DayZ mod patched to 1.7.7, adds viral zombies and more

Dean "Rocket" Hall may be busy working on DayZ Standalone , but designated mod developer R4Z0R49 has been just as diligent with his work on the DayZ mod.

, but designated mod developer R4Z0R49 has been just as diligent with his work on the DayZ mod. Patch 1.7.7 is huge and makes for an almost unbearably long list of changes. Viral zombies, a silenced Makarov, and the zombie tackle from DayZ Standalonethat debuted at E3 are some of the highlights.

The biggest changes is the addition of viral, infectious zombies. Gone are the days of being able to run through a horde of zombies without worrying about infection. Sure, the zombies in DayZ have had a small chance of infecting you for a while now, but the new viral zombies are much stronger—only headshots kill them in one shot—and getting hit by one of them pretty much guarantees that you'll be infected.

Back before 1.7.7, infection was only a minor annoyance—the occasional cough and a maximum of 10,000 blood. Now it's quite a bit more serious since it will eventually drop you down to zero.

Rocket also showed off a new zombie tackle at E3, and R4Z0R49 has added that into the mod. Occasionally, a zombie will knock you to the ground instead of just hitting you. From what I've seen, this actually happens pretty frequently and can be a huge deal if a viral zombie is chasing you. You may not be on the ground for a long time, but that extra hit might be what gets you infected. Add in the fact that all zombies now do more damage, and DayZ just got a lot more brutal.

1.7.7 also adds two new guns, the RPK 74 and the silenced Makarov SD. The silenced Makarov is a pretty big deal because it turns the games worst pistol into the ultimate zombie killing weapon. Unlike every other silenced weapon in the game, it can use both standard and silenced Makarov mags, which means that finding ammo should be no problem. Oh, and there's also the new food and drinks that await you in supermarkets.

Although it won't be immediately obvious, the patch also fixes many of the problems that have plagued DayZ since the first alpha. Issues with loot, skins, vehicle repairs, duping, wallhacks, and zombie glitches should now be resolved.

For the full list of changes in 1.7.7, check out R4Z0R49's forum post.

[Update: A previous version of this story stated in error that the M107 and AS50 weapons had been removed.]