Sons of the Forest guide and walkthrough: Tips and tricks for surviving the island
Crash-landed in cannibal paradise.
Update: The more you explore the enigmatic world of Sons of the Forest, the deeper the mystery gets, so we’ve added even more info to our Sons of the Forest walkthrough and guide pages at the foot of this page.
Getting started in Sons of the Forest is no easy feat. You’re left stranded on a gargantuan, glorious island, with no real idea of what to do next or how to survive. As you build your first base, you’ll soon realise that there’s a lot of equipment you’re going to need, and it’s nowhere near as straight-forward to get as you might think.
In this guide, we’ll detail some beginner’s tips to help you survive your first few nights on the island, and we’ll list exactly how to get some of the game’s most important items for keeping you alive. So, without further ado, here’s our beginner’s guide to Sons of the Forest .
- Sons of the Forest Beginner’s Tips
- Sons of the Forest Guides
- Sons of the Forest System Guides
- Sons of the Forest Item Location Guides
- Sons of the Forest Character Guides
- Sons of the Forest Building Guides
Sons of the Forest Beginner’s Tips
Sons of the Forest doesn’t hold your hand, nor does it give you much guidance on what you should be doing. This is part of what makes it, and its predecessor, The Forest , so great. That said, if you’re looking to survive, you’ll want to bear a few things in mind.
Just like The Forest, the helicopter’s crash site in Sons of the Forest is scattered with belongings and items that were also up in the air with you. Before moving on and finding food or the perfect space for your base, be sure to loot everything here.
Have a good rummage across the snow to be sure you don’t miss anything; you can find food and water to keep you going until you’ve built your base, medicine, crafting materials, ammo, and more. Either way, search it all now so you need not waste time later; this stuff will come in handy!
If you want an easily-accessible water source at all times so you and the crew never go thirsty, build nearby a river. Players can drink fresh water and stave off their thirst by drinking water from rivers.
Use your GPS Locator to find a river if you’re already getting lost around the island.
You might’ve just started out on this island, but don’t forget about Sons of the Forest’s changing seasons. In winter, finding food will be much more difficult… and those like you will only grow hungrier. So, be sure to always have some food, medicine, and other resources stowed away for the winter season.
Kelvin is a little strange. As our only friend on the island right now, he can’t actually hear us or speak to us, but he will gladly accept our hand-written orders and help us out.
As tempting as it might be to kill him off, he isn’t bothering anyone, so consider having a little mercy on Kelvin. He can collect wood for you, fish away for food, and all the other boring stuff you don’t actually want to do yourself.
You’ll meet other companions later, if you aren’t the biggest fan of Kelvin. We just don’t recommend killing him off because once he’s gone, he’s gone for good.
As a survival game on an island, ammo can be hard to come by. With that in mind, save these weapons for the toughest of fights and scariest of caves. Combat is still melee-focused, so be sure to save those guns and their ammo for emergencies. The rest of the time, an axe or bow and arrow should do the trick just fine.
Some of the island’s inhabitants are less violent than others. Some of them could even become friends. However, it’s better to be safe than sorry if you don’t want to end up becoming cannibal food.
Avoid people around the island as much as you can. If they follow you, sprint away and try to lose them. Some clans of locals might seem friendly, but they can and will attack if they feel threatened by you!
You’ll soon realise that rummaging through your whole backpack isn’t exactly convenient when there’s a group of cannibals chasing you down. Rather than opening the standard inventory with the tap of ‘I’, hold ‘I’ instead.
You’ll then be able to access a quicker inventory, where you can quickly grab an item from your rucksack or attach a new one to it. These items instantly become more easily accessible.
Sons of the Forest Guides
As you get started in Sons of the Forest, there are a few items you’ll need and want to make surviving on the island a little simpler. Although, the game doesn’t always provide instructions. Here are our Sons of the Forest guides to help keep you alive.
Sons of the Forest System Guides
- Sons of the Forest console commands and cheats list
- Sons of the Forest ending explained
Sons of the Forest Location Guides
- Sons of the Forest Weapon Locations
- Sons of the Forest Shovel Location
- Sons of the Forest Keycard Locations
- Sons of the Forest Bunker Locations
- Sons of the Forest Axe Locations
- Sons of the Forest Flashlight Location
- Where to find Golden Armor in Sons of the Forest
- Where to find Tech Armor in Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest Character Guides
- How to use Kelvin and other companions
- How to get Virginia in Sons of the Forest
- How to revive companions in Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest Building Guides
- How to use the 3D Printer in Sons of the Forest
- How to make a fire in Sons of the Forest
- How to get a Turtle Shell and craft a Water Collector in Sons of the Forest
- How to build a sled in Sons of the Forest
- How to use a GPS Locator to place map markers in Sons of the Forest
- How to build a Fish Trap in Sons of the Forest
- How to build a Defensive Wall in Sons of the Forest
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How to find and use the 3D Printer in Sons of the Forest
I know what you’re thinking. There’s a fully functional 3D Printer on this island?
Sons of the Forest is host to all sorts of secrets. What is going on across this island of cannibals and mutants, exactly? Why are there laboratories and VIP getaways underground? Time, and exploration, will tell all, and one of the first things you should seek out when exploring is the 3D Printer.
In an easily accessible underground lab, the 3D Printer hides away. With it, you can create a few items that’ll be vital to your survival. So, without further ado, here’s how to find and use the 3D Printer in Sons of the Forest.
- Where to find the 3D Printer in Sons of the Forest
- How to use the 3D Printer in Sons of the Forest
Where to find the 3D Printer in Sons of the Forest
The 3D Printer in Sons of the Forest is located just south of the cave containing the Rope Gun , and is marked by a green and white glowing circle on your map. We’ve marked this on the below map.
Be sure to look around this general area too, as there’s a nearby Stun Baton and Flashlight to grab.
This is the entrance to the cave containing the 3D Printer.
Enter the cave and press forward. The first room you come to will contain the 3D Printer, and a bed to save or sleep in.
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the only 3D Printer you’ll find across Sons of the Forest, but it is the easiest to access from the start of the game.
How to use the 3D Printer in Sons of the Forest
To use the 3D Printer in Sons of the Forest, it’ll need filling with Resin. It will already have some Resin in it, but there are a few cartons of the stuff around the room, too. You’ll find more resin in underground areas like this.
With the Resin in the 3D Printer, select which item you want to create using ‘R’. Press ‘E’ to begin making it. Wait a few seconds and your item will be ready to collect. You can use the 3D Printer as often as you want, as long as you’ve enough Resin.
Using the 3D Printer, you can craft the following:
- Flask (for collecting and drinking water ) - requires 100ml Resin
- Mask - requires 150ml Resin
- Arrows - requires 50ml Resin
- Tech Mesh (for crafting Tech Armor ) - requires 250ml Resin
- Grappling Hooks (uses by your Rope Gun) - requires 100ml Resin
- Sled (used for fast traversal downhill) - requires 1000ml Resin
For more on Sons of the Forest, take a look at how to place Map Markers across the island , so you never get lost again. It’s also well worth making use of Kelvin and befriending Virginia .
Sons of the Forest
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Sign in and unlock a world of features
