Mini DAYZ Ultimate Guide: 23 Tips, Cheats & Tricks to Stay Alive

There are zombie apocalypse games…and there’s Mini DAYZ, the new iOS and Android title from Bohemia Interactive. The game is billed as the official pixel art version of the PC survival game DayZ, so you can expect some rather cutesy images of survivors, zombies, and other threats. But perhaps we should say the word “survivor” in singular form, because that’s what you are — it’s you against the world as you explore a procedurally generated map that ensures no two play-throughs will ever be the same. And in terms of mechanics, they run the gamut in this title — you’ve got RPG mechanics (crafting) and some base management mechanics, but otherwise, this is a survival game that could be deceptively challenging.

Surviving a zombie apocalypse would require you to stay dry, warm, and well-fed, while surviving harsh weather conditions. And you may also be curious about the crafting, the fighting, the perks, and other important features of this game. We have got you covered, though, in the form of this Mini DAYZ ultimate guide. Everything’s been featured here, so regardless whether you’re a newbie survivor or a more tenured one, you’re sure to learn something.

1. Try Both Control Schemes, But Go For Stick Control In The End

One of the first things new players will notice in Mini DAYZ is the fact that there are two available control schemes to choose from — stick control, and tapping/drawing control. We would advise you to try both types of control schemes, to see which one suits you the best. This may be an area where your mileage may vary, but we’ve noticed that more players appear to be more comfortable playing in stick control. This gives you more control over your character’s movement, and that could come in handy during the many times you will be chased by enemies, may they be zombies, bandits, or animals.

Again, this is an area where some players may prefer one scheme while others may prefer another. But if you want to change control schemes, it’s quite easy — you simply have to tap on the gear icon for Settings, then tap on Movement to make the necessary changes.

2. It’s Important To Have Enough Storage Space

At first, you won’t have a lot of storage space to work with. You will only have a few slots to store those items, and will need to make every one of those slots count. But over time, you’ll be able to access more than the fixed slots you have for armor, main weapon, secondary weapon, helmet, and backpack. You’ll also be able to fill in slots for your shirt, your pants, as well as an extra melee weapon and an extra slot for a food or a drink. Your jeans will come with two extra pockets for food and water. But how can you manage your storage space and get more of it?

For starters, take note that your t-shirt does not come with any extra slots, which means you should change it as soon as possible with a clothing item that has at least two storage slots free, such as a raincoat. Jackets aren’t recommendable either, as they only have one slot. You can take advantage of the two slots you get with assault vests, though you’ll obviously need to go to military locations to find them. And if you’re looking for a clothing item with three slots empty, you can try worker pants, even if they’re not an upper garment like the ones we mentioned above.

Your shirt and pants may offer a decent amount of storage, but you should also make it a priority to get yourself a backpack. Chances are you’ll be able to find one once you kill a bandit, though Mini DAYZ’s crafting mechanic allows you to create your own. Crafting materials needed for backpacks include a burlap sack and rope. Once created, you’ll have a backpack that comes with three empty slots. You can even get two bonus slots by adding three wooden sticks as additional crafting materials.

3. Plan Your Route Properly

Of course, this is something you should be learning as early on as possible — you want to have a well thought-out route when playing Mini DAYZ. Look at the map — you will spawn randomly, but usually at a new world by the coastline — so you could look for a nearby town. Running and wandering around aimlessly in the woods is this game’s equivalent to throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Sticking to the road certainly helps a lot, but that also makes it far more likely to have an encounter with the zombies. Even if a zombie is offscreen, you’ll hear them bellowing out and growling loudly — don’t panic, even if they’ve spotted you, and just stay as alert as possible.

Once you’ve made it to the road, stay there, as that will allow you to check out the cars. Also take this time to know what each map icon means; house icons pertain to small neighborhoods, two buildings mean you’re in a city, while the factory icon refers to a facility. Each of these would allow you to find yourself some nice and useful items inside.

4. Start Your Base By Building A Campfire

Mini DAYZ does have some base management features, and these would include the ability to start a campfire and surround it with a fence, thereby giving you a crude, yet functional base. You’ll need a hatchet or fire axe to chop down the trees whose wood fuels your campfire.

5. You Need To Eat To Survive

That red bar on top of your screen represents blood, or how much you have left — in other words, it’s your health bar. But you won’t lose blood only by getting attacked by enemies; you’ll lose blood if you go hungry or thirsty, or if the heat factor kicks in and takes its toll on your character. Eat food or drink water or other beverages from time to time, as that’s going to keep your health bar within a comfortable level, and hopefully far enough from the zero mark.

If your character says that they want to eat or drink something, you shouldn’t take that lightly — take that as a sign that you need to ramp things up and act faster as you try to look for food or drinks. Once you find something, feed your starving character to increase the health bar.

6. Go Hunting

Another cool way to make sure your character doesn’t lose everything on their blood/health bar would be to hunt for wild game. This would include deer or rabbits, whose meat you can use for steaks. Of course, you’ll want to use a crossbow or an equivalent firearm to take the animals down. Use your basic knife to get meat from the animal you just killed, and use a fireplace to cook the meat. And that’s where the crafting comes in — building a fireplace requires you to take some woodpiles, paper, and rags, and lighting it, naturally, is done via matchsticks.

7. Here’s What You Can Do To Stop The Bleeding

The good thing about this game is that you will regenerate blood automatically once both your Hunger and Thirst Bars are above 50 percent. But regeneration will automatically stop once at least one of these bars goes below the 50 percent mark. That further underscores the importance of eating and drinking to prevent your character from going too hungry or thirsty — in particular, you should be prioritizing food items such as tactical bacon or apples, for instance.

It’s also possible for your character to start bleeding whenever they are attacked by human or zombie enemies, as well as by wild animals. You can use bandages or, if need be, rags to stop any bleeding caused by enemies. And if you want an instant pick-me-up, you can use saline and blood bags to get your health back ASAP.

8. Looking For A Nearby House Or Road? Use The Map

If you take enough time to look at the local map, you will find that you can use it to find nearby structures or roads. You can access the map by tapping on the diary icon found below the settings, then tapping on Map — that’s going to show you exactly where your character is at any given point of the game. As the saying goes, and as it actually goes in the game, X marks the spot — that’s where your character is.

On the map, you’ll be able to find standalone structures, including buildings, factories, and houses. You’ll want to use the local map anytime you’re having a hard time finding your way, or if you’re looking for houses or buildings. Shelters, after all, typically have food items inside, though you may also get new crafting materials or weapons. Also make sure to check the cars, which are located next to the houses and buildings. And as a final, bonus tip of sorts, you can access the world map by tapping on the arrow at the bottom of the map.

9. Bandages Can Be Quite Hard To Find, But You Can Also Craft Them

Unfortunately, one of the reasons you’ll want to go hunting for buildings or houses in Mini DAYZ is the fact that bandages are quite hard to come by in this game. And it’s not just these structures, but also cars that may have some stray bandages inside. But if you’re not able to find bandages by roaming around town, you can also craft them yourself, taking the DIY route with the right materials.

These temporary bandages can be utilized if you need to stop the bleeding in a character. The only real materials here include your t-shirt. As for the bandage recipe, you should first tap on the backpack found on the lower left corner of your screen, and then tap on your t-shirt. After that, tap on the Tear into Rags option. You will then see a rag on an empty slot, which you can use on a bandage any time your characters is in trouble and bleeding.

Pro-tip: Not all clothing items can be converted into rags using the above recipe. In fact, there are actually very few clothing items, though the t-shirt happens to be one of them.

Take note, however, that the temporary bandage you will create won’t be good as an actual one. It may do the job for a brief period of time, but that’s the operative word here — temporary.

10. Perks Can Help You Stay Healthy (And More)

Mini DAYZ’s RPG-influenced mechanics also include the presence of perks, which could be unlocked over time. For example, you’ve got Hamster, which reduces your hunger rate by 15 percent, as well as Camel, which slashes your thirst rate also by 15 percent; you will first have to tap on your character’s avatar on the upper left side of your screen to activate these perks.

You’ve also got the Survivalist perk, which can be unlocked, thereby providing you twice the regeneration speed whenever your character’s blood goes below the 50 percent mark. And if you need to reduce the pace of blood loss whenever your character feels ill or is bleeding, you can unlock the Red+ perk. Perks can be accessed by tapping on your character’s avatar.

11. How Can You Add To Your Points Total?

Points, which could be found below your character’s avatar, are the currency you will be using when unlocking perks. You can trade points for perks, which, in the context of this survival game with RPG mechanics, can be used to help you stay alive for a longer period of time. You won’t need to pay too many points for perks, with the basic ones costing just 200 points. But as you progress forward, you’ll need another 200 points to unlock the next perks available.

Points can be earned by running, but you can earn more of them by killing zombies. Searching houses and performing other tasks are another good way to get yourself some points. Basically, you want to stick around for as long as possible, and longer survival means more chances to earn more points for perks.

12. How To Keep Your Characters Warm

Heat is another hazard that could take its toll on your character, and you should look at the heat status bar, that happens to be quite helpful for those whose characters often complain about being too warm…or being too cold. And it’s imperative that you try your best not to get that Heat bar down to zero.

It’s a good thing that there are multiple ways to keep a character warm in this game. First would be making your own fireplace, which is one of the bigger items that can be crafted. The first material would be a fireplace kit, while the second would obviously be your matches. Combine wood piles with the aforementioned wooden sticks, papers, or rags. Drop the fireplace on the ground once you’re done, then drag it to the left side of your inventory and light it up. Voila; you’ve got yourself a fireplace of your own.

Additionally, there’s the common-sense suggestion of looking for warm clothing to use. Clothing needs to be in good condition, meaning you want those pieces of clothing that are in good condition. If a piece of clothing’s condition is at 70 percent, you’ll get better protection than if you were wearing an item with only 60 percent condition. You can find inflatable tents once you’re encountering rainy or snowy weather. Make sure you’re placing the tent in a safe place away from all manner of enemies, though it is possible that if you stay inside the tent, you’ll be able to keep warm enough.

Lastly, you can search for whiskey, then down it right away to get the heat status bar working. But if you can’t come up with that yet, you can always settle for the warmth of buildings and other structures.

13. On Perks And Snow Storms

We already dealt with perks in great depth earlier, so why don’t we mention them again? In this case, we’re referring to Snowborn, which could increase your cold resistance by 200 percent, and Sweet Home, which could add 50 percent more heat if you’re someone who likes to stay inside homes. Snowborn requires only 200 points for you to unlock, though the amount of points required to unlock the next perk will become substantially higher.

14. Get Firearms From Military Bases, Etc.

Soldiers may often cast an impressive presence, but you shouldn’t mind them too much as you scrounge for firearms in military bases. More often than not, you’ll find something that could prove to be useful. And as a bonus tip, make sure you’ve got more than enough ammo, so you can load it onto your ew fireman.

15. Watch Ad Videos For Supplies

Need to get some supplies in an easy and painless manner, considering the lack of houses, buildings, or cars in the woods? (Which should come to you as pretty obvious, might we add.) All you have to do in such a situation is to tap on the parachute icon next to your character’s profile image on the upper left. You will then be asked to watch a quick video, usually lasting no more than 30 seconds. You will then be rewarded with a box, which comes with random items such as food, drinks, firearms, or ammo.

16. What’s The Best Food To Satisfy Your Hunger?

Look for the red and white cans, because that’s where you can find some rice, which is, as we’ve seen, the best for to eat when trying to quell your character’s hunger pangs in the game. Anytime you’re going hungry, you can consume a can of rice and restore about four-fifths of your hunger. There are other foods that could work well for you, but at the end of the day, nothing beats rice.

17. Beware Of Wolves

Wolves are among the more dangerous “enemies” you can encounter in Mini DAYZ, and this becomes especially true if you don’t have any assault weapons handy. But even if you do have one in your possession, you should be more concerned about getting away rather than attacking them. That’s where stick control comes in again as arguably the far superior control scheme for anyone who needs to run way from trouble.

Wolves happen to be quite relentless when going after your character. So with that in mind, one of the first things you should do when being chased by the animals is to look for the nearest building on your map. Go to that building once you have found it. And if you’re running away in the woods, you should run around bigger trees — those big bad wolves can see quite well, but if you keep on running circles, that could spell bad news for the wolves’ field of vision.

Of course, there are perks that come with the game’s hunting mechanic, such as the Hunter perk, which allows you to stay relatively clear of wolves and other animals. You’ve also got another perk called Sprinter, which allows you to enjoy a 10 percent faster running speed.

18. Fighting Tips – The Basics

You’ve probably been awaiting this part of the Mini DAYZ ultimate guide since the very start, but before we get to the actual fighting tips, let’s take a look at the basics of fighting, for the benefit of newcomers. In this game, you can either fight by using your bare hands or by attacking enemies with melee weapons. The latter type of combat will automatically be triggered if an enemy is close to your character. Using an assault rifle, shotgun, or any other kind of range weapon is quite easy, as you actually don’t have to aim — the target icon will appear automatically and land on the closest enemy. Once the target icon appears, hit the shoot button, and you’re all good to go.

19. Want To Live Longer? Avoid Contact With Enemies

When it comes to surviving longer in Mini DAYZ with regards to the enemies, the best thing to do, quite simply, is to avoid battle. If you see an enemy nearby, you have the option to run away and live another day, to borrow the old adage — just beat a quick retreat and hide inside a house. Tap on the map as quickly as you could to find the nearest house to hide in, should you be in the thick of a fight and running dangerously low on health. Fortunately for you, the zombies, bandits, and other enemies in this game cannot enter houses, so as long as you are inside a house, you’re safe from danger. Only exit a house if you notice that a zombie has walked away, or has his back turned.

For the most part, avoiding combat is the best thing to do until you’re able to find yourself a halfway solid weapon. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a weapon — if it’s a weak, common weapon, it’s not worth getting into the thick of the battle for. You don’t want to be wiped out in close contact fights without having much of a say in things.

20. Use Your Firearms Smartly

We would strongly advise a couple of things when using your firearms in this game. First off, having a firearm allows you to take out an enemy from a range — we’ve already established that. But the target icon MUST be on an enemy before you fire at them. Don’t use your ammo unless there are enemies that absolutely have to be killed; again, these would be enemies that you need taken out so you can enter a building they’re guarding, or any other important places. Secondly, don’t get too trigger-happy and keep firing away with reckless abandon, unless you’re in dire need to forage for food (or search for crafting materials) by entering a building or house.

One more tip we can offer in here would be to stay still as possible, as it could help the game automatically lock in a better target. Moving might make the target icon disappear, so keep still for as long as you could while aiming!

21. Unleash The Crit Hit

The critical hit is a staple of fighting games and RPGs, and to briefly explain what it is, this is that one random hit that strikes an opponent hard enough to kill it or knock it out. In Mini DAYZ, the best weapons to use to improve your chances scoring a crit hit are the more advanced weapons, including the pipe wrench and sledgehammer. Even if you don’t deal out a critical hit, you’ll still be dealing out a great deal of damage with either one of these two weapons.

22. Best Perks For Fighting

As you may have guessed by this point, perks are an integral part of Mini DAYZ’s mechanics. And there are also some perks you can use on the battlefield as you try to fend off zombies and other enemies. Puncher allows you to launch multiple attacks that could take out various enemies. Sharpshooter increases your odds of killing an enemy with a head shot, while using a ranged weapon. Scout can help you find surviving enemies from a greater distance than usual. And lastly, Defense is probably the one we would recommend the most, as it blocks far more enemy attacks than you normally would on your own.

23. If Forced To Fight, Spread The Enemies Out

It is what it is – it’s your contingency plan, in case you really have no choice but to fight it out, despite being at a disadvantage. You want enemies to be spread out as much as possible, as you work on them one at a time. You can make this easier by jumping around obstacles, which would throw the zombies off and take away their line of sight, while helping you kill them one at a time.

There you have it! This wraps up our ultimate guide for Mini DAYZ here on Level Winner. We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of tips, tricks and hints. If you have anything to add, don’t hesitate to leave us a message below in the comments!