Mookie's guide to helicopter hunting

[Mookie (original) 799]

It seems to me that crash site hunting became much more popular, just as 0.48 (when it was good) became 0.49 (when it was bad). I've been doing it almost full time since crash sites and NATO equipment were reintroduced with (?) 0.47. Times are hard in heli hunting. Happily, I don't really need to do it anymore, so perhaps some of what follows may be helpful.

 

The DayZDB map now shows the spawn sites, and they seem accurate to me:

 

http://dayzdb.com/map/chernarusplus#4.054.053;item=M4%20Buttstock%20CQB

 

Some of them have been removed (especially towards the south and around Balota), while others have been introduced (to the immediate south and east of Zelenogorsk, for example).

 

This guide is really about UH60s. Apart from the Blackskull balaclava and an occasional UK tac vest, I have never found anything worthwhile at an Mi-8 site. Usually, if I find an Mi-8 spawn, I will just leave the server, as it simply reduces the probability of a UH60 spawning there.

 

There are two phases to this DayZ lifestyle choice. There's finding the sites (ah, that elusive grey smudge on the skyline), and there's what to do when you've found one.

 

Part 1 - finding spawns

 

I could be wrong, but my impression is that of the three spawns that will happen per restart, a random number will be Mi-8s and UH60s. This means that there may be no UH60s on a given server at all, or there might be three. Once or twice in 0.49 I've found two UH60s in one run. While three may be theoretically possible, I've never had a run of three in 0.49.

 

Let's do some maths on the best possible case scenario, in which there are three such UH60 spawns from a possible 58 spawn sites. This gives a 5.17% probability of a spawn at any individual site. Obviously, the more of the sites on the map you are able to run, the greater the probability of you finding a single spawn, or in our ideal case finding all three.

 

But in reality, running all the sites is very time consuming and in some cases such as the NWAF, not entirely without risk. And clearly you don't need to run over all the sites to spot them - you just need to be able to see them. To maximise probabilities, you need a run which maximises your view of the largest number of potential sites, in an amount of time that also takes some account of the fact that there are hundreds of servers involved.

 

IME, there are four such runs:

 

The classic Green Mountain run

 

This goes from just north of Zelenogorsk, round Sosovny Pass to the north and east, to the eastern side of Green Mountain woods. It takes in 18 sites, more closely grouped than most. You don't have to start from as far south as Zeleno, because you will be able to see the smoke if a crash has spawned there from further north. Similarly, you don't have to run across the clear ground east of Green Mountain, because you will be able to see the four potential sites on that ground.

 

The growing problem with this run is that it's what most serious crash runners do, so spawns have often been looted, while there is a small chance of encountering players or groups of them.

 

The NWAF/south NWAF run

 

The reason so many people seem to find crashes at the NWAF is that there are four of them on the runway, all in plain sight. There is a further, looser grouping of four or five to the south. Clearly, running around on the NWAF runway, or even to the south of it, is not entirely risk-free. In fact, having done that run a few times, I'd never do it again... But on an empty or low pop server it might work out ok for you, and it's certainly efficient in terms of being able to see lots of sites in a relatively short space.

 

The southwest Zeleno - Kamenka run

 

If not as productive as the GM run, this is slightly more risk-free and takes in the Pavlovo barracks if you feel that way inclined. You run from the clear ground to the west of Zeleno, to the southernmost site just north of Kamenka. The main problem with this though, is that not many of the sites are in clear view of each other and there are quite a lot of treelines involved. The short, far west version takes in six sites. There are another three off to the west around Windy Mountain if you haven't found anything, but that does make it a much longer run.

 

The northwest run

 

I actually really like this one, as not many people do it. It takes in 12 sites between Sinistok and Lopatino. The northern bit is nice, as it's around the northwest bus garage, but further south there are more treelines to contend with. The upside is that if you find a spawn, it is less likely to have been looted than on other runs IME.

 

Of course there are further sites off to the east. But they are relatively isolated, and in a context of designing an efficient run, not very worthwhile.

 

A word on visibility

 

In theory, you should see a smoking UH60 site from 1000m away. But a lot depends on the weather. If it's raining or hazy, you can halve that distance. Do pay some attention to your graphics settings (eg Objects), and to the draw distance in your cfg file, if you've been tweaking it. Lower settings may equal poorer sight, and as always have a reasonable FOV setting.

 

Also, keep looking around you. More than once I've been so focused on trying to see something in the distance, that I've only noticed a spawn 50m away from me by accident. Remember that tree lines can be your worst enemy - even fairly close, because they mask the denser smoke.

 

Part two - looting

 

You've found a site. What now?

 

Well obviously run over to it and loot it dummy. Actually, just a sec. Will there be zombies? What if it's camped? Is the stuff easy to spot?

 

No there will not be zombies, although if you're close enough to a town (eg Kamenka, Zeleno), they may spot you and pay a social visit. Camping crash sites, however, is an increasingly popular occupation. If in doubt, scout the tree lines relative to the site. Do not hang around the site. NEVER pause for a little sit down and a meal at a crash site...

 

An unlooted spawn will usually have at least two or three M4 mags, a similar number of attachments (in varying states of repair). In addition, you may find grenades (very hard to spot), a small amount of loose ammo, clothing and flares, perhaps an ammo box, and - deo volente - that elusive M4 or FNX you've been dreaming of.

 

The loot is usually at the nose and on each side of the chopper. You can tell if it's already been looted (a) because the remaining loot will be crap and (b) because there will probably be empty mags. However, this does not necessarily mean everything good is gone. Sometimes your fellow heli hunters are just looking for that one thing - an M4, an ACOG, an FNX - and will ignore or miss other stuff.

 

Go around the crash twice. The first time do so crouched with your inventory window open, using it to 'spot' things for you. The second time go around visually. Either way it is quite possible to miss things. Green painted attachments, or sights in the undergrowth can be elusive. Look at the actual  sides of the chopper, especially towards the nose. Sometimes loot glitches in to the model, but can usually be recovered. Also, don't cling too tightly to the edge of the model. Sometimes things spawn a few feet away.

 

Don't play inventory tetris while you're there. If your inventory is full, decide what you're going to chuck if you need to before you get there. Do your looting and then get the hell out.

 

I hope some of this helps the many aspiring heli hunters I seem to have ben talking to lately. Good luck.

 

[Calvin Candie 189]

Thanks Mookie, for telling everyone where are the best crash site routes. Really. Thanks for nothing :D

To be serious, I agree with you and I can confirm that Green Mountain is the most prosperus run if you intend to look for helis on purpose.

Scouting the crash site and looting tips are also spot on.

Edited October 13, 2014 by Calvin Candie

[Deathlove 2280]

Thanks Mookie, for telling everyone what are the best crash site routes. Really. Thanks for nothing :D

To be serious, I agree with you and I can confirm that Green Mountain is the most prosperus run if you intend to look for helis on purpose.

Scouting the crash site and looting tips are also spot on.

Yeah the area around that and around the Northwest airfield seem the most plentiful for sightings.

[foxdie_01 121]

 

My normal runs. (i believe they've removed some spawns since i did that map)

 

Usually do them on empty servers.

 

Found one yesterday, got my first combat knife in 500+hrs, pristine too :)

[Mookie (original) 799]

They've taken out that entire line of Balota/south coast spawns I think <_< , but have added others to the SE of Zeleno...

[Evil Minion 943]

I would like it if they added more potential spawns especially in the northern area. Maybe thats even planned once they got it developed (as right now towns and water are missing). Also the central west is relatively empty.