As in almost all survival games, enough food is one of the most crucial factors to stay alive. However, in DayZ, you’ll face entirely different challenges. Not only can you overeat, but the presence of other players can also make it difficult to find food. With our guide, this hopefully won’t be a problem, as we take a closer look at all food sources and provide you with important tips on what to focus on as both a newcomer and a veteran in DayZ.
Nutrition in DayZ: Finding the Right Balance
All foods in DayZ have specific values that help your character survive. These are calories (for energy), water, and the stomach fill rate. The stomach can only be filled up to 2000 ml, and beyond that, your character might feel quite unwell! So avoid consuming too much food. Don’t let the stomach symbol drop into the yellow area either. We recommend eating whenever you have the time. And a good and balanced diet is also important to fill the stomach at the right moment and consume enough calories.
Many foods can be further processed, such as cooking or baking. We’ll go into more detail on this in the relevant sections. A cooking pot, an appropriate holder, and a campfire are extremely important to avoid consuming raw food. We also recommend always washing your hands, especially if they’re bloody!
Exploring Areas for Found Food
Most food probably didn’t survive the apocalypse in DayZ and has rotted away or was already found by other players. However, in some houses or on zombies, you can still find canned food and dry food that hasn’t spoiled and can be eaten without problems.
Effectively Using Canned Food in DayZ
In every good zombie apocalypse, canned food is the standard when it comes to eating! And in DayZ, you’ll find many of these cans, containing various foods. From fish to spaghetti to peaches, it’s all there. You’ll definitely need a can opener, though you can also open cans with a knife. However, this will cause you to lose up to 30% of the contents, which you certainly don’t want.
Avoid eating unknown cans without labels and less palatable foods like pet food, or eat them very slowly. Sometimes you have to endure it when you can’t find anything else. Approach cautiously to avoid your character overeating or vomiting.
Energy-Rich: Discovering Snacks in DayZ
You can also find dry food, including chips, muesli bars, or cornflakes. Some of these foods provide you with a lot of energy, such as candy canes. The bars, on the other hand, are practical 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
But cans and snacks probably won’t take you far, as there’s only a limited number of them in Chernarus. You won’t be able to sustain yourself on them indefinitely and will sooner or later have to rely on nature. Fortunately, DayZ offers you a wide range of possibilities to find and prepare food!
Successfully Hunting Animals in DayZ
To obtain meat, you need to locate and kill animals. This can be especially challenging for beginners, so they should focus on domesticated animals like chickens. Usually, a knife and a melee attack are enough to kill and gut them.
With a rifle, however, you’ll have significantly more opportunities to find and hunt some rare animals for their meat. The best meat comes from bears, cows, deer, and reindeer. Regular pigs and wild boars are also great sources of meat and much easier to kill. We recommend placing a good headshot to extract the most meat from the animal.
Of course, you shouldn’t 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 keep you supplied with delicious fish throughout the game! With a long stick, a rope, and a hook carved from bones, you can start catching fish relatively early in the game, making it not too difficult to get started. You can also find proper fishing rods if you’re lucky. Additionally, you’ll need a bait, which you can create by digging worms out of the ground and attaching them to your hook.
If fishing is too tiring for you, you can also set traps for fish. Using a water bottle and a knife, you can craft a small fish trap and place it near water sources. You can also craft a fishing net if you have the appropriate equipment. Again, you’ll need worms as bait, but the traps will automatically catch fish for you! The catches from traps aren’t as filling as from actual fishing.
Fish catches of any kind can also be prepared like meat to improve their respective values. You definitely shouldn’t consume fish raw or burnt!
Fruits, Vegetables & Mushrooms: Utilizing Fresh Sources
For both new and experienced players, foraging for fruits in nature is also a good way to sustain yourself with food in the long term. You can even grow some of these things yourself later, providing you with an endless supply of fresh and nutritious foods! Zucchinis, for example, are the best vegetable type and perfect for growing in a garden.
Fresh food from nature can also be prepared, but it can also be eaten raw (unlike meat). Again, cooking yields more water, baking is the best preparation method, and drying makes things last longer. However, make sure they aren’t spoiled, as they can make you sick.
Conclusion
In DayZ, your chances of survival also depend on how much food you find. You can live off things from before the apocalypse, but you can also rely on the variety of nature for sustenance. In the long run, the latter is certainly much better! Rent your own server for DayZ with us and perhaps even set up your own garden to be supplied with delicious vegetables in the long term. Otherwise, occasional hunting of wild animals or a trip to the lake to catch some fish will do the trick.
