Custom Spawn Loadouts on a DayZ Console Server

Updated 11 October 2026

What a fresh spawn wears and carries can be set with loadout files: small JSON files in your mission folder that cfggameplay.json points to. They work on Xbox and PlayStation servers as well as PC, with no mods.

You can have several loadout files. DayZ picks one for each new character, so you can mix a few starting kits and make some rarer than others.

How a loadout file works

• spawnWeight: how likely this file is to be picked when there are several. Higher means more often.
• characterTypes: which survivor models it applies to, such as SurvivorM_Mirek. Leave it empty for every character.
• Slots (attachmentSlotItemSets): one entry per slot, such as Body, Legs, Feet, Back or Headgear. Each slot lists options, and one is picked by its own spawn weight.
• Cargo sets (discreteUnsortedItemSets): extra items that go into the clothes, such as a rag, a flare or some food.
• Health: from 0 (ruined) to 1 (pristine), as a minimum and maximum per item.
• Quickbar: the quickbar slot an item goes in, or -1 for none.

Set it up

1. Make the loadout file in your mission folder, for example custom/starter.json. Write it by hand and upload it, or start from the Spawn loadout template on the dashboard's Server Files page (paid plan).
2. List it in cfggameplay.json under PlayerData.spawnGearPresetFiles, with the path relative to the mission folder. On the Server Files page, the Add to cfggameplay.json button does this for you.
3. Check that cfggameplay.json is turned on in your Nitrado server settings. DayZ ignores the file, and every loadout in it, when it is off.
4. Restart the server. New characters spawn with the new gear; players who are already alive keep what they have.

Editing with Law's KillFeed

The Server Files page in the dashboard opens loadout files in an easy editor on the paid plan: pick the item for each slot from a list, set weights and health with boxes instead of JSON, and add cargo sets. It warns when a loadout file is not listed in cfggameplay.json, and keeps the last 15 versions of every file so a mistake can be undone.

On the free plan you can still browse, download and upload your files there, and every upload is checked for errors first.