The DayZ Survival Guide

The latest mod that has become popular with gamers everywhere. Not sure where to start? Here is your guide.

Unless you have been hidden away in a cave for the last few months most people would have heard or seen the Arma 2 Mod DayZ. Now for being an alpha this mod is immensely polished and the mod alone has shot Arma 2 into the Top Sellers list on Steam.

For more info on the mod and how to get it head over to Dayz Mod http://www.dayzmod.com.

In this guide I am going to give you some very basic survival tips that should help you get into and start enjoying this awesome mod.

Starting Gear and Location:

Now when you first spawn into the world of DayZ you will notice that you are very ill equipped for a zombie apocalypse:

(x1 Bandage, x1 Painkillers and x1 Flashlight)

Now don't panic as you should be perfectly fine for the time being as your only really threat are the zombies that roam the land.

So your first priority is to find a way to defend yourself and some food and water, which can be achieved through the method of scavenging from buildings. Where ever you spawn you should be not too far from a building that has some goodies in it.

But how does one enter a building that is surrounded by zombies without aggro-ring any? Well here is my first tip.

How Zombie Aggro works:

Zombies have to see you to aggro so you have to play the stealth game. Proning is a great way to navigate your way past zombies since they can't see you very well when you're lying down. However if they get too close to you they will aggro you, so play it safe.

Another way to go about moving your way past zombies is to distract them. In a lot of locations around the map there are pieces to trash such as empty soda cans. These can be thrown to create a distraction and the zombies will wander towards where the can was thrown.

Scavenging:

So once you get inside a building you can find a variety of goodies that will help you in your travels through the zombie infested wasteland.

So the first items I found in this building were some more bandages and some pistol magazines. Now the mags aren't going to be to useful right now, but I took them anyway because the pistol they are used for is quiet common so no harm in taking them, and of course the bandages are a must pickup.

So now that you have some supplies it's time to locate some better equipment. Now if you were lucky to find a weapon, food and drink and medical supplies in your first building you are all set to start adventuring north, but if you weren't so lucky you best bet is to stick to the coast line and hit up some of the small towns as these will give you the loot you require.

Avoid the Main Cities:

These places are death traps for any new players. Zombies don't even come close to the other danger that lurks within the city walls, and that is 'OTHER PLAYERS!!'. Other people will not think twice before gunning you down for your stuff or just for the sport of killing you. Whether you are unarmed or only have a hatchet other players will take you down.

So my tip to you is, as a new player avoid the cities until you are more comfortable with managing zombie aggro and being able to navigate building without drawing attention to yourself. These 2 things will save your life more often than not as you will be able to avoid drawing too much attention to yourself.

Have Fun and Don't worry:

This game is very good at sucking you in and making you feel scared, which is why it is amazing, but death is part of the game so don't be afraid of it. Getting stuff is very easy once you know how and you never know you could find better stuff after a death.

I hope you have enjoyed these tips and stay tuned to the Scan Pro Gaming page for more DayZ content coming from me. Thank you for reading.

Josh ‘Lumpy’ Grimes