Quick answer
What to do first
If the helicopter has not spotted you, staying concealed indoors can avoid drawing it directly onto you. If it has already found you, do not lead the activity back to your stocked shelter: prioritize a safe route away from the base. Prepare water, food and an exit plan beforehand; neither hiding nor driving is the right answer in every situation.
Check your game conditions
- Current Stable
- 42.20.4 Stable
- Play mode
- Singleplayer / Multiplayer
- Vanilla / Mods
- Vanilla baseline; mods may replace rules
- Sandbox / server settings
- Helicopter frequency changes with Sandbox; event mods are outside the vanilla event rules.
Have you been spotted?
Before the event
- Risk
- No exit plan or supplies
- Check
- Available shelter, water and a route you can use
- Response
- Prepare before committing to a long exposed trip.
Helicopter heard while concealed
- Risk
- Going outside may expose you
- Check
- Whether you were visible before taking shelter
- Response
- Remain concealed if safe; do not step outside to investigate.
Already followed while outdoors
- Risk
- Returning home concentrates danger there
- Check
- A clear escape route and your endurance
- Response
- Keep moving away from the base without running into another group.
Using a car
- Risk
- Breakdown, blocked road or noise
- Check
- Fuel, condition and an alternative route
- Response
- Do not choose driving if the car or route is unreliable.
Sound has stopped
- Risk
- Nearby zombies may still be displaced
- Check
- Approaches to the shelter
- Response
- Return cautiously; silence does not instantly clear the area.
Prepare for the event, not an exact date
Your world may use a different event frequency, so an old calendar is not a reliable plan. Keep an emergency kit light enough to carry and decide which route you can use if returning home would be dangerous.
The Automated Emergency Broadcast System can provide warnings when you have access to it. Treat the radio as helpful information, not a replacement for supplies or a guarantee that your group hears the warning in time.
Make one plan for the group
A concealed player and an exposed teammate are not in the same situation. Tell each other where the helicopter is following rather than calling everyone back to the base.
Afterward, inspect the surroundings before reopening the normal routine. Avoid rushing straight into a familiar entrance without checking who followed the sound. Mods can add different helicopter behaviors; use their documentation if your event is not vanilla.
Version notes & limits
Frequency is controlled by Sandbox. This guide does not assign a guaranteed event day or assume that a multiplayer server uses the default frequency.
The vanilla helicopter event, not Expanded Helicopter Events or a guaranteed route through a particular town.
Last verified means the linked documentation was reviewed, not that this guide was tested in-game. PZwiki is maintained by community contributors.
Version & sources
Sources & what may change
- Applies to
- 42.20.4 Stable; Singleplayer / Multiplayer; Vanilla baseline; mods may replace rules
- Last verified
- 2026-09-04
- When to check again
- A relevant Stable patch, changed world setting, mod update or correction to the cited instructions.