How to treat heatstroke in DayZ Badlands

To recover from heatstroke in DayZ Badlands, get out of the heat, drink safe water and use Wash Head. Finish one wash and give it 30 seconds before washing again. That's how the action works on stable Update 1.30.164289, released on 3 November 2026 for PC, PlayStation and Xbox. You can use the same approach on all three.

Get the thermometer out of the hot range

Head for the nearest shaded building and check the thermometer on your HUD once you're inside. Use the reading to judge the shelter. If it stays high, try a cooler spot and swap heavy layers for lighter clothing when you have it. If your vision is already darkening, get to cover while you can still move. Severe heatstroke drains less health after the patch, but you can still pass out.

Drink safe water while you wait. Aim to get the thermometer below the yellow heat warning, where your accumulated heat can fall even when you're low on water. Staying hydrated also helps your survivor shed heat while the thermometer is still in the warm yellow range. In hotter conditions, prioritise getting somewhere cooler, since heat can keep building even if you've had plenty to drink.

Wash your head once and wait 30 seconds

At a working well or the edge of a pond or river, aim at the water and select Wash Head from the available actions. Crouch at the water if you need to get in position, and hold the interaction until a wash completes. If you're using a water bottle, take it in your hands and select the same action while standing or crouching. If the prompt is hard to get at the shoreline, try another spot along the bank.

Release the interaction after the first wash. A completed wash reduces the heat you've built up and holds that value steady for 30 seconds. During that window, extra washes can wet your clothes and use water from a bottle, while the heat already in your body stays where the first wash left it. The November patch keeps those extra washes from restarting the 30-second timer. Use the pause to stay under cover and keep some water for drinking. If you're still suffering once the 30 seconds are up, finish another wash.

Check your vision before setting off again

The thermometer shows how hot you are now. Your symptoms depend on how much heat you've built up, so they can linger even after the thermometer drops. With the November update, that stored heat drains twice as fast under recovery conditions. A full wash now removes about as much built-up heat as 15 minutes of passive cooling, before the brief pause begins. If you were already seeing blur, allow time for it to clear. Once that stage starts, the blur and the extra hit to your stamina persist until you've cooled a little further than the point where they first kicked in.

If your screen clears but you still seem to be getting thirsty quickly, stay in the cool spot a bit longer and check your water. The mildest stage can still drain water without adding a sickness icon. Conversely, if your vision is clear and a sickness icon remains after cooling down, check for another cause, especially if you drank untreated water or just came through a sandstorm. Vomiting can happen with severe heatstroke, so use the temperature and the other symptoms together.

Before you cross another exposed stretch of Nasdara, check that your temperature has settled, your vision is clear and you've got water left for the trip. If the thermometer starts climbing again, head for the next sheltered stop while you can still get there on foot. Save the water in your bottle for drinking when you can wash at a working water source along the way.