DayZ is a hardcore survival game where not only infected pose a threat, but the question of "How to make a fire?" can become an existential threat. In this guide, Guided survival expert Kevin Willing will help you building a fireplace, upgrade it and light it -- even without matches.
This article has been freshly updated and improved for the latest patch 1.23.
How to build a Fireplace/Campfire in DayZ (TLDR)
What you require: Making a fire consists of several stages. So you have to work through a lot, but don’t worry. Once you know how it’s done, it will become an easy routine:
All the items you need:
In the first stage, you need to build the foundation, on which you will then build up the rest of your campfire. To make the “Fireplace Kit” you have to collect the following resources:
Then you combine the sticks with one of the tinder variants to get the kit. You can now place it either on the floor, in a barrel, or in an indoor fireplace. In the case of indoor placement, the following procedure remains the same. To use a barrel instead, all you have to do is punch holes in it with an axe, screwdriver, or crowbar. We will come to the other differences in placement later!
So you placed the kit. Now, of course, you have to make sure that it burns too. Depending on where you are, it is sometimes easier and sometimes more difficult. If your wood, matches, or tinder is wet, nothing may go up in flames apart from the dream of making a fire. Strong winds can literally blow out the lights for you, so look for a good location! But now to light the fireplace. You need:
If your fire is burning, you will still need firewood. You can get this by cutting down a tree. These then give you firewood. Add these to your fire to make it burn longer and bigger. You can also use sticks alone, but then you will lack the bonus of firewood.
There is a buff: If you warm up by a fireplace for a while, the small thermometer symbol at the bottom right of the screen has a plus. That means you have a buff that also keeps you warm even when it’s arctic cold.
If you stay longer in one place, then you can also consolidate your fireplace. To upgrade your fire to an oven, you have to attach 16 stones.
A tripod with a cooking pot can also be attached to the fire. You can find out how to cook food in this guide. We also have a guide on how to preserve food!
Fire in houses: If you decided to set up your fireplace in an indoor fireplace or stove, then you should be aware of one thing: Everyone in sight now knows that you are there.
Just like in reality, smoke needs to be released somewhere, and that happens through the chimney. Especially in a world populated by the undead, chimneys are rarely used, making the smoke plumes doubly conspicuous.
If you find yourself in the wilderness, hungry, and want to grill some meat but don't have any matches, don't worry, because in DayZ, you can build a hand drill:
With the hand drill, you can now create your campfires and ignite your fire even without matches. You still have more questions? Don't hesitate to leave a comment or reach out directly to the author and Guided survival expert Kevin Willing on the Community Discord.
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