Short version: if you're new to DayZ or new to Is Dead, start on Chernarus. It's the easiest of our three maps, it has the most to do, and it's where most of our players are. Here's how the three compare, so you can pick the one that fits how you like to play.
| Chernarus | Livonia | Sakhal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | Easiest | Medium | Hardest |
| PvP | Only in military PvP zones, which rotate by day (none on Sundays), and inside base raids | None, ever | None, ever |
| Best for | New players and all-rounders | Builders and anyone who never wants PvP | Veterans who want it hard |
| Quests | Yes | Yes | No |
| Traders | Trader hub, vehicle and heli traders | Trader hub (a safe zone), vehicle and heli traders | None |
| Money and P2P market | Yes | Yes | None: no money on Sakhal |
| Gear rarity | Yes | Yes | No |
| Inedia pain and infected | No | Yes | Yes |
| Vehicles | RUSForma | Fortune Vehicles | Vanilla only |
| Only on this map | The Dark Horde, hacked crates, mining, the drug trade, endgame ticket teleporters | Bunker base building, Bitcoin mining | Hardcore Vanilla++ survival in the cold |
| Address | 216.245.176.237:2302 | 216.245.176.237:2402 | 216.245.176.237:2602 |
Pick Chernarus if...
You're new, you want a bit of everything, or you want to play where it's busiest. Chernarus plays like PvE everywhere except its military areas, and those only allow PvP on set days: one group of military zones on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, another on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and none at all on Sundays. A green shield above your hotbar means you're safe. The interactive map shows which zones are live today.
It's also our flagship: quests to give you direction, AI that gets tougher as you push into better loot, The Dark Horde roaming the map, hacked crates, mining and the drug trade, and an endgame that runs on ticket teleporters into strongholds like Prison Island and the Lunatic Stronghold.
Pick Livonia if...
You never want to deal with other players. Livonia is fully PvE: Ninjin's PvE mod blocks player damage everywhere, so the only threats are the world, the AI and the infected. Those are tougher than on Chernarus, because Livonia runs Inedia Pain and Infected: wounds hurt for real and infected hear, smell and chase better. Read the Inedia guide before your first run.
It's our builders' map, with underground bunker bases and Bitcoin mining (our own mod), and the Reapers guarding the Livonia Bunker for when you're geared.
Pick Sakhal if...
You already know DayZ and want it to hurt. Sakhal is hardcore Vanilla++ on a frozen map: no traders, no quests and no gear rarity, vanilla vehicles only, plus Inedia. It's fully PvE, so it's you against the cold, the AI and the infected. What you find is what you get. If you're new, get your feet wet on Chernarus first and come back when you're bored.
Can I play more than one?
Yes. Lots of players have a main map and visit the others. Each server has its own wipe schedule, so check the servers page for the last wipe date and the two weeks of raid protection after each one.
How to join
Set a name other than "Survivor" in your launcher (it's kicked automatically, here's how to change it), then search "Is Dead" in the DZSA Launcher or DayZ launcher server list, or use Direct Connect with an address from the table above. The mods download when you join. Then read the new player guide for your first hour.