Sons Of The Forest map: Every important location in the game

Looking for a Sons Of The Forest map which shows you where to get everything you need? Sons Of The Forest wastes no time in dropping you into the middle (or sometimes the edge) of a gigantic and merciless island populated with cannibals and grotesque mutants alike. There's a fair few items and weapons to find, particularly in the northwest quadrant of the island, but locating them is a different story - particularly when you realise that you have to obtain a lot of items in the right order if you want to progress through the game.

On this page you'll find our dedicated Sons Of The Forest map, which we've marked with various locations of important weapons, tools, and other items. If you're looking for a walkthrough of Sons Of The Forest that doesn't necessarily spoil everything but still shows you just about every important location in the game, then our interactive map is the perfect tool for you.

Sons Of The Forest map

Below is our full interactive Sons Of The Forest map, marked with the location of every item in the game:

Click on the "Expand Map" button to view the map in fullscreen and gain access to all the different map markers, from plant and animal locations to grave sites and abandoned structures.

Below is another map (not interactive this time, I'm afraid), which highlights several of the most important items and weapons in Sons Of The Forest, so that you can find everything you need in quick succession without any dilly-dallying.

Below we'll explain each of the major points of interest in more detail, and why it's important for players to complete them in the order shown above.

S. Spawn Points

As you may know by now, there are three different possible spawn points in Sons Of The Forest, so when you start a new game, you may not always begin in the same location. Of the three possible spawns, the beach spawn is probably the worst because it's the farthest away from the starting items which you should prioritise collecting in your first day or two. But otherwise, there's not much difference between the three spawns.

1. 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. Follow our guide to find exactly how to get the Modern Axe in Sons Of The Forest.

2. Flashlight

The Flashlight is another entirely unguarded and excellent early item, and it's not far from the Modern Axe so you should consider picking it up on your first day. The location is already marked on your map by one of the three purple markers, so it's easy to find, and once you cut down the corpse hanging from the cliff there, you'll be able to light up caves much more easily with your newfound torch.

3. Machete

A fantastic early weapon, the Machete can be found on the north coast of the island - just about the only plus point that the northern beach spawn has going for it. Once again, it's undefended, which means you can beeline straight to the Machete on day one, and end the day with an excellent weapon that will serve you well into the mid-game.

4. Stun Baton

While the Machete is great for killing ordinary mutants, it's not ideal for taking on the bigger club-wielding cannibals or the more dangerous cave-dwelling mutants. That's why your next stop should be next to the marked waterfall on the map, where you'll find the Stun Baton sticking out of a pile of skulls. It's not great at actually killing enemies, but by holding left-click it can deliver a shock that paralyses targets, allowing you to quickly switch to another more lethal weapon and finish them off safely.

5. 3D Printer

There are actually several dotted across the map, but right here is the first 3D Printer you're likely to come across in Sons Of The Forest. Unlike most of the other markers on the map, the Printer isn't something you can take with you - it's stuck in its location forever. But you can use it to craft some very useful unique items. We'd particularly encourage you to craft a Flask on your first day or two, which you can fill up at streams for an easy source of water.

6. Pistol

The second purple marker on the map leads you out to sea on the northwest coast, where you'll swim out to a lifeboat containing a corpse and your very first firearm. Considering its effectiveness at killing mutants, the Pistol is very easy to obtain early on. Ammunition is another story, of course, so we'd recommend you keep your shooting to a minimum until you've explored more caves and containers, and looted a fair few packs of ammo.

7. Rebreather + Stun Gun

Head to the cave at this marker, for your first proper spelunking adventure. Equip your Lighter or Flashlight and move carefully, killing or bypassing the Cave Cannibals one by one. After a short while the path will split. Follow the left path to pick up the Rebreather, an essential item for progressing through later caves. Follow the right path to pick up the Stun Gun, an optional but powerful tool that is essentially a ranged version of the Stun Baton.

8. Cross + Rope Gun

Now for another even more dangerous cave - but the rewards are well worth it. The Cross can be found early in the cave, and won't be of any use to you until the very end of the game. The Rope Gun, however, is an excellent traversal tool both above and below ground, and you'll need it (and the Rebreather) before you attempt to tackle the next marker.

9. Slingshot + Shovel

Head to the next cave near the mountaintop spawn, and interact with one of the corpses outside the entrance to get the Slingshot - a weak but reliable ranged weapon that uses pebbles instead of ammo to inflict damage. Then enter the cave, and you'll need to use both the Rope Gun and the Rebreather to navigate its depths until you reach the very end and come across the all-important Shovel. Don't bother trying to progress beyond this point without picking up the Shovel, because you'll need it for nearly everything that follows.

10. Shotgun

It's finally time to tackle that third purple marker. Now that you have the Shovel, head to this location and dig up the body buried underground next to the cross. It's well worth doing this, because you'll find probably the strongest weapon in the game - the old reliable Shotgun. You can either keep it with you for messy cave encounters, or hand it over to Virginia to turn her into the ultimate base defender.

11. Maintenance Keycard + Firefighter's Axe

The next few markers involve picking up the unique Sons Of The Forest Keycards dotted about the northwest of the island, and you have to do it in this order, because the first card unlocks the second, and the second unlocks the third. Use your Shovel to dig down and reveal the hatch entrance to this underground complex. A quick jaunt through the complex will reward you with the Maintenance Keycard, and the Firefighter's Axe - the largest, slowest, and strongest of all the axes in the game.

12. VIP Keycard + Crossbow

With the Maintenance Keycard, you can finally return to an area you may have come across already - the green dot which marks a short cave that leads down into a pantry filled with food items. Unlock the door leading out from this pantry and you'll enter a more dangerous area which rewards you at the end with the VIP Keycard and the Crossbow - a powerful ranged weapon which you can use when you want to conserve bullets.

13. Guest Keycard + Guitar + Chainsaw

Now you can obtain the final Keycard in the game by heading to the location marked "13" on the map above, which incidentally is the same place you found the 3D Printer way back when. With the VIP Keycard you can unlock a much larger section of this underground area, and by slowly fighting your way through the enemies there you'll be able to find the Guest Keycard. You'll also find two new weapons (technically) down here: the Guitar, and the Chainsaw.

14. Compound Bow

This marker isn't essential, but if you're looking to round off your list of bulletless ranged weapons then the Compound Bow represents a significant step up from the basic crafted bow. It's a fair trek south to reach Maintenance Hatch B where the Compound Bow is kept - but there's also another 3D Printer here for you to help sweeten the deal.

15. Revolver

The most fun ranged weapon in the game in my opinion, the Revolver is a late-game, uber-powerful handgun that you'll have to travel far to the East to obtain. Technically all you need in order to get the Revolver is the Shovel, but it makes sense to do all of the tasks on this side of the island at once. It's a very easy item to get, too - just dig up the hatch, head inside, and you'll find it waiting for you in the first room.

16. Katana + Golden Armor

Things are starting to heat up now story-wise. Head to this cave on the southeast of the map, and you'll get to enjoy your first story cutscene since your crash at the beginning of the game. Fight your way through the mutants in this complex, and you'll be well rewarded with the Katana - an excellent late-game melee weapon - and the Golden Armor and Golden Helmet, both of which are required to complete the final marker.

17. Final Bunker

And here we are, at the Sons Of The Forest ending. Head to this location after obtaining the Golden Armor (and preferably the Cross too, from marker #8), and you'll be able to reach the current end of the game. We won't spoil it here, so click the link to learn more about what happens here if you're interested!

And that's more or less everything of importance or note in terms of weapons and tools in Sons Of The Forest so far. If you're looking for more information on other items that we haven't covered here, then check out our guides on how to get Rope, the Wetsuit, and the Sled in Sons Of The Forest. If you're a new player just starting out, you might also find it helpful to read our guides on how to make a fire, how to make a tent, and how to get water in Sons Of The Forest.