- If you are bleeding but have no bandages, remove your shirt and right click it to tear off a rag - this can be used to stop bleeding. Note: This does not work if your clothes are damp.
- Use Tab to view your inventory. For a detailed explanation of the new inventory system see here.
- You spawn with a torch and battery. Drag the battery onto the torch to power it. Drag the torch to your hand to wield it. Pressing space aims the torch ahead at the sacrifice of movement speed.
- If you can't find any servers, try clicking the "Internet" tab - it may be defaulted to LAN.
- Change the quality of the clouds to very high to improve vision at night time | Video
- Increasing the gamma and brightness from the settings will also help you see better at night time. Note: This is seen as cheating by many.
- For a map of the new Chernarus see here.
- Use the number keys to cycle through your weapons.
- Pressing space lowers/raises your weapon accordingly. If you aren't carrying anything space will ready your fists to punch.
- If you are running and change weapon while it is raised, you will stop running. If you change weapon while it is lowered, you continue keep running.
- Hold down right click to zoom in.
- Holding Alt locks the direction of your movement, allowing you to look around while running without changing direction.
- Pay extra attention when looking for loot, some loot isn't immediately obvious.
- Avoid the coast unless you're looking for trouble. Head in-land after spawning.
- Poor framerate? Go to Documents > DayZ and open DayZ.cfg in Notepad. Change GPU_MaxFramesAhead and GPU_DetectedFramesAhead to = 1.
- Keep a spare pair of shoes in case they get wet or damaged. Not being able to run hinders your chance of survival.
- If somebody is holding you at gunpoint, you can usually see whether they have a mag in it or not. For example - Pistol with mag, Pistol without mag.
- Bad frame rate? Try disabling Ambient occlusion. Frame rate will increase by up to 200%.
- If the doors to a house are open, the chances are it has already been looted. Look out for closed doors for optimal looting.
- If you are armed, don't kill a player that isn't (unless they are trying to punch you).
- Use the third person view to your advantage to see around corners. Note: This is frowned upon by many, but won't be an issue upon the introduction of first-person only servers.
- Shotgun shells currently have no use and aren't worth the inventory space.
- Avoid running across open fields if possible - leaving yourself exposed will get you killed. Stick to the tree line if possible.
- If a zombie falls face down it's still alive, if it lands face up it's dead.
- Draw distance can be changed despite not being available in the settings. Go to Documents > DayZ Other Profiles > [Your username] > [Your username].DayZProfile (open it in notepad). Then change the number in viewDistance=number; to a distance.
- Not sure where to go for loot after spawning? Follow this loot route guide. Note: a server that has recently reset with fresh loot is ideal for this.
- These green houses contain no loot.
- You sprint faster with your fists raised.
Health

- If you are neither hungry or thirsty your health regenerates. The more hydrated and full you are the quicker it regenerates.
- If you are bleeding but have no bandages, remove your shirt and right click it to tear off a rag - this can be used to stop bleeding. Note: This does not work if your clothes are damp.
- If your head hurts, you need to drink water or take painkillers.
- To avoid bad health, stay away from rotten fruit, unpurified water (if possible) etc. and wear warm, dry clothes.
- Thirsty? Look out for water pumps in urban areas and ponds in rural areas. You can drink from them without needing a bottle. Note: some water pumps don't work. Refer to this map for their locations.
- Some food affects thirst, for example cereal restores 1,000 energy, and drains 250 water while sardines restores 333 energy and 100 water.
- Logging out while unconscious or handcuffed will kill you.
- You need a can opener to open canned food effectively. Using knives, axes etc. will open them but some of the food will be spilled.

Know how to combat any medical problems:
Status                                    Cure
Bleeding                                    Bandages/rags
Low blood                                    Blood Bags/Saline Bag
Broken leg                                    Morphine/Sticks & Bandages
Unsconsciousness                    Epi-Pen/Saline Bag
Food poisoning                            Charcoal tablets
Infected wound                            Alcohol tincture/antibiotics

- The longer your character is alive the less aid they will need.
- When giving blood transfusions your blood type must be compatible. Use this table for reference.
- Check your thirst/hunger status from the inventory screen regularly.

Navigation

- An important part of survival is knowing your bearings, there are ways to do this without a compass. You'll feel like Bear Grylls once you've learned these tricks.
- Find your bearings at night from the star constellations. Two stars from the Big Dipper point straight at the North Star | Video source
- The wind always blows east, so look at the movement of clouds
- The sun rises in the East and sets in the West, so if the Sun is just rising or setting you'll find it particularly easy to gain your bearings from that.
- Most towns/cities have road signs. If you are unsure where you are, simply match the road sign name up with where it lies on the map.
Status Messages

Hunger - Stage 1
Stage 1 hunger is represented by the following messages:
"My stomach grumbles"
"I'm feeling hungry"
"I want to eat something"
"I feel hungry"
Effect: None
Treatment: Consume food until notifications cease.
.
Hunger - Stage 2
Stage 2 hunger is represented by the following messages:
"I'm extremely hungry"
"My stomach grumbled violently"
"I'm starving"
Effect: None
Treatment: Consume food until notifications cease.
.
Hunger - Stage 3
Stage 3 hunger is represented by the following messages:
"I'm dying of starvation"
Effect: -1 Health per second, -0.5% blood per second
Treatment: Consume food until notifications cease.
__
Thirst - Stage 1
Stage 1 thirst represented by the following messages:
"I feel thirsty"
"I'm thirsty"
"I need a drink"
"I feel like having a drink"
"I want to drink something"
Effect: None
Treatment: Drink until notifications cease.
.
Thirst - Stage 2
Stage 2 thirst represented by the following message:
"I really need to drink"
Effect: None
Treatment: Drink until notifications cease.
.
Thirst - Stage 3
Stage 3 thirst represented by the following messages:
"I'm dying of dehydration"
Effect: -5 Health per second, -1% blood per second
Treatment: Drink until notifications cease.
__
Stuffed - Stage 1
Eating or drinking too much can overfill your stomach.
Stage 1 is represented by the following messages:
"My stomach feels stuffed"
"I feel really full"
"My stomach feels completely full"
Effect: None
Treatment: If you are full from food, don't eat for a while. If you are full from drink don't drink for a while.
.
Stuffed - Stage 2
Stage 2 is represented by the following messages:
"I feel over-fed"
"My stomach feels much more full then it's normal"
"My stomach feels absolutely stuffed"
Effect: None
Treatment: If you are full from food, don't eat for a while. If you are full from drink don't drink for a while.
.
Stuffed - Stage 3
Stage 3 is represented by the following messages:
"I am close to vomiting"
"I think I'm going to vomit..."
"I'm going to vomit..."
Effect: -500 hunger, -600 energy, -1000 water
Treatment: Rehydrate and eat (not as much this time!).
__
Stomach Ailments
Stomach issues are represented by the following messages:
"I have a weird taste in your mouth"
"I feel queasy"
"I feel like I’m going to throw up"
"I feel nauseous"
"I feel like I’m going to vomit"
Treatment: Consume antibiotics.