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Reference · Places
Chernarus, place by place
Chernarus is about 225 square kilometres and roughly sixty named places. This page lists them in three bands: the coast where you spawn, the middle where you gear up, and the north where the rifles are. For the route between them read the Chernarus survival guide; for the ranking of loot sites read best loot by map.
The coast
Spawn cities, coastal towns and the Rify
Fresh characters spawn along the south and east coasts. Loot here is civilian, medical and police, plus the pistols and shotguns of the Balota airstrip and the coastal tent camps.
| Place | Type | Where | What is there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chernogorsk (Cherno) | City | South coast, centre | The biggest coastal city: apartment blocks, a hospital, police station, fire station, supermarket and a military tent camp on the hill. Fresh spawns and fights in equal measure. |
| Elektrozavodsk (Elektro) | City | South-east coast | Power station, hospital, two churches, a school and the Elektro military tents on the hill above. Most-visited spawn city. |
| Berezino | Town | East coast | Long coastal town with a hospital, apartments and the road north to Svetlojarsk; shipwreck of the Rify just up the coast. |
| Svetlojarsk | Town | North-east coast | Northern end of the east coast; the last big town before the Rify and Novodmitrovsk. |
| Solnichniy | Town | East coast | Industrial coastal town with a factory and a harbour. |
| Kamyshovo | Village | South-east coast | Fishing village between Elektro and Solnichniy; wells and boats. |
| Balota | Village and airstrip | South-west coast | A small village beside a military airstrip with tents, hangars and barracks: the first military loot most spawns see. |
| Komarovo | Village | South-west coast | Quiet fishing village west of Balota. |
| Kamenka | Village | Far south-west coast | Westernmost coastal village, with military tents behind it. |
| Prigorodki | Village | South coast | Between Cherno and Elektro; often empty. |
| Nizhnoye | Village | East coast | Small coastal village north of Solnichniy. |
| Rify (shipwreck) | Static gas zone | North-east coast | The wrecked cargo ship above Berezino: a permanent contaminated zone with top-tier loot. Full NBC gear needed. See gas zones. |
| Skalisty Island (Prison Island) | Island | South-east, off Kamyshovo | A prison on an island reached by swimming or boat; medical and military tents, few players. |
The middle
The inland towns, military tents and castles
The band between the coast and the northern forests: mid-tier military sites at Stary Sobor, Zelenogorsk and Vybor, the two permanent gas zones, and the villages that most routes north pass through.
| Place | Type | Where | What is there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stary Sobor | Village | Centre | Famous for its military tent camp; a crossroads where everyone passes. |
| Novy Sobor | Village | Centre | Stary's neighbour to the north-east with a church and a long main street. |
| Vybor | Town | Centre-west | Town with a military base on its western edge and the road to the North-West Airfield. |
| Kabanino | Village | Centre | Between Stary Sobor and the NWAF; a classic ambush point. |
| Zelenogorsk (Zeleno) | Town | South-west, inland | Large town with a military base, a school and apartments; mid-tier military loot. |
| Pavlovo | Village and base | South-west | The Pavlovo military base is a permanent contaminated zone; the village beside it is normal. See gas zones. |
| Myshkino | Village | West | Hill village with a former tent camp; wolves nearby. |
| Pustoshka | Village | West | Crossroads village with a police station on the western road. |
| Lopatino | Village | North-west | Last village before the NWAF from the west. |
| Vavilovo | Village | West | Small village with a military checkpoint to the north. |
| Sosnovka | Village | South-west | Mountain village above Zelenogorsk. |
| Pulkovo | Village | South-west | Roadside village between Zeleno and Kamenka. |
| Nadezhdino | Village | South | Village above Cherno; a well and little else. |
| Mogilevka | Village | South | Ridge village on the road from Cherno to Stary Sobor. |
| Staroye | Village | South-east, inland | Large village with a church above Elektro. |
| Guglovo | Village | Centre-south | Small village between Staroye and Novy Sobor. |
| Gorka | Village | Centre-east | Hillside village with a police station; a common route to the north-east. |
| Polana | Village | East, inland | Village with an industrial area above Solnichniy. |
| Dubrovka | Village | East, inland | Between Gorka and Berezino. |
| Dolina | Village | East | Valley village above Solnichniy. |
| Orlovets | Village | East | Small village in the eastern hills. |
| Shakhovka | Village | Centre-east | Village with a quarry nearby. |
| Msta | Village | South-east | Valley village between Staroye and Solnichniy. |
| Tulga | Village | East coast, inland | Small village above Kamyshovo. |
| Zub (castle) | Castle | Centre-south | Ruined castle tower on a hill south of Stary Sobor; a landmark, not a loot site. |
| Rog (castle) | Castle | South-east | Castle ruin above Staroye. |
| Devil's Castle (Chernaya Polana) | Castle | North-west | The best-known castle, on a hill near Lopatino, with a tower you can climb. |
| Green Mountain | Radio tower | West | A walled radio station on a hill; famous for its folklore and its occasional military loot. |
| Altar | Radio tower | Centre-east | Hilltop radio mast above Gorka and Staroye. |
| Black Mountain | Hill | West | The high ground above Vavilovo; wolf country. |
The north
Airfields, Tisy and the northern cities
Tier 4. The North-West Airfield, Tisy and Kamensk hold the assault rifles, marksman rifles and plate carriers; the north-east has Novodmitrovsk and the smaller airfield. Wolves and bears live in the forests between.
| Place | Type | Where | What is there |
|---|---|---|---|
| North-West Airfield (NWAF) | Military airfield | North-west | The biggest military site: hangars, barracks, control tower, tents and a prison building. Tier 4 loot and the most PvP on the map. |
| Tisy military base | Military base | Far north-west | Hidden base in the hills with barracks and bunkers; the best rifles and plate carriers, reached only on foot. |
| Kamensk military base | Military base | North | Base above the quarry on the northern edge; tier 4 loot and heli crash country. |
| North-East Airfield (Krasnostav airstrip) | Military airfield | North-east | Smaller airfield beside Krasnostav; mid-tier military loot. |
| Krasnostav | Town | North-east | Town with a hospital beside the NEAF. |
| Novodmitrovsk (Novo) | City | North-east | The northern city: apartments, police, hospital, a nuclear power station on the coast and a fire station. |
| Severograd | Town | North | Large northern town with a factory and police station; a rest stop between Novo and Tisy. |
| Gvozdno | Village | North | Village on the road between Severograd and Krasnostav. |
| Olsha | Village | North-east | Hill village above Svetlojarsk. |
| Novaya Petrovka | Village | North | Village with a military checkpoint and the road to Tisy. |
| Grishino | Village | North-west | Village on the road from Vybor to the north; heli crash routes. |
| Bor | Village | South-west | Small village south of Zelenogorsk. |
| Myshkino tents | Former camp | West | Military tents that moved over the years; now minor. |
| Troitskoe military base | Military base | North-west | Base in the north-west near Lopatino; mid-tier. |
| Kumyrna | Ruined village | East | Abandoned, burnt-out village between Msta and Staroye; little loot, good hiding. |
How to use this
Reading the map
Chernarus names are Czech and Russian and the in-game signs show the Cyrillic form; the spellings here are the ones on the in-game map. Everything is reachable on foot in an hour or two, and the main roads run coast-to-north through Stary Sobor or Zelenogorsk. The Chernarus survival guide gives a route; best loot by map ranks the sites; events covers the heli crashes, convoys and gas zones that move or time out; the maps page compares all four maps.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
What are the main cities in Chernarus?
Chernogorsk and Elektrozavodsk on the south coast, Berezino on the east coast, and Novodmitrovsk in the north-east. Zelenogorsk, Vybor, Severograd and Krasnostav are the main inland towns.
Where is the best military loot on Chernarus?
The North-West Airfield, Tisy military base and Kamensk in the north and north-west, plus the two permanent gas zones at Pavlovo and the Rify, which need NBC gear.
Where do you spawn in Chernarus?
Along the south and east coasts, between Kamenka in the south-west and Svetlojarsk in the north-east, usually near a town or village.
What is the Rify in DayZ?
A wrecked cargo ship on the north-east coast above Berezino. It is a permanent contaminated zone with top-tier loot and needs a full NBC suit, mask and filter.
How big is Chernarus?
About 225 square kilometres, the second-largest official map after Nasdara.
Keep going
More guides and tools
Checked 1 November 2026 against DayZ 1.30 (PC 1.30.164200, console 1.87). Names from the in-game map; loot bands and danger notes are our reading.