beginners guide to hunting (players)

[thrasher (DayZ) 52]

So ive seen a lot of videos of players who claim to be bandits, and most of them are idiots. Being a bandit isnt just about getting a high murder count, its also about stealing guns, equipment, and vehicles so you can get ahead in DayZ. Here is a simple little guide that may help some newer players improve.

1.) get target practice in Cherno. if you are just starting out you should really get some target practice in before you head north. you really dont have much to gain by sticking around in the south but it is the best place to work on your accuracy. I personally suggest the Lee Enfield as your go to weapon. its basically a sniper rifle with iron sights, it will 1 shot anyone and its super common. get on top of one of the tallest industrial buildings and snipe for a while with that lee. I would also check the barns that can spawn CZs and if you find one get some time in with a scoped rifle as well... learn how to zero and lead shots.

2.) once you are comfortable with your aim head north. there is no point to sticking around in the south. sometimes some idiot comes down there with a good gun to snipe noobs spawning in, but for the most part its just those noobs spawning in, and you are wasting your time with them. Starry, Vybor, NWAF, NEAF are obviously the player hotspots so thats where you want to head.

3.) let your victims do the work for you! say you get to the airfield and you have a good spot to snipe from (dont sit in the firehouse or control tower unless you want to die), and you see zombies around. you know someone is in the area. dont shoot at the first player you see. watch them move around. are they laggy? can you hit the shot if they are? how many are there? do they have a sniper covering them? these are all things to consider. Observe for a while before you take the shot. Also, letting them live makes your life easier. they are going to hit all the key buildings in the area and pick up all the good gear, so let them do all the looting while you observe, then kill them and you only need to loot their body for all the good gear they found.

4.) be patient! you just headshot someone and they are dead. you want to run in there to loot your victim... DO NOT MOVE. If your victim has friends (which you should be aware of if you took the time to observe before shooting) they are now aware that you are in the area, and they are looking for you. If their friend had any good gear on him they are going to try to get it, so just watch the body for a while and pick off anyone who tries to loot it. then you have even more gear in one place... its less work for you. just be patient. sometimes i will sit and watch a body for 15-20 minutes after a kill if im alone, by that time anyone who was with my victim usually starts to think "well that sniper is prolly gone now" and then they make a mistake.

5.) dont raid every camp you find (at least not right away). if you come across tents make sure nobody is in the area and move in to check the gear. if they have the goods (NVG, GPS, ghillies, super rare guns) then yeah, raid it and get out, come back and loot the rest asap. If you come across a camp that has a lot of stuff, but nothing amazing, DONT TAKE ANYTHING. Taking stuff from a tent will let players know someone else has been there, and they will move. This goes back to #3... let your victims do the work for you. Write down the server the tents are on, and the location along with some of the gear in those tents. come back in a day or two and see if they put anythign in there worth taking. as long as they keep adding gear to their camp you may as well let them do it until there is something worth taking. this same rule applies to vehicles. unless you find a great vehicle stashed somewhere, dont take it right away unless you have NO vehicles of your own. If you have transportation there is no reason to jack some guys hatchback or anything. check the gear, and leave it. let them use it to bring more gear to you.

6.) camp vehicle areas. not spawn areas, but areas people go with vehicles. Skalka in the north west has an isolated barn that you can refuel at. Lots of people with vehicles like to base up there because its "safe" post up on that main road and watch for people coming and going. dont take the shots right away, see what they have, try to find out WHERE they are parking that vehicle, since they most likely have tents with them. Gas stations are another place to camp. the gas station near Polana, and the high yeild factory just down the road from there are places lots of people go with their vehicles. Since there is nowhere good to hide vehicles/tents in those areas you should just take the shot when you have it, and steal the vehicle.

7.) work with a spotter. playing with a friend who you can trust makes life much easier. If you get a kill they can move in to loot while you cover them. and they can cover you while you snipe.

8.) travel light. Make you you have at least an Alice pack. if you are sniping and you have a spotter, just carry your rifle, a couple mags and food/drink/medical because you want to have room to pickup your victims loot without having to drop something.

9.) night sniping is the most rewarding. people use their NVGs at night. dumb people with NVGs think thats the best time to hit the airfields and stary since nobody can see them. crank your brightness, gamma, and set HDR to very high, you will usually be able to see very well at night like this. go to stary and NWAF at night and kill the idiots who show up with their NVGs =)

I hope these tips come in handy for someone. Happy hunting.

Edited July 11, 2012 by thrasher

[hishnik 23]

Well written post, in agreement on everything :)

Key differentiation between a n00b and a decent bandit is patience.

Just like OP mentioned, i wait, even though i see someone and able to take a shot and take them out, i wait for 5-25 minutes depending on situation.

One thing i would add, when you are ready to take that shot, do it in such a fashion where it will be very hard to establish the direction it came from. E.g. dont shoot someone who is in the corner, because that narrows down possible location greatly. Either take them out in the opening, or the best option is if you have a shot on someone who is inside the building. That way they may end up thinking they got hit by silenced weapon from inside the building, and whole group may not know where you were all this time.

[vlad_storm12@hotmail.com 3]

This is some good information. Ive always been the patient type but never went far from the south(reason being takes to long to walk). On the server i play i found a ATV so ill just take that with my buddy and go further north. These tips are amazing. Really detailed and Original. Thanks allot!

[Demaster13 3]

Nice guide :D

[DeaGoz 0]

Nice guide, I am going onto DayZ now and use this. (Balota time, watch out if you are on the server I am on because I have the Lee Enfield (Best gun in the game)!

[DeaGoz 0]

Just got a kill, I looted a M4A1 on the way to Balota. Making a story now!

[kilsalot 5]

Very useful guide. I am always patient when playing DayZ but I never thought to use the Lee Enfield as a possible mini-sniper rifle nor did I think to snipe at the NW Airfield at night for NVG's. Thanks for this very useful.

-Kilsalot

[Bottlerocket 205]

Crank your brightness, gamma, and set HDR to very high,

Use exploits to cheat

Fixed that for you, brah.

[b00m666 38]

Thanks for this, it had some good tips/

[thetamsen 57]

I want to pick up experiences with you ingame, perhaps be your spotter. (Got a m249 SAW and binoculars, that'll cover you i guess)

Do you need one atm? You can bring a shit sniper and a makarov if you dont trust me.

Teach me. o_o

[thrasher (DayZ) 52]

Fixed that for you, brah.

Yeah thats not cheating. Cheating would be downloading additional software that gives me an advantage over other players. Simply changing settings that are built into the game IS NOT CHEATING. By that logic changing my mouse sensitivity to allow me to aim better, or lowering my video quallity to improve my FPS would also be cheating. There, now you are informed.... BRAH.

[Blizzaze 5]

Nice guide on how to ruin the experience for other players by playing the most coward and dickish playstyle ever.

Why not add this paragraph?

- Whenever you either get shot at/hurt, aggro'd by zombies or miss a shot, log out and back in. Also, when people see you and hide somewhere, server hop behind them.

[lothane 4]

Nice guide on how to ruin the experience for other players by playing the most coward and dickish playstyle ever.

Why not add this paragraph?

- Whenever you either get shot at/hurt, aggro'd by zombies or miss a shot, log out and back in. Also, when people see you and hide somewhere, server hop behind them.

This is the bandit section of the forums. dont like it get out.

[thrasher (DayZ) 52]

Nice guide on how to ruin the experience for other players by playing the most coward and dickish playstyle ever.

Why not add this paragraph?

- Whenever you either get shot at/hurt, aggro'd by zombies or miss a shot, log out and back in. Also, when people see you and hide somewhere, server hop behind them.

lol, because thats how retards play. ive never once alt-f4'd on anyone before, dont i dont approve of that at all. there needs to be a logout timer like Diablo 3 to prevent that shit. Also, umad? I must have killed you recently or something =)

[Garuwashi 21]

pretty good guide, I dont see why people have a problem with this play style. Not once did I see a mention of ALT F4 so I dont see why anyone should have a qq.

The gamma brightness thing works... a bit cheap, but without it... night time is almost unplayable for me.. i wouldnt consider it cheating but it sorta feels dirty.

[TheTigger 34]

Good guide and helpful, people should be a little less ignorant and a little more open minded. Keep an open mind to all play styles and play the one that fits you best and gives you the most enjoyment.

[Oyo 0]

Here is a simple little guide that may help some newer players improve.

1.) get target practice in Cherno. get on top of one of the tallest industrial buildings and snipe for a while with that lee.

How to become the perfect "diana" for hunter's hunters. In a single step.