DayZ Wiki › Wildlife & infected
Wildlife & infected
Wildlife and infected
How the infected work, every animal and what it gives, hunting, trapping and fishing, wolves and bears, and the weather.
The infected
What the zombies do and how to handle them
The infected are not undead: they are people with a disease that makes them attack anything alive. They hear and see, they run as fast as you, they climb nothing, and they come in civilian, military, police, medical and firefighter variants with the clothing of whatever they were. Update 1.30 reworked their attacks.
Senses
They hear footsteps, gunshots, engines and voice, and see movement in daylight. Crouch-walking past the edge of a town at night gets you by most of them.
Attacks
Swings and lunges that cause bleeding, shock and damage; several at once will knock you out. Military infected hit harder and wear helmets.
Killing them
A headshot from anything, or a heavy melee strike to the head. Blunt weapons stagger; blades bleed. Two body shots from a rifle; a shotgun at close range. Doors stop them: close one behind you and fight through the gap.
Loot
They carry what their clothing holds: bandages, food, ammunition, sometimes a pistol. Military infected can carry magazines.
Desert infected (Badlands)
Nasdara has its own variants adapted to the heat, in desert clothing, with reworked attack patterns from 1.30.
Hordes
Noise draws every infected in earshot. One gunshot in a city brings a crowd; a suppressor and a knife save ammunition and lives.
Animals
Every animal, what it gives, how it fights
| Animal | Where | Danger | Yields | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer (red deer, roe deer) | Forests and meadows, every map but Nasdara | None | Venison steaks, pelt, guts, bones, fat | Skittish; approach from downwind, shoot once |
| Wild boar | Forests | Charges when wounded | Boar steaks, pelt, guts, fat | Tough; two rifle rounds |
| Cow / bull | Farms, fields | Bulls charge | Beef steaks (many), pelt, guts, fat, bones | The biggest meal in the game |
| Goat | Hills, farms | None | Chevon steaks, pelt | Light |
| Sheep / mouflon | Fields, hills; mouflon on Sakhal | None | Sheep steaks, pelt | Mouflon is the wild version |
| Pig | Farms | None | Pork steaks, pork leg, fat | Sties on farms |
| Chicken | Villages, coops | None | Chicken steaks, feathers, eggs | Catch by hand or with a snare |
| Hare | Fields | None | Hare leg, pelt | Snare trap or a .22 |
| Fox | Forests, Sakhal | None | Fox steak, pelt | Back since 1.26 |
| Reindeer | Sakhal | None | Reindeer steaks, pelt | Frostline game |
| Wolf | Packs in northern forests (Chernarus, Livonia, Sakhal) | High: packs of up to 8 circle and bite | Wolf steaks, pelt | Stand with your back to a wall, shoot the pack leader, they retreat after losses |
| Bear | Deep forest, Livonia and Chernarus, Sakhal | Very high: charges, kills in a few hits | Bear steaks (many), pelt, fat | Needs several rifle rounds to the head; do not fight one with a shotgun |
| Monitor lizard | Nasdara | Low | Meat | Badlands wildlife |
| Desert wildlife (Badlands) | Nasdara | Varies | Meat, pelts | New region-specific animals |
| Fish | Ponds, rivers, the sea | None | Fillets, guts | Carp inland, mackerel and sardines on the coast, trout, pollock and shrimp on Sakhal |
| Birds | Everywhere | None | Nothing | Ambience; crows mark bodies |
Hunting
From shot to steak
- Find game. Deer stands and feeders, meadows at dawn and dusk, water edges. Listen: animals make noise.
- Shoot once. A hunting rifle to the chest or head. Shotgun slugs work close. Silenced .22 works on hares and chickens.
- Skin and quarter. A knife in hand, use Skin and Quarter on the body. You get steaks, pelt, guts, bones and fat depending on the animal. A bloody knife gives salmonella: wipe it or use gloves.
- Cook everything. Raw steaks and fat are sickness in waiting. Dry extra meat so it lasts.
- Tan the pelt. Pelt plus garden lime in a barrel with water gives tanned leather for bags and clothing.
Traps
Snare traps (metal wire) catch hares and chickens. Fish net traps catch sardines and small fish in water. Small fish traps (bottles) catch bait. Bear traps break legs, including yours.
Fishing
Rod plus hook plus bait (worm, guts, bread, small fish) at any water. Cast, wait, reel. Sea fishing gives mackerel; ponds give carp; Sakhal gives trout, pollock and shrimp. Gut the fish with a knife for fillets.
Wolves
Packs circle and attack from behind. Put a wall at your back, aim for the leader (the one with the different fur), and keep shooting; after two or three losses they run. Wolf steaks are good eating.
Bears
Do not. If you must: a rifle, head shots, a tree to climb does not exist, so distance and a vehicle are the plan.
The environment
Weather, night, water and gas
Rain and storms
Soak you, kill open fires, muffle sound. Raincoats and buildings. Lightning is cosmetic.
Night
Official servers run real darkness. NVGs, moonlight, or stay inside. Light sources are seen for kilometres.
Snow (Sakhal)
Constant. Cold damage, frozen food, frozen lakes, heavy metal poisoning from eating it. Hot springs are warm spots.
Sandstorms and heat (Nasdara)
Visibility collapses and dust hurts without goggles and a mask. Daytime heat drains water; nights are cold enough to shiver.
Toxic zones
Static zones at certain military sites and dynamic gas shellings announced by sirens. Full NBC suit plus filtered gas mask or chemical poisoning kills you. Loot inside is top tier.
Water
Wells are safe. Ponds and rivers need boiling or tablets. The sea is for fishing and boats, not drinking.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
How do you kill zombies in DayZ quietly?
A heavy melee hit to the head with an axe or a knife strike, or any suppressed headshot. Close a door behind you and fight through the gap so only one reaches you at a time.
How do you survive wolves in DayZ?
Put your back to a wall or tree, shoot the pack leader, keep firing; the pack retreats after losing two or three. Running makes it worse.
How do you skin an animal in DayZ?
Hold a knife and use Skin and Quarter on the carcass to get steaks, pelt, guts, bones and fat. Wipe the knife or wear gloves to avoid salmonella.
How do you fish in DayZ?
Craft a simple rod from a long stick and rope or find one, attach a hook and bait (worm, guts, bread), stand at water and cast. Gut the catch with a knife for fillets and cook them.
Part of the DayZ2.net DayZ Wiki. Facts reflect DayZ as of update 1.30 (October 2026) and can change with patches. Screenshots are Bohemia Interactive's official store media, hosted here with credit. Independent fan site, not affiliated with Bohemia Interactive.