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How to Increase Helicopter Crash Sites on Your DayZ Server

1. Log In to Your Panel

2. Stop Your Server

3. Select the ‘Files’ Tab

cybrancee panel dayz files page outlined

4. Locate the events.xml file

Note:

The path to events.xml depends on your server’s map.

– Chernarus: /mpmissions/dayzOffline.chernarusplus/db
– Livonia: /mpmissions/dayzOffline.enoch/db
– Custom maps: the folder name will match the mission file (e.g., /mpmissions/dayzOffline.banov/db).

If you’re not sure which map your server is running, check your startup settings or the list of mission folders inside /mpmissions/.

You can find it here:

/mpmissions/DayZOffline.[map]/db/events.xml

dayz files tab with events.xml file path and file outlined

5. Increase the Number of Helicopter Crashes

Inside events.xml, locate the helicopter crash event entries.

Common vanilla helicopter events include:

  • StaticHeliCrash
  • StaticHeliCrashMilitary
  • StaticHeliCrash_NWAF (map-specific)

The most important values are:

  • nominal
    Target number of active helicopter crash sites
    Higher value = more crashes at the same time
  • min
    Minimum number that must always exist
  • max
    Hard cap on how many can exist simultaneously
  • lifetime
    How long (in seconds) a crash remains on the map
dayz events.xml file with heli crash settings outlined

6. 7. (Optional) Check cfgeventspawns.xml

Important!

– These zones are map-specific.
– Removing or misconfiguring zones can cause crashes not to spawn at all.
– Always keep the original zone structure when editing.
– Increasing smax or reducing dmin will noticeably increase crash frequency.

Inside the cfgeventspawns.xml file, helicopter crashes use predefined spawn zones instead of fully random positions.

Each <zone> entry controls how often and how close helicopter crashes can spawn within that area.

<event name="StaticHeliCrash"> <zone smin="1" smax="3" dmin="3" dmax="5" r="45" />

dayz cfgevents.xml file with heli crash position settings outlined

What Each Value Means

smin / smax (Spawn Count Range)

  • Defines how many helicopter crashes can spawn in this zone at the same time
  • The server randomly selects a value between these numbers

Example:

  • smin="1" → At least 1 crash in this zone
  • smax="3" → Up to 3 crashes in this zone

dmin / dmax (Spawn Cooldown Range)

  • Controls the minimum and maximum delay (in minutes) before a new crash can spawn again in this zone
  • Prevents crashes from spawning too frequently in the same area

Example:

  • dmin="3" → Minimum 3 minutes between spawns
  • dmax="5" → Maximum 5 minutes between spawns

r (Radius)

  • Defines the radius (in meters) of the spawn area around the zone center
  • Helicopter crashes will spawn randomly within this radius

Example:

  • r="45" → Crashes can spawn within a 45-meter radius of the zone

Practical Effect In-Game

With this configuration:

  • Helicopter crashes are limited to specific map zones
  • Each zone can host multiple crashes simultaneously
  • Spawns are spread over time to avoid clustering
  • Crashes won’t appear too close to each other

8. Save the File

After making your changes, select the ‘Save Content‘ button.

Make sure:

  • No duplicate entries
  • XML syntax remains valid
  • No missing tags

9. Restart Your Server

Start the server to apply the new zombie spawn settings.

DayZ will reload the updated events.xml automatically.

Cybrancee Panel dayZ start Server With start button outlined

Tips & Best Practices

  • Increasing crash sites also increases high-tier loot availability
  • Too many crashes can affect server balance
  • Always back up events.xml before editing
  • Change values gradually and test in-game
  • Modded servers may override vanilla events

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