How to install DeerIsle on a DayZ PC server

By Niko Catarino

Updated 8 October 2026

To run DeerIsle on a DayZ PC server, install the stable map package and its matching mission files, then select the DeerIsle mission in serverDZ.cfg. Keep the previous world’s save separate. Copying the map mod without its economy and spawn files leaves the server setup incomplete.

Use DeerIsle, Workshop item 1602372402, by JohnMcLane1. The author recommends this stable item for public servers. Experimental item 1750506510 is a different release with different support and stability expectations. Author’s release guidance

Preserve the current world

Stop the service and make a recoverable backup of its mission, persistence, profiles, launch settings, keys and packages. Record the selected mission and mod versions. Use a separate test instance with a fresh DeerIsle mission save for the first run.

Do not copy storage_1 from Chernarus, Livonia or another map into DeerIsle. A map switch changes terrain, economy positions and player locations. The map-change guide explains the world switch and rollback procedure.

The reviewed stable Workshop listing requires CF. Load CF before DeerIsle on the server and clients, and check Required items again when updating. If you are introducing CF to an existing world, the framework author requires a wipe. Keep the original world backup and rehearse on a fresh test save.

Install the stable map and keys

In VXPanel, stop the server, open Mods, search 1602372402, review the original Steam page and choose Install. Review and install the listed requirements in the server-and-client scope. Confirm the installed ID is the stable release. See VXPanel mod controls for scope and dependency handling.

For a manual host, copy the subscribed stable package into a dedicated server mod folder. Copy its supplied .bikey files into the server’s keys directory and retain signature verification. Add that folder to the existing -mod argument. For example, where your copied folder is named @DeerIsle:

"-mod=@DeerIsle"

This fragment shows the map entry. Preserve your other required packages and the Workshop dependencies in the full list. Connecting players need the same stable map and client dependencies. Xbox and PlayStation servers cannot load Steam Workshop maps.

Install the matching author mission

Obtain the mission through the author’s download and licence page. Its public stable repository contains a V5.9/empty.deerisle mission. Check the mission against the installed map release; its folder label alone won’t tell you whether it supports a newer version.

Copy the complete mission folder into the server’s mpmissions directory. For the reviewed V5.9 layout, the result is:

mpmissions/
  empty.deerisle/
    init.c
    cfgeconomycore.xml
    cfgplayerspawnpoints.xml
    mapgroupproto.xml
    mapgrouppos.xml
    db/
    env/

The author mission contains other files as well; this shortened tree is not a selective upload list. Retain its economy definitions, environment files, map groups and scripts. Do not put the whole V5.9 directory inside mpmissions, and avoid an extra empty.deerisle/empty.deerisle nesting level. Stable mission files

Edit the existing class Missions block in the active serverDZ.cfg:

class Missions
{
    class DayZ
    {
        template = "empty.deerisle";
    };
};

The template must match the mission directory. Do not add a second class Missions block. Retain your service’s other server settings. For the test instance, choose a dedicated profiles directory so map and mod settings remain separate from the original world.

Start with the author economy

Start the test service and read its RPT and script logs. Confirm it loads the selected mission and stable map without missing addons or mission errors. Then join with a client using the stable item.

Use the supplied economy before merging custom loot, player spawns or edited buildings. Check ordinary houses, industrial areas and a military location. If the base world works, merge one saved customization at a time and compare results. Keep map-specific tier and usage names from the mission instead of replacing its files with Chernarus defaults.

The reviewed author mission initializes the Central Economy in init.c and supplies both mapgroupproto.xml and mapgrouppos.xml. Those files describe building loot definitions and placements. Keep them from the same mission release. Mission initialization

Add Expansion to the DeerIsle mission

Get the base map working first, then install your chosen Expansion modules and their dependencies. Keep template = "empty.deerisle"; and merge Expansion’s files into that mission.

The DeerIsle Expansion template sits under 0_INCOMPLETE. It supplies three economy XML files plus examples for registering them and adding event positions. It has no init.c, player-spawn file or trader camps, so it cannot replace the author’s complete mission.

On the stopped test copy, back up empty.deerisle, then follow the Expansion merge instructions:

1. Copy expansion_ce into mpmissions/empty.deerisle/. Review its item, attachment and event definitions against the modules you actually loaded; keep only content those modules provide.
2. Merge the template’s <ce folder="expansion_ce"> block into the mission’s existing cfgeconomycore.xml, before </economycore>. Register each file once and retain DeerIsle’s existing entries.
3. Merge the relevant <event> entries from the template’s cfgeventspawns.xml inside the existing <eventposdef> element. If an event name already exists, combine its intended positions instead of adding a duplicate event. Keep the map author’s other events.
4. Validate the edited XML, restart the test service and check for economy or missing-class errors. Check the added loot and vehicle/event positions in game before opening the server. Coordinates in an incomplete template still need checking against your installed terrain.

For traders, create empty.deerisle/expansion/objects/ and empty.deerisle/expansion/traders/ if needed. Empty folders won’t place a camp. You must supply DeerIsle object placements and trader NPC .map files, then connect the NPCs to market inventories and zones. Follow the trader setup procedure using positions measured on DeerIsle. Chernarus camp coordinates won’t locate a camp for you on this terrain.

Keep the untouched author mission and your changes so you can merge later Expansion updates without overwriting the map’s economy.

Choose whether players use Expansion spawn selection

If you load Expansion Spawn Selection, including through the Bundle, check its generated mpmissions/empty.deerisle/expansion/settings/SpawnSettings.json. This is a mission setting; use the active DeerIsle mission rather than an old copy in another map or profiles folder.

For the first map test, you can disable the selector and use the mission’s normal player-spawn rules:

1. Start the test server once with the correct mission and module loaded so it can generate its settings, then stop it.
2. Back up SpawnSettings.json and change the existing "EnableSpawnSelection" value to 0. Preserve m_Version, the other settings and valid JSON punctuation.
3. Restart and test a new character or respawn on the test instance. Expansion should no longer open its spawn-selection menu. Check that the character appears at a valid DeerIsle spawn. Another spawn mod or custom mission script can still affect the result.

This switch disables the selector; clothing, starting gear and other Expansion spawn settings have separate controls. Spawn settings reference

DeerIsle does have built-in Expansion spawn presets. The referenced source enables selection when generating DeerIsle defaults. With the setting at 1, players get the selector’s configured destinations, so inspect SpawnLocations before using them. An older settings file can retain old or imported coordinates; choosing one can put a player in the wrong place. Keep selection off until you have checked the destinations on your installed map, or replace them with verified DeerIsle positions before enabling it.

The Expansion guidance was checked against the linked mission template and public scripts on 8 October 2026. This does not establish compatibility with your installed packages or replace a server-and-client test.

Check updates and persistence before release

Check the DayZ build as well as the DeerIsle release. A game update can leave the current map package incompatible until its author updates it. Keep the existing world intact and follow map-update recovery for compatibility checks and a separate temporary vanilla world while waiting.

An update can change the map package, signing keys and mission files together. Stage the new set on the test instance first. Keep your custom edits as a diff against the author mission so you can reapply them to the new release.

The author warns that changed mission files can require Central Economy reinitialization. That can remove saved world state. Rehearse with a copied save and plan the required reset before updating the live community; do not delete production persistence as a first diagnostic step.

Complete these checks on your chosen game and map versions:

• A new player spawns above terrain in the intended region.
• Doors and map interactions work on a matching client.
• Loot appears on building surfaces at several locations.
• Infected, animals and configured events use the intended areas.
• A player and a placed test item retain the expected state after stop/start.
• Restoring the previous map’s complete backup recovers that separate world.

Diagnose map and loot problems

Problem	First check
Client spawns underground or sees the wrong terrain	Client loaded stable DeerIsle; server selected the correct mission
Doors do not respond	Server and client package versions match
Loot is missing or floating	Complete matching mission files, map group files and economy state
Old player spawn points remain	Active cfgplayerspawnpoints.xml and its cached spawnpoints.bin
Customizations disappear after update	New author mission replaced your files; reapply reviewed changes

Scroll to see all columns →

For a spawn-cache refresh, stop the service, back up the active mission save and follow the author’s spawnpoints.bin guidance on a test copy. A spawn-cache refresh and a full world reset have different effects. DeerIsle troubleshooting

To revert the map change, stop the server and restore the original mission selection, mod set, keys, profiles and matching persistence together. Do not launch the old map against the new map’s save. Keep original packages intact and follow the author’s licence when distributing server files.