The blood level is your character's most important stat, you can think of it as your character's health bar; in other words, how much 'life' your character has left.

The blood level ranges from 0 - 100 percent and is represented by the blood bag icon in the status bar:

The blood bag icon only appears when the blood level falls below 95 percent or your character has a blood infection.

If your character's blood level falls below 30 percent, your character will randomly begin to fall into a coma. The probability of your character falling into a coma increases as the blood level falls towards 0 percent.

As your character's blood level falls, their hearing will also become muffled and their vision will become blurred.

If your character's blood level falls to 0 percent, they will die.

Bleeding will cause your character's blood level to fall.

Your character may begin bleeding after:

• Getting hit by a zombie or animal
• Falling
• Getting shot or slashed
• Getting hit by shrapnel from an explosion
• Getting burned by a fire
• Getting hit by a vehicle

There are three levels of bleeding that will cause your character to lose blood at progressively higher rates. Each level of bleeding is represented by the following icon in the status bar:

Light bleeding will cause your character's blood level to fall at a rate of 5 percent per minute. Light bleeding will only last for one minute and then stop even if a bandage is not used.

Medium bleeding will cause your character's blood level to fall at a rate of 5 percent per minute. Unlike light bleeding, it will not stop unless a bandage is used.

Heavy bleeding will cause your character's blood level to fall at a rate of 10 percent per minute. A bandage is required to stop the bleeding.

To stop your character's bleeding, a bandage must be used.

To use a bandage, right-click on its slot in the inventory and press 'Bandage Wounds'.

You can also bandage another player's wounds by placing your crosshairs over them and selecting 'Bandage Wounds' from the action menu provided you have a bandage in your main inventory.

You can increase your character's blood level by finding a blood bag and using it to perform a blood transfusion on yourself.

To perform a blood transfusion, right-click on the blood bag in the inventory and press 'Use Blood Bag'.

You can also perform a blood transfusion on another player by placing your crosshairs over them and selecting 'Perform Blood Transfusion' from the action menu provided you have a blood bag in your main inventory.

Most foodstuffs will also increase your character's blood level by varying amounts when eaten.

Hover your mouse cursor over each food item in the inventory to see the amount that it increases the blood level by.

Other factors that may cause your character's blood level to fall include:

• Diseases
• An extremely high/low body temperature
• Being low on food
• Being low on water

Your character may begin being in pain after taking any sort of damage. This includes:

• Getting hit by a zombie or animal
• Falling
• Breaking a bone
• Getting shot or slashed
• Getting hit by shrapnel from an explosion
• Getting burned by a fire
• Getting hit by a vehicle

When in pain, no icons are displayed in the status bar but you will notice your character breathing heavily and their hands shaking, which will make aiming weapons difficult.

Pain can be easily treated using painkillers.

To use painkillers, right-click on their slot in the inventory and press 'Use Painkillers'.

A broken bone will prevent your character from being able to walk. When your character has a broken bone, the broken bone icon will appear in the status bar:

Your character may break a bone due to any of the following reasons:

• Getting hit by a zombie or animal
• Falling
• Getting shot
• Getting hit by a vehicle

A broken bone will also cause your character to be in pain.

Walking can be temporarily enabled for five minutes using a morphine auto-injector.

To use a morphine auto-injector, right-click on its slot in the inventory and press 'Inject Morphine'.

The broken bone icon will flash while the morphine is active.

You can also inject another player with morphine by placing your crosshairs over them and selecting 'Administer Morphine' from the action menu provided you have a morphine auto-injector in your main inventory.

A broken bone can be healed using a splint.

To use a splint, right-click on its slot in the inventory and press 'Apply Splint'

You can also heal another player's broken bone by placing your crosshairs over them and selecting 'HealBrokenBone' from the action menu provided you have a splint in your main inventory.

Your player may fall into a coma for any of the following reasons:

• An extremely high/low body temperature
• When their blood level falls below 30 percent
• Getting hit by a vehicle

When in a coma, you will see the following screen and your character will not be able to see, hear, or move for at least one minute. Bear in mind that your character will still take damage when in a coma.

There is no way to get your character out of a coma besides waiting for the timer to finish. You can, however, revive another player using an adrenaline auto-injector.

Place your crosshairs over the other player's character and select 'Administer Adrenaline' from the action menu provided you have an adrenaline auto-injector in your main inventory.

Your character may develop the flu when their body temperature falls below 36°C (96.8°F), indicated by a blue thermometer icon in the status bar, or contract it when an infected player sneezes nearby.

When infected, the flu icon will appear in the status bar:

Your character will also sneeze and develop a fever which will cause their body temperature to rise to 38°C (100.4°F), indicated by a red thermometer icon in the status bar, which, in turn, will raise your character's water consumption. The flu will also cause your character's blood level to fall by 1 percent per minute.

Influenza can be treated using flu medicine.

To use flu medicine, right-click on its slot in the inventory and press 'Use Flu Medicine'.

Your character may contract a blood infection after:

• Their wounds have become infected
• Getting hit by a zombie or animal

Unlike the flu, a blood infection cannot be contracted from another player.

When your character has contracted a blood infection, the flashing blood infection icon will appear beside the blood level icon in the status bar:

Your character will also develop a high fever which will cause their body temperature to rise to 39°C (102.2°F), indicated by a flashing red thermometer icon in the status bar, which, in turn, will raise your character's water consumption. A blood infection will also cause your character's blood level to fall by 2.5 percent per minute.

A blood infection can be treated using antibiotics.

To use antibiotics, right-click on their slot in the inventory and press 'Use Antibiotics'.

When your character is bleeding, their wounds are exposed to the environment, which will eventually lead to them becoming infected.

When your character's wounds have become infected, the infected wounds icon will appear in the status bar:

You will also see the wounds on your character change from red to yellow:

Infected wounds can be treated using an antiseptic or a bottle of vodka.

To use the antiseptic, right-click on the item's slot in the inventory and press 'Disinfect Wounds'.

If infected wounds are not addressed, your character will develop a blood infection.