DayZ – How to Avoid Hypothermia and Freezing to Death

DayZ is a game with many dangers, from a hoard of zombies chasing a player with no weapon, to a group of bandits who forget this isn’t Call of Duty. With Update 0.49, players can add another item to the list, and it goes by the name Hypothermia. Just in case bleeding to death from zombies that can kill you through walls and floors wasn’t enough, the fine folks at Bohemia saw fit to introduce body temperatures, then set the time of year in the game to December.

Thanks, guys.

All kidding aside, we actually have no beef with Mr. Dean Hall and the developers of DayZ, but we would be lying if we didn’t say freezing to death due to a semi-working game mechanic wasn’t frustrating. It is frustrating, and that’s why we felt the need to pass along our knowledge to other survivors. If you’re a bandit, on the other hand, may your nights be cold and your cargo pants wet.

Know What You’re Getting Into

Players might notice that they get cold awfully fast in DayZ these days, and the reason for that is because Bohemia set the time of year to December. Combine this with the fact that Chernarus is really just Russia, and even a Canadian wouldn’t go tobogganing in that nonsense. The system works, though. Well, it sort of works. It works in the sense that it puts a player’s priority on finding clothing and getting warm higher up on the list, and with varied spawn points, this will hopefully lead to more of the map being used.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Players who wish to avoid freezing to death will want to bundle up, and that generally means looting some residential areas that are off the beaten path. Survivors will want to make sure they find a coat, hat and anything else that keeps them warm, although we’re not currently 100 percent sure which clothing items are effective and which ones are not.

For example, we know that wearing a Pristine coat will help keep warm, but we’re not sure if Bohemia fixed it so that boots and gloves have an impact. In this situation, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Since it is December in Russia, players should focus on bundling up, as we’ve yet to have any trouble at all with Hyperthermia.

Come Inside and Out of the Rain

As players might expect, rain is a big jerk in Chernarus right now. You see, water makes people cold, and again, add in the fact it’s December and survivors are minutes away from being dead and frozen on the side of the road. One way to combat this is for players to find a Raincoat. Not only will it help them keep warm, but it will also help to keep them dry. When fighting off Hypothermia in the zombie apocalypse, being dry and warm are pretty much the two major factors to look out for.

A second method of surviving the rain and cold is to stay out of it. This might involve chilling inside, or it could require moving to another server where it’s all sunshine and rainbows. If players do get wet, however, right clicking on their articles of clothing and wringing them out is very helpful, although stepping into the rain again will undo all of this hard work.

Build a Fire in a Shed

For players like us, server hopping isn’t all that fun. If we end up in a server where it’s raining, part of the experience involves figuring out how to deal with that. This is essentially the reason that Matches and some type of Axe are essential.

When players find themselves caught in one of the downpours that Chernarus is known for, they need to chop down a tree, grab some Firewood and head for a shed or a garage. Build a fire and then sit close to it to warm up. If it doesn’t seem to be working, survivors should check their inventory to ensure they aren’t wet, as this will prevent them from increasing their internal temperature. Once they are dry, however, the fire will start to warm them up and Hypothermia will be a thing of the past. Well, at least until the next time they step outside for all of three seconds.

Check out the video below on how to build a fire in DayZ.