Stop Getting KOS'd: Guide To Making Friends in DayZ

Rats are ugly, sure, and nobody likes them, but they're very intelligent and they have a strong survival instinct. Hello, Lo.

Good day to you.

Day, mate. Day, mate, mate.

Hey everyone, this is Splinter. Thanks for tuning in. That's really annoying, right? You're minding your own business in DayZ and someone just kills you on sight? If you go to Reddit or YouTube, you'll find lots of people complaining about this. But even though DayZ can be a bit harsh, I have met a lot of friendly people over the years. Together we went on many adventures and these make for my fondest memories of the game. However, I've noticed there's a bit of a science to it. Some guidelines you can follow to increase the chance of an encounter resulting in a new friend instead of a new life. So, without further ado, I present to you Splinter's Guide to Making Friends in Daisy. Stick to the coast.

Take brown. Oh, thanks.

The further you move land inwards, the less likely it becomes to meet friendly people. They are invested in their character, have spent some time finding better loot, and the gear fear starts kicking in. If you want to make friends, stick to the coast. So, for example, if my character spawns in Kamishovo, I hang around at the well or on top of the police station. Oh, officer, that's illegal! If I don't see anyone, I walk the coastline to Electro, where I might climb one of the apartment buildings and try waving to people. Stay around the spawn area for a bit. Chances are you will meet other freshies and you can go on an adventure together.

More of the survival aspect. Yeah, but Rust too has like a little bit of that. Hey, little bastard! I'm sorry, I was saying looking fresh.

Looking too geared early on is asking for trouble. You either come across as a threat or as a walking loot bag for people to kill for a quick upgrade. Try to stick to civilian clothing for now, and if you're lucky enough to find a gun or a pistol, keep it in your backpack or pocket if possible. If that's not possible, carry it on your back instead of walking with a gun out. You okay, mate?

Yeah.

All right. Please don't shoot me.

Don't shoot me.

I don't have my gun out. I'm not gonna. I cannot shoot you with with my hands like this. Relax, dude.

Killed people. Can't do this as well.

Yeah, that's true.

Bye bye. Bye bye. Take care.

Thanks for not shooting. Anyone that's walking around with a gun out is fair game in Daisy. Come on, mate. Put the gun away.

What?

Put the gun away. The pistol.

Ha! The pistol. It's the twenty.

I know, I know, I know, but put it away. Kind of hard to trust you this way. If you plan on being friendly and talk to people, put your weapon away. Don't do what this guy did.

Hello!

Don't have your gun out, you crazy bastard. He's just asking for trouble. He ran up them With his hands up, but he was also holding a gun at the same time.

Oh yeah. Oh, oh, that doesn't sound too great.

You can never be truly safe, but you do drastically decrease the chance of getting shot on sight. Would you care for some, uh, hare steaks?

Uh, yeah, that'd be nice. There we go. Which way, which way have you come from?

I have no idea.

I don't play a lot in the mouse Somewhere over there, I don't know.

Wiggle wiggle. Oh, there's people. Okay, we're hanging around on the coast. We don't have a gun out and we spot someone. Now what? Probably at first we'll be too far away to talk. To show that you are friendly. Without talking, you can do the hand-up greeting or do the wiggle, a universal sign of friendliness.

Hey there, good day.

Yo, what's up? Doing the wiggle is the best way to show from a distance that you are not hostile. No mic, no life. Once you are close enough to strike up a conversation, you better have a microphone. If you don't have a mic, get one. How are you?

Oh my gosh!

If you do have one, make sure it's decent and properly calibrated. Nobody enjoys listening to static, clipping, or the echo of their own voice. Did you see me go in here? No, no, no. More. Don't wear a helmet or a gas mask when meeting people. It muffles your voice. What are you cooking?

Cleaning up the streets.

Sorry, you're kind of hard to hear with the helmet on.

Yeah. I'd say it's lemur.

Lemur? Wow, that looks nice. Can I join you by the fire real quick? Don't Be French.

That's not French. It's a good song.

It's a good song.

Where are you from, buddy? Tell us that first. I'm French.

Yeah, wrong answer. That's fucked up.

Not French, are you?

Thanks for not being French.

He's French, isn't he?

Are you French?

French? Are you French? I'm from Turkey. We're in the same team, dude. I don't like the French. He has a gun on me, sir. Are you French? I'm having a pretty serious conversation with you if you're French, I'm afraid, and it's not going to end well. Yo, I'm not French. What the fuck, man? Are you French? Where are you from? No, I'm a Spaniard. Seems that— it seems standard fare that everyone hunts down the French.

Exactly, it's the French against everyone, right? Sorry, you said you were French?

Yeah, yeah.

Oh, that's dangerous. I heard a lot of people, uh, don't trust the French.

Why?

I don't— I don't know. That's just something they say.

I know, I, I know we have a bad reputation.

Yeah, that's true, but you seem like a nice dude.

French are stupid guys. Ah, alright. Well—

Mind your tone. Your tone of voice can be the difference between life and death. Don't act overly friendly. This might come across as suspicious or just plain annoying. Don't act too indifferent or rude either. Not much.

How about you? There's a well. There's a well here. Yeah, I know. Hi. Oh. Oh, you know, so walking.

Are you familiar with this map?

Fuck that guy.

Well, that guy was definitely not aiming at us. Right.

What is he? He was rude, man.

He was rude.

Hello. Hello. Good day to you. Yo.

And definitely don't act nervous, even though you might be in the moment.

Yep.

Alright. Did you loot all these houses yet?

Nope.

Alright, short and sweet, I guess.

Yep.

Okay.

I have a list of people I don't trust. There we go.

Personally, I greet people as if I'm meeting someone in the office or in the supermarket. Hello, good day, how are you doing? I try to sound as if I've already established the other person is friendly and there's no way they want to kill me. Hello, good morning, sir, how are you doing?

Hi.

Hi.

Good, and you?

Oh, sorry to assume your gender. You're not a sir, obviously. Play around with this a little bit. Try to sound friendly and relaxed. Hello, good morning.

Good morning. Hey fellas, how's it going?

It's going pretty well. How are you doing? Hello sir, good day to you.

Hello, hello, hello. Hey there!

Are you in the house?

You okay? I am, I'm just about to light a fire if you need one.

Oh, yes, can I come in please?

Yes, if you're friendly, that's fine.

Asking questions. So, we're talking to a stranger. What are we gonna talk about? Ask questions. The most obvious one is, how are you doing? Hey mate, you all right?

Hey man, yes I am. Be careful, there's a lot of zombies.

Yeah, I saw them. You aggroed quite a bit.

Hello there, buddy.

Hey, what's up? How are you doing?

Good.

Hey mate, good day to you. How are you?

Hey there.

I'm a bit cold.

No, I'm fine.

But asking for help like food or directions can also be disarming. I'm, uh, looking for some shoes. Have you seen any around here?

Hey, do you know where you can drink— find some water? It's around here, isn't it?

Do you happen to have any food on you that you're willing to trade or share? How are you doing?

Good, you?

I'm good. I'm looking for some food.

You know what?

I'll be your saving grace.

Here you go. Are you kidding me?

That's all you're getting from me. You're a lifesaver. Thanks so much. Do you guys need anything? Would you care to cook some fish together?

You don't happen to have a spare scope by any chance, do you?

Do you know what town we're in? Yeah, yeah, we're in Chernogorsk.

Hello! Scared.

Can I offer you an alarm clock?

Hello there.

Yo.

Yo.

Hey, quick question. If you had to give a favorite Backstreet Boys song, which one would it be?

Yeah?

Don't ask people about their gear. A question like, where did you find that gun? Sounds like you're happy to take it off their dead body. When you're talking for a while, ask someone for their name. Remember it and use it.

Alright, alright. What's your name, buddy?

It's Splinter. What's yours?

Splinter, nice to meet you. I'm Steve.

Steve, nice to meet you, Steve. What's your name?

Uh, Ariane, are you?

What's your name?

My name's Scott. What about you?

Nice to meet you, Scott. My name is Splinter. What's your name, good sir?

My name is Piotr.

Piotr. Nice to meet you, Piotr.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

My name is Vladimir. What is your name?

My name is Turbo. Turbo.

Nice to meet you, Turbo. What can I call you guys?

We don't even know— we don't even know each other's names either.

Alright, alright, you're not in that stage of the relationship yet. Okay, that's okay.

Not that stage yet, no. I'm Sardine. What's your name?

My name is Splinter. Nice to meet you, Sardine. What's your name, by the way?

Uh, my name's Frank.

Frank, nice to meet you. My name is Splinter. Nice to meet you, Frank. What can I call you? Maxine, nice to meet you. Maxine, nice to meet you as well.

Wait, what's your plans? Do you want to join us?

That's, that's a good one. Um, do you mind if I join you? You're heading back to Bearzino?

Yeah, yeah.

All right, do you mind if I join you?

Yeah, of course. Let's go.

All right, let's go. What did the guy look like? Choose your server wisely. Different servers attract different kind of people. Some will have almost everyone kill on sight, while others are a bit more relaxed. Personally, I enjoy playing on Zero, Karma Crew, and Spaggies, but there's tons of options. Find a server that suits your needs. The map you're playing on will also make a difference. For example, people in general are less cordial on Namalsk.

Corner, if you pick it up.

When a new map is released, that's also a great time to have friendly interactions.

I actually heard your gunshot.

I think it was. I'm I'm looking for a guy named Pete, and I'm looking for a guy named Roger.

Oh, that's us! Hello!

Hello!

Hey! What's up? We got ya! Ah, all right.

What is that on your face?

That makes two. Hey! Oh whoa!

Don't, don't, don't, stop it, stop it. I'm just here for the cookie. Be genuine. I have shared some tips and tricks that work for me to make friends. Try and see what works for you and stay true to yourself. If you're not a very chatty person, that's okay. Some people like that. Maybe you're very energetic, maybe Maybe you like cracking jokes, or you do a great Elvis impression. Just be genuine, and don't try to be someone you're not. The goal is not to follow a set of rules. The goal is to make friends and go on an adventure together. Stop right there, criminal scum! You are littering.

Oh oh oh oh oh!

Let's go there.

You guys want to join? Yes, let's go there. Come on, let's go. Vamos. Do it. Yeah, we're just on here though. All right, I'm gonna roll it here. Look down at the concrete bit. Another knife.

Yo, winner winner chicken dinner.

Yeah, don't really have anything for you, mate. Sorry, man.

Come on, that's a bummer. All right, I'll just fill up this bottle then. Oh, what are you guys up to?

Haha. Oh yeah, I just found each other, mate. Just running into each other. I need to get some food though, sorted shit.

All right, do you guys mind if I join you? I got some chicken stew.

I'm all right.

Acceptance.

And I'm dead.

At the end of the day, DayZ is still a survival game with guns. You have to accept that not everybody wants to be friendly. And that's what makes the game good. If everyone was friendly all the time, it would get very boring very quickly. You cannot control what other people will do. You can only choose for yourself. I often choose to be friendly, and I have accepted that on occasion will get me killed. I just respawn and try again. Thank you for watching, and I hope to see you on the coast sometime.

Well, uh, goodbye, um, the only friend that I have ever met in this game. Yeah, you, you're my, my first encounter, my friend, my first friendly encounter in DayZ. You're the first guy that didn't kill me outside. What the fuck?

Sadly, I hear that a lot.