Weapon reviews

[Sayl 13]

I thought I would put my thoughts on weapons, having used them all over the course of 4 months in both in game and in ARMEX training facility. Trying to master the nuance of each, and apply that skillset to Dayz. Some of these thoughts are subjective, and an iron sight that someone does not prefer might be just the thing for another player. With server settings being so dynamic, depending on your criteria for servers results may also vary in this way. It is my thoughts that balance in dayz takes place over a continuum of anti-zombie versus anti-player with the balance of noise versus power.

Side arms: Generally used verses Zombies, side arms are quiet, common and fit in a unique secondary slot.

Glock 17: The Glock 17 is a 9mm, making tied with other 9mm for the quietest gun in the game. This gun has a 17 mag clip, a flashlight and is accurate with clear easy to use iron sights. It can also load m9 ammo, which gives it some scavenge versatility as well as an option for m9 (SD) for aggroless shooting. Great for the slow player who will shoot zombies in the head while they shamble slowly, it is a versatile and useful weapon made slightly less so by dayz server abundance making flashlights less and less needed by cherry picking day servers. The drawback to the 9mm is its lack of power and without headshots will lose much in ammo efficiency verse zombies and ability to drop targets fast in panic situation.

M9: The M9 comes in two variants, silenced and regular and has a 15 mag clip. Unsilenced its usefulness is questionable as it lacks the versatility in ammo that the Glock 17 provides as well as the flashlight and while having clear and accurate iron sights still seems like its increased rarity is unwarranted. Silenced however it provides a miniscule sound signature to both players and zombies provided you can keep yourself using the rare m9 silenced ammo.

M1911: .45s are very popular as of this patch as for a very slight increase in noise over 9mm you have the ability to drop zombies with body shots which helps in panic situations and situations where your characters aim is too shaky for headshots. The M1911 has 7 shots per magazine, and fires very fast making it also deadly to players in ranges where its inaccuracy will be mitigated and will lead players to passing out more often due to its stopping power. It also has the advantage over 9mm weapons that its ammo is more common around the map, and revolver ammo can be converted to M1911 and vice versa leaving little doubt as to why the M1911 is a popular and powerful sidearm.

PDW: The PDW is an interesting weapon as it has the most ammo versatility in the game and can take every 9mm magazine in the game including MP5 and MP5 SD. Full auto it can spit bullets at a ferocious rate, mitigating the usual 9mm problems of not terribly good in panic situations at the cost of massive ammo consumption. The iron sights are not great, and while sneaking and slow playing headshots will be slightly harder to get than with its 9mm cousins but players in servers with crosshairs will do fine here. It has little stopping power for players, but it does have lethality so expect to drill a player for at least 10 bullets and don't stop shooting till he is dead.

Revolver: The revolver is the more accurate, slightly less deadly cousin of the M1911. It holds one less bullet, shoots slower but is more accurate than the

M1911. This accuracy can lead to longer range lethality to players via headshots and less misses verse zombies. 6 accurate shots per clip with the revolver or 7 shots at slightly less accuracy per magazine on the M1911 is a subject of much debate for ammo consumption efficiency. Both are very popular and powerful and I think it boils down to what you want and need out of your sidearm for which you prefer of the .45 caliber side arms.

Makarov PM: With new found understanding of weapon damage, the much maligned Makarov only problem is it lacks the accuracy to reliably headshot like the 9mms and it lacks the body shot stopping power of the .45s. It is a midpoint that is not terribly useful as it does more damage per shot than the 9mm (2000 vs. 1389) for the same noise radius as the 9mm and is much less accurate with only 8 in the chamber. In a vacuum one could put two players close enough where its inaccuracy was irrelevant and fight the Makarov vs. a M9 or Glock 17 with no headshots for either side, the Makarov would win. Combine that with its super common ammo and you have the only possible advantages of the Makarov has over its competition and is generally and correctly seen as the weakest sidearm in the game.

Assault Rifles: Assault rifles are the jack of all trades, master of none having a very high damage to noise ratio.

AK-74: The AK-74 is a common and easy to use AR with not a whole lot going for it in comparison to the others in its class besides its ubiquity. It has easy to use Iron sights zeroed at 300m, which is its biggest drawback as at 300M headshots or inefficient fire is required for lethality. It takes 2 body shots to kill a zombie, and so suffers from harder to manage close range due to its higher zeroing, combined with the entire classes lack of a 1 shot body shot it still manages to be perfectly capable of killing zombies and players without bringing the horde down upon you with its class wide reasonable audible range.

AKS: The AKS line is in my opinion, an improvement upon the AK-74 with the 74U variant zeroed at a more reasonable 200m and the Kobra having optics that when understood can do anything from 100m to 300m+. This makes it easier to get headshots as less compensation is needed for close range and 200m is about the maximum range most players would even try to shoot this class of gun at a person due to the massive bullet damage loss at ranges beyond that. The AKS-74U also has an amazingly short barrel that makes small corridors easy to navigate, and seems to have an even smaller barrel length than a sidearm due to a few nonscientific tests in the Cherno apartments!

M16: The M16 is one of the more interesting guns in this class, and represents the worst and best in the class. The M16A2 and M16A2 M203 are in my opinion, the worst two guns in the class. Zeroed at 400M, these guns require massive compensation in close quarters, have no full automatic fire, the M203 makes the iron sights even harder to use and an M203 is not even lethal in one shot (it will however knock the individual out). The barrel length can be hard to manage in some buildings and even without an M203 I find the iron sights less useful than the AK-74. The gun however is very accurate and the M16A4 ACOG is when the weaknesses vanish and turn into strengths. The ACOG can effectively shoot at 100-600m and with headshots can even counter snipe. Servers with crosshairs beware; the M16A4 ACOG in the hands of a master is a player who can threaten all ranges without the worry of a zombie horde descending upon him. The M16A4 ACOG however is sadly super rare, and only available at barracks spawns.

M4: The M4 and its variants are very popular, and for good reason. More accurate than the AK and AKS, yet having a faster rate of fire these guns are deadly. Having the ability to load SD rounds also gives the M4 line an added benefit in versatility if they want to take shots at zombies or players without the worry of alerting other zombies in the area. These guns come in many flavors from the SD version which trades inability to use regular Stanag magazines for miniscule noise to both players and zombies, to the CCO editions which have optics that make compensation for the 300m range a breeze. The M4A3 features camo and an added flashlight from the regular CCO. And the M4A1 HWS M203 has a unique optic and grenade launcher. The barrel length is also shortened in comparison to the M16, making it easier to use in small buildings. The Vanilla M4A1 is still a useful gun, it trades higher lethality for harder to use iron sights in comparison to the AK and can also use Stanag SD for aggroless combat but the rarity of the gun itself and ammo might chase some towards the AK line.

Battle Rifles: Battle rifles are loud, lethal, and useful for killing players but far less noise efficient in terms of zombies.

AKM: Common as dirt, the AKM is an amazing gun in its own strange way. Having the ability to kill zombies in one shot, while maintaining 30 rounds in the clip this gun can be used to clear towns out of zombies. It is relatively loud, but no matter as the ammo is very common and putting 30 zombies down in one clip makes it one of the most efficient ammo users in the game. It has the puzzling ability to be zeroed, which makes it super easy to use if you are willing to zero it, and also makes it a laughable sniper rifle if you use zeroing in conjunction with binoculars. Shooting the AKM can be dangerous proposition verse players as it is loud enough to bring a horde upon you and not as decisively lethal as the Enfield, the m14 or the FN fal.

Lee Enfield: The bandit’s choice, this gun will either kill you outright or knock you out at ranges up to pixel shooting (say 500m). This however is also known as the dinner bell as every zombie in the radius will be descending upon you after firing. This weapon is also very easy to find as it is found in barns and residential areas making it a very common weapon. It holds 10 bullets in a clip, does an absurd amount of damage but does not fire very fast. Many bandits with this weapon choose rooftops as it makes the zombie agro less of a problem and renders them scope less snipers.

M14: The M14 is a very deadly weapon, capable of fire as fast as you can click this semi-automatic battle rifle comes equipped with 20 in the magazine as well as optics for target acquisition putting it above and beyond an Enfield as it is substantially quieter and more versatile and only nominally less deadly. Rarely killing in one shot, it will however knock players out in one shot and kill in two. This gun while appearing at all military spawns it is rare and far less seen than the enfield but not as rare as the FN FAL.

FN FAL: The FN FAL is only seen at helicopter crash sites or the northwest airfield and thus is a very rare gun with very rare ammo. With no optics this gun has some pros and cons in comparison to the M14, but what it lacks in optics it makes up for in having a burst fire mode. It has 20 in the magazine and has the same noise radius as the M14, making them very similar guns. It also can come with night vision optics, in my four months of playing I have never seen this gun with night vision optics in the wild and only found one on a cheater making it hard to speak much about the effectiveness of the NV.

Winchester 1866: Many probably would put this gun in the shotgun section, but besides the icon for the ammo I see no reason to classify it as a shotgun as it shares just as much in common with battle rifles as it does with shotguns. The Winchester 1866 is a very common gun and the little brother of the Lee Enfield, it trades the pure power of the Lee Enfield for having a larger clip/magazine (any gun enthusiasts know which one it is?) having 15 shots available before reload. It will take 3-4 shots to kill a player but they will fall unconscious in two, making it somewhat deadly but due to its slow rate of fire it will often lose in close quarters. It has an audible range just shy of the AKM, making it loud enough to make trouble but not loud enough to get itself killed.

Sniper Rifles: Sniper rifles are definitively anti-player and feature scopes to take players out from ranges safe from zombies.

CZ550: The beginners’ sniper rifle this rifle features zeroing adjustment, with no variability in scope sight. The Chevron reticle is very versatile when mastered, and mastery will be required if you are going to counter snipe some of big dog sniper rifles such as the AS50 or M1017. The damage drop off over ranges of 300m seems to be severe so headshots will be required at those ranges if you are going to counter snipe, as given enough time many snipers will simply alt-f4 sadly. Found in barns, the CZ550 while more rare than it used to be is not by any means impossible to find and can start your career as a sniper quite nicely. While loud the CZ is perfectly capable of entering large areas and sniping from the ground, having the same noise signature as some of the battle rifles it can be used well in conjunction with a squad who will help clean up the mess made by shooting the gun.

M24: Essentially a better version of the CZ550, this gun can also be zeroed, has a great scope and can also be used in a squad setting. It holds 5 in the clip, and has the same noise level to zombies as the battle rifles. It can only be found in military spawns however, and its rarity makes many uneasy entering a settlement with such a rare gun so many prefer the larger sniper rifles and the DMR to this.

DMR: The DMR features mil dots for precise shooting, has variable zoom for super long range, has a reasonable noise level. This gun is essentially the dedicated over watch version of the M24. It has 20 bullets in the magazine, and this ability to put many shots downrange helps it compete against the larger caliber brothers such as the AS50 or M1017.

AS50: This gun is ridiculous, one shot kill on any part of the body and while it will attract zombies from obscene distance is actually rather quiet to other players at least comparatively. It features mil dots, a variable zoom scope and has much less recoil than the M1017, rare to the point of impossibility you will see this gun mostly with server farming clans or the people who have killed server farmers.

M1017: The biggest sniper rifle in the class, this gun will one shot kill at any part of the body it features mil dots, variable zoom and has the ability to destroy vehicles in a few shots. With the longest zoom in the game and one of the most unique sound signatures to players this gun while rare is more common than the AS50, and is a common thing to hear in PVP hot zones such as Cherno, Electro, Starry or the northwestern airfield.

Shotguns: In between assault rifles and battle rifles, shotguns are negligibly louder than assault rifles and instantly deadly to players at close range.

Double barrel shotgun: The newest gun added to the game, is an interesting if not underwhelming choice for players. Slugs will kill a player in two shots to the body at close to midrange, and pellets will kill a player in one depending on how much of the shot hits the player, and at what range. Surprisingly loud to players, you will generally get an extra zombie or two for taking a shot with this gun. Able to use 2 round slugs or pellets which are one of the most common things in the game, this gun is for the scavenger who doesn’t mind quickly managing his inventory. Able to convert these 2 round slugs to 8 round m1014 and back, allows a player to hold tons of ammo in exchange for inventory space.

Military Shotguns: The military shotguns are very common in military spawns, and that combined with the ability to convert 2 round shells and slugs into useful military grade ammo allows a scavenger to keep the military weapon in working order via residential spawns without the added risk of banditry that military spawns produce. This however takes much inventory management and backpack space, so results may vary. The Remington features a flashlight, and very minimal iron sights in exchange for the extra rate of fire that the M1014 will bring to the table.

Sub Machineguns: These weapons are essentially upgraded pistols that go in the primary slot, with all the advantages/disadvantages therein.

MP5: The MP5 has great ammo versatility, being able to use most 9mm ammo included their SD variants with the exception of PDW magazines. It is accurate and quiet and has semi, burst, and full auto trigger function. The silenced version gives up ammo versatility for virtual inaudibility to both players and zombies. This gun is great for looting of dense zombie population, but while accurate enough to engage players at range, lacks the stopping power for killing. Headshots are the only hope for winning against other players as the weak bullets and massive damage drop off at range makes engagements beyond 50m a dangerous proposition.

Bizon PP-19 SD: The bizon is a very useful weapon, for the short duration you can keep it in working order. By using various game mechanics such as logging out to refill ammo and never expending a clip to 0 ammo this can obviously be cheesed to effectiveness. Whisper quiet, and having a large enough magazines to spray at a player like a machine gun with a massive 64 bullets it mitigates some issues of the MP5 by sheer quantity against players while providing the same stealth qualities. This gun and its ammo can only be found on helicopter crash sites, so it is rare to see someone using it.

Machineguns: These weapons bring massive firepower, with the ability to clear a whole city of zombies but are extremely loud and rare to find.

M249: The M249 is the most versatile and reasonable machinegun, being an assault rifle with the ability to have 200 bullets this thing can be kept in working order by also being able to use the much more common stanag magazines. It can fill its role as city sweeper, while also being able to do the same job an assault rifle can do, with the same noise level with some awkwardness due to the recoil and iron sights. It however takes 2 body shots to kill a zombie, making its street clearing status much less efficient than its 7.62 caliber brothers. It is also the hardest to find of the light machine guns.

M240: This 7.62 machine gun is essentially a fully automatic battle rifle and can clear an entire city with its 100 round magazine and if you shoot it you will need to clear the city because zombies love hearing the noise of the satisfying (buhdadadada) and will come to you in force. This is the least rare of the machine guns and makes a very distinct sound to those that live long enough to hear it.

MK 48: This is essentially a M240 with optics, its power and optics combine to make for the best street clearer in the game and while nearly completely without much practicality is it probably one of the most fun weapons to use in the game for as long as you live while using it. This gun is exceptionally rare and sought after and like the M240, shooting this gun will agro anything in the zone whether it be zombies from its noise, or players looking to steal your fun distraction.

Useful links to make your own opinion:

http://dayzwiki.com/...omparison_Table

http://i.imgur.com/ntfgw.jpg

Edited July 17, 2012 by Sayl

[BlazeN'Chronic 51]

awesome review bro, you sound liek you know your shit, if you lookin for a decent group of guys to team up with hit me up on skype -fxgtopgun

[laszers 6]

akm isnt a battle rifle, it fires an intermediate cartridge.

[DemonGroover 8836]

Nice

[Gustav Mahler 40]

1866 Winchester has an internal tubular magazine.

[laszers 6]

it isnt a magazine, its a clip if it is inside the gun.

[Sokolovac 0]

I noticed you didn't have this.

SVD CAMO

Although it fires a full size rifle cartridge the SVD sometimes doesn't kill in one shot, it also has a habit of missing every few shots. This guns abilities mainly lie in its inbuilt rangefinder and the inherent stealthiness that comes with not having to fire a sighting shot. This rifle's ammunition is very rare as many people have found out, and only having 10 rounds a magazine it can be very hard to preserve. The weapons scope is a fixed zoom one that is set to a very high magnification, because of the way the chevrons are laid out it can not be ranged. Although this review comes off saying this gun is bad it does have some Pro's, It is a very good overwatch sniper because it allows you to get close to towns without alerting zombies when you fire. and I have gotten quite a few people walk right in front of me while I was under a tree, compared to a 50 caliber sniper rifle this gun allows you to stay with your team when raids are going on.

[wolffe 52]

^okay there general badass, take er easy. were talking about a video game about killing zombies.

[laszers 6]

svd is loud, audible range 180, that doesnt make it very stealthy.

[Sokolovac 0]

Still less than a 50 cal, although the damage is crap, it is a very good DMR.

[laszers 6]

you cant compare a 7.62x51mm round to a 50 cal, two very different cartridges.

[wulfenrider@msn.com 14]

Great writeup.....sticky for the new players?

[Sokolovac 0]

Thats why I said the guns have 2 very different roles... Did I at any point say SVD is better than the AS 50?

Every gun has pros and cons.

Edited July 17, 2012 by Sokolovac

[laszers 6]

you just said the sound was less than a 50 cal?

[HooDoo (DayZ) 0]

Give ya an a for the efffort, but I like this better.

http://dayzwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Weapon_Comparison_Table

:thumbsup:

[sparta436 46]

EXCELLENT WORK! this is insightful and useful for both experienced players and newbies. The only improvement I can suggest is adding a "How many shots it takes to kill a player" section to every review. Great thread

[laszers 6]

i use this one. http://i.imgur.com/BuY29.jpg

[Gustav Mahler 40]

it isnt a magazine, its a clip if it is inside the gun.

Fail troll

[laszers 6]

how? magazines are external, clips are placed internally.

EDIT: oops just messed that up, was thinking that the clip was the internal mechanism for it, my bad.

Edited July 17, 2012 by Pfc.William

[Gustav Mahler 40]

how? magazines are external, clips are placed internally.

EDIT: oops just messed that up, was thinking that the clip was the internal mechanism for it, my bad.

kk, sorry if I was overly combative. Its a sensitive issue :)

[DemonGroover 8836]

I have recently found that the AKM only seems to 1 body shot kill civilian Zeds - it takes 2 body shots to kill deer stand miltary zeds for example.

I dont know if the AKM was nerfed or was always like this.

Either that or military Zeds are slightly stronger - which makes sense to me.

[simjedi 43]

Ooops didnt see it in first post.

Edited July 19, 2012 by SIMJEDI