A fresh spawn's guide to DayZ | PS4

Alright, as this was requested, here goes. I want to be very clear that this is just what I do when I spawn in with nothing and other may do things differently or have additional tips.

Alrighty then, as a fresh spawn in the land of Chernarus there's 2 things you want to find as quickly as possible.

The number one thing is something to drink as you spawn with your thirst level at about half. So check every house you come across and any zombie you end up punching to death.

The second thing you want to find is a melee weapon. It'll make it easier to kill zombies and should you run into a hostile player it might save your life. Bladed weapons seems like the better choice for zombies, doesn't matter if it's a Machete or a steak knife, they both do the same job. Knives also open canned food and gives you the most out of those cans besides actual can openers. (Any tool besides the can opener that you use will cause you to lose a bit of food.)

Once you have those two things down. Start trying to get a backpack. Being able to carry supplies is important if you want to get away from the coast and backpacks are your best friends! The bigger they are the more shit you can carry, but that also cuts your stamina once you carry a lot of heavy stuff and you wont be able to sprint for as long.

Once you have a backpack, start looking for food and medical items. Most of the medical items aren't much use if you are on your own, but Chlorine tablets and Tetracycline pills will save your ass as you can either purify even the filthiest ditch water with chlorine or cure the impending cholera you get for drinking said ditch water without purifying it by popping a Tetracycline pill.

Once you've loaded up it's a good idea to start moving inland, I'd suggest having a map open on your phone or laptop next to you so you can navigate easier, look for signs just outside cities/towns and check the map on phone/computer to figure out where you are and where to go. There's always better gear inland than on the coast.

I'd also suggest not sprinting, just jog around unless you HAVE to sprint to get away from a player, you can't sprint for an unlimited amount of time so be careful with it, it also burns drink and food levels much faster so again, don't do it unless you have to or you have plenty of supplies to get food and drink levels back up.

Once you get inland I'd suggest going to places that have either hunting cabins or military areas or both. This is  the best way to get geared up with weapons to defend against other players, clothing with more storage space, ammo, night vision goggles and more. These are usually high risk areas, but if you go about it with some care you should be good. Don't go to these places at night without Night vision goggles (NVG's) as there are a lot of zombies around and if there are other people around with NVG's... Well you're fucked.

Do not forget to check your indicators at the bottom right of your screen, always keep an eye on your food and drink levels, as well as anything that indicates an injury or illness will pop up there.

Quick stop in terms of clothing items again, your shoes/boots will get worn down over time, make sure you check them regularly or keep an extra pair on you as once they get to their "ruined" state, you may suddenly start bleeding on your feet, same goes for running/walking without shoes/boots. Also try to avoid sliding down ladders without gloves, you might also cut your hands and start bleeding. Also, if caught in the rain, you may get a water symbol in the bottom right, if you do, get to shelter. Once in shelter take your jacket into your hands and wring it out, same with your pants. This will stop you from getting a cold and possibly dying.

 I'd also suggest playing this with a group. There's a fuckton of running in this game and it's not so bad if you have people to talk with/run with while doing so. It's also nice as you don't need to carry ALL the things, you can easily split it up between the group and share it as needed.

Finally, do not trust anyone. If you see a player always asume they will kill you for your shit. Not everyone will, but the majority will even if you have nothing as they are just cunts. So if you see another player, either avoid them, shoot them first or prepare to get in a fight.

Hopefully this will get you to survive the intial 30 mins of DayZ and even more, if anyone else has tips, feel free to pitch in!