• Guide

M4A1 location - DayZ

Find out how to get your hands on an M4A1 in DayZ.

Bill Lavoy

January 5, 2022 11:00 PM

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The M4A1 is one of the most highly sought weapons in all DayZ. In this guide, I’ll explain where you can find one and how to go about acquiring it once you do know where to look. It’s not going to be easy, but few things that are worth it ever are.

M4A1 location

The M4A1 only spawns in static Contaminated Zones in DayZ. This may not be true if you’re using mods, as servers can be set to allow more M4A1 spawns or even allow them to be sold at a trader. For vanilla DayZ without mods, though, static Contaminated Zones are the only place to find an M4A1.

There are only two static Contaminated Zones on each DayZ map.

• Rify - Chernarus
• Pavlovo Military Base - Chernarus
• Radunin - Livonia
• Lukow Airfield - Livonia

When you’re in-game, Contaminated Zones are easily spotted as they will feature a large cloud of poison gas over an area. These zones are frequently found around the Northwest Airfield but can spawn all over the map. If you study this DayZ map, you can see all the potential locations that a Contaminated Zone can be located. The issue is, the M4A1 cannot be found at any Contaminated Zone other than the four listed above, and there are only two potential locations on each map.

The other problem with Contaminated Zones is that they will kill players without proper protection. That means having a full NBC suit and Gas Mask (plus filter if required). Even finding this gear will be a tall order, as it’s unlikely you’ll locate the full suit in any one region. A good place to start would be field hospitals like the one at Krasnostav Airfield (Northeast Airfield), or any hospital or medical building in the game. The full NBC suit includes:

• NBC Boots
• NBC Pants
• NBC Gloves
• NBC Jacket
• NBC Hood
• NBC Respirator/Gas Mask

Once you have the full NBC suit, you’ll be able to enter any Contaminated Zone in the game in search of high-end DayZ loot. Just remember that the M4A1 only spawns at two locations per map, and there is a limit to how many can be in the game world at any given time. This includes in storage, on players, or sitting in the world waiting to be picked up. This is an extremely rare weapon, and your chances of looting one off a dead player are probably higher than getting the gear you need and finding one in one of the two static Contaminated Zones.

Now that you know how to get an M4A1, be sure to visit our DayZ coverage on Shacknews as we build out some of the best guides Chernarus has to offer.

Bill Lavoy

Managing Editor

Bill, who is also known as Rumpo, is a lifelong gamer and Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He made his mark early in his career through guide writing and a deep understanding of editorial SEO. He enjoys putting in the work to create a great content, be it a wild feature or grinding out an in-depth collectible guide. Tweet him @RumpoPlays if you have a question or comment about one of his articles.