In the brutal world of DayZ, survival isn’t just about finding food or avoiding zombie bites. Sometimes, the greatest threat you’ll face is your own leg – a broken one. It can leave you completely immobilized, at the mercy of the infected or hostile players. In such a situation, your only lifeline is a splint.
A splint is nothing more than a makeshift brace you can craft yourself to stabilize a fracture and finally stop crawling around like easy prey. It might not seem like much, but when your leg gives out in the middle of nowhere, it can be the one thing that keeps you alive.
Crafting a Splint in DayZ
To craft a splint in DayZ, you need two short sticks and one binding material, which can be:
- 4x rags
- 1x bandage (100%)
- 1x duct tape (50% or more)
- 1x shemagh
Once you’ve gathered all the necessary materials, take 2 short sticks into your hands and drag the binding material (bandage, 4 rags, duct tape, or shemagh) from your inventory onto them.
After a moment, you’ll see the contextual option “Craft Splint” appear. If you see a different option (like crafting a fireplace), use the scroll wheel to switch to the correct action.
Hold the action button (left mouse button by default) to begin crafting.
After a few seconds of animation, the splint will be created and placed in your inventory – or on the ground if there’s no space in your backpack.
Once you have a splint in your inventory and a broken leg, don’t wait – equip the splint in your hands and close your inventory. You’ll see the option “Fix Fracture” appear on screen.
Hold the left mouse button to begin the action and wait for the animation to finish. Once it’s done, the splint will be applied to your leg, and you’ll be able to walk again – though full recovery will still take some time.
Putting on a splint is only the beginning, as it simply allows your character to move normally again. The fracture itself does not disappear right away – in reality, a broken leg takes about 30 minutes of real time to fully heal. After this time has passed, the splint will be automatically removed from your leg and placed back into your inventory if there is free space, or dropped to the ground if your slots are full.
How to Get Materials for Crafting a Splint
Obtaining the materials doesn’t require any special skills. The first ingredient is two short sticks, which you get by cutting down a bush or a small tree using a knife, axe, saw, or machete. After cutting, you’ll receive a long stick, which you need to manually split – click on it in your inventory and select the “Split” option to turn it into short sticks.
The second ingredient is a binding material:
- Bandage – a ready-to-use medical item found in hospitals, clinics, medical tents, or on dead infected. You need one fully intact bandage (100%). If the bandage is partially used, it may only give you the option to craft a fireplace instead.
- Rags – can be obtained by tearing up clothing.
- Duct tape – commonly found in workshops, garages, and sheds. Its condition must be at least 50% to be used for crafting a splint.
- Shemagh – an emergency binding material if you have nothing else available.
