How to start a DayZ Nasdara server at Nitrado

What is DayZ Badlands and Nasdara?

Badlands is the third map expansion for DayZ after Livonia and Frostline (Sakhal). It releases together with the free game update 1.30 and adds Nasdara Province — a 267 km² desert region with sandstorms, motorbikes, new infected, rebuildable houses and underground shelters found through radio signals.

Update 1.30 is mandatory for every DayZ server, no matter which map it runs. Nasdara itself is part of the paid DLC: as with Livonia and Sakhal, expect players to need Badlands to join a Nasdara server.

Before you rent: PC or console

• DayZ has no crossplay. A server is for PC, PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch 2, so rent it for the platform your players are on.
• The Switch 2 version (DayZ Cool Edition) does not have Badlands yet — Bohemia brings it later. Until then, a Switch 2 server runs Chernarus, Livonia or Sakhal.
• PC servers can run Steam Workshop mods. Players usually join modded servers through the DayZ SA Launcher, which downloads the mods for them.
• Console servers cannot run Workshop mods, but the mission files still let you change a lot: loot, vehicles and events, stamina and base building, and extra buildings placed with object spawner files.
• Choose a location close to most of your players and enough slots — new maps fill up fast in the first weeks.
• Update 1.30 changes animations, and PC mods that touch them may break until their authors update them. Starting Nasdara vanilla and adding mods once they are updated saves you a broken launch day.

How to start a Nasdara server at Nitrado

1. 01Rent a DayZ server at Nitrado for the platform your players are on.
2. 02Stop the server in the Nitrado web interface before changing anything. Changing the map while the world is running can corrupt save data.
3. 03Open Settings → General, scroll to the base settings and choose Nasdara in the Mission dropdown. Bohemia publishes the final mission name with the server files; it is expected to be dayzOffline.nasdara.
4. 04Save the changes and start the server. The first boot on a new map takes a few minutes longer while the world is generated.
5. 05Put "Nasdara" in your server name. In the first weeks players search the server browser for the new map by name.

Switching an existing Chernarus, Livonia or Sakhal server works the same way. Each map keeps its own save, so your old world is still there if you switch back — but on Nasdara your players start fresh.

Your own changes do not come along. types.xml, events.xml, cfggameplay.json and the other mission files belong to the mission folder of each map, so Nasdara starts with Bohemia's defaults. Anything tied to coordinates — custom spawn points, traders, safe zones, placed buildings — has to be set up again on the new map.

Settings to check before players join

Most of these are in the Nitrado web interface under Settings → General. They decide what kind of server you run, so set them before the first player arrives — changing them later upsets the players you already have.

• Server name: the map, your style and your region, for example "Nasdara | PvE | Vanilla+ | EU". Players scan the browser for exactly these words.
• Password: set one while you are still setting up, and remove it when you open.
• First or third person, and the crosshair: first person attracts a different crowd than third person. Decide early.
• Day and night: time acceleration speeds up the whole day, night acceleration only the night. Many community servers keep nights short.
• Admin log: switch on the player list, build actions and placements. Without them the logs cannot tell you later who built, placed or raided what.
• cfggameplay.json: once you enable it, that file replaces the base damage, container damage and lighting switches in the web interface — set those in the file from then on.

• Nitrado: Configure a DayZ serverNitrado's own walkthrough of the DayZ settings in its web interface.server.nitrado.net
• Bohemia Wiki: DayZ server configurationEvery serverDZ.cfg parameter with its meaning, from the developer.community.bistudio.com

Plan your restarts

A DayZ server needs several restarts a day; Nitrado cites Bohemia's advice of 4 to 6. Without them ping and lag build up and players desync. Most communities restart every 3 to 4 hours at fixed times and post those times in Discord, so players know when to log out safely.

Warn players before each restart. The messages.xml file in the db folder of your mission shows countdown messages and can shut the server down at a set time; it also posts recurring messages such as your Discord link. Nitrado advises against its "Automated Restarts" option for DayZ and recommends stopping the server through messages.xml and starting it again with a scheduled task.

• Nitrado: Server messages for DayZmessages.xml explained, with examples for countdowns and recurring messages.server.nitrado.net

Loot, vehicles and gameplay: the mission files

Everything that makes one server feel different from another lives in the mission folder. At Nitrado you find it under Tools → File Browser, in the mpmissions folder, named after the mission of your map. These files work the same on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch 2:

• db/types.xml — how much of each item spawns, in which areas, and how long it lies around (nominal, min, lifetime, restock).
• db/events.xml and cfgeventspawns.xml — vehicles, helicopter crashes, animals and other events, and where they appear.
• cfgspawnabletypes.xml — which attachments and cargo an item spawns with.
• db/globals.xml — global limits and cleanup timers, for example how long dead bodies stay.
• cfgplayerspawnpoints.xml — where fresh spawns start.
• cfggameplay.json — stamina, base building rules, night lighting and the list of object spawner files.

• Bohemia: DayZ-Central-Economy on GitHubThe official vanilla mission files for every map — to compare your changes or start over. Nasdara is expected there around release.github.com
• Nitrado: Loot quantity, tiers and respawn timeA walkthrough of types.xml in the Nitrado file browser.server.nitrado.net
• DayZ Editor (Steam Workshop)Free community editor for placing buildings and objects. Runs offline in DayZ on PC and exports object spawner files that console servers load too.steamcommunity.com

Editing files without breaking your server

• Keep a copy of every file before you change it. Console servers have no FTP access, so copy the text out of the file browser into a file on your computer.
• Check every XML or JSON file in a validator before you upload it. One missing bracket can stop the server from starting or quietly drop part of the loot.
• Change one thing at a time and restart. If something breaks, you know what caused it.
• After each game update, compare your edited files with Bohemia's new vanilla files. An old types.xml does not know the items the update added.
• Object spawner files for extra buildings go into the mission folder with a .json extension and are listed under objectSpawnersArr in cfggameplay.json.

Backups and wipes

• Nitrado backs up your server once every 24 hours; you restore it under Tools → Restore Backup. You cannot choose the time, so a backup can be almost a day old — and restoring one may change your server's IP address.
• A wipe resets players, bases and vehicles but keeps your settings: stop the server, delete the storage folder (usually storage_1) in your mission folder and start it again. Deleting only players.db in that folder resets the characters and keeps the world.
• Reinstalling the server at Nitrado wipes everything, including your edited files. Use it only when you want to start from zero.
• Announce wipes early. Many communities wipe on a fixed rhythm or with big updates, and players plan their bases around it.

• Nitrado: Backup restore on DayZHow Nitrado's daily backups work and how to restore one.server.nitrado.net

Rules, Discord and your team

• A Discord server with at least: your rules, announcements for restarts, wipes and updates, a way to reach the admins, and the exact server name to search for.
• Rules before the first player: PvP or PvE, where and when raiding is allowed, building limits, safe zones, and what counts as cheating — exploits, duping, combat logging, second accounts. Write down what happens when someone breaks them.
• A small team of admins you trust, and a clear answer to who decides on bans. Logs settle most disputes — one more reason for the admin log settings above.
• Say in the server description and in Discord whether players need the Badlands DLC to join.

Getting your first players

Most players find a new server through the in-game browser, Discord and word of mouth. Put Nasdara, your style and your region in the server name, write down in one or two sentences what makes your server different, and post it where players look for servers — the Discords and Facebook groups below. Read each group's rules first; most allow one ad per server a day.

• IDS — international server listDiscord where owners post their DayZ servers for international players.disboard.org
• DayZ-ServerWiki (German)The German-speaking DayZ community on Discord: find and advertise community servers, mostly console.discord.gg
• Disboard: DayZ serversList your own Discord under the DayZ tag so players searching for communities find it.disboard.org
• BattleMetricsLists PC servers with live player counts automatically — check that yours shows up with the right name.battlemetrics.com
• Facebook: Dayz server finder (all platforms)Large group where owners post their servers and players look for one. Name your platform in the post.facebook.com
• Facebook: DayZ Server AdvertisingServer ads for all platforms, one post per server every 24 hours.facebook.com
• Facebook: DayZ ServersBusy server-advertising group for PC, PlayStation and Xbox.facebook.com
• Facebook: DayZ Xbox community serversXbox community servers only — a few posts a day are fine, spam is not.facebook.com
• Facebook: Dayz Community Servers Ps4 & Ps5PlayStation players looking for community servers.facebook.com
• Facebook: DayZ Servers Console CommunityFind and advertise console servers on PlayStation and Xbox.facebook.com

Where server owners get help

You are not the first to set up a DayZ server. These communities and references answer most questions — and the volunteers there do it for free.

• J.J MODSFree help for PlayStation, Xbox and PC server owners: Nitrado setup, XML and JSON files, validators and generators.discord.gg
• Bhaalshad's Coding 101 DayZ ServerLearn to code your server in XML and JSON, with console and PC support channels and a request area run by volunteers.discord.gg
• Official DayZ DiscordBohemia's own Discord: announcements, patch notes and update news.discord.gg
• iZurviveThe interactive DayZ map most players use — handy for coordinates when you place spawns, zones or buildings.izurvive.com

Tools that watch your server

Nitrado runs the server: start and stop, settings, restarts, files and the raw log files. What it does not do is tell you what happens on it. To find out who killed whom or who broke into a base, you download the logs and read them line by line.

That is fine for a private server with friends. Once a community grows, most owners add a server bot that reads the logs for them and connects the server to Discord: a kill feed, alerts for base raids, bans and a whitelist, and an economy with a trader shop. dzbot is one of them, made by us; part 2 shows how to set it up on Nasdara.

Frequently asked questions