SpawnPass · DayZ
Weapons and ballistics after 1.28
Sway, recoil and dispersion were all touched in mid-2025. Re-check your assumptions.
Last checked 2026-09-21
Overview
Gunfeel in DayZ is not stable across versions. The 1.28 pass in June 2025 changed sway, recoil and dispersion together with a firearm audio overhaul, which means muscle memory and sound reads from before it are both out of date.
What changed
Sway, recoil and dispersion tweaks, new firearm audio, scope damage states and illuminated reticles. Optics were also redistributed across the loot economy.
Re-zero your habits
The practical range at which a given weapon is reliable moved. Test at a range you control before you trust it in a contested town.
New guns in the line
1.28 brought the R12 semi-automatic shotgun and returned the RAK-37. 1.29 continued the gear expansion rather than the weapon list.
Do not memorise tables
Any damage table you read, including any we could publish, is a snapshot. Check the weapon in game after each major patch.