The Top 10 Items in Sons of the Forest
In Sons of the Forest, you’re only as good as what you have at your disposal. You’re required to be prepared for every scenario, regardless if that means being properly equipped to fight off enemies, or just being able to build a tent. Some of these items may be very basic. Some of these items might be OP. But they are guaranteed to be necessary for your survival. I will not be taking plot armor (no pun intended) into consideration (i.e. Golden Armor, Rebreather, Shovel, etc.).
10. Zip-Line Gun
You can’t even see the end.
While it is true the zip-line gun has its story-line requirements, its presence in this list relies solely on its convenience in other scenarios. There are two types of situations where a zip-line gun can potentially prevent your game from becoming downright unenjoyable:
- When building a large base, or even when just trying to do a bunch of stuff that’s a bit far away from each other, traveling can get extremely tedious–even with access to the two “vehicles”. As long as you’re not carrying logs or large stones, this inconvenience can be easily maneuvered. And not just because of the nature of the item; but also because it has a REALLY long reach. I was surprised to see just how long I could make a zip-line.
- Climbing (specifically around the mountain range in the middle of the map) can be a total buzzkill without it. Combining the zip-line gun with the climbing jump-spam method, you can get to most places with ease.
To get the zipline gun you must go to the cave entrance on the West side of the mountain next to the lake that has four primary rivers coming out of it. The cave has three forks. At the first fork take a left, at the second fork take another left, then at the third fork take a right. The zipline gun will be at the end of the path.
9. Solafite Ore
Be prepared for a fight.
You can beat the entire game without knowing why/that solafite ore exists; but, man, it's a shame you didn’t find out. Did you get to a certain point in the game where your weapons started to feel a little lackluster? Maybe the difficulty in terms of enemies was starting to feel more like obnoxious, bullet sponge territory? That’s because your weapons aren’t upgraded!
By using a special blueprint you can create a really cool machine that allows you to place your weapon inside and upgrade it. Except… it’s not that easy. Any time you upgrade a weapon a fight sequence begins with some of the harder monsters in the game.
It can sometimes feel redundant tunneling underground to dig up as much solafite ore as you can hold and then coming back up to a fight sequence, rinse and repeat, until everything is up to par. But I found a method that makes the fights a cakewalk and obtaining the ore even easier.
Go to the location on the map below (it’s one of the few places above ground where Solafite ore is farmable, and you don’t even need the pickaxe to do it) and then follow my steps to quickly upgrade all of your weapons.
- Build the Solafite upgrader somewhere that is easily accessible from the building that has a tunnel underground. Build a bed or tent inside as well.
- Collect all of the Solafite ore in the vicinity (it’s all inside the three buildings and respawns anytime you load a game).
- Start the upgrader with whatever weapon you want and then immediately run to collect all of the solafite ore in the area. Go back to your bed and save/reload. Collect the solafite ore and then return, save/reload. By the time you’ve done this enough times to max out your inventory the enemies should start arriving.
- Climb on top of the building, where they can’t reach you and fight them off with the unlimited amount of crossbow ammo available in the buildings.
- When they’re dead your weapon will be upgraded. Take your newfound upgrade, start your next one, gather the ore before the enemies appear, and then test out your brand new weapon on the horde. I had all of my equipment upgraded in less than an hour.
NOTE: Enemies do not have to be defeated for your upgrade to end. So, if you’re feeling frisky, start the next round before you’re finished with the last one.
The blueprint for the Solafite upgrader is found in a cave system SouthWest of the miner’s camp.
8. Flashlight
This is the exact location. Pair this picture with the map below to find it. And yes, Kelvin died so I stopped building traps (that’s not Kelvin).
This might sound a little too obvious to be included in the list. I’m sure most players would find navigating the cave systems impossible without the flashlight…
I went into this game with no expectations. I didn’t look at guides or do any research until after I was hired to write articles about it. Hence, I beat the game without knowing that the flashlight existed. You cannot fathom how tedious scouring the expanses of those underground caverns was with nothing to see with but the torch, flares, and–waaaay later in my experience–the night vision goggles. Sometimes I would light enemies on fire just for the light source.
To get the–as easy to find as easy to miss–flashlight all you have to do is go to one of the three locations that are marked on the map from the beginning of the game. It is the closest marker from the beach drop point that is not in the ocean. You will see somebody who has hung themself dangling off the side of the cliff edge. Cut the rope so the body falls and you will be able to retrieve the flashlight from the ground. I am not really sure why I initially missed it…
7. Chainsaw
The chainsaw is excellent in combat. It can do massive damage. It can easily incapacitate enemies. While it doesn’t have a “defensive” maneuver, the knockback from a well placed offensive strike has good enough knockback that it counts. It doesn’t have traditional “ammo” so unless you’re low on batteries (which never seemed to be the case for me), then you don’t have to worry about running out of use.
The chainsaw isn’t limited to combat though; which is where its importance actually lies. Cutting down a lot of lumber for a base can be exhausting; especially with how tedious the animations can be to cut down a tree with an ax. You can quickly level expanses of forest in a very short amount of time. I’d suggest getting a log carrier built and bringing Kelvin along. If you do the cutting while he does the hauling you can make short work out of your deforestation.
Wreak havoc on the environmental structure of the ecosystem.
To get the chainsaw proceed to the location on the map below. You will need the guest keycard located at a marked location on the West side of the map. Assuming you have the means to handle a fight, finding the chainsaw isn’t all that difficult. Just keep going until you find it inside a cinema-type room.
6. Crossbow
I love the crossbow. It’s very easy to aim, it does major damage, and if you land a headshot or miss enemies won’t be alerted. In scenarios where you might be overwhelmed otherwise, the crossbow can be used to lighten the horde before they know you’re there. Add in the leaf armor and they’ll never see you coming. Just be aware; the leaf armor is not very strong so once the enemies notice your presence I’d suggest moving to the inventory and switching out to a strong type of armor. Unfortunately, the crossbow is one of the few items in the game that can not be upgraded with solafite ore. However, I found that even after the rest of my equipment was upgraded, the crossbow was still able to deliver a solid punch.
You won’t even need to wait until you can see the whites of their eyes.
5. Energy Drinks
It's amazing how much worse graphics look when you zoom in.
Energy drinks are a major game-changer if you find yourself constantly battling the need to keep your stamina up. While there are ways to keep yourself hydrated other than energy drinks and water, most of them are very small increases alongside a consumable that’s intended more to satiate hunger (i.e. mussels, cat food, berries, etc.).
Being that water damages the player unless it was caught in a turtle-filter, very little water can fit in the canteen, and that there are very few water sources in some of the bunkers/caves; it can be a surprisingly hard commodity to come by.
Energy drinks can be found all over the place if you just know where to look. Technically, they can come to you if you’re well equipped enough to fight. Energy drinks can be found in skin pouches dropped by the enemies as well as littered across their bases, abandoned bases, caves, bunkers, suitcases, among other things. You can carry a lot of them and, if you want to use the save/reload method, can max out your inventory pretty quickly.
Their water source isn’t enough to get them this high on the list though. The benefit here is that they charge up your need for sleep at the same time. With ample supply of energy drinks you can essentially play the whole game without sleeping or searching for water. You still have to worry about food, but that is way easier to come by than water or a safe-nights-rest.
4. Compound Bow
The bow, including the crafted bow, is by far the most versatile of weapons. However, I’m only including the compound bow since it’s just the same weapon with increased stats. Unlike firearms, which usually only have one type of ammo (there are some firearms with two), the bow has a multitude of options.
- By using the shock arrows, the player can stun the enemy for a long enough time to either take them down or run away far enough that the cannibals can’t catch up.
- With fire arrows you can engulf the enemy in flames.
- With bomb arrows you can blow a pursuer to pieces.
- With poison arrows you can bring on a slow death.
- Alternatively, you can just shoot a regular arrow.
Not only do you have multiple craftable arrows, but there are three different types of arrows that each fit their own inventory slot. So if you have an abundance of crafted arrows, 3D printed arrows, and carbon fiber arrows; then you are going to be good on arrows for a long time. Considering the fact that you can also craft arrows mid-battle, you can easily defeat a horde of strong enemies with nothing but a well-used bow.
3. Creepy Armor
Just find this guy and you're golden.
I battled with myself on whether to put the creepy armor here or the golden armor, but no matter how I looked at the gold armor it just seemed too much like plot armor. Yes, you need it to beat the game. But also, its main defensive benefit happens in one of the few caves that must be completed to finish the game. So, consider the golden armor an honorable mention if you know what I’m talking about and think it should be here.
As a whole I think I should also mention that specifically obtaining the creepy armor is not as important as making sure that you always have at least some type of armor; and they all have their benefits:
- Leaf armor allows you to have increased stealth around enemies.
- Hide armor allows you to fight off the cold in snowy environments without a torch.
- Golden armor allows you to take significantly decreased damage from certain enemies.
- Tech armor has the best defense stat, but requires a 3D printer.
- Creepy armor has a slightly lower defense stat than tech, but only requires killing a creepy enemy.
The obvious benefit to creepy armor is that it can handle some major damage.
However, what sets it apart from tech armor is how much more available it is–specifically in situations where it would be impossible to make armor otherwise.
Once you are further along in the game, you will find that a large amount of the enemies are going to be the creepy type. Sometimes you may find yourself an hour into a cave exploration and lacking armor. While fighting a creepy monster might sound overwhelming, knowing that any you encounter will give a piece of armor that contributes to your own protection makes it a little less nerve-wracking. Just make sure they don’t make armor out of you first…
2. Tarp + Sticks
At least you won't have to worry about bears.
You have access to tarps from the beginning of the game. They are the easiest way to give yourself a place to sleep and save. Above ground, you shouldn’t have any problem finding them by just doing some basic exploring. If you do find yourself having trouble finding tarps then I suggest not wasting them above the surface.
While building a random bed using a large amount of sticks is unquestionably the less convenient option, the true benefit of tarps is their use underground. If you hold the max amount of sticks you can carry, you will be able to build a single bed; whereas you can build a multitude of tents under the ground which are, essentially, check points.
Without a place to sleep there is no saving your game. Period.
Even if you’re not worried about dying down below, without a tarp you’re still going to be forced to come up if you want to quit playing the game–unless you’re okay with just leaving your computer on forever like me. I still built tarps anyway because I’m very talented at dying on hard mode.
It may sound like a basic decision for second place; but imagine for a second if you were unable to save Sons of the Forest? That would be a nightmare.
1. Shotgun
You can never be too careful.
If you thought I was gonna manage this whole list without a firearm then I hate to disappoint. While most firearms used can be matched/surpassed with more primitive methods, there is simply nothing more efficient than a shotgun. Check out the benefits:
- Absolutely massive damage
- Ability to hit multiple targets easily.
- A secondary ammo option for more concentrated gameplay.
- More crowd control than a bouncer at a Taylor Swift concert.
- Solid knockback on almost any enemy.
With the exception of two bosses; I could obliterate anything I came into contact with easily as long as I had enough bullets.
Make that thing golden with some solafite ore and you will wield a monstrosity…
Albeit more deadly, not quite as monstrous of what you’re going to have to look at.
