The Sons of the Forest is a challenging horror survival game right from the start. Players are immediately thrust into an open world full of gruesome cannibals and other more traditional survival elements. For beginners and veterans of the series, it can be hard to survive your first nights in The Sons of the Forest.
We hope this beginners guide to the Sons of the Forest helps you overcome these initial challenges to give you a terrific start to your adventure!
The Forest can Be an Extremely Challenging Game
If you are new to this franchise, you will likely have to restart your game several times before beginning your playthrough successfully. In a game like this, you must be prepared for any situation. If you aren’t, it will consume you as the environment is filled with some of the most terrifying creatures in gaming.
To survive in Sons of the Forest, you must always be prepared for danger and have the right tools and skills. That’s why we’ve created a beginner’s guide to help you deal with cannibals and survive your first days in the game.
Stay with us as we provide you with about 15 tips you need to know to survive in Sons of the Forest and protect your shelter from cannibals and mutants.
Quick Overview of The Sons of the Forest
The game “Sons of the Forest” is a survival game in which you must acquire resources by finding or crafting them. When you have acquired the essential items necessary for survival, you need to fight to protect yourself from the relentless cannibals who are constantly stalking you in the shadows.
This game offers a robust crafting, building, and fighting system that will allow you to do whatever it takes to defend yourself and your companions. In this game, you must also worry about not starving or freezing to death.
Our guide covers everything beginners need to know when starting a new game of The Sons of the Forest.
Tips for Beginners to Survive Their First Few Nights in The Sons of the Forest
1. Gather Sticks, Rocks, and Small Rocks
Sticks, rocks, and small rocks require little effort to gather, as they are resources you can grab. At the same time, they are very valuable in building necessary and fundamental structures to make your playthrough easier.
Once you have enough, build a Stick and Rock Holder and fill it so you can always have sticks and rocks ready whenever you need them.
2. Don’t Attack Cannibals Unless You Have To
While cannibals are dangerous enemies, they won’t always attack; they will simply watch you from a distance, stalk you, and walk nearby. They will eventually become entirely aggressive toward you; however, it will take time before they send scouts toward you.
If you start attacking the cannibals back and forth, they will constantly attack your base, progressively sending stronger ones and larger numbers. Stay away from them and run if necessary until you are ready to put up a good fight.
3. Beginners to The Sons of the Forest Should Build on an Island
While building on an island may consume a little more time, this is the best way to keep oneself protected from cannibals, and one will also have a water source and food at all times.
There are great tutorials on YouTube on how to easily build bridges that only you will be able to cross without having to worry about cannibals using them.
It’s pivotal that beginners to the Sons of the Forest consider that water will freeze during winter and that cannibals can cross to your base. This is a new “feature” since the original game, making some base designs less secure than expected.
4. Dont Use Guns in the Early Phases of the Forest 2
If you get your hands on the pistol early in the game, save it until you progress further into the story and start to fight stronger creatures.
Cannibals are relatively easy to kill and can be quickly neutralized with one arrow to the head if you have good aim. Save your ammo for caves and bunkers where you must fight tougher enemies that won’t easily die with crafted weapons.
As you progress in the game, you will also pick up better weapons, including finding the location of the shotgun in Sons of the Forest.
5. Don’t Progress in the Story Until You No Longer Feel Like a Beginner in The Sons of the Forest
As much as you want to uncover the secrets that the Sons of the Forest have for you, be patient. Being under-equipped will get you lost more often than you think.
Have patience, build your base, gather resources, and once you feel safe enough with weapons and armor, start progressing through the story.
6. Build a Base
When you start the game, gather resources, stack them up, and even order Kelvin to get more for you. When you have your resources, start building a base or other shelter in the Sons of the Forest to store all your valuables, such as food, items, and structures.
We highly recommend that you start by building a solid, fortified wall to prevent attacks from cannibals while also surprising and destroying their structures.
7. New Players Should Build a Fortified Wall for Winter in The Sons of the Forest
Seasons in Sons of the Forest last for a few in-game days, and while they don’t have a substantial impact for the most part, winter is where things can start to get serious as your precious and safe base becomes more vulnerable to attacks from cannibals.
Do not take anything for granted in Sons of the Forest; build a wall soon as possible. Even if you have built your base on an island, water will freeze, and cannibals will be able to cross.
8. Beginners Will Need to Gather Resources and Prepare for Winter in The Sons of the Forest
Again, winter will come with trouble as the water will freeze, limiting your access to it and to fish. Therefore, it is important that beginners to the Sons of the Forest have enough food and access to water for when this happens.
We recommend having at least two drying racks stocked with food and a reliable source of water.
9. Print the 3D Flask
Continuing our last tip, go to one of the Maintenance Bunkers as soon as possible and get the Flask printed, as it will grant you several sips of water to keep you alive.
This flask will also be useful when you are in a cave without water access. While most bunkers require a shovel to access, one bunker can be easily accessed and is near the helicopter crash.
To find this bunker, visit our guide, wherein we cover the locations of all the 3D printers in Sons of the Forest.
10. Keep Kelvin Safe
Kelvin is a wholesome and loyal companion, and he is handy for stacking up resources. If Kelvin dies, there is no way of bringing him back in-game (unless you want to cheat a little). For more info, check out our guide on everything you need to know about Kelvin in The Sons of the Forest.
Whenever Kelvin is not doing anything useful, order him to stay at a safe location far away from the cannibals. Thankfully, your companions can’t die offscreen, so don’t worry about them being attacked while far from your base.
11. Beginners to The Sone of the Forest are Guided to Rest and Save Constantly to Keep Their Progress
Always carry a tarp and sticks to save them whenever you want. In Sons of the Forest, you will die in the most unexpected moments, so saving is crucial to prevent constant loss of progress.
It is worth mentioning that if you die more than twice, you will die permanently, so having a save file ready to restart from where you left off is essential.
12. Craft a Bow and Arrows
Once the cannibals become more aggressive towards you, having a bow and arrows will be extremely helpful as you can quickly neutralize them with one hit to the head without putting yourself in danger. Bow and arrows require basic craft resources, so ensure you are well-stocked on arrows.
Aiming with the bow can be tricky, so we recommend that you start practicing as soon as you craft it. And don’t worry about running out of arrows; you can grab them back from enemies and surfaces.
13. Don’t Attack Virginia
Virginia is the three-legged and armless lady who will approach you every once in a while in Sons of the Forest. Your first reaction might be to attack her, but it would be wise not to.
Virginia can become a loyal and lethal companion whom you can equip with weapons to protect you and Kelvin. Be patient, and let Virginia approach you so that you can recruit her. Once you befriend Virginia in the Sons of the Forest, you will have a much stronger ally to cover your back.
Virginia can carry both a shotgun and a pistol at the same time. If you would like to find an additional weapon, check out our guide on how to get the shotgun in the Sons of the Forest.
14. Start to Craft Armor Once Your Essential Needs are Met
Especially in difficult situations, taking damage from various sources in Sons of the Forest will be inevitable. We strongly recommend that you begin constructing armor right away.
The most accessible armor to craft is the Leaf Armor, which won’t provide excellent damage protection but can make a difference. Once you get close and personal with the cannibals, burn them to get bones and craft Bone Armor, which is more potent than Leaf Armor.
Always wear armor to keep you from getting hit and dying.
15. Beginners to The Sons of the Forest Should Explore Caves Only When They are Ready
Once you have followed all the previous tips and are ready to take on a more vigorous challenge, start exploring caves and points of interest; this will grant you access to more vital gear that will allow you to progress through the game.
Don’t get cocky; these caves will be packed with some of the strangest and most dangerous mutants ever seen.
Final Thoughts on How to Survive as a Beginner in The Sons of the Forest
We crafted this beginners guide to the Sons of the Forest for new players like you. Hopefully, these 15 tips will help you to survive the gruesome dangers waiting for you in the shadows of Sons of the Forest.
We hope you have as much fun as we have with this game; it is an amazing and unique title that will have you playing all night.
Please let us know what content you want us to cover for this game or other amazing first-person games. In the meantime, feel free to check our other articles, such as our guide about How to Get the Revolver in Sons of the Forest.
Good luck and have fun, fellow survivors!
