As in practically all survival games, having enough food is one of the most crucial factors for staying alive. However, in DayZ, you’ll face entirely different challenges. Not only can you overeat, but the presence of other players can mean that you sometimes struggle to find food. With our guide, hopefully this won’t be a problem, as we will examine all food sources in detail and provide you with important tips on what both newbies and veterans in DayZ should focus on.
Nutrition in DayZ: Finding the Right Balance
All foods in DayZ have specific values that help your character survive. These include calories (for energy), water, and the stomach’s fill rate. The stomach can only hold up to 2000 ml, after which your character will likely feel quite ill! So, avoid consuming too much food. However, don’t let the stomach icon drop into the yellow zone. We recommend eating whenever you have the time. A good and balanced diet is also important to fill your stomach at the right moment and consume enough calories.
Many foods can also be further processed, such as cooking or baking. We’ll delve deeper into this in the relevant sections. A cooking pot, an appropriate stand, and a campfire are crucial to avoid consuming raw food. We also recommend always washing your hands, especially if they are bloody!
Exploring Areas for Found Food
Most food didn’t survive the apocalypse in DayZ, having rotted away or been found by other players. However, you can still find canned food and dry food in some houses or on zombies, which can be eaten without any issues.
Using Canned Food Effectively in DayZ
In any good zombie apocalypse, canned food is the standard when it comes to eating! You’ll find many of these cans in DayZ, containing various foods. From fish to spaghetti to peaches, everything is available. You’ll definitely need a can opener, although you can also open cans with a knife. However, you’ll lose up to 30% of the contents, which you likely want to avoid.
Unknown cans without labels and less appetising foods like pet food should be eaten either not at all or very slowly. Sometimes you have to push through if you can’t find anything else. Approach it slowly to ensure your character doesn’t overeat or vomit.
Discovering Energy-rich Snacks in DayZ
You can also find dry food, including chips, cereal bars, or cornflakes. Some of these foods provide you with a significant amount of energy, such as candy canes. Bars are convenient when you don’t want to fill your stomach but still need energy. Rice expands in your stomach, so be cautious!
Sustainable Food Sources in Nature
Cans and snacks probably won’t sustain you for long, as there’s only a limited supply in Chernarus. Therefore, you’ll need to rely on nature sooner or later. Fortunately, DayZ offers a wide range of options for finding and preparing food!
Successfully Hunting Animals in DayZ
To obtain meat, you must locate and kill animals. This can be challenging for beginners, so it’s advisable to focus on domesticated animals like chickens. Usually, a knife and a melee attack are sufficient to kill and gut them.
With a rifle, you’ll have more opportunities to find some rare animals and hunt them for their meat. The best meat comes from bears, cows, deer, and reindeer. Regular pigs and boars are also excellent sources of meat and are much easier to kill. We recommend aiming for a good headshot to extract the most meat from the animal.
Naturally, you should not eat the meat raw. There are three preparation methods:
- Cooking: Spoils quickly, but has a high water content
- Roasting/Baking: Best preparation method, both filling and a good water source
- Smoking: Long-lasting, but not a good water source
Fishing as a Constant Food Source
Fishing is also a wonderful food source and one that will likely supply you with delicious fish throughout the game! With a long stick, some rope, and a hook carved from bones, you can catch a few fish relatively early in the game, so getting started shouldn’t be too challenging. However, you can also find proper fishing rods if you’re lucky. Additionally, you’ll need bait, which you can obtain by digging worms from the ground and attaching them to your hook.
If fishing is too tiring for you, you can set up traps for the fish. Using a water bottle and a knife, you can craft a small fish trap and place it by water bodies. You can also craft a fishing net if you have the right equipment. Again, you’ll need worms as bait, but the traps will automatically collect fish for you! The catches from traps aren’t as filling as those from proper fishing.
You can also prepare fish in the same way as meat to improve the relevant values. You should definitely not consume the fish raw or burnt!
Using Fresh Sources: Fruit, Vegetables & Mushrooms
For both new and advanced players, foraging for fruits in nature is an excellent way to provide yourself with food in the long term. Additionally, you can later grow some of these things yourself, practically ensuring an endless supply of fresh and nutritious foods! Zucchinis are, for example, the best vegetable variety and perfect for cultivation in a garden.
Fresh food from nature can also be prepared but can also be eaten raw (unlike meat). Again, cooking provides more water, baking is the best preparation method, and drying preserves items for longer. However, ensure they aren’t rotten, as this can make you sick.
Conclusion
In DayZ, your chances of survival also depend on how much food you find. You can live off pre-apocalypse items, but you can also rely on the diversity of nature. In the long run, the latter is, of course, significantly better! Rent your own DayZ server with us and maybe even set up your own garden to be supplied with delicious vegetables in the long term. Otherwise, occasional hunting for wildlife or a trip to the lake to catch some fish will suffice.
