DayZ is an action survival horror computer game developed by Bohemia Interactive and is based on the mod of the same name for the game Arma 2. However, while Arma 2 was still a tactical shooter, the survival version prevailed in the mod community in the fight against the zombies. In the meantime the developers of Arma have taken up the mod and are trying to publish it as an own game. In the current Early Access version (since December 2013) the map is 225 km² and the open game world offers extensive country and some city sections. In the south and east the world is bordered by a sea, in the north and east there is a wide grasslands without food, so that the player is forced to turn back or goes to his own death. The goal of the game, as in many other survival games, is to survive as long as possible. In the vast world you will find wild animals, zombies and other players that could be dangerous. The latter is especially interesting, because you can ally with players as well as fight against them. Especially foreign players in the open world are very dangerous, which is the attraction of the game for many.

You shouldn’t underestimate the zombies in this game either, as they are not slow and brainless, but very attentive and sensitive to noise. In the game you start unarmed and with little food. Important for the experiences in DayZ is of course the constant food, so that you don’t die. Here you can either visit cities or go fishing and grow vegetables. But also diseases can lead to death. The weather alone has an influence on our health. For the capture of special objects and weapons you can’t get past the cities. There you will find boxes with various items you need to survive, such as weapons, night vision devices and much more. Cans contain food, for example, but can only be used if you have a can opener or bayonet. Unlike in some other survival games, you can’t build a shelter for yourself or create a fixed spawn point by making a sleeping bag, for example. But identical is the loss of the whole inventory, if you don’t survive.

If you want to use your own DayZ server, you have two different options, as with many other games. Mostly you rent a server from a larger provider. This saves a lot of training and allows a quick start into the game. The disadvantage is on the one hand the costs, which you can do without a host on your own PC, and on the other hand the somewhat limited setting options. But you can also host a server on your own computer. You can find some instructions on the Internet, but you have to get very familiar with the subject.

The advantages are of course lower costs and all freedoms, but the big disadvantage is that you can only play while the server is running. Especially for friends this can be very annoying, because they depend on you. In addition, there is the point that the hardware of your own computer will eventually reach its limits. Therefore we are looking at the rental variant, so that you can get your own Rust Server without much effort and without major problems.

A rented server does not let you set up all things the way you want them to be. Some things you can’t influence, but many others you can. Your main focus should be to find out if it is a DayZ or an Arma2 server. Arma2 servers are only about the original mod, which is not being developed anymore. Also make sure that you have chosen a server in Frankfurt and not one from America. For a reasonable latency and therefore little to no lags this is absolutely necessary. Also make sure that the CPUs are up to date (Intel i5/i7 or new Xeon CPUs) and that the connection to the internet has a good performance.

The DayZ servers should always be up to date, so that you don’t end up lagging behind the original patch. Especially in early access this can be very restrictive, as often major changes find their way into the game. You can also book additional storage space with many providers. This can be worthwhile if you want to do without loading times, but usually it will quickly cost you money. Occasionally, direct packages are offered in conjunction with TeamSpeak servers. Make sure that you don’t invest more in the servers than you would if you were using another provider for voice only. Check out our article about TeamSpeak servers.