Where to start?

[Balmung 0]

I just got this last night, and I was really enjoying it except for the fact that I would get shot on sight without having any weapons. I have no friends or allies that play this game so I have absolutely no idea where to start. Just run to the nearest city and try to salvage some weapons so I can actually defend myself against zombies/bandits? I have no idea. It's just hard not having any friends to join up with right now. How do you start as a newb?

[n u k i 5]

join into servers when its bit darker/fullnight? :P

so ppl cant see you that well, use flashlight etc..

[Sincerely 5]

I had a friend! ;)

But why don't u head to the Survival HQ and try to find someone to play with, i'm sure someone would love to accompany on ur journey, and teach u how the game works! Good luck and have fun!

[Priceless 154]

Stay out of larger cities on coast, use out of game maps, and hit smaller villages inland to gear up.

[Balmung 0]

Thanks guys. All helpful posts.

[Deadcow 41]

As a new player i would suggest a couple things:

1. Run to the nearest town/city and get a feel for how the zed operate. Learn how to sneak past them, check out what happens when you aggro a few then run in to a building. Learn which buildings have loot, and which are worthless. This will help you be able to quickly go in to a town, get what you need, then get out without too much trouble.

2. Find a Hatchet. Hatchets are great because when you are still learning how to manage zed you can kill one silently without alerting every zed in the town to your location.

3. Be a little reckless at first. If you die, you wont really lose anything all that important since you just started.

4. Once you get a good feel for the game mechanics and can successfully sneak past a horde of zed and loot buildings, try to gather a starter kit of items to start your journey inland. My kit usually includes, a pistol + ammo, a decent rifle + ammo, some tools (matches, hatchet, hunting knife, compass, map), enough food/water to last you for a while (water bottles are better than cans of soda since they are re-fillable, and a good back pack.

I like to hit up berezino once i have the food/water for the journey. Here you can fill out what ever items you may be lacking like medical supplies, a better backpack, and any other items you come across that look interesting.

Always assume that every other player out there WILL kill you eventually. There is an exception to every rule, so you might get super lucky and find that one guy who wont, but it is unlikely. A lot of the time they will shoot you in the face the second they get a chance, other times they will feign friendship and shoot you in the back when you least expect it.

[blinkerty 8]

after spawning, and sorting out settings etc like whether you play 3rd or 1st person, i look around and see where i am, i have 2 monitors so i stick a map up on the other and have dayZ on the main one. but theres no reason you cant alt tab out to look at one, just make sure you've hidden first.

probably the best thing to do is get crouched as that way you're less of a target and your sound and visibility indicators wont max, stay along tree lines and survey the area, if you are near a town approach, holding shift whilst crouched makes you more or less invisible unless you walk into a zombie or in front of it, look for enter able buildings and loot up what you find, after i spawn i usually try and find and inventory consisting of a hatchet ( go into your inventory and remove it from the tool belt, it will go into your main weapon slot, and don't forget to reload it before swinging) as a weapon as it is silent, 2 bandages, but 1 is ok if you don't find any more, a drink, soda or water, food is always nice too, about 1 of each should get you started, any ammo you find, such as makarov mags, and enfield or shotgun pellets and slugs pick up, they are the more common weapons next to the axe or crowbar you'll come across in a town unless you bee-line to a military area. store them in the bag until you find a suitable weapon elsewhere.

so now you have a weapon, food, drink, bandages, and ammo for potential weapons. you should be set to start moving inland, picking up tin cans and whiskey bottles will help to distract zombies that are in the way of you and your destination just remember to press the F key to switch to them and that the longer you hold the left mouse button to throw the further it goes. that is more or less what i look for when i have just spawned other loot is about but it is up to you whether you take it now or find another later

[johan (DayZ) 21]

Press z for crawling. This is a must when approaching areas where there might be loot (if there's zombies, there's (potentionally) lootable buildings somewhere nearby). In the day time this is even more true as the zombies will see you even if you crouch 9/10 times when they get closer.

When you find some houses, maybe a small village, take a look at the windows of the houses, the buildings where the windows are solid with a texture added on top you can't enter. The ones where you can actually see into the building are enterable. Look around, some sheds can be looted, even doghouses (Dogs like beans, too!).

As for getting shot, take it easy. You need to move slow and carefully, taking note of your surroundings and if at all possible move via the forest, or through heavy bush. Move between tree to tree, stop once in a while and take a look around (360 degree, yes) to check if there's anyone following you, anyone or anything that might attack you, whether it be zombies or players. Also stopping and listening can be useful sometimes, at least when you're in cities as you might hear gunfire or steps not too far away, which you might not have detected had those sounds been muted by your own steps/character panting.

Good luck with day z! Hope you'll enjoy your stay!.

Edited July 22, 2012 by johan

[KWilt 157]

On the beach. That's where you start.

---

In all seriousness, though, with your first few lives, learn how the game handles, how to scavenge items, how to properly avoid zeds, and how to, overall, survive.

Then, if you're really looking for group play, I'd head over to the Survivors HQ and look around for some of the LFG topics. Might be able to find a group or two looking for a newbie to train. Hook up with them, learn the ropes of the game a little more, and before you know it, you'll be a DayZ survival expert.

From there, though, your story is up to you. Are you a bandit? A trader? A medic? It's your path too choose.

Edited July 22, 2012 by KWilt

[Vanglory 72]

Me and many, many, many others have died more than enough times. Usually, I'm a lone wolf with a more 'shoot first ask questions later' with the exception of unarmed players.

Now, when I first start out, I usually like to be close to Elektro, Cherno, or Balota airstrip for quick access to guns/food/water etc. that is incredibly hard to find in small towns. On the way, while I remain unarmed, if I ever run into another player, I make it apparent through VON or text that I am unarmed and cannot hurt them. Whether or not the player is a flat-out bandit, they will usually leave you be or actually help you.

Just remain innocent unarmed, and go survivalist as soon as you grasp your weapon.

Edited July 22, 2012 by Vanglory

[Worrun (DayZ) 108]

IMO we should start with a Hatchet

[Worrun (DayZ) 108]

Usually, I'm a lone wolf with a more 'shoot first ask questions later' approach

I wish people would stop using this saying. Who the hell asks questions? Nobody that's who :P lol

It's more appropriate to just say "Kill on sight" IMO

[Ankhenaten 111]

if you actually find a hatchet, you need to remove it from your toolbelt and then reload it. Crowbars are crap. I also got killed once as I had flares and instead of hitting with the crowbar I was throwing flares. RTMF :D

Edited July 22, 2012 by Ankhenaten

[Vanglory 72]

I wish people would stop using this saying. Who the hell asks questions? Nobody that's who :P lol

It's more appropriate to just say "Kill on sight" IMO

Yes, it is a saying. You usually don't take sayings literally.

Edited July 22, 2012 by Vanglory

[MrSnaps 4]

I just got this last night, and I was really enjoying it except for the fact that I would get shot on sight without having any weapons. I have no friends or allies that play this game so I have absolutely no idea where to start. Just run to the nearest city and try to salvage some weapons so I can actually defend myself against zombies/bandits? I have no idea. It's just hard not having any friends to join up with right now. How do you start as a newb?

If you are a new player I highly suggest looking for a low population server to get your bearings on before you venturei nto the more densly populated servers.

Also, take note that most of the coastline areas are pvp hotspots since the are so close to the spawn points. There are a select few areas more north that attract a lot of players (such as the NW airstrip, Stary Sober, and the surrounding towns to the airstrip, plus a few more.)

When youre on a fresh start and you need supplies, I like to head to either Elctro or Cherno (the two largest cities, located in the central area of the southern coast). You'll need to learn which buildings to loot and which ones to pass over, at least until you know what spawns where and where you need to go to have a good chance of finding what you want. Supermarkets are an excellent loot source. Generally lots of food and drink, a chance at a primary weapon and a sidearm, binoculars, compass, map, watch, and a bigger backpack.

Firestations (look for a building with a 4 floor windowed tower coming out of the top, and 3 red double doors on the front of the ground floor) provide military grade loot. Know in advance, though, that most people know this and thus these spots are frequented by many players (there are only 4 firestations that I am aware ofin the whole game: 2 in electro, 1 in cherno, and 1 at the NW airstrip). Looting a firestation is a high risk high reward endeavor.

You may come across problems getting rid of zombies, but know it really isn't that tough. If you are being chased and need to lose the zombies, look for a building with a front door AND a back door. Zombies walk indoors, so lure them to the center, and dip out the back (crouch run out the back door). This will lose zombies quite easily.

Try not to spend too much time in any large city. People WILL turn up there. Get what you need and get out. If you do visit Cherno and Electro, make sure to hit up the hospital. You'll need to break the glass to get in, but you can use an empty tin can, bottle, or soda can to do this (you can cycle through your firing options with the F key). You will see cardboard boxes among the loot piles. These generally contain a very large amount of medical supplies, but cannot be opened unless you loot the items lying on the floor around the box first.

Say you decide to begin with Electro. I personally would run to the market first, looting whatever you want, then zip over to the nearby office building (but be careful in office buildings, they are full of side rooms and it's very hard to cover all of your angles once inside), make a quick trip through said office building, and move on to the hospital. Loot what you need (morphine, bandages, a blood bag or two if you have a friend who can transfuse you, and a painkiller or two) and then either risk it with the fire station (one or both, if you are feeling REALLY daring) or just head north out of the city and into the woods. You can skip the fire stations if you do not want to risk it, and just head north instead.

From a safe location take a moment to decide what you want to acquire next (do you want a vehicle? A bigger bag? A map/compass/some other piece, a toolbox? A better gun?) and plan accordingly. Check http://dayzwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page for some useful information.

I hope that helps you, and happy hunting :-)