Running around on community-made maps is one of the most popular ways to enjoy the zombie-filled apocalypse of DayZ. There are loads of maps to choose from, but if you're chasing a truly hardcore experience, look no further than Namalsk. This island is filled with unique points of interest and items, and we have all the info you need on how to survive it right here.

Introducing the DayZ Namalsk Map

Namalsk isn't the largest map in the DayZ world, measuring roughly 30 km x 32 km. It's larger than Deadfall, but considerably smaller than the popular Chernarus. The size, shape, and conditions of Namalsk encourage more close-ranged firefights. Combined with the various rolling hills and different levels of verticality, Namalsk wants players to think differently about the way they typically fight in DayZ. You must adapt your weapons and tactics to the environment. Speaking of the environment, Namalsk is perhaps the DayZ map most defined by its environment. Namalsk experiences constant hazardous weather conditions, such as heavy snowstorms, violent EVR storms, and sub-freezing temperatures at all hours. To survive Namalsk means the most chaotic and difficult battle with nature across any DayZ map experiences - and while there are still undead and players to fight too, your first and most dangerous opponent will be the conditions you find yourself in. Naturally, you'll find much more loot within buildings than out in the wilds, but a scarcity of supplies is another defining trait of Namalsk. In fact, most food spawns happen on the northern chunk of Namalsk. And any food you do find will most of the time be frozen and inaccessible unless you warm it by a fire. Move south, and it's even harder to find a meal. There aren't many animals that spawn, and the few that do can often include wolves or bears. As mentioned above, Namalsk is a hardcore survival map. This is made even more apparent thanks to hourly EVR storms. If you're caught in one, you can be knocked out and lose half of your health. To prevent this, make sure you're lying down inside a building or wearing a protective suit. Stretches of barren land cover most of Namalsk. However, another defining trait of the map is its abundance of varied buildings. True, the map only has one major city: Vorkuta. But this is an enormous city with a diverse assortment of structures. Even the placement of buildings within Vorkuta is unique among other DayZ maps. Similarly, the abundance of military installations scattered around Namalsk has a unique assortment of buildings to ransack or shack up inside in a pinch. Even when there aren't storms, one of the most brutal aspects of survival is the cold. Some of Namalsk's best loot, such as powerful weapons or the materials needed for the coveted space suit, can only be reached if you have warmer clothing and constant fires for a heat buff. If there's anything you need to prioritize while fighting to survive in Namalsk, it's food and heatpacks. If you can stay warm, you'll have a much better chance of staying alive. But survive it all, and you can reach the end of a massive adventure few reach even in thousands of hours - a journey to create your own space suit and travel through a portal between dimensions to the chaotic world of Lantia! Yes, you read that right.

Major Points of Interest in Namalsk

Vorkuta

As mentioned above, this is the sole city in Namalsk. You'll find smaller villages and towns scattered about, but Vorkuta is a massive city with the highest concentration of early game loot. Here, you can find food, water, warmer clothing, and weapons to get you started on your journey. Some of the most noteworthy spots in Vorkuta are the following:

• Military installations scattered around the city's edges
  • These can have some powerful weapons or equipment.
• The Fire Station to the northeast
  • This can have sturdy axes or firefighter's clothing for improved insulation.
• The Vorkuta city center
  • Here, you can find a school, several grocery stores, and a hospital. Each one is often loaded with plenty of loot. The school has a well for access to fresh water without the need of a fire, and the hospital has a military tent nearby.

Northern Army Base | BK-M06

This is an ideal location to loot from because it is so close to the map's spawn locations. It has plenty of buildings strewn about, but the primary appeal of this location is due to two factors:

• The nearby lake
• The base's proximity to additional, smaller points of interest

In Namalsk, fishing is much easier to do in a lake than in the ocean. As a result, you can use the lake near BK-M06 as an easy-to-access food source with the relative safety of the base to retreat to during a storm or when avoiding players. Additionally, to the west of BK-M06, there is another, smaller military base, a village, and a shipping area. All of these locations can have additional loot to scavenge, and they're a very short travel distance away from BK-M06.

Athena Research Institute

Finally, the massive Athena Research Institute has plenty of areas with some more unique loot. The two largest buildings, for example, can house plenty of medical gear. Additionally, numerous military barracks are scattered throughout the area. You've probably caught on by now that Namalsk is simply crawling with military points of interest. They're always worth a look thanks to the potential for ammo, equipment like body armor, backpacks for storage, and improved weaponry. Additionally, the Athena Research Institute has a network of underground tunnels. Here, you can find the highest-quality loot the area has to offer. Unlike the Vorkuta and the Northern Army Base, however, the Athena Research Institute is much further south. As a result, you can find more late-game gear, but this also means players you encounter will likely be more well-armed themselves. In fact, this is one of the most well-known PvP zones, so keep your head on a swivel at all times. It's not uncommon for the main research stations to serve as popular sniper nests, and ending up on top of any building in the area could be your final steps.

Marooned Ship | Sibirskiy-2119

Now, you need to get your feet wet. To get to this marooned ship, you'll have to head to the far western reaches of the map. You might notice some stretches of land reaching toward this locale on your map, and you can definitely walk along those so that you don't spend too much time in the water. However, you will inevitably need to swim to get here. So long as you have the materials to build a fire once you get out of the water, you can reliably dry your clothes and warm up. As far as loot is concerned, the Sibirskiy-2119 can be highly lucrative. Not the ship itself, but the surrounding area, such as the lighthouse and nearby military base. The ever-reliable and powerful SVD Dragunov marksman rifles have a higher chance of spawning here. There's also a good chance you can find night vision goggles, high-tier scopes, military weapons, and more. Throw in a healthy handful of fire barrels to warm yourself up, and you'll have everything you need to survive and be rewarded for the swim.

Sebjan Dam

If you're heading to Sebjan Dam, be prepared for plenty of fighting. As one of the few natural land bridges between the northern and southern portions of the continent, it's a high-traffic area for player fighting. And pesky campers just waiting to pick players off, of course. While it isn't the greatest source of loot in the game, it can offer better gear than one would typically find to the north. Here, you can expect to see more mid-tier weaponry and military loot. The primary loot at Sebjan Dam? Gear and supplies dropped by slain players.

Military Base | BK-T12

Directly to the south of the small island with the marooned Sibirskiyi-2119, you can find a small military base: BK-T12. As you can see in the image above, this base is nestled in a copse of trees. Like the Sebjan Dam, loot here isn't the highest quality, but it's better than you'll find in the early game. However, you'll have a better chance of finding clothing and a few sparse medical supplies here than at the Sebjan Dam. Additionally, uphill from the base to the southwest is a crashed helicopter. While helicopter crash sites are randomized on other DayZ maps, they're static in Namalsk. That means you can find this downed chopper and its potential for high-end weaponry every time you visit. Again, BK-T12 isn't the greatest loot location, but many players use it as a type of staging ground before heading to higher valued areas such as the Athena Research Institute.

How to Get to Lantia from Namalsk

For the truly dedicated, the ultimate goal of Namalsk is to reach an alien world known as Lantia. As always, do your best to ensure you have plenty of food and appropriate clothing for your journey. However, getting there will require more specific items and steps than your general survival fare.

Acquiring the Space Suit (LEHS Mk3)

First, Lantia is an alien world. You'll need a space suit if you actually want to survive for longer than two minutes. This is the Lantia Expeditionary Hazard Suit Mk3 (LEHS). You actually need to craft it using the following materials:

• Nylon Filament - Found on Tara Island in industrial areas (See the left blue arrow in the image above).
• ABS Filament - Found on Tara Island in industrial areas (See the left blue arrow in the image above).
• TPC Filament - Found on Tara Island in industrial areas (See the left blue arrow in the image above).
• A Pipe Wrench - Found throughout Namalsk in industrial areas or work places (sheds, construction sites, etc.).
• An NAC Access Card - Found on a submarine at SKAT-12 (See the right red arrow in the image above).
• A Complete NBC Suit - Includes the Jacket, Pants, Gloves, Boots, Hood, & Gas Mask. Necessary for surviving toxic gas, and found in hospitals or industrial sites scattered around Namalsk. A higher chance to spawn on Tara Island (See the left blue arrow in the image above).

Once you've assembled all these pieces, head to the Phoenix Oil Rig (See the right blue arrow in the image above). There, you can interact with a special printer to craft the LEHS Mk3.

Opening a Portal to Athena 3

Of course, that's just to keep you alive when you get to Lantia. To actually open the portal to another world, you'll need another specific item: a Pulsar Locator. Typically, this item spawns on the Phoenix Oil Rig. However, it's also possible to find it at the Athena Research Institute (See the left red arrow in the image above). Finally, with the Pulsar Locator, NAC Access Card, and crafted LEHS Mk3, you can start heading toward Athena 2 (See the right yellow arrow in the image above). At Athena 2, your goal is to enter the main building and start winding your way down to the 3rd Basement Floor. Here, you'll find a large control panel. Make sure you're wearing the LEHS Mk3 at this point, as it will notify you when an EVR storm is happening above ground. When a storm starts, you must interact with the large control panel. This will cause a portal to appear at Athena 1 (See the left yellow arrow in the image above). You don't have much time to make it to the portal, so don't waste any time looting. Also, do your best to avoid wildlife, zombies, or hostile players on the way. Once you arrive at Athena 1, you should see an eerie, spherical portal. Take the bridge next to the portal and hop in. Congratulations! You're now at Athena 3.

Finally Entering Lantia

You're almost there! Here, in Athena 3, there are three different floors to the facility. You are completely safe in Athena 3, and most floors have plenty of loot for you to rummage through and collect. On the first floor, you can find the control room. Here is where you need to plug in your Pulsar Locator. Insert it, and your NAC Access Card, and a prompt will allow you to open a portal to Lantia up on the third floor of Athena 3. Make sure you did all of the Athena 3 looting that you wanted to before heading into Lantia! Once you have the portal start to spawn, you'll have two minutes to get to the third floor. When the portal does spawn, an invisible timer will start. You'll then have two minutes to head into Lantia and loot whatever you can get your hands on. After that time is up, the portal to Lantia will close. If you're in Lantia after the portal closes, you'll be stuck there. This is why it's best to head into Athena 3 with a friend. If you leave one player back at Athena 3, they can activate the portal again to grant you passage back. However, a Pulsar Locator can only be used three times before it's destroyed. What did you do all of this hard work for? Well, scattered around the small area of Lantia, you can find plenty of loot. The crowned jewel of the bunch, for example, is the Lantia Plate Carrier. This superior armor grants you a whopping 300 durability, 25 slots of inventory space, reduced damage from high-caliber shots, and high insulation.