Experimental is back: why it matters
The DayZ 1.29 Experimental branch is available for public testing on PC, patch note is available here. Experimental builds are where upcoming
changes get stress-tested in the wild before they land on stable servers—so expect quick iterations, balance tweaks, and
occasional instability. If you play Experimental, your feedback helps shape the final release.
New content highlights
Frostline Expansion additions
- A new section of the underground bunker on Burukan Island
- Sakhal flag and armband
- Pilot jacket
- Winter Military Coat
General loot & cosmetics
- Bear headdress
- Fox headdress
- Heavy labor jacket
- Military sweater
- Military winter boots
- Fur boots
- Long haul backpack
- New promo carousel added to the main menu
Gameplay and audio changes
- Gun audio rework: assault rifle shots and pistol shots have been reworked.
- Night settings: official Chernarus and Livonia 1PP servers switch to brighter nights (Experimental test change).
- Server browser behavior: opens Official by default if you have no favorites, otherwise opens
Favorites.
Fixes worth testing
This build targets a wide range of issues—from interaction edge cases to vehicle and collision problems. Here are a few
areas to keep an eye on while testing:
- Reduced clipping/glitching when interacting with vaultable items
- Vicinity access issues through objects addressed
- Vehicle twitching on certain surfaces improved
- Multiple collision and crash scenarios investigated/fixed
- Various audio issues corrected (missing attach/unpack/interaction sounds)
- Duplicate-item exploit fixed (per changelog)
Known issues (Experimental)
- Main menu PLAY button hover/click may not work as expected for the last played server
- Indoor shots can sometimes sound suppressed to the shooter
- Freezing issues reported on community Linux servers (fix noted as in progress)
- Official Experimental server capacity may be temporarily reduced for performance stress-testing
What you should focus on when testing
- New items: spawns, insulation/warmth, visuals, and any weird interaction bugs.
- Vehicles: physics, collisions, desync, and reproducible “twitching” scenarios.
- Audio: indoor vs outdoor shots, distance falloff, and consistency across weapons.
- UI/Browser: server browser tabs, favorites behavior, and menu responsiveness.
Quick takeaway
DayZ 1.29 Experimental brings new winter-oriented gear, audio updates, and a solid batch of
bug fixes—and it’s the best time to test and report issues before everything goes stable.
Keep an eye on the forum thread for rapid hotfixes and version bumps.
Sources:
X announcement
About the Author: Malo Renaud
