DayZ Morse code arrived with the DayZ Badlands expansion, released on 15 October 2026. On the new Nasdara map, radio transmissions in Morse code carry the coordinates and access codes for locked urban bunkers. To use them, you need a working personal radio, a way to write down short and long beeps as dots and dashes, and the Morse code for the digits 0 to 9. This guide explains what Bohemia Interactive has confirmed, how to decode a transmission step by step, and how to practise so you can read the numbers faster in the game.
You do not need to learn the whole alphabet to start. Bunker coordinates and codes are numbers, so ten patterns do most of the work. When you have a string of dots and dashes written down, paste it into our Morse code decoder to check your reading.
What Bohemia has confirmed about DayZ Morse code
Bohemia's launch announcement for DayZ Badlands describes the feature in one sentence: keep your personal radio close, because transmissions carry coordinates and access codes to urban bunkers scattered across the land; decode the messages, find the entrances and claim your rewards. The expansion's press release adds that a new terrain-hole system opens up irrigation tunnels, road tunnels and underground bunkers beneath Nasdara.
The confirmed points are:
| Feature | What is confirmed |
|---|---|
| Release | DayZ Badlands, 15 October 2026, on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation |
| Map | Nasdara, a new 267 km² desert terrain |
| Receiver | a personal radio |
| Message content | coordinates and an access code |
| Target | urban bunkers, entered with the code |
Details such as exact broadcast frequencies, how often messages repeat, and the full list of bunker locations have not been published by Bohemia. Guides that list them come from players and data-mining, and they can change with updates, so treat any "complete code list" with caution. Before the release, Bohemia also said players would find resources in the world to help decode the messages.
Morse code numbers you need for DayZ
International Morse code uses five symbols for every digit, which makes numbers easy to spot in a stream of beeps.
| Digit | Morse | Pattern to remember |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | .---- | 1 dot, then dashes |
| 2 | ..--- | 2 dots, then dashes |
| 3 | ...-- | 3 dots, then dashes |
| 4 | ....- | 4 dots, then a dash |
| 5 | ..... | 5 dots |
| 6 | -.... | 1 dash, then dots |
| 7 | --... | 2 dashes, then dots |
| 8 | ---.. | 3 dashes, then dots |
| 9 | ----. | 4 dashes, then a dot |
| 0 | ----- | 5 dashes |
The rule is simple. For 1 to 5, count the dots at the start. For 6 to 9, count the dashes at the start and add five. Zero is all dashes. Our full Morse code numbers page has audio for each digit.
How to decode a DayZ Morse transmission, step by step
- Get a working radio. You need a personal radio with a charged battery, switched on. A spare battery saves a wasted trip.
- Find a quiet spot. Other players can hear radio traffic near you, and you need to concentrate. Choose somewhere safe before you start writing.
- Write first, translate later. Write every short beep as a dot (.) and every long beep as a dash (-). Leave a space when you hear a short pause between characters, and start a new line at a longer pause.
- Group into fives. Digits always have five symbols. If a group has four or six, you probably missed or added a beep.
- Translate each group. Use the table above, or paste the line into a decoder.
- Split coordinates from the code. The message carries two kinds of information. Write the coordinates on one line and the access code on another so you do not mix them up.
- Check on a second broadcast. If the message repeats, listen again and compare. One wrong digit sends you to the wrong grid or fails the door.
If you record the game audio, you can replay a hard section instead of guessing. Our Morse code audio decoder can also help you check a recording.
A worked example
Say you write down this line, with spaces between groups:
..--- ----- ...-- -.... .---- ---..
Translate each five-symbol group:
..---= 2-----= 0...--= 3-....= 6.----= 1---..= 8
The result is 203618. If you hear a longer pause and then four more groups, such as ....- ----. --... ....., that is a separate number: 4975. Keeping the two on separate lines is what stops a six-digit coordinate and a four-digit code from running together. These numbers are only an example to practise the method; they are not real bunker data.
How to tell dots from dashes by ear
In standard Morse timing, a dash lasts three times as long as a dot. The gap between symbols inside a character is one dot long, the gap between characters is three dots long, and the gap between words is seven. You do not need to measure it; your ear quickly learns that dashes "hang" and dots "click".
Two habits help in a game:
- Say it as you hear it. Operators say "dit" for a dot and "dah" for a dash, so 1 sounds like "di-dah-dah-dah-dah". Our guide to dit and dah explains the method.
- Count, do not guess. For numbers, count the dits or dahs at the start of each group. It is faster than recognising the whole shape.
Practise Morse numbers before you log in
Reading numbers at speed is a skill you can practise outside the game in a few minutes a day.
- Learn the pattern, not the table. Once you know "dots first for 1 to 5, dashes first for 6 to 9", you can work out any digit.
- Listen to random numbers. Use our Morse code trainer to drill the digits until you stop needing the table.
- Write five-digit strings. Have a friend tap or play random numbers while you write them down.
- Increase the speed slowly. Start slow with extra space between characters, then tighten the gaps. This is the Farnsworth method many learners use.
Ten minutes a day for a week is usually enough to read digits reliably at a relaxed speed. For a wider plan, see how to read Morse code.
Letters worth knowing too
Numbers come first, but a few letters are worth learning in case a transmission, a server event or a puzzle includes them. Start with the shortest and most common ones:
| Letter | Morse | Letter | Morse |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | . | T | - |
| I | .. | M | -- |
| A | .- | N | -. |
| S | ... | O | --- |
| R | .-. | K | -.- |
These ten letters are only one to three symbols long, so they never look like a digit. If you hear a group shorter than five symbols, it is a letter, not a number. That is a useful check in the middle of a fast message. Our Morse code alphabet page has the full set with audio.
A simple decoding kit for every session
Keep a small routine for each radio session so nothing gets lost:
- A notepad or text file with two headings: "coordinates" and "code".
- The digit rule written at the top: dots first 1 to 5, dashes first 6 to 9, all dashes 0.
- A timestamp for each message, so you know which reading is newest.
- A second listener, if you play in a group. Two people writing the same message catch each other's mistakes.
- A decoder tab open outside the game to check your reading.
Common decoding mistakes in DayZ
- Translating live. You miss the next group while you look up the last one. Write first.
- Losing the gaps. Without spaces,
.....and....-blur together. Mark every pause. - Mixing up 1 and 9.
.----is 1 and----.is 9. Check which end the dot is on. - Mixing up 4 and 6.
....-is 4 and-....is 6, the same idea in reverse. - Using an old code. Bunker codes may change, and some community lists are out of date. Use what you hear on your server.
- Forgetting other players. Other survivors can hear radios close by, and anyone who decodes the same message knows where you are heading.
Why Morse code fits a survival game
Morse code was built for exactly this kind of situation: sending information over a noisy channel with simple equipment. It has been used by ships, armies and radio amateurs for well over a century, and it still has a place in emergencies because a few beeps or flashes can carry a clear message. For a modern take, see our guide to emergency Morse code.
In DayZ, it turns the radio from a chat tool into a puzzle. You have to listen, write, decode and then travel, which makes finding a bunker feel earned rather than handed to you.