New players. "what i wish i knew when i first started playing DayZ"

[bent.toe 529]

Hi and welcome, we are glad to have you. 

Many of us have played hundreds and even thousands of hours in DayZ. We xbox owners have only been able to play since august 29th last year (game preview) but PC players have been playing for 5+ years. 

So what we have done, as a united community, is to list tips and tricks that we wish we knew when we fired up dayz for the first time. This list is for all you new players (i guess mostly xbox owners because of 1.0 on xbox on the 27th of march) to get a head start in DayZ. 

* Epoxy glue is for repairing helmets

* Duct tape can repair both clothes and plate carrier/stab vest

* Always drink/fill cans from wells

* Metall power lines always lead to major cities, wooden power lines always lead to small towns/villiages

* Download iZurvive or DayZ central app to learn the map, routes, water holes and military camps/bases. 

* 2 large cans of food and a water bottle can keep you alive for 2+ hours

* Don’t let greed get the upper hand when looting, take the essential and go. Stick around too long and you might face a group of bandits. 

* Don’t be afraid to go out in the woods, many times they are shortcuts. 

* Get your bearings, remember on what side you entered the house/building/base/factory (most buildings have several entrances) Look for landmarks. 

* Never cross in the open, look for alternative routes. Better to take 3 minutes extra to get around safe than to hear a crackling sound followed up with a "your dead" screen. 

* When at a well, always drink til you get a full stomach icon. 

* Never save food that has been opened, it will get ruined over time. 

* The coast (run close to the ocean) are full with cans of food and soda, check every small wooden boat. 

* Don’t carry 10+ magazines, you will never get to use them. To save space, instead carry ammo and no more than 4 magazines. 1 pack of bullets take 1 slot, 1 magazines takes 3 slots. 

* Always make sure to have 3 slots free in the same inventory space that your magazines are located, otherwise you can not reload. (might get fixed in 1.0)

* Never switch to full auto, single fire will get the job done. This is not COD or R6 Siege. 

* Never head down to the coast when your fully geared, to find fresh spawns (called bambis) to kill/terrorize. It's considered cowardly and a douchebag move. If you think your bad ass and wanna kill players, head up above North West airfield... And you might be in for a rude awakening. 

* Tisy military base is the only place on the map where you can get the tactical vest other than that all military loot are the same at every base /camp. 

* When you first spawn, don't panic because you have a yellow thirst icon, drink the soda and eat the fruit in your inventory and you are good for 20+ minutes of running. This will take you a good amount in-land and guaranteed past two villages, if not to a larger town. 

* When spawning, don't waste precious time and energy on looting every building, just loot the closest to your path. 

* Trust no one... Ever. If you decide to talk and interact with other players, always do it from a safe distance. Even a bambi can be dangerous up close. Superman punch can knock you out cold. 

Keep your tips coming people. 

 

[Survivor1431 116]

Pro Tip: When you get fully geared with several loaded magazines for your M4 and complete military gear, head back down to the coast. Kill all the unarmed players you see. This minimizes your risk of being killed because your enemies are defenseless, plus you get to steal all the food they collected for you, meaning you never go hungry. If you're really hungry, eat their corpse for excellent nourishment.

[HiroCheeseMuh1 68]

*Duct tape can also repair guns, suppressors, backpacks and knives

*Be prepared to eat sleep and drink DayZ (I've got stacks of new/unwrapped games that are now collecting dust)

*Lot's of racist shit bags in party chats with random players (can't count how many "what do you call a black/Mexican/Muslim/Asian guy who...." jokes I've had the displeasure of hearing)

*Don't just automatically join the first faction that makes contact with you on a server (ask me why)

*For added stress relief find and keep in your hot bar a lock pick. makes looting a structure less stressful if people are locked out or have to take an extra few seconds to unlock the door to get to you

*if you must cross an open field don't sprint. Save your stamina for when you start hearing shots and need to zig zag

*You're less likely (but it's still possible) to be KOS if you're not running around in certain areas gun in hand

*Atog scope and Combat Sights is for the M4 the SG5-K and the USG-45. Combat Sights offer zero in the way of distance/sniping

*Pu scope is for the Mosin (mostly found in the camp grounds) 

*PSO-1 scope, Kobra Sights and IPN51 scope is for the KA-M. Kobra Sights suck and the IPN51 needs a battery to work and is only night vision so kind of useless during the day

*That screeching roaring sound you hear while running through the forests are Deer

*The Groaning sounds are Cows

*If trying to sneak around avoid chickens at all costs. They'll give away your position in a heart beat.

*When you spawn in as a freshie  toss the flair away, drink the soda, save the pear for later. Place the stone knife and Rags in your hot bar then carry the stone knife until you find a melee weapon.

*To make an improvised backpack you need 1 burlap sack, 1 rope, and 3 short sticks which can be made by cutting down a bush and then splitting the sticks before placing them in your inventory. Craft the Burlap courier bag using the rope and burlap first then place the small sticks on the ground and while carrying the courier bag in your hands hover over and wait for the prompt to craft improvised backpack over the sticks.

*To make rope you need two sets of 6 rags meaning you need 6 and 6 and then combine

*If you hear the howl of wolves run for the nearest shelter with a door and close it or be prepared to face a whole swarm if you can't find shelter and you're not a crack shot be prepared to then become a fresh spawn after they kill you. I know some people have a problem with server hopping but if ever there was a dignified reason to immediately log off and jump into a different server, I'd say hearing a wolf howl out in the middle of nowhere is a fantastic time to do so if you don't wish to try and fight off about 10 of them.

*Logging off as you're being attacked by zombies, wolves or other players will not save you or your gear

*Do not get attached to your gear (you WILL die and lose it guaranteed)

*be mindful of how much weight you're carrying. There is a reason fresh spawns can run for what seems like forever and a fully kitted guy with multiple guns, ammo and other provisions runs out of gas very quickly. This includes clothing choices. Military outfits might look cool and come with lots of storage but they also weigh a lot more. 

*Hands down greatest melee weapon in my opinion is the hunting knife or the combat knife in regards to killing zombies. Axes, pick axes, shovels, metal pipes, hatchets weigh more and it can take a few more hits to kill a zombie than both the hunting knife and the combat knife.

*Don't waste your time (at least at the moment) with collecting IV kits and saline as death comes extremely quick at this point from everything from being shot to hits from zombies or wolves which means you'll rarely have time for the IV kits and saline bags to ever be of use unless someone comes to your rescue immediately and it just so happens pigs began to fly and you actually went unconscious instead of dying out right. Hopefully the devs will implement the ability to go uncon and get broken bones more often and take the one shot kills down a notch at some point.

*Don't waste your time trying to go toe to toe with more than 2 zombies at a time. If you have lots of stamina and can run then run and keep running eventually they'll give up

*If you happen to find a working car they're manual transmission and gears are changed via up and down on the d-pad

*having a backpack is great but just remember orange, red, blue and purple are very easy to see

*If you're just starting out and want to get a feel for the game, controls and do some stress free exploring avoid Medium, high and full pop servers. 

*the HC next to server names means Hard Core which means you play only in first person perspective and don't have that directional dot thing.

*Don't be afraid of HC servers or playing in first person as 99% of the time the HC servers are extremely low pop and first person perspective adds a level of drama to the game that 3rd person perspective just doesn't provide. Plus on HC servers everyone has to peak in order to see around things instead of using 3rd person to get the drop on someone's perspective so it kind of levels out the playing field and I find people are less likely to be KOS'y on HC servers..When you become really skilled in the game it can be oddly satisfying to run around in first person on 3rd person servers and still be able to out play someone.

*People used to say don't run down the roads as it makes you an easy target but I feel like everyone is so busy running in the woods they hardly pay any attention the roads anymore. I'm not saying this is definitely safer just that it's not as risky as people make it out to be

*before you build a fire make sure you've cut down a tree or two and collected logs first because the fire will go out quickly if you don't have kindling

*Don't turn into strictly a Kos'er. part of the experience of playing DayZ is the interaction with other players.

*What I've found playing on servers from different regions: US servers = more hostile towards others and more likely to get KOS'd. NL servers= highly populated by people from the US but less hostile as US servers and chances of actually communicating with a player vs KOS is higher but not guaranteed. RU servers = lots of Russian players that don't fuck around. They're not super KOS'y but I wouldn't consider them less hostile either. I've had some very intense interactions on RU servers where a lot of the time I was never sure if I was going to make it out alive or not. SG servers = I believe these are the Asian based servers and what I've found is running into someone who doesn't speak a word of English is much higher but I've also noticed that  Asian players approach the game a lot less hostile and more likely than any other server to just be super chill, say hello and then keep it moving. Obviously variety and variation exists everywhere so these descriptions of players on different servers should not be taken as hard and fast rules just what my experiences have been.

 

 

[Brandon Clinch 50]

18 hours ago, bent.toe said:

Hi and welcome, we are glad to have you. 

Many of us have played hundreds and even thousands of hours in DayZ. We xbox owners have only been able to play since august 29th last year (game preview) but PC players have been playing for 5+ years. 

So what we have done, as a united community, is to list tips and tricks that we wish we knew when we fired up dayz for the first time. This list is for all you new players (i guess mostly xbox owners because of 1.0 on xbox on the 27th of march) to get a head start in DayZ. 

* Epoxy glue is for repairing helmets

* Duct tape can repair both clothes and plate carrier/stab vest

* Always drink/fill cans from wells

* Metall power lines always lead to major cities, wooden power lines always lead to small towns/villiages

* Download iZurvive or DayZ central app to learn the map, routes, water holes and military camps/bases. 

* 2 large cans of food and a water bottle can keep you alive for 2+ hours

* Don’t let greed get the upper hand when looting, take the essential and go. Stick around too long and you might face a group of bandits. 

* Don’t be afraid to go out in the woods, many times they are shortcuts. 

* Get your bearings, remember on what side you entered the house/building/base/factory (most buildings have several entrances) Look for landmarks. 

* Never cross in the open, look for alternative routes. Better to take 3 minutes extra to get around safe than to hear a crackling sound followed up with a "your dead" screen. 

* When at a well, always drink til you get a full stomach icon. 

* Never save food that has been opened, it will get ruined over time. 

* The coast (run close to the ocean) are full with cans of food and soda, check every small wooden boat. 

* Don’t carry 10+ magazines, you will never get to use them. To save space, instead carry ammo and no more than 4 magazines. 1 pack of bullets take 1 slot, 1 magazines takes 3 slots. 

* Always make sure to have 3 slots free in the same inventory space that your magazines are located, otherwise you can not reload. (might get fixed in 1.0)

* Never switch to full auto, single fire will get the job done. This is not COD or R6 Siege. 

* Never head down to the coast when your fully geared, to find fresh spawns (called bambis) to kill/terrorize. It's considered cowardly and a douchebag move. If you think your bad ass and wanna kill players, head up above North West airfield... And you might be in for a rude awakening. 

* Tisy military base is the only place on the map where you can get the tactical vest other than that all military loot are the same at every base /camp. 

* When you first spawn, don't panic because you have a yellow thirst icon, drink the soda and eat the fruit in your inventory and you are good for 20+ minutes of running. This will take you a good amount in-land and guaranteed past two villages, if not to a larger town. 

* When spawning, don't waste precious time and energy on looting every building, just loot the closest to your path. 

* Trust no one... Ever. If you decide to talk and interact with other players, always do it from a safe distance. Even a bambi can be dangerous up close. Superman punch can knock you out cold. 

Keep your tips coming people. 

 

Thorough and stable list you made here. We should make some sort of nice looking manual with this as the starting pages and keep expanding with how to craft and so on...

[pilgrim* 3514]

17 hours ago, HiroCheeseMuh1 said:

Duct tape can also repair guns, suppressors, backpacks and knives

Repairing backpacks OK - and even knives I can almost accept - but repairing guns (not even "gun accessories" - just the firearm )  with Duct Tape is just tooooooo strange and weird
- specially as there are gun cleaning kits that SHOULD be around that were designed to do this
in the full game there is also a leatherworking kit and a sewing kit - to repair different items.
( anyone tried Duct Tape on burnt out pans or damaged car wheels ? )

Edited March 18, 2019 by pilgrim*

[kopo79 426]

2 minutes ago, pilgrim* said:

Repairing backpacks OK - and even knives I can almost accept - but repairing guns (not even "gun accessories" - just the firearm )  with Duct Tape is just tooooooo strange and weird
- specially as there are gun cleaning kits that SHOULD be around that were designed to do this
in the full game there is also a leatherworking kit and a sewing kit - to repair different items.
( anyone tried Duct Tape on burnt out pans or damaged car wheels ? )

can your backpack go ruined?you cant use it anymore or?how about damaged backpack? is there difference on pristine and damaged other that how it looks.

 

[matiman 166]

yes a backpack can be ruined too

if you have a ruined clothes (backpack or any other clothes) on you , it still works fine as long as you don't remove it.

If you remove it (or if you find it already ruined, like on another guy corpse), you will not be able to wear it again

Edited March 18, 2019 by matiman
typo

[Nayte 503]

4 hours ago, pilgrim* said:

Repairing backpacks OK - and even knives I can almost accept - but repairing guns (not even "gun accessories" - just the firearm )  with Duct Tape is just tooooooo strange and weird
- specially as there are gun cleaning kits that SHOULD be around that were designed to do this
in the full game there is also a leatherworking kit and a sewing kit - to repair different items.
( anyone tried Duct Tape on burnt out pans or damaged car wheels ? )

Yeah, found it odd when I was prompted to repair my two way with some duct tape. Also allowed me to repair my mag.

Found my new favorite item..

[Nayte 503]

4 hours ago, kopo79 said:

can your backpack go ruined?you cant use it anymore or?how about damaged backpack? is there difference on pristine and damaged other that how it looks.

 

Yes, your bag can be ruined. You can still use it, just don’t take it off until you’re ready to swap it out.

According to a seasoned PC player, a ruined bag offers no protection to you or your gear when damage is taken.

[Stagman70 210]

On 3/17/2019 at 6:09 PM, HiroCheeseMuh1 said:

*If you hear the howl of wolves run for the nearest shelter

If you have a gun and don't think you can get out of the area or to a shelter, your best bet is to put your back against a large tree.  They won't be able to attack you from the rear.  Just my $.02.

[aux7 234]

if you dont have a gun, and you cannot get to shelter, and there is a big pack of them, youre pretty much done.

[bent.toe 529]

16 hours ago, Brandon Clinch said:

Thorough and stable list you made here. We should make some sort of nice looking manual with this as the starting pages and keep expanding with how to craft and so on...

Sounds like a great idea. We need the mods though... 

[Stagman70 210]

1 hour ago, aux7 said:

if you dont have a gun, and you cannot get to shelter, and there is a big pack of them, youre pretty much done.

Not exactly.  I got attacked once by a pack of what I can only assume was around 6 or 7, and survived by backing up against a tree.  Granted, after it was all over, I spent 2 M4 mags and my screen was black and white for about a half hour or so, but I lived.

[aux7 234]

2 hours ago, aux7 said:

if you dont have a gun, .............., youre pretty much done.

I watched one wolf bring down 8 zombies once, three dead the others damaged . .. .

Edited March 19, 2019 by aux7

[DayzDayzFanboy 1280]

I wish I'd recorded it, but a couple of weeks ago I saw a commotion outside a village and it was a group of zombies chasing a herd of cows through the village. They started chasing around in the field and then a pack of wolves joined in. Went on for ages and the wolves definitely came off worse. The noise was horrendous! 

[pilgrim* 3514]

19 hours ago, Nayte said:

Yeah, found it odd when I was prompted to repair my two way with some duct tape. Also allowed me to repair my mag.

Found my new favorite item..

Right !   - Duct Tape is TOTALLY BOSS..  it is MEAN what you can do with it these days - (say, can you also bandage with it? .. will it repair spark plugs & batteries? )
You know the Duct Tape Joke = Why is Duct Tape like the Force ?

<because it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together>

Edited March 19, 2019 by pilgrim*

[McPhorce 139]

9 hours ago, Stagman70 said:

Not exactly.  I got attacked once by a pack of what I can only assume was around 6 or 7, and survived by backing up against a tree.  Granted, after it was all over, I spent 2 M4 mags and my screen was black and white for about a half hour or so, but I lived.

*If you don't have a gun*

[aux7 234]

4 hours ago, pilgrim* said:

Right !   - Duct Tape is TOTALLY BOSS..  it is MEAN what you can do with it these days

I always carry duct tape, its smaller and lighter than the leather sewing kit and gun repair kit and fixes guns, and backpacks. Axes too. Makes silencers too . . . its amazing stuff.

Havent tried bandaging or car stuff . . . ..

[Stagman70 210]

4 hours ago, McPhorce said:

*If you don't have a gun*

Well, yeah, I missed that little tidbit.  No gun, you're screwed.

[HiroCheeseMuh1 68]

On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 2:09 PM, Nayte said:

Yeah, found it odd when I was prompted to repair my two way with some duct tape. Also allowed me to repair my mag.

Found my new favorite item..

Duct tape is awesome in the game and there is even a glitch you can take advantage of to refill your roll which is great if you have multiple items that need repair or like me like to have numerous back up improvised suppressors. 

[bent.toe 529]

* while running toward your next goal, from time to time look over your shoulder/turn around. Someone might be following. 

* always follow your gut feeling, if it's to good to be true.. It usually is. 

* M4 with acog is easier to switch into scope than AKM, ump and Mosin (all three need LT and LB pressed.. Akward as fuck). 

* always carry rags or bandage, if you bleed you need them fast. 

* when pressing right d pad for Quick wheel, always pick your primary weapon on the default slot in green, this way you can easily switch to your weapon without moving around the quick wheel. 

* one of the best places (if not the best) in chernarus are the town of zelenogorsk. It has everything you need AND its the only town with a military base (semi large) connected to it. Hospital, Police station, fire station, bus station, rows of garages, civilian houses, several kiosks and a train yard. Basically everything you need can be found in and around zelenogorsk. (except spawning cars) 

* the best camo can be found West of zelenogorsk by a dam and a hunters resort with several huts. 

* when making a fire, i suggest you do it indoors and in buildings with an open fire place. Less visible and you can lock the doors with a lockpick. 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2019 by bent.toe

[HiroCheeseMuh1 68]

On ‎3‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 1:50 PM, bent.toe said:

* while running toward your next goal, from time to time look over your shoulder/turn around. Someone might be following. 

* always follow your gut feeling, if it's to good to be true.. It usually is. 

* M4 with acog is easier to switch into scope than AKM, ump and Mosin (all three need LT and LB pressed.. Akward as fuck). 

* always carry rags or bandage, if you bleed you need them fast. 

* when pressing right d pad for Quick wheel, always pick your primary weapon on the default slot in green, this way you can easily switch to your weapon without moving around the quick wheel. 

* one of the best places (if not the best) in chernarus are the town of zelenogorsk. It has everything you need AND its the only town with a military base (semi large) connected to it. Hospital, Police station, fire station, bus station, rows of garages, civilian houses, several kiosks and a train yard. Basically everything you need can be found in and around zelenogorsk. (except spawning cars) 

* the best camo can be found West of zelenogorsk by a dam and a hunters resort with several huts. 

* when making a fire, i suggest you do it indoors and in buildings with an open fire place. Less visible and you can lock the doors with a lockpick. 

 

 

All great points.

I'd only add to the "while running to your next goal..." by saying just run in 1PP it's a lot easier to swivel your head than in 3PP..at least for me that is.

Also since you touched on military bases let me add: *Approach such places cautiously and for good measure observe from a distance preferably where you can over look for a while before you approach..

oh and something I forgot when I posted my list:

*GET A MIC! lot's of players have a "no mic KOS" rule. Dayz isn't COD most players would rather have a quick chat to decide if a shoot out is necessary or worth it first so if you don't have the ability to have that as an option you're rolling the dice out there. When I come across players w/o mics usually I'll ask that if they don't have a mic but can understand what I'm saying to jump in the air once or twice. If they don't comply I shoot. PERIOD!

[bent.toe 529]

@ImpulZ

@Max Planck

Sticky?