So you've heard the hype, you've read Greetings from Chernarus and you want to be involved in the DayZ phenomenan. Getting the mod working however can often be a tricky process, so here's a guide that should get you up and running in no time.
Step 1 - Buy ARMA II: Combined Operations
There are ways to make DayZ run on the free version of ARMA II, but it involves a lot of hacking to make it work correctly. If you want to go down this long and tiresome road, be my guest, but the easiest solution is to buy ARMA II: Combined Operations from the Steam Store.
Once you have downloaded both ARMA II and Operation Arrowhead you will need to run both games at least once before installing the mod. At this point you may get error messages about your CD key being invalid. If this is the case exit Steam, and run it as administrator. This will fix your issue.
Step 2 - Download ARMA II Beta Patch
The latest versions of DayZ require you to be running the latest ARMA II beta patches, so we highly reccomend that you download and run the exe. These beta patches are frequent, so click here and bookmark the page. The latest patch always appears at the top in the green bar, so download and run the .exe to patch your game.
Step 3 - Download and Extract DayZ Files
Now the fun begins! Head on over to this link and download the following files:
dayz_anim_v0.1.rar
dayz_code_v1.7.0.rar
dayz_equip_v1.2.5.rar
dayz_sfx_v1.1.2.rar
dayz_v1.2.6.rar
dayz_vehicles_v0.1.rar
dayz_weapons_v1.1.2.rar
Once you have downloaded all the DayZ files you'll need to locate your ARMA II: CO folder (steam/steamapps/common/arma 2 operation arrowhead). In here you need to make a new folder and name it @DayZ.
Now open up the @DayZ folder and create a new folder. Name this one addons. Place all the DayZ mod files into this folder, and then select all and extract them. Once the files are extracted you can delete the .RAR files.
Step 4 - Download and Configure ARMA II Launcher
We're just one step away from zombie slaying action. Download this launcher program and install it. While it's not necessary, it makes life a lot easier. Once you open it up it will ask you to locate you ARMA II and Operation Arrowhead .exe files. Once that has been completed you will need to do the following:
On the addons tab you should see @dayz as an available addon. You need to drag it across to the Addon Groups structure on the right, place it into Group 1and ensure that @dayz, Group 1 and Addons/Mods are ticked.
At the bottom of that screen you need to add the following in the Parameters section: "-mod=F:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2;Expansion;ca;Expansion\beta;Expansion\beta\Expansion;@dayz" -nosplash -world=empty Quotation marks included!
Finally ensure that Game Version is set to ArmA II - CO.
Now click on Launch Options. Here you need to click Run Beta, No Splash Screen, select Default World as empty and ensure that your Arma II - OA Beta exe has been selected (for me it is located F:\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead\Expansion\beta\arma2oa.exe )
Step 5 - Enjoy The Game!
You did it! DayZ should be up and running and you'll be fighting for your lives in no time. If you're jumping into this amazing world, ensure you let us know in the offiical MMGN thread!
By Stephen Heller - Bio