DayZ is a brutal survival game where you not only have to fend off zombies and other players, but also deal with various illnesses that can quickly take you down if left untreated. Getting sick is extremely common in DayZ, especially if you are new to the game. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to prevent, identify, and treat the most common illnesses in DayZ.
Table of Contents
Preventing Illness
The best way to deal with sickness is to avoid getting sick in the first place. Here are some tips to boost your immune system and prevent disease:
- Stay warm and dry. Exposure to cold and wet conditions will quickly lower your immunity.
- Eat and drink in moderation. Overeating/drinking will make you vomit.
- Wash hands before eating and bandaging wounds. Consuming food or using dirty bandages raises chance of infection.
- Disinfect water bottles before drinking. Water from non-purified bottles might contain cholera.
- Take multivitamins when found. They temporarily boost immunity.
Identifying Illness
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to completely avoid getting sick in DayZ. When you do catch an illness, the first step is identifying it through symptoms:
Cold/Flu: Frequent sneezing and coughing. Caused by being cold and wet for too long.
Cholera: Vomiting and extreme dehydration. Caused by drinking untreated water.
Food poisoning: Vomiting after eating/drinking. Caused by consuming raw or rotten food.
Wound infection: Redness around cut. Caused by unclean bandages or items.
Chemical poisoning: Blurred vision and lack of blood. Caused by drinking hazardous liquids.
Treating Illnesses
Once you’ve identified the illness through symptoms, you can administer the appropriate medication/treatment:
Cold/Flu – Take Tetracycline pills to cure. Also stay warm and dry.
Cholera – Take Tetracycline pills to cure. Drink clean water to combat dehydration.
Food poisoning – No direct cure. Let illness run its course as you keep hydrated.
Wound Infection – Replace bandages with clean rags. Apply alcohol tincture on wounds.
Chemical poisoning – Take charcoal tabs to absorb poison. Do saline IVs for blood loss.
Items to Treat Illness
Here are the essential medical items you should look for:
Medication
- Tetracycline pills – Antibiotic that cures bacterial diseases like cholera.
- Charcoal tabs – Absorbs poison and chemicals from digestive system.
- Multivitamin pills – Temporarily boosts immune system function.
Wound Care
- Bandages – Crucial for stopping bleeding from wounds.
- Rags – Can be used as makeshift bandages.
- Alcohol tincture – Disinfects wounds to prevent infection.
Intravenous (IV)
- Saline IV – Rehydrates body and restores blood. Critical for treating cholera and blood loss.
- Blood IV – Directly restores blood levels. Harder to find than saline.
Final Tips
Getting sick can quickly spiral out of control if not promptly treated. Follow these final tips:
- Don’t ignore symptoms. The sooner you treat illness, the better.
- Carry essential meds. Having at least bandages, rags, and Tetracycline will save your life.
- Know medical building spawns. Hospitals, clinics etc. have the best medical loot.
- Prevent illness per the guidelines above. Don’t get careless once you have good gear!
Stay vigilant, keep medications stocked, and treat symptoms early on. Do this and you’ll survive illnesses other survivors can only dream of recovering from!
