Pine Forests
Dense conifer cover. Concealment, firewood, and the best place to disappear when things go loud.
One of two worlds Deer Isle is a Northbound world in its own right, with a lore all of its own that owes nothing to ChernarusPlus 2.0. The island is dark at the moment, so Chernarus is where the community plays today. When Deer Isle comes back, it comes back as its own server and its own story, running alongside the other one.
The island at a glance
Know the ground
A community-built terrain that replaces Chernarus and Livonia, bigger, colder, and packed with more than a million hand-placed objects.
Landmass
16 × 16 km
A full island terrain off the Maine coast.
Hand-placed objects
0
Buildings, props and detail across the map.
World data
0
The development folder for the terrain mod.
Distinct biomes
0
From pine forest to coastal cliff to bunker.
First released
2018
Dec 25, first Steam Workshop release.
The map
About Deer Isle 6.0
"A cold island off the coast. Half abandoned, half waiting for you to make a mistake."
Overview
Deer Isle is a community made terrain mod for DayZ, created and maintained by JohnMcLane. First released on the Steam Workshop on December 25, 2018, the map is loosely based on the real Deer Isle in Maine, USA, and spans roughly 16 km × 16 km. CF is required as a dependency.
The Setting
Deer Isle is an isolated island terrain that replaces the official Chernarus and Livonia maps. You'll find a mix of biomes packed into one landmass: pine forests, mountain ranges, lakes, coastal cliffs, harbors, farmland, small towns, and a handful of isolated islets off the coast.
Many real world references are baked into the map. Paris Island, the large western military zone, draws its name and layout from the real Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina, and the Deer Isle Airfield is modeled on Knox County Regional Airport in Maine.
Where to go (and where to die)
Points of Interest
Pick a location to see what's waiting, and what it'll cost you. Loot generally improves the further north you push, but the single richest prize sits in the far south-west. The tiers below are rough field estimates, not promises.
Scattered across the island
Bunkers & Cave Systems
Loot tierRewarding
RiskHigh
Bunkers, deep caves like Devil's Eye, and concealed tunnels are tucked across the island, usually hidden in dense forest and rewarding players who leave the road. Tier climbs the further north you search, but the dark, enclosed spaces are perfect places to be cornered.
Field noteSearch the forests, not the highways, and push north for the better hauls. The best finds sit off the obvious routes, and so do the people waiting in them.
Western military zone
Paris Island
Loot tierMid-tier
RiskHigh
The western military area and the home of S.T.A.G. gear, its name and layout lifted from the real Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina. The loot is solid mid-tier rather than the island's best, but it's central, well-known and constantly contested, which is exactly what makes it dangerous.
Field noteYou're rarely alone here. The gear is decent, not game-winning, so weigh whether it's worth the firefight the traffic almost guarantees.
Contaminated zone
Barringer Crater
Loot tierHigh · variable
RiskLethal
A contaminated blast crater in the far southeast where the air itself is the threat, full NBC gear is mandatory, or the toxic zone kills you on its own. It's also where the S.T.A.G. Sample X65 from the island's lore is logged. High reward, but only for the properly suited.
Field noteNo NBC, no entry. The contamination drops you long before anyone has to. Filters and a gas mask first, loot second.
Offshore fortress
Alcatraz
Loot tierVery high
RiskSevere
An isolated prison-fortress out on the water, one of the few places on the island you'll reliably turn up night-vision and high-end military kit. The crossing keeps casual traffic away, but it cuts both ways: there's one way off, and everyone there came loaded for the same reason you did.
Field noteThe water is your moat and your trap. Sort the way back before you commit to the swim, a kill on the return leg costs you the whole haul.
Underground bunker complex
Mt. Katahdin & KMUC
Loot tierVery high
RiskLethal
A massive underground bunker complex built into the mountain. Tight corridors, dead ends, and darkness, easy to get lost in, easy to die in. Some of the richest loot on the island for those who learn the layout, a tomb for those who don't.
Field noteA torch or NVGs aren't optional here. The maze swallows the unprepared, and a single ambush in a corridor ends the run.
North-east, out on the ice
Arctic Temple
Loot tierVery high
RiskSevere
Out on the ice in the north-east, an abandoned, half-frozen viking village built over a hidden crypt, and the next great step of the questline after the south-west temple. Break in with Thor's hammer, race a five-minute timer into the crypt's heart, and you'll find a Snow Owl sniper and the green keycard, the key to the toxic Aircraft Carrier offshore and its high-tier haul.
Field noteBring Mjölnir and a bearsuit before you set out, and watch the clock once you're inside, the door won't wait, and the cold doesn't care who you are.
South-west corner
The Temple
Loot tierHighest
RiskSevere
Tucked into the far south-west corner of the island, the Temple is the highest-tier zone on Deer Isle, the best gear the map has to offer, and a centerpiece of its deepest questline, where the two parts of Thor's hammer (Mjölnir) come together. Its frozen sibling waits in the north-east, but this is the one that holds the top loot.
Field noteThis is the endgame-tier prize. Come fully kitted and bring people you trust, the haul out of the south-west corner punishes anyone who shows up under-prepared.
The terrain
One island, many worlds
Deer Isle packs a continent's worth of biomes into a single landmass. Each one changes how you move, hide, and survive.
Mountain Ranges
Granite ridges and the bulk of Mt. Katahdin. High ground and long views, paid for in hard travel.
Coastal Cliffs
Wind-blasted edges where the island meets the Atlantic. Beautiful, exposed, and a long way down.
Lakes & Rivers
Fresh water inland to keep you alive, and open sightlines across it that you'll pay for if you linger.
Farmland
Open fields and barns. Food, fuel and tools for the taking, with almost nowhere to take cover.
Harbors & Towns
Lobster docks and small settlements. Supplies, survivors, and the trouble that follows both.
Offshore Islets
Scattered rocks and islands off the coast. A diving mod opens up what the surface keeps hidden.
Find your way
Interactive Map
Pan, zoom, and toggle layers. Loot tables, vehicles, and points of interest are tracked by the community on iZurvive.
Open the full map at izurvive.com/deerIsle.
Survival notes
Before you land
Five things Deer Isle veterans wish they'd known on day one. Tick them off as you go, your list is saved on this device.
Pre-drop checklist
0 / 6 ready
The release
What's New in 6.0
Version 6.0 is described by JohnMcLane as "The Unofficial 1.0", a milestone release the author considers the project's true full version, regardless of the number on the box. It ships custom underground bunker complexes and cave networks, a diving mod for underwater exploration, map-specific weapons and gear including the S.T.A.G. clothing series, and hidden POIs scattered through the forests and remote terrain.
Where Northbound left it Northbound ran the 6.0 Experimental build on the island up to 07/02/2026. For the island's canonical changelog, see the Steam Workshop page or the Deer Isle Discord.
Northbound · Deer Isle
The island that started it all
Deer Isle keeps its own map, its own secrets and its own lore. It is dark right now, and ChernarusPlus 2.0 is where the community plays in the meantime, but islands like this one have a way of calling people back.