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Livonia · the wet one
Livonia survival guide
Smaller than Chernarus, wetter than anywhere, and free with the game since 2024. Livonia is dense forest, rivers and rain, with bears in the woods and an underground bunker that holds the best loot on the map.
Map facts
Livonia at a glance
Livonia is a landlocked, Polish-speaking region built from the Arma 3 Contact terrain. It arrived as paid DLC on 3 December 2019 with update 1.06 and has been free with the base game since update 1.25 in 2024, so every DayZ owner has it. At about 163 km² it is smaller than Chernarus, with fewer and smaller towns, far more forest, and a climate that rains on you most days.
Town by town, see the maps page; for layers and markers use interactive maps.
Where you spawn
The southern villages
There is no coast. Fresh characters spawn in the south of the map, around villages like Dambog and Zalesie and the towns of Brena and Lukow. Everything worth having is north of you, which makes Livonia simple to navigate: find a road, work out which way is north from the sun or a sign, and walk.
Southern villages are small and get picked clean fast. Do not loot the first three houses and then wait for them to respawn; move to the next village.
First hour
Dry first, then everything else
- Drink at a village pump. Livonia’s rivers and lakes are everywhere but they are not safe without boiling or purification tablets.
- Find a knife and a bag, same as on any map. See the starter loadout.
- Find a raincoat or a waterproof jacket before you find a gun. On Livonia this is the order that keeps you alive.
- Carry a fire kit: matches or a lighter, a few rags or bark, and sticks. You will light more fires here than on Chernarus.
- Head for Brena or Lukow for a hospital, police station and the first real gear, then north.
Rain and cold
The weather is the first enemy
Rain soaks your clothes, wet clothes drain your temperature, and a cold, wet survivor gets hypothermia and then pneumonia. On Livonia it rains often enough that you should plan around it rather than hope it stops.
| Problem | Sign | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Wet | Clothing shows Damp, Wet or Drenched | Get under a roof, light a fire, dry clothes by it or wring them out |
| Cold | Temperature icon turns blue, then flashes | Fire, warmer layers, keep moving, hot food and drink |
| Hypothermia | Shivering, blurred screen | Fire now. Do not keep walking in the rain |
| Pneumonia | Coughing after a long cold spell | Tetracycline pills, warmth and rest |
A raincoat, a gorka jacket or any waterproof outer layer, and a dry bag of spare clothes, change the map completely. See staying warm and best armour for what insulates.
Bears and wolves
The woods are not empty
Bears came to DayZ with Livonia, and the map still has more of them than any other. They are slow to anger, but a bear that charges does not stop, and two hits will end most characters. Wolves hunt in packs through the deep forest. Both are why you walk the edge of the trees, not the middle of them.
- If you hear a bear and cannot see it, leave the way you came.
- Only fight a bear with a rifle, a full magazine and a doorway to back into.
- A bear gives a lot of meat and a pelt. It is worth it only if it was already dead.
- Wolves: back to a wall or a tree, shotgun or rifle, and finish them; a wounded pack returns.
Going north
Our route to the good gear
Our route, not gospel. From the southern spawn, loot Brena or Lukow for medical and police gear, follow the river north past Polana to Topolin, the largest town with a hospital and apartments, then choose: west to the Branzow military base, or north-east to Nadbor and the military sites around Radunin and Swarog. Lake Beldzyce in the centre is the landmark to steer by, and a place to fish if you carry a rod.
| Stop | Why | Danger |
|---|---|---|
| Brena, Lukow | Hospital, police station, industrial loot close to spawn | Medium: everyone starts here |
| Topolin | Biggest town: hospital, police, apartments, a well | Medium to high |
| Branzow military | Western military base, rifles and vests | Medium |
| Nadbor | Town next to a military base in the north-east | Medium |
| Swarog military | Northern base, military gear and vehicle parts | High |
| Lukow airfield, Radunin | The two static toxic zones, top-tier gear | Lethal without NBC gear |
The bunker
The underground bunker
Livonia’s signature site is a multi-level military facility under the map near Dambog. The door opens with a punched card that comes from a dynamic event, so you cannot simply walk in. Inside it is dark, parts of it are gassed, infected wait in the corridors, and other players camp the entrance because they know you are carrying the best loot on the map when you come out.
- Bring a head torch, an NBC suit and mask for the gassed sections, and a friend to watch the door.
- Clear the infected quietly; a shotgun blast underground tells the whole area where you are.
- Leave at a different time than you arrived, and not by the obvious road.
How the card event works, and what the bunker holds, is on the Dambog bunker and best loot by map.
Loot and gas
Where the gear is
Livonia’s loot sits in a band across the north: the Branzow, Swarog and Nadbor bases, the two static contaminated zones at Lukow airfield and Radunin military base, and the bunker. The toxic zones need the full NBC suit, a mask with a filter and a PO-X antidote; see gas zones. Helicopter crashes and military convoys spawn in the open country between the bases. Every site, ranked, is on best loot by map.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
Is Livonia free in DayZ?
Yes. Livonia was paid DLC from December 2019, and has been included free with the base game since update 1.25 in 2024, on PC and consoles.
How big is Livonia?
About 163 km², smaller than Chernarus (about 225 km²) and Nasdara (267 km²), larger than Sakhal.
Where do you spawn on Livonia?
In the south of the map, around the villages of Dambog and Zalesie and the towns of Brena and Lukow. Livonia has no coast.
Where is the Livonia bunker and how do you get in?
Underground near Dambog. The door opens with a punched card dropped by a dynamic event. Parts of the bunker are gassed and hold infected.
Where are the toxic zones on Livonia?
Two static contaminated zones: Lukow airfield and Radunin military base. Dynamic zones also appear over other military sites.
Are there bears on Livonia?
Yes. Bears were introduced to DayZ with Livonia and the map has more of them than any other. Wolves roam the forests too.
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Checked 1 November 2026 against DayZ 1.30 (PC 1.30.164200, console 1.87). Routes and danger ratings are our opinion from play; sizes, dates and site names from Bohemia Interactive and the in-game map.