Fire in DayZ isn’t just a source of light – it’s a cornerstone of survival. It provides essential thermal comfort, helping you avoid freezing, hypothermia, or even pneumonia. When night falls, a campfire allows you to observe your surroundings and spot threats before they get the jump on you. Beyond warmth and visibility, a fire is a vital tool for cooking raw food, like freshly hunted meat, turning it into a safe and nutritious meal. It also comes in handy for drying wet clothes after a rainstorm – because staying dry can mean the difference between life and death in the harsh world of DayZ.
Crafting a Campfire in DayZ
To create a campfire, you need two flammable materials that can be combined. Examples include:
- Dark Bark
- Light Bark
- Bandage
- Paper
- Firewood
- Short Stick
- Rag
- Gift Wrap Paper
Combine them in your inventory to craft a Fireplace Kit.
The Fireplace Kit can be ignited right where it’s crafted or moved to a different location before lighting it. Once you’ve found the right spot, select the “Craft Fireplace” option by holding down the left mouse button.
Light the Fireplace Kit using one of the following ignition items:
- Matches
- Burning Road Flare, Torch or Broom
- Lighter
- Hand Drill Kit
- Blowtorch
After a moment, you’ll have a fully built campfire.
The next step – though optional – can be upgrading your fireplace to increase its durability, stability, and overall functionality. This makes it more resistant to wind, rain, and snow, slows down how quickly the fire burns out, and allows you to use a tripod for more advanced cooking options.
To upgrade it, you’ll need to gather 8x Large Stones. These can be obtained by mining boulders using a pickaxe. Once you have a few, take one in your hands and press the left mouse button when the “Attach” option appears. Repeat this process with the remaining stones.
Once you’ve added 8 Large Stones, the option “Build stone circle” will appear – hold down the left mouse button to build it.
Once you have the upgraded version of the fireplace, you can attach a Cooking Tripod, which allows you to hang a Cooking Pot and prepare more advanced meals.
Building an Oven in DayZ
The Stone Oven is an upgraded version of the fireplace that allows for the safest and most efficient cooking. It provides excellent protection from rain and wind, and it looks like a miniature outdoor fireplace. It’s built the same way as the upgraded campfire, but instead of using 8 Large Stones, you’ll need 16 Large Stones.
Once you’ve added 16 Large Stones, the option “Build Oven” will appear – simply hold down the left mouse button to build it.
Although it should go out once it runs out of fuel, you can also extinguish the fire manually using a water container, such as a bottle or cooking pot. This is especially useful if you accidentally light it before upgrading and need to put it out first.
