Sons Of The Forest tips: How to survive your first day and night
A simple beginner's guide to surviving in Sons Of The Forest
What should you do on your first day of Sons Of The Forest? Sons Of The Forest is an intimdating game that, like its 2014 predecessor The Forest, is filled to the brim with interesting ideas and horrific dangers. There are ever-present cannibals and mutants looking to feast on your flesh from your first day, and you'll also need to grapple with the diegetic user interfaces and building system.
If you're struggling to get a handle on what's going on and what you should be doing when you first start a new game, you're not alone. The good news is that we've already been through that process a number of times, and we can tell you exactly what you should prioritise learning and doing in order to make the most of your first hour, day, and week.
In this beginner's guide to Sons Of The Forest we'll walk you through 15 top tips to bear in mind from the very start, to help ensure you survive your first day and night and get off to a roaring start when it comes to long-term survival.
So without further ado, here are our top tips for surviving your first day in Sons Of The Forest:
1. Loot every container at the crash site
When you first awaken after the crash at the beginning of Sons Of The Forest, the very first thing you should do is pick up just about everything you possibly can from around the crash site. There are various travel cases and crates scattered around your spawn point - open them up and take everything inside.
You'll find some very useful starting items in these containers, from rope to energy bars, meds, and a can opener so you can live off tins of cat food until you find a slightly more human diet. Only once every container is opened and every item taken should you start to explore your surroundings.
2. Use hotkeys to access items quickly
At launch, Sons of the Forest forced players to use their backpack whenever they wanted to swap items. There was a fast way of doing this - holding the "I" key brings up a quick inventory - but you can now also assign hotkeys to your items.
This means you can rapidly swap to a melee weapon, such as the Machete, Katana, or Stun Baton, if you run into a cannibal while exploring. If you see enemies far off in the distance, you can have the Pistol, Stun Gun, Slingshot, or any other ranged weapon primed on one of your number keys so that you can hit them from afar.
To assign a hotkey, simply hover over an item in your inventory. Then, hit the number key that you'd like to assign as a hotkey for that item. Then, you can press the same number key while exploring to pull out that item without fumbling around in your backpack.
Of course, there are other important hotkeys that you'll also need to learn, since Sons of the Forest is rather unwilling to explain anything in Early Access. Here are some example hotkeys that you'll want to remember:
- Tap the interact button (by default: "E") to pick up an item, or hold the interact button to consume it if it's edible.
- If you have in your hands a tool or some other thing that can be put in your inventory, then using the "Drop" key (by default: "G") will place it there instead of dropping it on the ground.
- You can also press "G" to come out of the cooking menu while interacting with a fire.
3. Set up your first base near a river
There are several reasons why it's a very good idea to set up camp near a river. Most importantly, it's an easy and limitless supply of fresh water that you can use to slake your thirst. For more information, check out our guide on how to get water in Sons Of The Forest. Another reason why water is your friend is that enemies cannot swim in deep water, whereas you can.
So when you first move on from your starting area, open your GPS map (click the middle mouse button to change the zoom level until you can see a long distance around you) and seek out the nearest river for a handy and defensible spot to call home. If you're a bit lost, make sure to check out our guide on the best base locations in Sons of the Forest. One of them even shows you how to build a water base which can only be reached by swimming. Of course, you might want to find the Wetsuit if that's your plan, as it'll allow you to swim faster.
Once you're there, you can start to place down all the basic camping gear, like a fire (learn how with our guide on how to make a fire in Sons Of The Forest) and a shelter of some sort. Speaking of which...
4. Make a Tent to save your game
There's no autosave feature, so if you want to save your progress in Sons Of The Forest you need to do it manually using a resting area of some sort. The easiest resting area you can create is a Shelter Tent, which is made from nothing more than a Tarp and a Stick. The former you'll have found in one of the containers at the crash site (if you paid attention to tip #1, that is!), while the latter can be found anywhere where there are trees or bushes.
If you're in multiplayer, make sure to have everyone set up their own bed, as you can't share rest spots. It's best to build a base with that in mind so that it's big enough to fit everyone in when night rolls around.
5. Tell Kelvin to gather food and other materials
Don't neglect your companions in Sons Of The Forest. Virginia may take a while to warm to you, but Kelvin is there from the very beginning, and he's as loyal as a dog. After rescuing a deaf and brain-damaged Kelvin from writhing in agony at the crash site, you'll be able to write messages on your notepad to give him orders. These orders range from gathering sticks, logs, or food to clearing areas ready for building, hiding if there's an enemy around, and more.
The best thing to get Kevin doing at the beginning of the game is gathering fish - as long as you're near a body of water. Food is a real problem at the beginning of Sons Of The Forest, so a fairly renewable source of fish is a real boon. You can also tell Kelvin to set up a Shelter for you, or to clear the area nearby while you go off in search of other more exotic materials.
6. Chop trees efficiently with your axe
In most survival and crafting games, all you need to do to chop down a tree is to point at it and start chopping. In Sons Of The Forest, your axe actually cuts through the tree trunk at the point where you aim it. If you don't bother moving then it'll end up taking a very long time to cut down a tree even with the upgraded Sons Of The Forest Modern Axe or Firefighter Axe, because you'll effectively be chopping the empty space which you'd long ago ridden of tree trunk.
To chop down a tree efficiently, circle around the tree once you've made a dent in one area, and then start chopping from a different angle. This way you can cut down even the girthiest tree in seconds.
7. Head to the 3D printer as soon as possible
One of the most important sites to seek out and explore early on in Sons Of The Forest is the 3D Printer. This device can be found in one of the cave systems marked on your GPS map, and it uses a resource called Resin to craft items that you can't get any other way.
The essential item to craft early on with the 3D Printer is the Mask, which can help you pacify the more dangerous cannibals that will approach you after your first day or two. But there are various extremely useful items that you can obtain using the 3D Printer, such as the Sled or tech mesh (which you can use to get Tech Armor in Sons of the Forest) so make it a priority to get there in your first couple of days.
8. Steer clear of enemies unless they attack
When you first start playing Sons Of The Forest, you may be taken aback by just how sophisticated the AI powering the mutants' behaviour is. These cannibalistic enemies often don't want to pick a head on fight with you - at least, not until they've observed you for a while. And it's best not to escalate things early on, so try not to attack them unless you have to.
If you do attack mutants, they'll immediately become more aggressive, and they'll try to defend their fellows. In larger numbers, they can be a handful for a new player, so be very careful, and heal up if you need to. Learn how with our guide on how to heal in Sons Of The Forest.
Of course, there are cannibal camps scattered around that you're bound to wander through eventually. If you do find yourself near a cannibal camp, consider placing a GPS locator so that you can mark the location on your map. That way, you'll be able to steer clear in the future.
9. Increase your attack damage with manual labour
See the icons above your minimap in the bottom-right corner of the screen? The hunger, thirst, and tiredness icons are fairly easy to understand, but what does that muscled arm icon mean?
This is your strength meter, and as you do more physical activities like chopping trees and hauling logs, this meter will fill up. The higher it is, the more damage you will deal with your melee attacks. So exercise pays off in Sons Of The Forest.
10. Scroll through the Guide Book to see what you can build
At the beginning of the game you're given a few tools, one of which is a Guide Book that you can access at any time either from the inventory or by tapping "B" on the keyboard. This book teaches you how to build various structures in Sons Of The Forest, and it's filled with useful information. You can click the buttons at the bottom of the page to flick through the book page by page, or you can use the tabs on the edge to skip ahead to particular building categories.
You can also switch the mode from right-handed to left-handed, which is very important. When held in your right hand, the book gives basic how-to guides for simple structures like walls, floors, stairs, fires, and so on. In your left hand, it operates more like the Guide Book in the original game, showing you a variety of more complex builds which you can click on and then place down into the world as a template which you then fill with the required materials to build.
11. Spend some time building your own custom base
There's a very interesting and immersive building system in place in Sons Of The Forest, one that's much more flexible and ambitious than in The Forest. While it might be tempting to go for the easier approach and use the templates in the Guide Book to make building easier for you, I'd strongly urge you to quickly move on to freeform building.
When you're not working by a template, you have immense freedom with your builds, as you're able to place out each log and carve out each window individually, allowing you to create a home that's truly yours.
12. Conserve ammunition as much as possible
You're unlikely to come across much ammunition (much less a way to use it) in your first day, but it's worth bearing in mind from the very beginning that ammo is a precious resource, and you shouldn't spend it without good reason.
Whether it's arrows for your Compound Bow, bullets for your Revolver, or slugs for your Shotgun, hold onto them until you absolutely need the maximum amount of firepower.
13. Prioritise nearby caves over the main story
When you've got a decent starter base set up, your next step in Sons Of The Forest should be to open up your GPS and see what all those markers on the map are about. The green markers are story bits, so if you want to get on with your quest to find the missing billionaire, then these markers should become your priority.
But there are also cave entrances marked on the map, some of which will house unique and important items like the Rebreather, the Shovel, and the Rope Gun. Some may also contain areas of loot which can only be obtained by finding the right Keycards elsewhere on the island. Either way, just as with the 3D Printer, it's a great idea to get these items as quickly as possible before you move on with the main story.
Of course, caves are dark, and that lighter won't do much to light your way. Instead, we'd recommend getting the Flashlight before you delve, so that you can traverse caves without getting lost in the abyss.
14. Stockpile resources ready for winter
One new feature in Sons Of The Forest which was lacking in the original game is the changing of seasons. As Winter approaches and the days and nights get colder, food will become very scarce, and mutants will become more aggressive, fuelled by their hunger for human flesh.
Because of this, you should set yourself a loose goal to stockpile food and other resources, including logs and other building materials, so that when winter arrives you can wait it out with a sturdy, well-protected base and a surplus of food.
We'd also recommend exploring as much of the map as possible before Winter hits, as it's harder to travel when you're cold. For example, head to each of the Sons of the Forest Purple Markers before the snow settles and exploration becomes much more difficult.
15. Don't wear the Golden Armor until you're ready to beat the game
You may have heard that you can get Golden Armor in Sons of the Forest, and this is indeed true. However, if you've tracked it down as fast as possible and have it sitting in your inventory, don't be fooled by the word "armor".
Golden Armor actually offers no defense, and it's only necessary when you want to see the Sons of the Forest ending. Find and hold onto it by all means, but don't bother putting it on until you arrive at the secret bunker and are ready to beat the game.