WarZ Survival Guide

If you heard of DayZ then you most likely heard of WarZ (and vice versa). Both are great Zombie Survival MMOs (though there is an ever raging discussion as to which one is better). Rather than try to be the judge of that, I would like to focus on something different, in this case, WarZ itself. Like in any zombie survival game, survival in this specific blend of the Zombie Apocalypse will not be as easy as you might wish. Unlike in some other Zombie Survival Games, humans (other players) will pose an even greater threat than the zombies. Combined with your ever present hunger, thirst, and of course the zombies themselves, how do you survive in WarZ? Well, there might be many guides and videos about it, but if you came here, that means that you need a different point of view on the topic, or you feel like reading something a bit longer and conclusive. Well, here you are!

Where do all the DayZ and WarZ Bambis go?

How to survive in WarZ?

This Guide will be divided into two sections. One focusing on “Zombie” survival, the other on “Player” survival. The first part will include such things like Thirst and Hunger, while the second part on combat and tell-tale signs that somebody is about.

WarZ: Zombies, Hunger and Thirst

In WarZ you are bound to be assaulted by a number of things. First and foremost, zombies. Zombies, thus far, are mildly quick movers. If you move at your non-sprint speed zombies will have no problem catching up with you, and dealing damage (their range is far longer than you can out-walk it). Sprinting can save you, but the zombies will move after you for a certain amount of time, and then stop. Zombies (for now) are incredibly sensitive to noise. When you Sprint zombies will “spot” you from a wide area, often resulting in a small horde gathering toward you. Walking greatly reduces this, but zombies will still be able to detect you from a medium range. When you Crouch-Move or go Prone you will be almost invisible, capable of sneaking past zombies, even at a very close range.

A single zombie normally does not pose a problem, but a group of them might. If you have your basic flashlight you can clobber a single zombie to death with little problem. Hammers are more commonly used for this task however, because three strikes to the head will take out a zombie. Firearms are rarely used, due to fear of bandits and other survivors possibly hearing you, but if the going gets bad, you might as well pray that nobody heard you (or if they did, they might stay clear).

You are hungry, thirsty, and you stumbled on a zombie. Single zombie? No problem. Question is, what was it doing so far from the town?

Your other two small “enemies” are Hunger and Thirst. They both slowly increase over time, and when you are sufficiently hungry or thirsty you will start losing health, slowly. In fact you will lose health so slowly that you are bound to find enough Medical Supplies to keep you at full health constantly. It is important to note that in the world of WarZ certain types of food and drink will get rid of both Hunger and Thirst. Among these is the Instant Oatmeal, Juice and the Can of Soup. Other types of foods and drink, like chips, can make you less hungry, but increase your thirst slightly.

Food can be found almost anywhere, but there tends to be a huge under-supply of it. Finding Water is easy, and it is unlikely your thirst will ever begin to negatively affecting your health.

Food and Water (together with medicine) can be found almost anywhere, so just look around every corner, trash can, car, house and store. It is possible that you will find more medicine than actual food, but there is no cure for that. Do not be worried though, like I said, if you have even a bit of medicine you will not need that much food.

Update: As of the most recent Updates (still Pre-Foundation) the zombie, food and drink spawns have changed. The number of Zombies has greatly increased, and food and water is much more common. At the same time certain types of medicine heal much less damage. Bandages, for example, the most common piece of medical equipment, heal only token damage.

WarZ: Players

If you played WarZ you are bound to discover that (almost) every single player about is hostile. You might even strike up a conversation with them, only to get shot in the next second. Sadly, this creates a deadly spiral, where people who might be friendly by nature are forced to fight against everybody, on every turn.

The simplest way to survive in WarZ is to evade the players entirely, or at least not to be detected if you know they are nearby.

Firstly, check your surroundings before you enter an area. If you have a good vantage point you should be able to scout out the area from afar, using your Binoculars. There are a few “signs” if a player has passed through recently (although these might not always be noted at first glance):

The Zombies – If you see an awful lot of zombies standing about, and especially a lot of them “sleeping” on the ground, it’s a good sign nobody was nearby, for a long time. The alternative is that somebody is just that good at sneaking. If you note that a lot of the zombies are dead, or that they are running after somebody, or standing in a line just outside an area’s boundaries that means that a player might had been in the area recently, or still is. If you see zombies charging at somebody (inside a building, for example) you will know exactly where the player(s) are. This can give you an advantage when preparing an ambush, or when deciding whether to move on, or just wait.

Supermarkets tend to have a decent stock of different items. That is what makes them popular scavenging locations. Thus, if you move into one, and find it completely empty that should set off a number of alarms.

The Loot – If you can see inside a house, or if loot normally spawns outside, you can note whether most of it is gone, or not. If you see, for example, small backpacks on the floor, or a lot of “junk” thrown about left and right it is possible somebody was in the area recently, or still is. If you see a big pile of “loot” in the open, or inside a building it’s likely that a player was recently killed or even sniped. If you see a lot of good gear (such as firearms) sitting in the open it could be a trap, or a Sniper that killed a player and is hoping somebody will take the bait.

WarZ Survival Guide

Sounds – Gunshots are the single most tell-tale sign of Players in the area. It might be that they killed zombies just now, but it is far more likely that it was some banditry. If you can tell the direction the gun shots came from, and their proximity you can guess where it happened, which is either an invitation for an ambush, or staying clear of an area. The choice is yours.

Light – During the night time (or even daylight) some players might use flashlights. These are EXTREMELY obvious. The only more obvious way to give off your position is to stand directly on a flare. If you see a player using a flashlight to fight zombies he most likely lacks any better close combat weapon.

The question is, what to do if you know there are players in the area? There is no easy solution, but let’s go through a few:

Run for it – Although not the bravest approach, going in the opposite direction to that of the players’ might be much better than actually fighting them. This is especially useful if you lack any firearm. Your best bet is running into woodland, or hiding in a bush. From there you can crawl away, or run from cover to cover.

When heading back to a safezone, or traveling to or from a location it helps to check the chat for any reports of bandits or hackers. Even with this knowledge you should always play it safe and before each clearing charge up your stamina, get a good look around and then dash from cover to cover. Running through an opening, in the middle of the day, begs for getting shot at.

Duck and Cover – If you are in a deep urban area, or even a town or village, it is possible that you cannot just “run off”. Thankfully there are plenty of spots where you can hide. You could try hiding behind buildings, or beside cars, in the shadows. Find a tight dark corner and do not move. If worst comes to worst you can spring up a small ambush when you can hear the enemy is close. What you should try not to do is hide in rooms where loot actually spawns. If the players within the town are looking for gear they will check those very spots. The more boring a spot you find, the better.

Stand and fight – If you cannot run away, or even take cover, get your weapon out and prepare to fight. If you have firearms you will be on much more equal grounds than if you had a hammer or flashlight. Remember to aim for the head, and do not stop shooting until the players is dead. The problem is that you might attract all the local zombies, as well as other players.

Useful tips for Player Survival

What you had so far is the “raw” knowledge of Survival, below I include a few tips from my own trips that might just save your life:

“Friend?” – If you see somebody using Proximity Chat, and you are almost certain that you were the only one in a location you have only one option, prepare for a fight. More and more often Bandits and other Survivors use the Proximity Chat to lure people into a trap. Very often if you spotted an enemy player and duck for cover in a building or tight location they might try to “befriend” you, so that you will leave the safety of your bunker. Do not do it, but also formulate a quick attack plan. The sooner you learn this, the sooner you will save yourself a lot of stress. This takes some getting used to, because a player acting in a friendly manner might be bait for the rest of his group, waiting for you to come out.

Global Chat – If somebody ever asks you to Trade, wants to know your location, or asks for a group partner at a specific location, simply do not answer. Just like the use of the Proximity Chat, using the Global Chat will give people a heads up of where you are, and whether you are coming to them. Use Global Chat to report hackers, or especially troublesome bandits, but do not expect to get an honest group on a random server.

Killing for Fun – It is not important how many things you have on yourself. You might as well have nothing but a small backpack, you are still a target. No manner of pleading, or begging will work on a Bandit or another player, they will still kill you, if they feel like it. If you know you are about to die, make it not worth the Bandit’s time. Use up all your food and water, and medicine, if you can. This might seem like a way of denying a bandit his prize, but since they kill regardless of your actual loot? You get the small satisfaction that the bandit got absolutely nothing out of it.

Random Groups – Even if you did find a group of people to work with it is likely things will turn against you (and your group members), quickly. A single person with a gun has an advantage over the rest of the group, killing everybody instantly, when he or she sees fit. Play with friends if you want to feel safe. Random people cannot be trusted.

So, heading off to scavenge? If you logged out in a safe zone you have the liberty to swap around your equipment. Should you take the visible flashlight? Binocs? Larger backpack? Maybe the silent and efficient hammer and a few bandages? A lot depends on your stock of items, and what you plan on doing. Hiding away all your stuff and running into a town naked means you will not lose anything, if you get killed, and you could bring back a lot of good stuff. Or you could get killed by zombies.

Smaller Servers – If you want to have some peace and quiet, or if you want to restock your Global Inventory, visit servers that are almost empty. Explore areas close to Safehouses and head back. Make numerous trips and drop everything that you can find. The less players about, the smaller the chance you will meet somebody else. Be wary though, players might visit the “better spots”. So, even though there is a handful of people, your chance of meeting one of them at a big supermarket is far greater.

Groups of Friends – Playing with friends is far better (and safer) than playing with random people. Agree to meet at a specific Safe Zone, establish some type of Voice Communication with each other (Teamspeak, Skype, etc.) and organise your equipment. You might want to go Bandit Hunting, or go on a big scavenge trip, the choice is yours. Just remember to have a few spotters, looking around for other survivors and groups. If an enemy is spotted, take cover ad prepare to fight. The chance of a battle not happening is minimal, so be on the safer side and hold the advantage.

Know your locations - As of the most recent Updates the zombie numbers have changed greatly. Thus, here is a new lesson for you. Depending on the type of location you will encounter different zombie numbers. For example the Hill Ranch will have very few zombies, while “The Tunnel” will have an overwhelming number of undead, on both ends and within the tunnel. As you loot and explore take note where are higher zombie numbers, or within big locations, such as cities, WHERE they spawn (some areas might be emptier than others). This helps you in making your looting or exploration trips much calmer.

The Night is your Friend – When exploring, and alone, your best friend is the night. As soon as that sun goes down visibility will decrease drastically. In essence, hiding in tall grass, trees or beside a car will make you almost invisible. There are a few things to understand however. The Night Time does let you sneak around, almost unseen, but it also allows for much more dangerous ambushes to spring up (somebody with a shotgun at point-blank range, for example). Furthermore, you might literally stumble upon sleeping zombies, especially if they decided to have a nap in tall grass or bushes. Furthermore, you might also miserably fail in stealthing during the night. Imagine that you are a black dot, and then look at the area around you. If the ground you are walking on is lighter than “dark” you might be spotted very easily. If you go into any light source you will be as visible as during the day. Running or jumping up and down will also make you highly visible, even during the night. Any sudden movement will be even more visible during the dark, because it will stand out. This does not mean you cannot run in a completely dark forest, but in the middle of the street? You will be very easily spotted.

This is all for now, and there might be further updates to this Guide as WarZ gets more updates. If you have any tips to share of your own post them in the comments below, and if they are good we will add them to the article itself.