The main goal of DayZ is to survive for as long as you can. Early on in the game, exploring the game’s vast and expansive world is very important as you want to begin scouring for loot and gear. However, once you’ve made your character stronger, your next best course of action is to start building a base of your own in the game.
The building mechanic in DayZ is pretty simple, but it gets the job done when it comes to giving your character a good base and a nice spot to be in, just in case things get too hectic. Believe it or not, the longest surviving players in the game can do so because they have a base to turn to if ever they begin running low on supplies. Here are some tips on how you can build your optimal base in the game.
Find A Good Spot
One of the first things you should do before building a base is find a good location. First of all, you should find one that’s far from the city. If you put your base near the city, you’re putting yourself in danger of getting your base overrun by zombies. If you can, find a spot in rural areas but is still walking distance away from dense locations so that you have a nearby site for looting.
A vast and expansive land is essential as you’d want to have the means to generate your own food through planting. It’s not ideal to build your base on the pavement as you can’t plant here. Most people choose to build their bases on farms as the land is already primed for farming. Furthermore, these areas are vast and expansive as well.
You don’t have to build your base from the ground up. You can find a house or a shack that’s on farmland and then begin building from there. There aren’t many building options in the game, so it would be best to start by fortifying a house instead.
It’s always wise to find a house with fully functioning doors. It can be hard to start a fire if there are holes or open areas in the house. Most veterans either look for large barns or three-story houses as the main area for their base as these are the most optimal spots for survival purposes in the game.
Last but not least, look for areas on the high ground. It will help you get the most out of your location. You’d want to have a spot in your base where you can scout for any incoming enemies. If you have a gun or a sniper, you can take them out even before they get near your base.
Find The Right Tools
It would be easier for you if you were to stock up on necessary tools first. These tools are going to be used for gathering sources mostly.
- Ax – An ax is the most important tool for building a base. The primary purpose of an ax is to help you chop trees for logs that you are going to fortify your base with. It’s a big plus that it’s a good weapon as well. You can find an ax in homes and lumberyards mostly.
- Chainsaw – A better alternative to an ax is a chainsaw. It will help you chop down trees faster. The downside though is that chainsaws are very loud and they can draw the attention of other players or even zombies. Another downside is that you’ll need to feed chainsaws with fuel first as well.
- Shovel – A shovel is going to be used to help you plant your vital resources for your base. You can find these inside homes and farms as well. If you are near the beach or any body of water, you can use the shovel to dig for worms used for fishing as well.
- Pickaxe – A pickaxe is not just a good weapon, it’s also a means to break down boulders for rocks. You can find these in homes, farms, and even hardware stores. It’s a vital weapon in the game not just for survival but also for building.
Start Gathering Your Resources
There are several primary resources that you’re going to want to stock up on when it comes to building your base. These are sticks, rags, nails, rope, and logs. Other than the logs, the rest of the resources are actually very easy to find.
If you want to stock up on sticks, look for bushes around the game’s world. There are plenty of these around the world, and you can gather these with your bare hands. For building, you’d want to look for long sticks and not short sticks. There’s an abundance of bushes around the world, so you don’t have to worry about this too much.
You can get rags from many sources, but you can mostly refurbish old clothing items to turn them into rags. Get as much as you can because these are also used to create bandages and first aid kids, which are crucial for your survival.
Nails are a bit different as you can only pick them up and not get them from a specific source. They are mostly found inside homes and hardware stores.
You can find rope in just about any area, but you’ll have to look carefully for them as they can be hard to spot. Alternatively, you can also use rags to craft rope as well.
As for logs, you’ll have to get them directly from trees. You can’t store logs in your inventory. Instead, you’ll have to carry them over to your base, which is why it’s also important to find a base that’s near trees, so the trips aren’t going to be too far in between.
Begin Building Fences
Before you construct fences, you’ll first need to build fence kits. You can do this by combining a rope and two sticks. Fence kits aren’t the fences themselves, but they are used to plot the land where you’ll be building your base. It will be easier to create your base once you’ve found enough fence kits to support your base.
If you’re building over a house or are fortifying it, then securing the location with fences is the best way to do so. To build fences, you’re going to need 2 logs, 18 planks, and 36 nails. You can create something more durable by replacing planks with sheet metal. This gives you extra protection as metal sheets take a lot more time to destroy, but they are harder to build as well.
Secure your base by surrounding the area with fences. Make sure that there’s enough space for farming as well as this is going to be a crucial source of food for you, so you don’t have to go out usually. Make sure that there are no gaps between your fences as this is a common mistake by many players. A small gap can fit a zombie already, so it’s best to ensure that there’s no space in between.
Building a base is one of the most important things you can do in DayZ. It will help prolong your time in the game. Just keep in mind that if your character dies, everything, including your base, will be destroyed along the way. As such, it’s often best to build a base along with the help of others as they can help create something more durable and useful.
