Starting a campfire is an essential skill for survival in DayZ. Campfires provide warmth, allow you to cook food, boil water, and give light at night. This guide will teach you multiple methods for starting fires using different items and techniques.
Table of Contents
Gather Necessary Items
To start a basic campfire, you need to gather a few key items:
- Cutting tool – Hatchet, knife, machete, etc. to get wood and short sticks
- Tinder – Paper, bark, rags, bandages to help start the fire
- Short stick – Found on bushes and small trees
- Firewood – Chop down full size trees
Optional but recommended items:
- Matches or road flare to easily ignite fire
- Stones to make an upgraded fireplace
Craft a Fireplace Kit
Once you have a short stick and tinder, you can combine them to make a fireplace kit. Simply place the fireplace kit on flat, dry ground.
Some good tinder options:
- Paper – Found in houses or industrial areas
- Bark – Use knife on trees to get bark
- Rags/Bandages – Very common around towns
Ignite the Fire
To ignite your fireplace kit you have a few options:
Matches
Equip the matchbox and look at the fireplace while scrolling to strike match.
Road Flare
Equip the road flare and look at fireplace, hold left mouse click to light.
Hand Drill
Combine one bark and short stick to craft hand drill. Equip it and look at fireplace while scrolling mouse wheel to ignite.
Without Matches
If you don’t have matches or a flare, craft the hand drill using bark + stick. Requires more effort but works same way as matches.
Maintain the Fire
Once you have successfully ignited your fireplace, you need to continually add more firewood to maintain the flames. Chop down full size trees with your axe or hatchet to collect firewood.
Monitor the fireplace slot UI. If a slot turns black, it needs more firewood. If all slots turn black, the fire will die out. Try to keep green slots at all times.
Pro Tip: Have firewood ready in your inventory so you can quickly refuel the fire.
Advanced: Upgrade With Stones
For an upgraded campfire, place stones in slots instead of only firewood. This enhances the fire, makes it emit less smoke, and cooks food faster. The more stones, the better.
Stones can be found along coastlines and rivers. Use your hands to pick them up.
Use Campfire for Cooking
Once you have a steady campfire going, you can start cooking food. Meat and vegetables can be cooked to boost their nutritional value. Simply place the raw food directly in your fireplace slots.
Don’t walk away! Monitor it closely. Food can burn very quickly if you aren’t paying attention. Cooked meat will turn from raw red to browned when fully cooked.
Additional Tips
- Campfires can be placed anywhere, but fireplaces work better indoors
- Make campfires under forest canopies to avoid rain
- Firelight and smoke attracts zombies and players
- Ensure tinder and firewood isn’t damp before trying to ignite
- Use a cooking tripod and pot to cook multiple pieces of food at once
Starting and maintaining fires takes practice. Don’t get discouraged. Follow this guide and you’ll be a master firebuilder in no time! Fire allows you to cook, stay warm, and survive the cold nights in DayZ.
