Edit the DayZ Central Economy & loottypes.xml, events.xml & cfgspawnabletypes.xml

Published on August 4, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

Where the Central Economy files are located

The CE files are in your server's mission folder (for example mpmissions/dayzOffline.chernarusplus/db/ and its subfolders). All files are plain XML and can be edited via WebFTP or SFTP. After making changes, a server restart is required so that the economy is read in again.

Each map has its own mission folder and therefore its own set of economy files. If you plan to switch maps, do that first - otherwise you tune files that your server will no longer load afterwards. How the map is chosen is explained in change the map.

types.xml - quantities, respawn & lifetime

types.xml is the most important tool: it defines for each item how many of it may exist and how it behaves.

• nominal - the target quantity of this item on the map.
• min - the minimum quantity below which new copies spawn.
• lifetime - how long untouched loot stays on the ground (in seconds).
• restock - the delay before the quantity is refilled from min to nominal.

Higher nominal values make an item more common, lower values make it rarer - that is how you set up vanilla hardcore or a loot-rich server.

events.xml & cfgspawnabletypes.xml

In events.xml, you control dynamic events: vehicle spawns, animals, groups of infected and helicopter crashes - each with frequency, minimum and maximum count and positions. If cars are missing on your server, this is usually where to look; the interplay with types.xml is covered in spawn vehicles.

cfgspawnabletypes.xml determines the random equipment an item spawns with, for example ammunition in a weapon or the contents of a backpack.

Add items from mods

Mods that add new items (such as trader or weapon mods) often come with their own types entries, which you add to the economy. Make sure to copy class names exactly - a typo means the item will not spawn. Larger loot overhauls are best tested on a private restart first. How mods get onto the server in the first place is covered in install mods.

Where possible, do not put mod items into the vanilla types.xml but into a separate file that you include in addition. With the next DayZ update, the vanilla file is replaced - and with it every entry you wrote into it. A separate file survives the update unharmed and makes troubleshooting easier, because you can see right away what comes from you and what comes from the game.

Understanding an item: what the numbers do

An entry in types.xml looks like this - and every number has a clear effect on how the game feels:

<type name="M4A1">
    <nominal>5</nominal>
    <lifetime>7200</lifetime>
    <restock>1800</restock>
    <min>2</min>
    <quantmin>-1</quantmin>
    <quantmax>-1</quantmax>
    <cost>100</cost>
</type>

nominal and min define the corridor: the server keeps the quantity between the two values. If it drops below min, it is refilled to nominal once restock has elapsed. lifetime determines how long an untouched object stays on the ground - short values keep the map clean, long values fill it with old stock.

A common misconception: setting nominal to a very high value to create more loot. That only works up to the limit of the spawn points available in total - beyond that, nothing happens except that the economy works harder for no reason. It is more effective to raise the lifetime value and shorten restock.

Give your changes time to take effect

The Central Economy is the part of DayZ where changes are least visible right away - and that regularly leads people to adjust even more too early. Three points help:

• Loot that has already spawned stays. Your change affects newly created objects, not what is already lying on the map. Before the picture changes, the old lifetime has to run out first.
• A restart is not always enough. If you want to see a change immediately, you have to reset the saved state of the economy - but that also removes everything else currently lying around.
• One error in the XML breaks the whole file. An unclosed tag makes DayZ discard the file and work with default values. The server keeps running normally - only the loot is suddenly vanilla.

So plan loot changes calmly, make a backup via WebFTP or SFTP beforehand (see create backups) and then give the economy a few hours before you fine-tune. How restarts and the passage of time are controlled is covered in serverDZ.cfg.

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