the option written on screen "search for kindling" press your "action" button to search (normally that's "F"). It's that simple - your tune makes a searching motion and you get message "you have found nothing" OR "you have found something". Repeat till you have what you need.

 

It should only take 1 to 4 tries before you "find something". Sticks are good for fire, as said above, and I heard from Mookie you don't NEED 'logs' (cool).

Also sticks can be used for a splint (with bandage, duct tape, or rag). That can be life or death sometimes, so make sure you can do it.

 

Myself - I didn't know that instead of firewood logs, you can just use more sticks to fill up your fireplace. I always played it straight, I made a "fireplace kit" added a log, and I was also convinced that adding a stone or stones would make a "better" fire too, for a real cooking fire.

Now Mookie tells me that's not the case so I'm going to have to check it out.

 

I always used a woodsman axe, a stone for sharpening..and made fires the classic way... and a "damaged" axe will take down zombies just as good as a razor sharp axe as far as I can tell.. I never had a problem with axing zombies. I'll have to test this other stuff out. (thanks Mookie, I gave ya beanz for that info)

 

SO - a 'sticks only' (no logs) - fire may be great to warm and dry yourself (take off your damp clothes next to the fire, put them right back on, they're dry immediately), and if I can cook on it, that will make life easier. I'll try it next log on..

 

BUT remember there is a lot of other survival stuff too.. so an axe is a kind of standard thing to carry.

You can keep a wood-axe in your backpack - you don't have to equip it on your shoulder. So you can carry a fishing rod too (if you want to) or a pitchfork or pickaxe or whatever, as well as a rifle.

 

However, if you want to cut an ashwood stave for fishing, or to make a bow, you NEED to cut down a tree .. as explained above. And to do that - you equip the axe and go up to the tree, (you aim at the tree from close ) then use your mouse roller to get the option appear on screen "cut wood". Press your action key to do it (F). Do 4 cuts and the tree falls, the logs are near the base of the tree around your feet. You have to do it this way. Dont hack at the tree like hitting a zomb, that does NOT work.

(or you can just aim at the tree and press "F" without checking, and find out if you are close enough to "cut wood".)

 

But really Swither .. friend ... finding kindling is NO problem.. look at the ground anywhere inside a tree zone, and roll your mouse roller.. you get the option on screen, press F and there ya go. takes no time at all, faster than finding berries or picking apples in my experience.

 

ps - people.. a hacksaw opens cans with less loss than a screwdriver (and much less than an axe or machete) and does not get blunt fast. And people leave them lying around so they're not uncommon. I ai,nt seen a can opener for months.. (don't know why.. maybe players keep them?)

 

But YES I agree nillie and everyone else - , its crazy to end up with a DAMAGED rusty Fire-axe after you cut down 3 trees. And it's Also Crazy that with your sharpening stone you can't get your blade back to "worn" standard at LEAST. Same for machetes, knives.. anything with a blade. Also - in real life - cutting down a tree for logs, or making an ashwood stick is NOT difficult.. It should be the same in the game. Having to use a "damaged" blade to cut game meat give you about 57% left per steak, which is Not RIGHT.. it makes hunting about the hardest way of staying fed.. (Growing melons is the EASIEST.. wow!.. food for life)

 

thanx for listening, and you people double-thanx for the infos..

 

xx pilgrim

Edited January 24, 2015 by pilgrim

[Swither (DayZ) 4]

even with NO axe at all, go in the woods, look at the ground anywhere between trees and roll your mouse roller, you get the option written on screen "search for kindling" press your "action" button to search (normally that's "F"). It's that simple - your tune makes a searching motion and you get message "you have found nothing" OR "you have found something". Repeat till you have what you need.

 

 

Thanks pilgrim, so easy as you said!  Just need to find rocks and I'm good to go.

[pilgrim* 3514]

Thanks pilgrim, so easy as you said!  Just need to find rocks and I'm good to go.

 

If you find a pickaxe, take it to a rock in a field or a forest.. then holding the pickaxe you can "mine rock" just the same as you "search for kindling" - you get 1 big rock (in your pocket if you have room, or on the ground.. you can break the rock with the pickaxe into 2 small rocks - a small rock is still good for sharpening. In your inventory ust move the big rock onto the pickaxe in your hands and the option pops up to break it into small rocks.

BUT the pickaxe does not work on all those old stone walls around everywhere (and you cant find 'rocks' at those walls either - I don't know why. AND the pickaxe does not work on cliffs and big outcrops of rock-face  - don't know why - only works on those rocks you see lying around in the country or among trees - kind of knee high and 8 feet square.

 

To find rocky ground is a bit less obvious, its like finding water when you first start.- where do you look?. The ground texture is a bit like a shingle beach, and does not stretch over a large area.. you just have to try different "rocky" looking places until your mouse wheel tells you "search for stones" while you are looking at the ground.. then search five or seven times to get "you have found something". But if the ground "looks" rocky to you, and you don't get the mouse wheel "search" option, then move on, no stones there.. Once youv'e seen the right ground texture you'll remember it. I cant think of any place I could tell you where to find stones as examples..Then places I know - like the ground water - are all off in the wild country, difficult to describe how to get there..

 

ps - I don't think you can find stones on a beach.. (my guess is NO.. as usual) but I never tried, maybe someone knows?

 

xx look around the DayZ sites (try youtube, thre are good guides to survival) )and check out a screenshot of the 'white tree' you need to cut down to get the "ashwood stick". Once you recognize that tree, it's always the same, you cant miss it. The ashwood stick is good for crafting a bow, for crafting a fishing pole, or just for hitting with. It's a pity we cant bind a kitchen knife on the end ATM, to make a spear, that would be nice.

 

oh yeah - I should say that a wood-axe will go in your backpack -its only 4 squares tall.. so you can keep that in your pack and equip it from your bottom line (your number keys).. so you can keep a rifle on one shoulder and a pickaxe on the other AND your axe stashed safely ready to bring out when you need it.

Also zombies don't like pickaxes about the same as they don't like axes.; so its a good melee weapon,

AND you can dig a square or two of crop planting with a pickaxe (then it gets blunt) if farming is your thing (just choose a real quiet flat place - anywhere - don't plant tomato seeds - grow pumpkin seeds you get a ton, Make your plot, then use fertilizer on each square in the plot, make a hole for each seed in each of your 9 squares per plot (these are all mouswheel commands again )  -  and MAKE SURE you do it in the RAIN so you DONT have to water them, then in about 12 mins you end with 18 pumpkins.. that means 18 fulll stuffed meals if you're healthy. But 1 pumkin takes 4 squares of pack storage, so you going to have to sneak back from time to time to your secret crop.. You need never raid a supermarket again -- except after about 15 mins the pumkins you have not picked just rot away. You can still pick them up and "take out the seeds" with any kind of knife. Then plant again some other time. If you pick them and leave them on the ground on a P:ON server, they may last quite a while (IF you pick them then drop them).. anything from half an hour to a day or longer (a week?) depending how fast the server is cycling through loot being moved, taken, dropped, used, destroyed, etc..

 

xx enjoy

Edited January 28, 2015 by pilgrim

[Kirov (DayZ) 585]

To clear up some confusion related to the current usefulness of axes:

 

As of 0.52, axes are good only as a melee weapon. You can craft your own stone knife ("search for stones", put a stone in your hand, look down on a stone road again and click F for "craft stone knife"). It's a very good knife (yields ~99% meat from your first quartering and takes only 1 slot). Other changes: now 1) you can use a knife for "chopping kindlings" - just like an axe, com eup to a bush and you get the option 2) you can use a knife to harvest an ashwood sticks from ashwoods. And now that fireplaces don't require firewood anymore, there is really no survival-related stuff you need an axe for. Sure only axes can chop firewood, but I believe firewood is only as good as kindlings now (and they replace each other in a fireplace).

 

Remember that 'chopping kindlings' wears down your blade a little bit, so replace your stone knife every now and then.

[pilgrim* 3514]

^

Didnt know this at all -  Thanx Kirov, I missed "stone knife" completely. Didn't know it was in the game.

beanz

 

p.s. - in real life, have you ever tried opening a can of beans with a stone knife, .. arf arf ...

Edited January 28, 2015 by pilgrim

[Mean Gun Morris 102]

Also just to add to this, if you decide to take the fireplace kit you can fill it with food.

[Kirov (DayZ) 585]

Also just to add to this, if you decide to take the fireplace kit you can fill it with food.

 

For that matter, you can carry any stuff you want in the fireplace kit, ammo included. I imagine this is slight abuse (cooking pots and pans do carry only food).