In this post, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about the Frostline DLC and about the upcoming map Sakhal. I’ve categorized the information into neat chapters, so you won’t have to jump between random wikis, developer blogs, or YouTube videos. Simply use the table of contents above and jump to the part that interests you most.
What is Sakhal?
Sakhal is going to be part of the Frostline DLC, which will be filled with new gear, survival elements, and more. The biggest part of this will, of course, be the new map itself.
The last map DayZ officially released was Livonia (2019). That map is filled with lush forests, wildlife, and green trees! Well, not this time around, because DayZ is releasing a semi-hardcore winter map called Sakhal!
Sakhal Size
So the biggest question on your mind may be regarding the size. So let’s take a look at the size of the new map!
First, to get an idea of the scale of the new map, we need to take a look at the other vanilla DayZ maps that were released prior.
- Chernarus has a surface area of 225 km² (86.9 square miles).
- Livonia is slightly smaller, at 163 km² (62.9 square miles).
- Namalsk (pc modded map) is 27 km² without ice and 63 km² with ice. (10,4 square miles / 24.3 square miles)
- Sakhal, however, will be much smaller then original vanilla maps, coming in at 105 km² (40.5 square miles).
Winter Map
Yes, Sakhal is smaller, but it brings a significant change: being DayZ’s first official winter map! Console players will finally experience the snowy survival landscape PC players have enjoyed for years.
The winter aspect introduces exciting new elements to gameplay, especially in terms of survival mechanics. Let’s explore!
New Gameplay Elements
There are many new elements of gameplay being added to DayZ with the release of its new map Sakhal. We’re talking about items, gear, wildlife, gameplay mechanics, and more! Let’s start with boats.
Boats
The addition of a new boat into DayZ may be one of the most anticipated additions in a while. You may think that it sounds minor since the last vehicle that was released was the Humvee with the DayZ 1.19 update in 2022, but this boats provides players with a whole new means of transportation for their enjoyment!
As far as we know at the time of writing (September 13, 2024), boats are not going to be exclusive to the Frostline DLC. This means that server owners will be able to spawn in boats as part of the CLE on their other maps as well.
The boats are going to be made of rubber and will be powered by an outboard motor. Luckily, if you are stranded, the DayZ developers made it possible to push the boat back to water.
This means you can drive it up to the beach, get out, do a little loot run, and get the boat back into the water. Currently, the boats have room for 4 players: 1 driver and 3 passengers. The boats will have no inventory space.
There will be 4 variants of rubber boats:
- Orange
- Blue
- Black camo
- Full black
Wildlife
DayZ features many different wild animals. With Sakhal’s release, the developers will be adding some more wildlife to spice up the game. Let’s have a look at the first creature, the hares!
Hares
First of all, these cute and furry little hares will be added to the game. Though in a survival situation, you need to put the cuteness aside and be willing to shoot the thing. It’s you or him, and I bet you’d rather survive.
Foxes
Foxes will be added in DayZ. I’m not sure of the specifics yet on the fox as they haven’t been shared yet. However, I wonder what the sound will be like…
Reindeer
Santa’s trusty engine parts are coming to DayZ. The reindeer will most likely have similar stats to a regular deer that can be found in Chernarus and Livonia.
Aquatic Animals
With boats comes increased aquatic content. Players can now fish for Steelhead Trout and Pollack using a fishing rod. Shrimps will be able to be caught using a small fishing trap.
Heat Changes
Sakhal’s winter environment means that temperature management becomes a critical aspect of survival.
The heat system in DayZ will be changed across all maps. This means even Chernarus, Livonia, (and other modded maps) will have this implemented.
In DayZ there are different variants of the same piece of clothing. With the frostline update winter clothing will have better insulation than the summer variant. Heat sources will work differently, and snowfall will affect your temperature, same as that pesky rain on Chernarus or Livonia!
Changes to food.
Food temperature will cool off based on the server temperature, meaning that eventually, it can freeze if left out in the open long enough. That’s right, frozen food is coming to DayZ. This means that food items like canned bacon, tuna, cola, sprite, and all those other delicious canned wares will have a chance to spawn frozen, or eventually freeze.
You will have to defrost your food next to a heat source (like a campfire, gas stove, or in a car) before you can eat it. Now, if you cook food and don’t let it cool off, it will hurt your character.
So when is food safe to eat in DayZ? The food is safe to eat the moment it isn’t stated as HOT but as WARM.
All of the food heat stages are:
- Hot
- Warm
- Chilly
- Cold
- Frozen (cold)
Warm and cold foods will affect the temperature of your character accordingly. This means carrying frozen food in your inventory will make you colder, and carrying some hot steak will warm you up.
The Blizzards & Ice sheets
Looking at the most recent DayZ developers’ stream, we can see that there is a new level of low temperature. Before, you could go from light blue to dark blue, but now even flashing blue is added to the game indicating a very cold status.
The ice sheets around the Sakhal map are a dangerous but interesting way to traverse the map. Not all sheets connect, so you’ll need to cross them by going in and out of the water.
Together with the blizzards and snowstorms, your character can quickly freeze to death so make sure to come prepared.
Cosmetics & Gear
The new Frostline DLC will be introducing plenty of new gear and clothing items. Additionally, there will be an overall reduction in clothing inventory size.
Reduction of inventory size
DayZ has always been a survival and PvP game. At some point, they introduced base building as well. However, the inventory sizes were too big in the minds of the developers.
Now, with the new 1.26 DayZ update, the inventory sizes of clothing and character gear will be reduced to bring back that good old feeling of not being able to take everything with you.
We kind of like that change. That’s because we as KarmaKrew, have seen a massive increase in loot hoarders. This takes away from the authentic post-apocalyptic feel of DayZ.
At KarmaKrew, we will initially follow the reduction, but will balance item size accordingly to find a good middle ground. For more info about this, feel free to join the KarmaKrew Discord.
Clothing and Insulation changes
The clothing items inside DayZ have variants for all seasons. For example the hunter gear has a spring, summer, autumn, and winter variant. It looks differently but insulation wise, it is all the same.
That is going to change with the new update. The insulation properties of different clothing variants will differ depending on the season they are meant for. Take a look at the image below.
Diseases and Medicals in Frostline DLC
With the upcoming Frostline DLC (and the DayZ 1.26 update), two significant new diseases will be introduced: Heavy Metal Poisoning and Pneumonia.
Below is a breakdown of how each of these illnesses will affect gameplay, as well as how to manage and treat them.
DayZ’s Heavy Metal Poisoning
Heavy Metal Poisoning occurs when you consume snow or water on Sakhal that has been contaminated by volcanic ash. This contamination can lead to visual disturbances, where your vision appears doubled, with the effect fading in and out.
How to Prevent and Treat Heavy Metal Poisoning:
- Filtration Bottle: Use this new item to filter contaminated water or snow. Simply collect water in the bottle and drink from it to avoid poisoning.
- Chelating Tablets: These tablets are the cure for heavy metal poisoning. Take one pill at a time and wait for the effect to wear off before taking the next. These tablets can also be used to purify water containing Cholera, similar to how Chlorine tablets function.
Pneumonia in DayZ
Pneumonia occurs if a character progresses beyond stage 2 of the Common Cold, which develops as follows:
- Stage 0: Character begins shivering, and the temperature indicator turns blue, signalling the onset of a cold.
- Stage 1: The character starts sneezing, and the sickness icon appears in the stats. Codeine or morphine can temporarily suppress the sneezing, but they do not cure the cold.
- Stage 2: The cold escalates into Flu, where the character experiences sneezing, coughing, and blurry vision. Codeine can still partially suppress the symptoms, but the illness worsens.
- Stage 3: The cold advances to Pneumonia, severely reducing stamina and health regeneration. The character starts losing health rapidly, and untreated Pneumonia will be fatal within 24 minutes. Neither codeine nor morphine is effective at this stage. Tetracycline or Vitamin Pills must be used to treat it.
An infographic on the disease progression will be available soon, so stay tuned for a step-by-step guide on sickness management in DayZ.
Filtering Water
With the Frostline DLC, new methods of water purification will be introduced to avoid both Cholera and Heavy Metal Poisoning:
- Existing Methods:
- Boil dirty water in a cooking pot.
- Use Chlorine tablets on dirty water in containers.
- New Methods:
- Drink directly from the Filtration Bottle.
- Use Chelating Tablets to purify water.
- Boil water by placing a container directly on a fireplace or inside a hot cooking pot.
These methods ensure that players can maintain clean water sources, critical to surviving the harsh winter environment of Sakhal.
Release Date
So you might be wondering when Sakhal will release. Let me tell you that it wont take long anymore. We, the KarmaKrew community (and DayZ community) expect the Sakhal release date will be somewhere in October, or at least Q4 of 2024. The moment we know more about this release date I will update it in this blog post for you guys!
The 1.26 patch of DayZ will be released before the Frostline DLC so it might be that we can already play around with the objects and items from the update before frostline, and therefore Sakhal, will be released.
How and Where to Play DayZ’s Sakhal
There are numerous ways to play Sakhal. If you are on PC, Xbox or Playstation, you’ll have an easy way finding a server. KarmaKrew will host 2 servers per platform. One for basebuilding Sakhal, and one without basebuilding Sakhal. Join one of these servers:
PC Sakhal servers:
KarmaKrew Sakhal – Adventure | 1PP | VANILLA + FEATURES
KarmaKrew Sakhal – Bases | 1PP | VANILLA + FEATURES
Xbox Sakhal servers:
KarmaKrew Sakhal – 1PP | NO BASES | discord.gg/karmakrew
KarmaKrew Sakhal – 1PP | BASES | discord.gg/karmakrew
Playstation Sakhal servers:
KarmaKrew Sakhal – 1PP | NO BASES | discord.gg/karmakrew
KarmaKrew Sakhal – 1PP | BASES | discord.gg/karmakrew
Conclusion
There you have it! That’s all the biggest changes and additions to DayZ with the upcoming Sakhal and Frostline DLC release. I hope you know what to expect. Feel free to join our discord to talk about Sakhal or join our servers! We’re all very excited about Sakhal and the new possibilities that it will bring to console.
Good luck, have fun and hope to meet you in-game!
