If you played The Forest, the chances are you already know you’re in for a rough ride when it comes to surviving in Sons of The Forest. From cannibals and mutants that want to rip you limb from limb to surviving the elements, sometimes a little guidance can go a long way when it comes to staying alive.

Sons of The Forest left Early Access and launched in full on February 22, 2024. The 1.0 release brought new story content, cutscenes, balance changes, new features, and plenty of smaller improvements, so this guide has been updated to reflect the full version of the game.

1. Use the Quick Access Inventory

While Endnight added hotkeys fairly early in the game’s development, the quick access inventory is also handy for accessing things that you don’t want to waste a hotkey on.

The inventory system in Sons of The Forest is awesome, but the last thing you want to be doing in a pinch is pulling out a giant mat on the floor and rummaging through your belongings.

The quick inventory feature makes things much quicker and easier; instead of taking everything out on the floor, you quickly pull your bag out, offering much quicker access.

To open the quick access inventory, press and hold the inventory button (default I). With the bag out in front of you, quickly choose the item you want by clicking on it.

2. Look After Your Companions

Companions are one of the best new features in Sons of The Forest, but if you don’t look after them, they can be killed, leaving you to defend yourself alone in the wilderness.

At the start of the game, you get Kelvin as a companion, a lovable guy who has a passion for chopping down trees (especially ones with your tree houses on).

Kelvin makes building in Sons of The Forest so much easier, as you can command Kelvin to do tons of tasks, from catching fish to collecting logs. This can be extremely useful, letting you focus on building your base instead of collecting the materials you need.

The second companion you get in Sons of The Forest is Virginia, but unlike Kelvin, you need to earn Virginia’s trust before she becomes a companion and helps you survive.

If either companion is permanently killed, they are gone for good, so it’s important to look after them and make sure you don’t accidentally kill them while defending your base. Being knocked down isn’t the same as being permanently killed, though. Kelvin might get knocked down a few times, but don’t worry about that; you can simply pick him back up again.

3. Put a Tracker on Virginia

Unlike Kelvin, Virginia tends to go for random walks around the island. There might be a few times when you don’t see her for several in-game days.

Giving her a tracker makes it easy to keep an eye on her location, making sure that you always know where she is at all times.

If her tracker disappears from the map, then the chances are she has died. If you have saved recently, you could roll back to the latest save and try to find her before she dies.

4. Get the Shovel Early On

While there are tons of tools and weapons you can find or craft in Sons of The Forest, one of the most important tools is the shovel. Not only can it be used to dig down to bunkers, where you can find 3D printers and other loot, but it can also be used to dig open graves for loot too.

You can’t simply run straight to the shovel at the start of the game, though. You’ll need the Rope Gun and the Rebreather before you can reach it.

The shovel can be found in one of the caves. If you’re not sure how to get the shovel, you can follow our Sons of The Forest shovel guide, which will guide you to the shovel quickly.

5. Explore Caves Early On

Caves offer some of the best loot in the game. They also provide access to some of the game’s key story elements, but they can be dangerous if you go in badly prepared.

Exploring the caves during the early stages of the game will give you access to key tools more quickly, helping you prepare properly before moving further through the game’s progression.

Caves also have useful equipment in them, like the zipline tool, or the shovel, both of which are needed to continue the game’s main story.

6. Make Your Exterior Walls Pointy

It won’t take long before your base starts getting attacked by hordes of ever-increasingly difficult enemies. Building an exterior wall, with gates for access, can be a great way to keep the enemies out, but if they’re not spiked, enemies will simply climb over them.

You can also build stick spikes against your wall too, offering another layer of protection, as most cannibals will die on the spikes before they even make it to your wall. Although you will need to go and replace or repair these after a few hits.

7. Build Near Fresh Water

Fresh water is an essential part of staying alive in Sons of The Forest, and while you have more options now, including rain catchers, cooking pots, and carrying water with you, building near a reliable source of fresh water can still save you a lot of time.

Not only can being near fresh water offer you a clean water source, but it’s also a great place to fish from too. And if Kelvin is still alive, he is an absolute beast when it comes to fishing; before long you will have an entire fish graveyard at your feet.

8. Prepare for Winter

Unlike The Forest, Sons of The Forest has seasons, and of course, the harshest of all the seasons is winter. Make sure to stock up on food, water, and medicine before winter hits, or you could find yourself running short.

During the winter, many water sources freeze up, which can make things more difficult when it comes to hydrating. Keeping water stored and making sure you have a filled flask before winter arrives can save you from suddenly having to hunt around for something to drink.

Another issue with winter is the lack of herbs and plants, which makes it hard to make medicine. During the other seasons, stock up on pain meds, as well as plants, to ensure you have enough for the winter.

9. Use Ziplines for Logs

If you want to speed up base building in Sons of The Forest, you can use zip lines to quickly transport logs back to your base. If you have the chainsaw, chop down as many trees within an area as you can, then use the zipline to send them all back to your base en masse.

If you haven’t got the chainsaw yet, you can get Kelvin to chop down trees for you, while you zipline the trees back to base.