Greetings, Survivors!

2022 may have only just begun, but the first update of the year (1.16) has already been released on all platforms! We dedicated the end of last year and the beginning of this one to a “clean sweep” type of update, which is to say that we went through our backlog and fixed everything we could within a given timeframe. This approach also gave us the opportunity to plan out the content for future updates. If you’re interested in learning more about our plans for this year, make sure to check out our DayZ in 2022 article for all the details.

Update 1.16 contains a variety of fixes and adjustments which are aimed at certain balancing and gameplay issues. There are far too many to list them all, so here are some of our favorites:

  • Health damage from starvation was not applied when one kept drinking water.
  • Characters were occasionally punching sideways during melee combat, as well as stepping forward, even though there were obstacles in front of them.
  • It was possible to destroy base building walls (on fences or watchtowers) just by shooting frames from outside.
  • Tolerance for the placing of base building structures (kits and tents) was increased, which should allow for much easier placing of these objects on uneven terrain.
  • Bear traps can break the legs of the infected.
  • Firearms with internal magazines now have a randomized quantity of bullets.

Server-side gameplay settings (introduced in a previous game update) were expanded by adding the ability to switch off the 2D map layout for a more immersive experience (only the 3D map will be available in this instance). You’ll also now find additional parameters to control the length of the unconscious state to tailor the experience according to play styles (i.e. interaction-based vs PvP servers). Speaking of servers, we have also increased the limits of script class indexing, which were causing issues when combining a larger amount of mods together. Modders and server owners will also appreciate the extensions within the firearms API, which now allows the spawning of magazines and bullets directly into newly created empty firearms (this was only possible before through the central economy).

And it wouldn’t truly be an update without us introducing a bit of content with it. That’s why we’re happy to introduce the Bizon, an iconic AK-based .380 submachine gun with an extra-large magazine. We’re also introducing the alarm clock, which allows you to see the time in-game and offers you the ability to set an alarm for a certain time in order to scare your enemies or lure the infected.

If you’d like to see a full list of fixes and tweaks, head on over to our official forums (PCConsoles).

We’re already hard at work on the next game update, but we hope you’ll have fun with this one for now.

On behalf of the DayZ team,

Adam