Sons of the Forest guide and walkthrough: Tips and tricks for surviving the island

Crash-landed in cannibal paradise.

Guide by Kelsey Raynor Guides Writer

Updated on Jan. 30, 2024

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.

Loot the crash site

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.

The player stands at the crash site in Sons of the Forest

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!

Set up camp near a river

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.

Don't forget that winter is coming

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.

Keep Kelvin around

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.

The player looks at Kelvin in Sons of the Forest

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.

Ammo is scarce

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.

The island’s inhabitants are not here to make friends

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!

The player uses and looks at their quick inventory in Sons of the Forest

Use your quick inventory in a pinch

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.