Plenty of zombie survival games have flooded the market, butDayZhas garnered a particular reputation among them. That reputation comes from how hard it is. The title is notorious for its high difficulty, which largely stems from the survivalist mechanics. Fans must pay attention to so many details that it can become overwhelming. In addition, they can only take a bit of abuse before keeling over. These issues are constant across the game.
RELATED:Horror Games That Twist The Zombie Mythos
That said, certain maps ramp up the challenge even further. The hardest ones tend to amplify existing gameplay factors, such as temperature and resource management. Tackling these levels is basically like playing regular matches with greater extremes. Given how painfulDayZis normally, these enhanced maps have obviously caused countless deaths.
5Esseker
While some wilderness remains around its resorts, Esseker is more developed than the rural wastelands of most maps. It has bigger buildings, more cars, and greater opportunities for looting. However, that also means it’s more alive in terms of population.
Zombiesand thugs regularly patrol the streets. The former seems even more aggressive than usual. Dispatching these guys–along with other enemies–in the city poses an unexpected challenge. With the dilapidated floors and hallways, it’s impossible to see what’s around the next corner. Would-be survivors could come face-to-face with a hostile party. On top of that, trigger-happy players may accidentally shoot their friends. These crumbling networks are enough to make the most stalwart fans paranoid. Then again, paranoia implies there’s nothing to fear.
4Livonia
Anyone frequenting this map had better embrace the great outdoors. Livonia presents a large area with few signs of civilization. As such, players must be self-sufficient and live off the land, navigating the vast woodlands and the wildlife within. Hunting, cooking, and eating that wildlife is the key to survival. Unfortunately, that’s an acquired skill, even in gaming. It’s especially true with the amount ofscrounging and craftingrequired here. The map does have a saving grace, though.
RELATED:Open World Games With Unique Exploration Mechanics
That comes in the police stations scattered all over the place. These buildings can be a welcome source ofweaponsand armor, but looters should approach them with caution. Other players might have the same idea, so they may have to earn those weapons in a fight. That’s par for the course with the rest of Livonia.
3Chernarus Winter
The biggest challenge in the winter version of Chernarus is cold. It renders everyone at a fundamental disadvantage. Even if players have some warm clothing on hand, the slightest bit of combat can damage them, thereby robbing them of any insulation. Once that happens, it’s only a matter of time before hyperthermia sets in. Another hardship of the cold is thathumans must eat more foodto keep their energy up. That’s not easy since frozen climates like this don’t exactly provide plentiful bounties.
Considering Chernarus’s colossal size, many areas are sparsely populated. Running into an animal to hunt or a human to rob often hinges on pure chance. The vastness also makes going from town to town a more serious risk, as players must stay warm for longer stretches of time. In this winter wilderness, the elements can kill them faster than the enemies.
2Raptor Island
The name should say it all. Raptor Island brings all the difficulty of normal wilderness maps–namely Stuart Island–and adds a load of dinosaurs. As portrayed inJurassic Park, theVelociraptorsare vicious pack hunters who can kill their prey before it ever notices them. Humans are on the menu in this case.
RELATED:Games That Let You Tame Dinosaurs
Raptors are obviously the major environmental threat here, and they’re far more dangerous than zombies. They’re smaller targets and have much faster and more unpredictable movement. In addition, their teeth and claws let them kill their victims in an instant. The only conceivable way players can conquer these prehistoric pests is to have their own pack backing them. Sadly, that’s not always an option.
If the survivors turn on each other, which they do, any possibility of teamwork goes out the window. It’s easy to slip back into the “every man for himself” mindset, particularly when searching for resources makes players into prime raptor food. The drawback is that this mentality multiplies the difficulty exponentially. Players must dodge people and dinos alike. If this happens, nowhere is safe.
1Namalsk
This location brings the same challenge as Chernarus Winter: weather. A crippling cold lies over Namalsk. Even going outside for a casual stroll carries a huge risk. The map amplifies that risk through storms and other spontaneous weather events. The environment is dynamic in its harshness. Because of that, it’s tough to form a concrete plan. Players may choose a time to travel only to get caught in a blizzard.They must constantly stay on their toes. That’s doubly true when factoring in the other major difference.
Namalsk is significantly smaller than Chernarus. That may sound like a downgrade, but it actually works wonders for tension. Both players and CPU enemies have less room to spread out. That congestion means more frequent encounters with fellow survivors, zombies, and animals. On the upside, this provides players with more chances to use theirmelee weapons. The downside is that any moment could be the player’s last.
DayZis currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
