--- title: "How to Increase Loot on a DayZ Server (types.xml)" description: "Raise DayZ loot spawns with types.xml: which fields actually drive respawning, the flags that silently cancel them out, and how to avoid emptying your economy." url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/dayz/how-to-increase-loot/" category: "DayZ" category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/dayz/" published: "2026-08-07T16:00:50.611Z" updated: "2026-08-07T16:00:50.611Z" source_format: "markdown" site: "GameServerKings" --- # How to Increase Loot on a DayZ Server (types.xml) Loot on a DayZ server is controlled by `types.xml`, not by anything in `serverDZ.cfg`. There is no loot multiplier — you raise the numbers on the items you want more of. This guide covers the two fields that actually change spawn rates, the flag that quietly cancels them out, and how to avoid emptying your economy with a typo. ## Where the File Is ``` mpmissions//db/types.xml ``` On a vanilla Chernarus server that is `mpmissions/dayzOffline.chernarusplus/db/types.xml`. Open it through the File Manager on your [GSK DayZ server](/games/dayz/). > [!IMPORTANT] Stop the server first > DayZ writes its own state on shutdown. Editing a running server means your changes are overwritten when it stops. ## One Entry, Explained Every item in the game gets a block like this: ```xml title="types.xml" 15 14400 1800 10 -1 -1 100 ``` | Field | What it does | |---|---| | `nominal` | Target count across the whole map | | `min` | Floor before a respawn is triggered | | `lifetime` | Seconds before it despawns from a non-persistent slot | | `restock` | Seconds before restocking toward nominal | | `quantmin` / `quantmax` | Fill range for items with a quantity — ammo, liquids. `-1` means default | | `cost` | Spawn weighting against other items in the same category | | `category` / `usage` | Which loot pools and building types it appears in | ## The Two Fields That Matter **`nominal` is the ceiling. `min` is the trigger.** Raising `nominal` alone is the most common mistake. It tells the server it *may* have more of an item, but nothing forces the map to fill — so the change appears to do nothing for hours. `min` is what actually drives respawning. When the count drops below `min`, the server queues more. ```xml 60 40 ``` Raise both, and keep `min` at roughly two thirds of `nominal`. That gives a map that refills promptly without the server constantly churning spawns. ## The Flag That Cancels It Out This is the part that catches people: ```xml ``` Those four flags decide **which existing items count toward `nominal`**: | Flag | Counts items that are… | |---|---| | `count_in_map` | lying in the world | | `count_in_cargo` | inside containers, tents, crates | | `count_in_hoarder` | in stashes and buried containers | | `count_in_player` | in players' inventories | With all four at `1`, a hundred AKMs stashed in players' bases count against your target of sixty — so the map stops spawning them entirely, and your high-loot server slowly becomes a no-loot server as players hoard. With `count_in_cargo` and `count_in_player` at `0`, hoarded gear is invisible to the economy and the world keeps refilling. > [!TIP] Which way you want this depends on the server > A high-loot or PvP server usually wants hoarded items **not** counted, so gear stays available. A survival server usually wants them counted, so scarcity is real and looting other players matters. ## Lifetime and Restock `lifetime` is how long an item survives on the ground before despawning. Short lifetimes keep the world tidy and the economy moving; long ones let gear accumulate where players dropped it. `restock` is the delay before the server tops an item back up toward `nominal`. Set it to `0` and the item respawns as soon as it drops below `min` — which is what most high-loot servers want, and what makes a server feel arcade-like if you apply it to everything. ## Do Not Edit It By Hand for Bulk Changes One unclosed tag empties your entire economy — the server boots, reports no error you will notice, and spawns nothing anywhere. If you find yourself with **no loot at all** after an edit, a malformed `types.xml` is the first thing to check, and restoring a clean copy is the fastest fix. For changes across many items, use a tool such as **Expansion-Types** rather than editing hundreds of blocks manually. > [!IMPORTANT] Back up before bulk edits > Take a snapshot from the Backups tab first. A broken `types.xml` is trivially recoverable with a backup and genuinely painful without one. ## Containers Are a Separate File `types.xml` controls what spawns in the world. What spawns **inside** containers — the loot in a crashed heli, a police car, a wardrobe — is `cfgspawnabletypes.xml`, in the same `db/` folder. Raising rifle counts in `types.xml` will not put more rifles inside military crates. That is the other file. ## Applying Changes 1. Stop the server from the Console tab. 2. Edit `types.xml`. 3. Start the server. 4. Give it time — the economy fills gradually rather than instantly, especially with a non-zero `restock`. Loot does not appear the moment the server boots. Judge a change after an hour of uptime, not five minutes. ## FAQ ### How do I increase loot on a DayZ server? Raise `nominal` and `min` together in `mpmissions//db/types.xml`, keeping `min` around two thirds of `nominal`. There is no loot multiplier setting. ### Why did raising nominal do nothing? Because `min` is the field that triggers respawns. If `min` stayed low, the server has no reason to fill toward the new `nominal`. ### Why is loot disappearing on my high-loot server? Check the `count_in_cargo` and `count_in_player` flags. If they are `1`, gear hoarded by players counts against your target and suppresses new spawns. ### I edited types.xml and now there is no loot anywhere. The file is malformed — a single unclosed tag is enough. Restore a clean `types.xml` from a backup. ### Does this affect loot inside containers? No. That is `cfgspawnabletypes.xml`, in the same folder. ### Do I need to wipe after changing loot? No. Changes take effect on the next restart and apply as the economy restocks. ## What to Read Next - [Getting started with your DayZ server](/knowledge-base/dayz/getting-started-with-your-server/) — first boot, maps and the rest of the mission files - [Configuring your DayZ server](/knowledge-base/dayz/configuration-overview/) — every `serverDZ.cfg` key, and why loot is not among them - [How to Install Mods on a DayZ Server: Folders and Keys](/knowledge-base/dayz/how-to-install-mods/) — mods that add items need their own `types.xml` entries merged in --- Made with 💜 by GameServerKings