Finding your position | Navigation DayZ - ArmA 2 mod Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

The key to survival in any unknown area is knowing where we are and where are we headed. Chernarus is vast and it's easy to lose track in the wilderness, far away from towns. It's also good to know how to move between key locations without necessarily using the roads and paths which often lead to the destination along a roundabout road. In this part of the guide I will present you methods which make navigating easier. These techniques are probably known to all scouts and travellers, but city people who can't get to the shop around the corner without a GPS might face some problems.

Map

The map is one of the most commonly found items, making navigating much easier. If you play on one of the lower difficulty levels, the map will act as a GPS, showing your location and even the direction you're facing. Veteran an Expert levels don't have such a setting.

The key to finding your location by using the map is looking around the area for landmarks which are easy to find on the map. Going up a hill from which you have a good view of the area will make is helpful, but not necessary. Find some landmarks around you and try to locate them on the map. Such points might be roads, towns, docks, castle ruins etc.

Compass

The overall idea behind the compass doesn't need to be explained I think. Finding it should be the priority of any respawned character. The compass and map combo form a somewhat analog GPS which will let you navigate without much problems. Having only the GPS, without the map, is the worse case scenario. Right after you log in onto the server, the name of the closest location will appear in the lower right corner of the screen. Using maps on the internet, find your approximate location and use the compass to head towards the destination you're interested in.

GPS

The GPS is the most powerful navigation tool in the game. Not only does it show the way you're headed, but also displays terrain topography, names of locations and even buildings. The GPS works like a mini-map in many other games, making it really hard to get lost, especially if used together with a paper map.