Sons of the Forest is a survival horror game that's a sequel to The Forest. It's set on a remote island, which you fly to in hopes of finding a missing billionaire but soon crash-land in a sprawling open world that's inhabited by cannibals. You'll need to be resourceful, building and exploring as you uncover more about the island, and learn to survive through the tough days and even scarier nights.
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There's lots to explore, key items to find, and plenty of danger along the way. With that in mind, our Beginner's Guide is designed to tell you everything you need to know to become a survival expert.
Our Beginner's Guide is currently in progress, so please check back later for more information!
Jump to the topics below to get started:
- The Emergency Pack
- Crafting Recipes
- Collecting Resources
- How to Use AI Companions
- What the Icons on the HUD Mean
- Explore Everywhere
- Crafting
- Quick Crafting
- Pre-Built Structures
- How to Cook
Open Your Emergency Pack
The first thing you'll pick up before you even take control of your character is the crafting mat (with a nifty backpack included), as well as an emergency pack. Press I and open up the crafting mat, then hover over the emergency pack and get your hands on your starting equipment.
Inside you'll find:
- A GPS tracker - press M to pull this up
- A lighter - tap L to bring this up
- An axe
- A survival handbook that shows you how to create structures
Your GPS tracker will act as your map. Simply press M to open this up and see the points of interest around your starting position. You can begin the game in different starting locations, but the items, resources, and equipment will be in the same underground caves or points of interest.
Don't like where you've started the game? Sons of the Forest is designed to be replayed, so when you launch a new game, you'll spawn in a new location.
Your backpack can be used as a quick menu now for items, so open the crafting mat by tapping I, go over to your backpack and you can pick and choose what to have quick access to. Hold I to bring up this Quick Pack and avoid having to open the crafting mat fully each time.
Crafting Recipes
On your crafting mat, you'll be able to see all of your equipment, items, and resources. You can craft recipes here including Weapons such as bows, clubs, and spears.
The cog on the right-hand side of the crafting area will show a red exclamation mark when you have a new recipe you can make from the resources you've gathered. It's also easy to see what you can't combine, as once you add an item to the crafting area, anything that's not compatible will be greyed out.
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Need to make multiple molotovs? No problem! You don't need to make one at a time anymore. Throw on multiple resources, and you can just keep clicking on the cog to make those recipes.
Collecting Resources
From the moment you wake up, wherever you've landed, you'll find some suitcases you can open up. The game makes it clear that collecting resources immediately is key, and anyone who has played The Forest will know that the more you get hold of, the better your shelter, exploration, and combat can become.
As you begin to pick up these initial items, you'll unlock crafting recipes. Whatever direction you decide to set off in, pick up everything you find along the way until you can carry no more — this will be essential for building your first base/shelter as the first night draws to a close.
Want to get a head start and know what resources to keep an eye out for? Head over to our List of Resources page.
You should also take a look at How to Duplicate Early Game Items and Resources to make the most of the boxes and resources around you when you first start.
Once you've started to make your base, you'll want to make plenty of storage racks for rocks, logs, bones, and more. This will ensure you have a good supply at all times and can continue to expand the base.
Make Use of Your AI Companions
When you wake up, you'll also notice someone wriggling around in pain who you can go over to and help up. This is Kelvin, who is an AI that you can recruit as your companion. As bonus help, use Kelvin, and assign him tasks with the little notebook. You can ask him to collect resources and bring them to you, follow you with them, and even craft a fire.
Here's a little tip: build storage in your base first, then let Kelvin collect rocks, sticks, and logs and get your storage filled in no time. Kelvin can also help finish structures.
What you can ask Kelvin to do will change depending on where you are. Near a river? You can send him to collect fish for you. Stood by the storage? The option to collect logs, rocks, or other crucial resources and drop them in the storage becomes available. It's good to keep interacting with Kelvin as you explore, to see what else you can ask him to do. Just be sure to keep an eye on him because he can be attacked, and killed if you're not careful.
Understanding the HUD
On the bottom right corner of your screen, you'll see a compact mini-map and status icons that tell you when you need to rest, eat or drink. Keep an eye on these throughout your gameplay to avoid being killed, know when you need to return (or find) shelter and rest.
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- The red bar on the left of the mini-map indicates your health
- The blue bar on the right of the mini-map represents your vitality
- The arm icon circled in red represents your strength
- The moon icon shows your energy levels
- An additional bar will appear to the left of your health bar when you equip armor
Your vitality will show you how much stamina you have. So if you're cold, or you're not well-rested, the vitality bar will be capped. Your strength can also be increased by performing various tasks. As your strength increases, so does your health.
Check out our page on How to Get Water, so you can keep your thirst quenched from the get-go.
Explore, Explore, Explore
Across the map, there is an array of items waiting to be discovered. The nice thing about Sons of the Forest is that you start off with a GPS tracker, which comes with a few key areas of interest already highlighted. Open the GPS tracker by pressing M, to see the map. Then press the middle mouse button to zoom in and out and see these points of interest.
- The green pulsing points show points of interest
- The white icons show you where the caves are
- Purple icons are where you can find GPS trackers and key items from team members
Visit all of these points and you'll be well-equipped in no time. We'd recommend beginning with the green pulsing points of interest and the purple icons before you venture off into the caves. These caves can be long and full of mutants and cannibals - you'll want to make sure you're properly equipped before you dive into these.
If you're wondering what you can find in these places, see our How-To Guides section where there are pages on the Rebreather, 3D Printer, how to get water, and more.
Take Advantage of Two Crafting Modes for Structures
Opening the handbook (by pressing B) allows you to craft structures and shows you two methods of crafting. You can press X to switch the mode of crafting you want to use.
There's a quick way you can make structures, fires, and shelter, and a method that's similar to The Forest, which allows you to put down pre-built structures and simply find the resources needed to complete them.
Quick Crafting
Use this method when you need to quickly set up a tarp as a shelter, or create a fire to roast some meat. Your guidebook will give you step-by-step diagrams to show you how to quickly create structures.
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Creating a fire, for example, now only requires you to equip a stick, and then point it at the ground. You'll then see a little outline of where the sticks will be placed for a fire, and you'll simply snap them and throw them on the ground. You can add sticks to the fire, but be careful where you place them as fire can spread in this game.
This method is also what you'll need to use to free build. You can equip a log, for example, then lay it on the ground to start building a foundation for your base. Change the orientation by clicking the right mouse button, and you can start to craft a wall. Turn it into a spiked fence by simply chopping away at the top of the logs. Or create a door, by building a wall of logs, and then cutting away at the middle section. There's plenty to play with in this crafting mode, to get your base exactly how you want it.
For some structures, like flooring, you'll need half logs or smaller. Luckily, you just need to gather logs for this and they'll automatically be cut down to size, depending on where you place them. If you use them for flooring, the logs will automatically be cut in two.
If you don't like what you've made or you've made a mistake, just press C to dismantle your creation.
Pre-Built Structures
If you've played The Forest, or you're just not a fan of free building, you can switch the crafting mode to pre-built structures. These include shelter, fires, traps, and storage. When you're in this mode, just find the place you want to place your structure, and the outline will appear. You'll then have the number of resources required displayed on the left side of the HUD. Remember to use your AI companion here to help you gather items quickly.
Cooking
You no longer need to cycle through loads of options to cook! When you've set up a fire, all you have to do is press E to open the pack that will show you everything you can throw onto the fire. Have some meat that's rotten and want to get rid of it? Open your crafting mat and right-click to drop these items.
A little tip: let your meat cook through until it looks dark, then eat it. Raw meat won't keep hunger at bay as much as fully-cooked meat will.
When the cannibals start to show up and follow you around, you'll want to dispose of them on the fire as well. This will give you bones that will allow you to craft bone armor, amongst other things.
Use Food to Regain Health
You'll find meds along the way, but you'll want to be conservative with them. Instead, take the time to replenish your health with food. Some food will rot, so you'll want to use this first and keep the noodles, cereals, and energy bars for when you're really desperate. Plus, it's easier to get armor in this game, particularly from the mutants who can be skinned for creepy armor.
Dealing With Cannibals and Mutants
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You'll encounter plenty of cannibals and mutants in the underground caves, but eventually, the cannibals will start to come and find you and emerge from below. Around the day 4 mark, you can expect more and more cannibals to start stalking you through the forest.
Take the first few days as exploration days, and spend time building your base. During the initial day or two, the cannibals will tend you leave you alone, and just watch you. Don't engage with them at this point, to keep them from attacking for longer.
As the first week draws to a close, it'll be essential to start putting down defenses and laying traps. They'll begin to attack you and your base, doing significant damage quickly. At this point, you'll want a repair tool, and your storage racks full to keep your base in good condition.
Up Next: Tips and Tricks
Top Guide Sections
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In This Wiki Guide
Sons of the Forest
Endnight Games
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Wanted: Dead - 11 Things You Need to Know
FAQs
What should I get first in Sons of the Forest? ›
Modern Axe
The first thing you should do in most playthroughs of Sons Of The Forest is to collect the Modern Axe. It's unguarded by enemies, and is a significant step up from the Tactical Axe you start with, both in tree-chopping and mutant-chopping effectiveness.
How many endings are there in Sons of the Forest? Altogether there are three possible endings in Sons of the Forest: The bad, the good, and the secret ending. To get these endings you'll first need to collect the Maintenance Keycard and the VIP Keycard.
What do the icons mean in Sons of the Forest? ›Heads-Up Display Icons Explained. Sons of the Forest's HUD is jammed around the mini-map in the corner. There are three colored bars for HP, Stamina, and Armor, as well as four icons showing hunger, thirst, rest, and strength.
Where is the safest place to build in Sons of the Forest? ›The cave is the safest place to build a base in Sons of Forest. A cave looks quite creepy due to the darkness and emptiness it carries inside, but it is the best location if you want to stay unnoticed by the enemies. It is pretty spacious, and you can construct a base inside it.
Are you timmy in Sons of the Forest? ›Timmy, or Tim, LeBlanc is a side character seen in Sons of the Forest. He wears an all green outfit and has a scar similar to that found in The Forest. Timmy is a fully modeled entity that can interact with the game world.
What is the best weapon to fight cannibals in the Forest? ›So the best way to defeat Cannibals in Sons of the Forest is to use a ranged weapon. First of all, you should craft a bow and arrows. This weapon is most effective in the early stages of the game. Cannibals won't get too close to you, and you can shoot them from afar.
What happens if you don t get on the helicopter in Sons of the Forest? ›However, this time you'll instead retrieve your backpack and choose not to board the helicopter, remaining on the island to fight monsters forever. You'll see the two men escape the island without you, and then unlock the 'Fight Demons' achievement.
What happens if you build the SOS in the Forest? ›A plane will spawn in the sky and fly over the player once the SOS signal has been established; however, a plane can spawn whether or not an SOS signal has been built. It cannot be notified in any way.
Is there a boss fight in Sons of the Forest? ›If you find yourself falling into the same routine in Sons Of The Forest, just remember that the demon boss is the final battle. With this in mind, there's no need to try and minimize your bullet usage or healing during the fight, as any resources you hold on to will be wasted anyway.
What are the purple dots in Sons of the Forest? ›The purple markers in Sons Of The Forest mark the locations of Team B, and the first story quest of the game. When you start a new game in Sons Of The Forest, once you wake up after crashing on the island a popup will appear in the bottom-left corner of the screen, prompting you to find Team B.
What does the arm in Sons of the Forest mean? ›
The red arm icon in Sons of the Forest is related to your strength, though it doesn't, normally, show how strong you are. Instead, it shows how close you are to reaching the next strength level. The more physical tasks you undertake, the more the red circle fills up.
What does the blue bar mean in the Forest? ›Stamina, also known as fatigue, is the player's state of exhaustion and it is represented by the thicker, lighter blue bar in the bottom right of the HUD.
Is there a point to base building in Sons of the Forest? ›Base building is a major feature of Sons Of The Forest, and a well-constructed home can mean the difference between surviving in the wilderness and succumbing to a horrible death.
Where should I build my base in Sons of the Forest? ›If you're going to use the forest, we'd recommend finding a flat surface with plenty of space around you. If it's flat is going to be easier to build on, and space allows you to expand. You can also use Kelvin to help you clear the area, and remove any tree trunks or shrubs that might interfere with your construction.
Can you build on the water in Sons of the Forest? ›Unfortunately, construction on the water is not one of the main mechanics; this is quite logical given the primitiveness of your character's tools and building materials. However, it doesn't mean you can't do it. Our guide is here to help you and tell you how to build on Water in Sons of the Forest.
Where is Timmy in The Forest? ›After Mathew Cross does so, he places Timmy inside the Resurrection Obelisk, resulting in Timmy's life being taken and Megan being resurrected. He is left inside the machine afterwards. Timmy's body is later found by his father, Eric, who is emotionally distraught at the sight of his dead son.
What is the strongest mutant in The Forest? ›It is recommended that the player build defenses as larger groups of enemies can be difficult to defeat. As the game progresses, the stronger types of mutants will spawn. Listed from weakest to strongest are Skinny Mutants, Regular Mutants, Pale Mutants, Painted Mutants and Masked Mutants.
Are there cheats in The Forest? ›All The Forest Cheats for the Command Console
meatmode – Turns off all enabled cheats. rawmeatmode – Turns on permadeath, if you die once, it's game over. regrowmode – Trees that you've felled will regrow when you sleep. veganmode – Enemies don't appear above ground, only in caves.
The Compound Bow is a ranged weapon found in Sons of the Forest that is vastly improved over the Crafted Bow. It uses all Arrows as ammunition, except Crossbow Bolts.
What is the strongest bow in the Sons of the Forest? ›The Compound Bow is a powerful ranged weapon in Sons of the Forest that uses arrows to deliver massive damage to enemies, especially with the Carbon Fiber Arrow. The arrows are also retrievable if you can find where they land, making it possible to conserve scarce ammo types.
Is there a katana in the Forest? ›
Location. The Katana is found in the Dead Cave (Cave 1). It is one of the easiest to obtain items in the game, as it does not require that the player face any cannibals or mutants. To obtain the Katana, enter the easternmost entrance for Cave 1 (located here), which is not too far from the river.
Is there a female character in The Forest? ›Only Male character available in game at this time. The player is the character you play as in The Forest, it refers to both single player and multiplayer players.
Can you keep playing forest after finding Timmy? ›In the to do list, the first task listed is 'Find Timmy'. This prompts the player to begin exploring the Peninsula and to advance the story. Ending the game unlocks creative mode. After ending the game, the player can continue playing to the same save file.
What happens if you don't save Timmy in The Forest? ›The player gets to continue playing the game, but Timmy can never be revived, and so the narrative becomes one about a man driven to insanity after the loss of his child.
Can you befriend the cannibals in the Forest? ›It is also possible to "tame" the cannibals (Have them not attack you/be more docile). This is done by taking something with decent block and blocking their attacks, until they eventually show signs of neutrality towards the player.
What are cannibals scared of the Forest? ›How cannibals react to a player with red paint on is almost exactly the same as how they react with effigies. It will cause most cannibals to fear the player and avoid them, though there are a few that will still attack the player. The reason for this is actually done on purpose by the developers.
What happens if your sanity reaches 0 in the Forest? ›It has been confirmed that Sanity has no effect on the player whatsoever. The developers had plans to incorporate effects, however at this stage it has no effect. The only thing it does is allow the player to build effigies.
What happens if you don't sleep in the Forest? ›Sleeping restores energy and will skip to day if the player begins sleeping at night. Staying awake for long periods of time affects your energy, but it poses no danger. Energy can be restored very easily by eating, drinking or resting on a bench. Depriving yourself of sleep has no effect whatsoever on your health.
Is there anything in the sinkhole in the forest? ›Multiple creepy mutants and several regular cannibals wander around the sinkhole floor in close proximity to each other, making it one of the most dangerous areas in the game. There are usually 4+ pale mutants, 1-2 armsies, and 2-3 (as of v1. 09) cowmen.
What does the final item in the forest do? ›The artifact ball is used to alter the way the cannibals work. It may be held in the hand or stuck in the ground. It will have its own HUD icon for you to be able to locate it.
What is the strongest enemy in the Forest? ›
Creepy mutants are some of the most deadly enemies found on the peninsula. They are larger and more dangerous than the standard peninsula mutants, able to kill the player and destroy structures in just a few hits.
How do you get the secret ending in Sons of the Forest? ›Getting Virginia as a companion unlocks a secret ending in Sons of the Forest. If you get Virginia as a companion and don't let Kelvin die, both of them will board the helicopter with you. This secret ending will grant you the 'Keep Your Friends Close' achievement. That covers all of the endings to Sons of the Forest.
How do you beat the fat guy in the Forest? ›Explosives and molotovs are the most effective weapons against Cowmen in caves and in general, as fire stuns Cowmen. The player require a great deal of environmental perception to able to escape its charge and accurately hit.
What does the crucifix do in the Forest? ›The Cross in Sons of the Forest is a weapon that can sometimes scare mutants, and burn demons. However, you won't be encountering demons early game as they appear much later in end-game bunkers.
What is the deer skin for in the Forest? ›Deer skin is obtained from deer carcasses. It is not to be confused with a deer skin decoration, which is a building. It is used for building and crafting. It use to be used as armor and cold armor though the feature was removed in update v1.
Can you mark your home in Sons of the Forest? ›How to place Map Markers in Sons of the Forest. To place a Map Marker in Sons of the Forest, you must first find a GPS Locator, which is a small fob of sorts. Then, using a stick and GPS Locator, you can place a physical marker into the ground which will then show up on your in-game map as a point-of-interest.
What is the coffin for in the Forest? ›The coffin cannot be used as a storage for Corpses, it's just for decoration.
What does the red paint mean in the Forest? ›The secure doors that the player cannot enter, throughout the facility, are bright red. The red paint induces a passive, non-hostile state in the cannibals, who will sit and kneel, or at the very least, back away.
What does the red bar mean in the Forest? ›The red bar on the left of the mini-map indicates your health. The blue bar on the right of the mini-map represents your vitality. The arm icon circled in red represents your strength. The moon icon shows your energy levels. An additional bar will appear to the left of your health bar when you equip armor.
What is the code in the Forest? ›| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| energyhack on energyhack off | Unlimited energy and stamina |
| godmode on godmode off | No damage, unlimited stamina, fullness, water, energy etc |
| survival on survival off | No need to eat, drink etc |
| killlocalplayer | Kills player, depending on game state. In multiplayer, you will drop down |
What is the strength icon in Sons of the Forest? ›
Strength serves as the leveling system for the player, and is represented as a flexing arm with a growing red ring. Once the ring completely fills, it briefly shows a number representing the player's current strength level.
What is the gazebo for in the Forest? ›It serves no purpose other than decoration, as it can not be interacted with. Currently the gazebo requires the most sticks of any player made structure.
How do you progress in Sons of Forest story? ›To complete Sons of the Forest, you need to access the locked areas in several bunkers found on the island. To start the process, you'll need to find the Maintenance Keycard. To get the Maintenance Keycard, you need to get the Shovel, and to do that, you need two more items: the Rebreather and the Rope Gun.
How long does it take to finish Sons of the Forest? ›When focusing on the main objectives, Sons of The Forest is about 11 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 30½ Hours to obtain 100% completion.
How do you progress the main story in the Forest? ›To advance the story, simply find the point where your son is located at the center of the lab, watch the cutscene, and you will have to advance to the location where the final boss is.
Can you beat Sons of the Forest yet? ›Entering the cube will trigger the final cutscene, after which players get to decide on one of two endings. They can either leave the island with the once-missing billionaire or continue exploring the mysteries the island holds. With that, players have not only survived but beaten Sons of the Forest.
How to get all items in Sons of the Forest cheat? ›After you've enabled Debug Console from WeMod, and jumped back into the game, press F1 within Sons of the Forest to bring up the console command. Then, type “spawnitem [whatever the item ID is] [amount you'd like to spawn] on” into the text field.
Where is Timmy in Sons of the Forest? ›In Sons of the Forest, Timmy can be encountered in one of the underground bunkers fighting with a Sluggy (The Blob).
What happens after day 40 in the Forest? ›The final day landmark is Day 40, where the Worm mutant, also known as John, has a small chance of spawning each day, with that chance increasing gradually each day until it eventually spawns. After the Worm is killed or despawns, its spawn cycle resets again.
What is the goal in Sons of the Forest? ›It's a survival game that throws players into the wilderness and tasks them with staying alive for as long as possible. You play a member of a special forces team sent to track down a missing billionaire and his family on a large, forested island.
What happens if you stay on the island Sons of the Forest? ›
The second ending for Sons of the Forest occurs if you ignore the helicopter, retrieve your backpack, and stay on the island. You're stuck here forever to continue doing whatever you please. This ending unlocks the 'Fight Demons' achievement.
What is the strongest mutant in the Forest? ›It is recommended that the player build defenses as larger groups of enemies can be difficult to defeat. As the game progresses, the stronger types of mutants will spawn. Listed from weakest to strongest are Skinny Mutants, Regular Mutants, Pale Mutants, Painted Mutants and Masked Mutants.
Can you keep playing the Forest after beating it? ›Yes, you can keep playing Sons of the Forest after completing it - but only if you unlock the 'bad' ending as explained below. You'll be free to carry on playing the game and explore the island, but there won't be any more chances to escape and unlock any of the other endings.
Does the SOS do anything in the Forest? ›A plane will spawn in the sky and fly over the player once the SOS signal has been established; however, a plane can spawn whether or not an SOS signal has been built. It cannot be notified in any way. It's pointless to fire a flare gun into the air.
Do you ever find your kid in the Forest? ›Timmy's body is later found by his father, Eric, who is emotionally distraught at the sight of his dead son. However, Eric manages to figure out that in order to bring back his son, he needs a sacrifice.
Can you find the red cannibal in the Forest? ›Mathew Cross, also known as Matt and the Red Man or the Red Cannibal, is the primary (though mostly unseen) antagonist of The Forest. He is first seen at the plane crash, kidnapping the player's son, Timmy. He is only ever seen in Red Paint.