Crossbow Viability and Stealth Questions

[Wolfgrey666 29]

I want to be able to stealth as much as i can in this game/mod when i am able to get it(within the next week or so).What are my options to do so?Could I easily be a leader of a group and set silent killing sprees of zombies?Do melee weapons have any effect when you are not noticed?Are they effective enough to be used exclusively(hunters knife)?

And i have seen how crossbows don't seem to be the best.But they can stealth kill and you can pick your bolts after killing(sometimes they gltich out from what i have seen in vids).So how viable are they?

Also is there a silenced version of any pistols yet?

Finally is there any way to make your footsteps a lot lighter?

Thank you in advance for the answers.

I hope to join you all soon.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Wolfgrey666

[irGoodman 22]

M9 SD is silenced.

Footsteps can be lighter if you crouch, crawl etc.

Silenced approach is much harder without high end gear.

Melee is your only option really, but I find the almighty axe hard to aim sometimes.

[Wolfgrey666 29]

M9 SD is silenced.

Footsteps can be lighter if you crouch, crawl etc.

Silenced approach is much harder without high end gear.

Melee is your only option really, but I find the almighty axe hard to aim sometimes.

Does the Hunter's Knife lack of range give it problems?

Guess ill be hunting down that M9 SD.

High end gear? Like what?

[Elmokki 6]

Silenced weapons in the game are:

M9SD: Pistol - secodary slot. Terrible damage especially with 1.62. Quite rare

MP5SD: Terrible damage especially with 1.62. Quite rare too.

M4A1 Camo SD: Actually a pretty decent weapon. Not as powerful as the powerful guns, but not terrible either. Very rare though.

Silenced ammunition is also quite rare.

Melee weapons are silent - hunting knife is not a melee weapon though. Hatchet and crowbar are the only melee weapons. They are quite viable against zombies once you learn to use them but against players they are very risky. They can hit like 2-3 meters at least so you can avoid getting hit by zombies if you do it right.

Crossbow is the worst weapon in the game by far. Low damage and very hard to aim are bad things but skill can offset those. The real problem is that each ammunition takes one slot, so you'll always either have VERY few bolts or you don't have space for anything else.

My tip is: Don't try to be silent against players at least. Avoid zombies as much as you can and don't be afraid to make noise when you attack a player. Then just run like hell and hide again. Silenced weapons aren't totally silent either and people will know when you kill one of their friends anyway. It's better to just silently find a good spot and open fire with the most powerful gun you can find.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Elmokki

[Wolfgrey666 29]

Silenced weapons in the game are:

M9SD: Pistol - secodary slot. Terrible damage especially with 1.62. Quite rare

MP5SD: Terrible damage especially with 1.62. Quite rare too.

M4A1 Camo SD: Actually a pretty decent weapon. Not as powerful as the powerful guns, but not terrible either. Very rare though.

Silenced ammunition is also quite rare.

Melee weapons are silent - hunting knife is not a melee weapon though. Hatchet and crowbar are the only melee weapons. They are quite viable against zombies once you learn to use them but against players they are very risky. They can hit like 2-3 meters at least so you can avoid getting hit by zombies if you do it right.

Crossbow is the worst weapon in the game by far. Low damage and very hard to aim are bad things but skill can offset those. The real problem is that each ammunition takes one slot, so you'll always either have VERY few bolts or you don't have space for anything else.

My tip is: Don't try to be silent against players at least. Avoid zombies as much as you can and don't be afraid to make noise when you attack a player. Then just run like hell and hide again. Silenced weapons aren't totally silent either and people will know when you kill one of their friends anyway. It's better to just silently find a good spot and open fire with the most powerful gun you can find.

As time goes on i see those weapons being just fine but having their own silenced ammunition is abit much.I suppose ill have to resort to using a axe or crowbar for my stealthy kills.

How high is my chance to recover bolts? Because if i can recover 100% of the time, then it is more than viable.

[Elmokki 6]

As time goes on i see those weapons being just fine but having their own silenced ammunition is abit much.I suppose ill have to resort to using a axe or crowbar for my stealthy kills.

How high is my chance to recover bolts? Because if i can recover 100% of the time, then it is more than viable.

There's no percentual chance. It depends on what kind of surface your bolt hits and also if your bolt goes under a body you won't be able to retrieve it. Especially during night those small black bolts aren't too easy to spot either.

Also believe me, the crossbow is a horrible weapon. If you manage to become actually good with it, do make a video and you'll get respect, but that's going to be very hard. Finding more than 3 or so bolts that generally come with the crossbow (not always) takes some time and even then you'll need a big packpack to carry even half-decent amount of bolts.

Just taking the first assault rifle you see is much easier.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Elmokki

[Jukez 44]

Silenced weapons in the game are:

M9SD: Pistol - secodary slot. Terrible damage especially with 1.62. Quite rare

MP5SD: Terrible damage especially with 1.62. Quite rare too.

M4A1 Camo SD: Actually a pretty decent weapon. Not as powerful as the powerful guns, but not terrible either. Very rare though.

and Bizon

[Wolfgrey666 29]

There's no percentual chance. It depends on what kind of surface your bolt hits and also if your bolt goes under a body you won't be able to retrieve it. Especially during night those small black bolts aren't too easy to spot either.

Also believe me, the crossbow is a horrible weapon. If you manage to become actually good with it, do make a video and you'll get respect, but that's going to be very hard. Finding more than 3 or so bolts that generally come with the crossbow (not always) takes some time and even then you'll need a big packpack to carry even half-decent amount of bolts.

Just taking the first assault rifle you see is much easier.

Speaking when i get Arma 2 in the next week or so and this Mod, i will be doing a Let's Play of my time on it.....challenge accepted.

[Bobcomss 189]

Hi and welcome to hell!

Ok lets see...

Crossbow:-

.Very good at taking out zeds quietly but if you spook more then one your a gonner unless you can get into a building

.Slow reload

.1 bolt takes up 1 item slot and does not stack (stupid IMO)

.Can recover ammo but in my experiance 40-50% of time glitches out.

.Can only recover ammo by hovering over where you shot (very hard when Cross hair (CH) is off.

.Ammo is scarce, but using it right you can last on 1-2 bolts

.Hard to impossible to aim with :S

Silent Guns:-

M9SD Pistol

MP5SD

M4A1 camo SD

.Generally quite weak except M4A1

.Ammo is super rare (uses silent ammo...WTF?)

.IMO Wouldn't recommend

Silent Melee:-

Hatchet

.Weak can kill between 1-10 hits (random)

.has to reload...lol (10,000 swings though :D)

.Find near enough anywhere

.my advice...Spawn>Find hatchet> Use until die to get used to using a hatchet and get a feel for its range> Become a Viking god ;)

.Can attach to toolbelt so can have a primary and hatchet and swap out to get silent kills in buildings.

As far as I am aware knife can not be used in melee and if it can I haven't found how to.

Footsteps:-

.Not sure if glitch but...

.holding W or S and either A or D (walk sideways) seems to produce no sound while (only) crouch walking.

Hope that helps :)

AJ

Edited July 27, 2012 by Bobcomss

[Wolfgrey666 29]

and Bizon

Wait the Bizon is in this mod!?

That alone is worth it.How is the ammo rarity on it?

[Wolfgrey666 29]

Hi and welcome to hell!

Ok lets see...

Crossbow:-

.Very good at taking out zeds quietly but if you spook more then one your a gonner unless you can get into a building

.Slow reload

.1 bolt takes up 1 item slot and does not stack (stupid IMO)

.Can recover ammo but in my experiance 40-50% of time glitches out.

.Can only recover ammo by hovering over where you shot (very hard when Cross hair (CH) is off.

.Ammo is scarce, but using it right you can last on 1-2 bolts

.Hard to impossible to aim with :S

Silent Guns:-

M9SD Pistol

MP5SD

M4A1 camo SD

.Generally quite weak except M4A1

.Ammo is super rare (uses silent ammo...WTF?)

.IMO Wouldn't recommend

Silent Melee:-

Hatchet

.Weak can kill between 1-10 hits (random)

.has to reload...lol

.Find near enough anywhere

.my advice...Spawn>Find hatchet> Use until die to get used to using a hatchet and get a feel for its range> Become a Viking god ;)

.Can attach to toolbelt so can have a primary and hatchet and swap out to get silent kills in buildings.

As far as I am aware knife can not be used in ,elee and if it can I haven't found how to.

Footsteps:-

.Not sure if glitch but...

.holding W or S and either A or D (walk sideways) seems to produce no sound while (only) crouch walking.

Hope that helps :)

AJ

Hmm i suppose ill wait on Crossbow til they patch that up abit so you can recover 100% unless you shoot it against metal.

You have to reload your hachet.......? You can't be serious.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Wolfgrey666

[bezki 31]

Hmm i suppose ill wait on Crossbow til they patch that up abit so you can recover 100% unless you shoot it against metal.

You have to reload your hachet.......? You can't be serious.

just the first time you use it. hit reload straight after you equip it and it will jump the arming animation and swap directly to reload. remember! melee has never been part of arma and this is still in alpha. he fixed it allready one time but had to fall back because of some problems that were created.

[Jukez 44]

Wait the Bizon is in this mod!?

That alone is worth it.How is the ammo rarity on it?

It was nerfed to the ground along with the other smg:s in 1.62 (under 900 dmg per hit now, same as pistols). Only found bizonzs from heli crashes, same with mags. The mags have 64 rounds though.

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

Edited July 27, 2012 by Jukez

[Wolfgrey666 29]

just the first time you use it. hit reload straight after you equip it and it will jump the arming animation and swap directly to reload. remember! melee has never been part of arma and this is still in alpha. he fixed it allready one time but had to fall back because of some problems that were created.

Ah thanks for the info.So after the first swing reload and then ill be fine from there? Do i need to do this everytime i bring this weapon back out?

Those zombie sounds all from L4D2 and so are some of the animations.Since that is the case they should probably look up some of the melee work from the games or any of valve's games.A new game made completely from the half life mod capabilities named "Cry Of Fear" did a excellent job on this.

[Wolfgrey666 29]

It was nerfed to the ground along with the other smg:s in 1.62 (under 900 dmg per hit now, same as pistols). Only found bizonzs from heli crashes, same with mags. The mags have 64 rounds though.

http://www.dayzwiki....?title=Bizon_SD

So many shots we talking a kill then? And was it nerfed because of the pvp aspect? Because if so then nerfing the bigger weapons would be the same.But if the shots to kill a zombie is just fine, then it is more than viable.

If the wiki is right for zombie kills being 1 for head and 3 to body then i am golden.I don't care at all about player damage.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Wolfgrey666

[Jukez 44]

So many shots we talking a kill then? And was it nerfed because of the pvp aspect? Because if so then nerfing the bigger weapons would be the same.But if the shots to kill a zombie is just fine, then it is more than viable.

We have 12000 blood and it does 889 dmg, so it requires 14 hits to kill a person now. Zombies have 4400 blood = 5 hits.

http://dayzdb.com/ne...es-in-arma2-162

Edit. The wiki info about damage is old. Headshots still kill faster ofc. Not sure about 1 shotting though.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Jukez

[itscjftw@hotmail.co.uk 3]

The crossbow is a sack of shit. It's sights are awful, there is no quiver available so the bolts take up so much bag space and the reload time is shocking. The only thing it is viable for is if you pick one up in an instance to dispose of one zombie at very close range. Also, retrieving the bolts is very hard.

Edited July 27, 2012 by cjftw

[Wolfgrey666 29]

We have 12000 blood and it does 889 dmg, so it requires 14 hits to kill a person now. Zombies have 4400 blood = 5 hits.

http://dayzdb.com/ne...es-in-arma2-162

Edit. The wiki info about damage is old. Headshots still kill faster ofc. Not sure about 1 shotting though.

It has a quick firing rate so that isn't a problem.Damage is multiplied when you perform heashots though if i am not mistaken.Is the wiki info correct on headshots or am i looking at two in the head? Even the weak makarov is a one shot kill in the head for zombies from what i have seen.

[Sulfarius 1]

If you want to use a crossbow just remember you won't make kills at 100m range. I find the x-bow quite fun to use actually, even if the amo system atm is terrible. I've found out that when in first person mode and aiming down the sight, your bolt will go higher than the ironsight (well there's no ironsight but whatever). Just try a few shots first against some zombies from various ranges, even try some extreme ranges if you want, but then you might have to aim higher in order to hit but I haven't tried this, to get used to it. If you hit a zombie they're death with the x-bow and it's the most silent weapon in the game. If you play 3d person mode you might not want to aim down the sight at all. The crosshair makes it easier to hit zombies as it indicates way beter where the bolt will fly than the sight it has. Just beware if you hide bodies while the bolt is still on them that the bolt will disapear. Also, when you mastered your aim try to aim for the upper bod (head, neck and even shoulders are viable for this), it'll make getting arrows back a bit easier but still not 100% certainty.

http://dayzdb.com/da...mpound-crossbow and http://dayzdb.com/map#4.088.118 might help you out if you want to find a x-bow. You can find them in all the green marked places (farms).

I will agree with other players tho, stealth used to be more viable than it is now. Barely do I see anyone stealthing arround. Most people have resorted to just running through a building that has two entrances so that they can easily chase off zombies, because zombies start walking once inside buildings. It also makes it a bit harder for snipers to find them. Stealthing is at the end of the day more of a situational thing and can be handy if you, for example, ambush some1.

Oh and a last tip. You say you don't care about player damage so I'll guess that you won't kill players (please correct me if I'm wrong). The thing in Dayz is tho, a lot of players will kill you on sight. I suggest that you aproach players with a lot of caution and use the ingame voice chat if you want to be friendly to them... but even then some players out there are just arround to kill you, so it might be better if you take on a "shoot first, ask later" attitude. I guess you'll be playing with friends tho (since you stated you want to be the leader of a group) so you might want to have some1 watching from the forest lines and such for other players with binoculars. Also try to get everyone in the group a Compas asap, as the spotter can tell you at what direction the possible threat is spotted and you can prepare.

I hope this helps. I was gonna say something else about stealth but I forgot it now. Oh well :P

Edit: Headshots are always 1 shot kills, except for makorov vs players I think.

If you don't mind nightservers, those go a bit better for stealthing but at the cost of vision. It'll be harder to see but this can be fixed if you don't mind using lame tricks by upping the gamma and the brightness.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Sulfarius

[Wolfgrey666 29]

If you want to use a crossbow just remember you won't make kills at 100m range. I find the x-bow quite fun to use actually, even if the amo system atm is terrible. I've found out that when in first person mode and aiming down the sight, your bolt will go higher than the ironsight (well there's no ironsight but whatever). Just try a few shots first against some zombies from various ranges, even try some extreme ranges if you want, but then you might have to aim higher in order to hit but I haven't tried this, to get used to it. If you hit a zombie they're death with the x-bow and it's the most silent weapon in the game. If you play 3d person mode you might not want to aim down the sight at all. The crosshair makes it easier to hit zombies as it indicates way beter where the bolt will fly than the sight it has. Just beware if you hide bodies while the bolt is still on them that the bolt will disapear. Also, when you mastered your aim try to aim for the upper bod (head, neck and even shoulders are viable for this), it'll make getting arrows back a bit easier but still not 100% certainty.

http://dayzdb.com/da...mpound-crossbow and http://dayzdb.com/map#4.088.118 might help you out if you want to find a x-bow. You can find them in all the green marked places (farms).

I will agree with other players tho, stealth used to be more viable than it is now. Barely do I see anyone stealthing arround. Most people have resorted to just running through a building that has two entrances so that they can easily chase off zombies, because zombies start walking once inside buildings. It also makes it a bit harder for snipers to find them. Stealthing is at the end of the day more of a situational thing and can be handy if you, for example, ambush some1.

Oh and a last tip. You say you don't care about player damage so I'll guess that you won't kill players (please correct me if I'm wrong). The thing in Dayz is tho, a lot of players will kill you on sight. I suggest that you aproach players with a lot of caution and use the ingame voice chat if you want to be friendly to them... but even then some players out there are just arround to kill you, so it might be better if you take on a "shoot first, ask later" attitude. I guess you'll be playing with friends tho (since you stated you want to be the leader of a group) so you might want to have some1 watching from the forest lines and such for other players with binoculars. Also try to get everyone in the group a Compas asap, as the spotter can tell you at what direction the possible threat is spotted and you can prepare.

I hope this helps. I was gonna say something else about stealth but I forgot it now. Oh well :P

Edit: Headshots are always 1 shot kills, except for makorov vs players I think.

If you don't mind nightservers, those go a bit better for stealthing but at the cost of vision. It'll be harder to see but this can be fixed if you don't mind using lame tricks by upping the gamma and the brightness.

Quite honestly a night server sounds exciting but i think i will keep to a normal server for a while to get my bearings before i Let's Play it and get my team together.

Thanks for all the tips.I will be mostly equipped for stealth kills while my teammates will only half be as such.I think that would work fine.Also i will get everyone equipped with compasses as you said.

Yes for the most part i want to avoid killing players unless i have to.If i have to kill them i will.

So far i am looking at these two setups:

Crossbow

Hachet

or

Bizon

Hachet.

Either way i think i will be fine.I think the game was Soldier of Fortune(correct me if i am wrong) but i use to go only knives in that game.I had no problem holding my own knives versus guns.I think i will become more than accurate enough with the crossbow to make it worth my while.Hopefully the bolt recovery gets fixed abit still though.

[Sulfarius 1]

Oh I remember now. Avoid recruit and regular servers when you want to stealth. On these servers there are range finders by scrolling the mouse and name tags are visible from very very, even when you're hiding in brushes and stuff. Veteran servers are fine anyway, most of these lack crosshairs but that's no big deal anyway.

[Wolfgrey666 29]

Oh I remember now. Avoid recruit and regular servers when you want to stealth. On these servers there are range finders by scrolling the mouse and name tags are visible from very very, even when you're hiding in brushes and stuff. Veteran servers are fine anyway, most of these lack crosshairs but that's no big deal anyway.

So basically ill go recruit/regular to learn the basics and get used to locations and such.Then switch to vet for the real deal.Works for me.