Surviving The Elements in DayZ - Standalone
When you first spawn into a new game in DayZ, you have minimal equipment and light clothing. Extreme temperatures bring a new threat that requires you to not only find weapons and food, but to get warm or stay cool. Even late in a game, the elements can factor into your equipment strategy.
In This Guide:
- Player Status Indicators
- Surviving The Cold
- Surviving The Heat
- Staying Dry
Note: DayZ is currently available as an early access game. This guide was written based on Alpha Version .49 and will be updated if new versions effect the information provided.
Player Status Indicators
As you are effected by the elements, text will appear in the bottom left hand side of the screen. This text will mirror Status Indicators in your Player Interface. As the effects increase, the text and color on the status indicator will let you know your level of effect.
Most negative status indicators start as green, then to brown, and finally red. However, the status indicator for wet instead starts as a light blue and gets darker as the status worsens. Players do not die from being too wet, but it can contribute to being cold. On the other hand, getting wet can be a step towards combating the heat.
The status text in the bottom left hand corner of your screen will also indicate your current status. It will also tell you how fast you are getting cold or warming up. This can be useful in situations where it is not convenient to open your player interface.
Surviving The Cold
Chernarus is often a cold environment, making it likely that you will need to take steps in order to survive cold weather. This is vital when it is cold enough to see your own breath, and even more important when it is raining and you can see your own breath.
You status will first tell you that you are cooling off, slowly cooling off, or promptly cooling off. When promptly cooling off, you will have little time to start warming up. This can be slowed by putting on warming clothes or sprinting.
The status indicator will move from cold (green), to freezing (brown), and finally to hypothermia (dark red). Once at freezing, you are risking getting sick, and will need more than just warm clothes to survive. At hypothermia, you will have a short time before death.
Combating The Cold:
- Wear Warm Clothes
- Warm Up By a Fire
- Move Around
Wear Warm Clothes
This is often the quickest method for fighting the cold weather, but might require making some tough decisions. Clothing along is not effective one you have entered the freezing status. Slow down the rate at which you are getting cold by using warm jackets, hats, face gear, and gloves.
Jackets/Shirts
- Down Jacket - The warmest jacket current in DayZ. Unlike many jackets, this only offers three slots of storage and can't be equipped with a vest or holster.
- Wool coats, riders jackets, and hoodies - Not as warm as the down jacket, but provides four spots for storage.
- Military/Police Uniform Jackets - Warm, but will not stop extreme cold by themselves.
- Shirts - Won't do much to help, but better than having nothing.
Warm Hats
- Ushanka
- Beanie Hat
- Zmijovka Cap
- Radar Cap
Warm Face Gear
- Balaclava
- Bandana tied as a face mask
Warm up By a Fire
This is the fastest method for getting warm, but will require an axe and matches. As soon as the fire is built and ignited, the status indicator will tell you that you are warming up. Heavy rain will make it so that the match will not ignite the fire, but I have had success shielding the fire by building it under trees with thick branches.
Caution: Standing too close to the fire can cause injury.
Move Around
Sprinting can increase your body temperature and help you warm up. This is not a long term solution and will often not work by itself. However, wearing warm clothing and sprinting will often be enough to start warming up, or at least slow down the freezing process.
Sprinting has several obvious drawbacks. First, it will draw the attention of zombies and other players. You could also inadvertently run into standing water, making your problem worse. This often happens when there is little visibility due to the terrain or at night.
Surviving The Heat
It is rare in DayZ that a player gets too hot, but it can happen. The status indicators follow the same color pattern as they do when getting cold. However, the solution to the problem is often much easier.
In order to cool off, you can first try to just shed some clothing. If that does not work, find some standing water and jump in. Taking off you clothing first will protect your gear and allow you to cool off faster. But, allowing your clothing to get wet will cause you to stay cool for a longer period of time.
Staying Dry
It is important to stay dry in cold temperatures, due to the increased chance of hypothermia. Players risk getting wet when it is raining, traveling through standing water, or being close to the ocean. Some clothing will protect players from water, unless they are damaged.
Raining
There are times where you will need to travel while it is raining. Staying inside is not always an option, and can be very boring. When the rain is light, you can travel through a thick forest, sprinting between trees. The tree cover will help prevent the majority of the water from making contact. This could be the difference between getting soaked and becoming damp. For a heavy rain, having protecting clothing will be your only choice.
Protective Clothing
There are several choices for water resistant clothing, but all have one thing in common. They lose their effectiveness when they become badly damaged, and are useless when ruined. In order to be properly protected, you must have all areas of your body covered. This includes head, body, legs, and feet.
- Head - Motobike Helmets, Gorka E Military Helmet w/ visor, ZSh3 Pilot Helmet, and Hard Hat.
- Body - Tactical Shirt, Raincoat, Military/Police Uniforms
- Legs - Military/Police Uniforms
- Feet - Military Boots, Jungle Boots, Rain Boots
Drying Clothing
Wet clothing will dry over time, but there are several ways that you can help speed up the process. When using any of these, you first want to be in a dry area.
- Wring clothing out by taking it off and into your hands. Select the option to wring it out.
- Take off clothing while you are next to a fire. It will dry quickly and you can put it back on.
- If it is warm outside you can take off the clothing without being next to a fire. It will dry from the warm temperature.