A Noob's Guide to the NW Airfield

   

The NW Airfield in all its glory.

     If you've played DayZ for any amount of time, chances are you've heard about the NW Airfield. You've also probably heard that it has the highest concentration of military loot on the entire map. As such, it's also one of the most dangerous areas in DayZ.
     Here's a quick overview of what buildings are useful, and how to avoid getting killed while you're there.

    There are four different buildings which are worth visiting:

1. Southern Barracks

   There are two barracks buildings at the airfield, and they are the highest density military loot spawn areas in the game, save for helicopters. If you're approaching the airfield from the south side, this will be the first building that is immediately accessible. Due to the high probability of other players looting these buildings, it is  advisable to slowly check the windows before entering to avoid surprises. Unless its been destroyed by previous players, there will be a bench in the way as soon as you enter the front door, you will need to crouch over it to enter the main corridor, and vault (default key: 'V') to get back out. Each room in the barracks should contain loot, ranging from near-useless junk (empty tin cans) to high-end military loot (MK48s, DMRs, etc), so be sure to check all them before leaving. 

2. Northern Barracks

    This building is identical to the Southern Barracks, except for its location. It's best to approach it from the north side of the airfield instead of exposing your position by running across the tarmac.

3. Fire Station

   This building is identical to the fire stations found on the larger cities on the coast, and as such, it has a good chance of containing military-grade loot. Entering from the back door on the northwest can help avoid catching sniper fire from across the airfield, and once inside make sure the three large doors are closed. 

4. ATC Tower

   Due to a glitch, getting in the main door of the ATC Tower can be a pain. The rubble near the steps create a very small space to get through and your character won't be able to get through very easily if you're carrying an assault weapon. Pull out your pistol and hold down Shift to walk slowly through the opening. Alternatively, you could climb up the ladder on the side, but that leaves you very exposed. 

   Maker sure you keep your head down while exploring the top floor of the tower, as you will be visible from all directions because of the windows.

   It's worth mentioning that all of the large hangar buildings that line the northwestern edge of the airfield have  loot in them, but due to their exposed nature, inexperienced players should probably avoid them. 

    Happy looting!

    

Quick Overview: Backpacks

The coveted Coyote Backpack
(not to be confused with the Coyote Patrol Pack)

As any semi-experienced DayZ player will tell you, there are currently six different backpacks available in the game. There aren't actually any differences between them besides the amount of equipment they hold, I will leave you with a few quick tips:

1. Never pick up the Czech Vest Pouch.

Why? It's absolutely useless. The pack you start out with (Coyote Patrol Pack) already has more slots than it, so there's no reason to bother with it. In reality it should be a secondary pack carried on your chest (hence, "vest pouch"), but DayZ treats it like any other backpack.

2. If you find a bigger backpack, pick it up.

Like I said before, there are no differences (save for the way they look on your back) between each pack except storage size. So, if you find a bigger backpack, use it.

3. Never directly switch out backpacks in your inventory.

DayZ has the unfortunate habit of eating items in the inventory screen. To avoid this, it's always best to drop your current backpack (along with its contents) on the floor. Then, pick up the new backpack, and take the items out of your old pack. 

Quick tip: Self-sufficiency

So you want to become self-sufficient in DayZ and avoid contact with other players? You can survive by yourself as long as you want, and it only takes four items:

1. Water Bottle

    This is an essential item in the game. Once you drink from it, you'll have an empty water bottle in your inventory that you can fill up at any non-ocean water source in the game. You don't want to die of thirst, do you?

2. Hatchet

    You're going to need this not only for self-defense against zombies (or ambushing other players), but for chopping down wood for campfires. If you don't have any ammo, it also doubles (triples?) as a weapon for killing animals.

3. Hunting knife

 
    So you killed an animal? Great. Now you're going a knife to gut it so you can take the raw meat off its corpse. Unfortunately, it doesn't double as a melee weapon.

4. Matches

    Another item in the game with a singular purpose. You'll need this to light the campfires you lay down with the wood you gathered with the hatchet.

Congratulations! You can now survive forever in DayZ without ever visiting another town. 

4 Tips for Finding Helicopter Crash Sites

Helicopter crashes. They're the holy grail of DayZ. They spawn the highest quality military equipment - LMGs, sniper rifles, GPSs, NVGs, etc - and they're also very hard to find. With a few of these tips you can increase your odds of finding these rare crashes, and in turn, the best equipment in the game. 

• Search open fields 

    Most of the known spawns for helicopter crashes are in the middle of large, open fields. They will spawn in smaller areas and on hillsides, but you will increase your chances if you focus on the open plains like those found on the mid-western side of the map.

• Find a vehicle to speed up your search

    Vehicles are rare (especially on more populated servers), but are incredibly useful. Even bicycles can be useful in the search for helicopter crashes as they allow you to travel faster than on foot.

• Keep your eyes open even if you aren't looking for them

    This one should be obvious. DayZ is a game which rewards those who are alert and aware of their surroundings. By default, holding down the left ALT key will allow you to move your view without changing directions. Look all around you when you are traveling and you might not only find crash sites, but other players and tents as well. 

• Connect to a less populated server

    By playing on a server with fewer players, you increase your chances of finding a crash site that has not already been picked over. Also, less populated servers are obviously much safer as their are fewer humans involved.

Happy crash site hunting!