In Sons of the Forest it’s not just about survival, but also about building. As in its predecessor, you have plenty of great recipes at your disposal to shape the island to your liking. On top of that, there’s a completely new building system that gives you far more scope for your own ideas and creative constructions. Both systems can be combined seamlessly and cover different aspects of the game. We’ll look at both in detail and show you how to lay the groundwork for your first base.
Sons of the Forest blueprint system: Get to your first base fast
Open the build book with B, then hold X to switch it to your left hand and enable the classic build mode. This works similarly to the first The Forest: you place blueprints in the world and then fill them with the required materials. Even at the start you’ll find loads of useful recipes, though a few rare structures only unlock later.
Early on, this system is ideal when you want a quick and simple shelter. You have access to various small buildings you can complete in roughly a day. You can place them on the ground or attach them to a tree. More complex builds, however, consume a lot of resources and therefore time and energy. They’re better suited to later in the game, once you’re stronger, have a better axe for felling trees, and a steady supply of food nearby.
That said, blueprints are essential for a number of structures you can’t make with the new free build system, including:
- Furniture: Build tables, benches, chairs and even a bed to make your home more inviting.
- Traps: Use traps to catch animals and fish, and to defend yourself against hostile locals. Just make sure you don’t step into them yourself!
- Storage: Create storage for building materials and add shelves or other surfaces for all kinds of items in your home. This keeps your inventory from overflowing.
- Decoration: From paths, wall decor and light sources to animal cages, there are plenty of additional elements to place in your base.
- Gardens: With seeds and a planter you can grow your own little garden.
The blueprint system is simple and intuitive, and every player should make use of it. Building resources must be added in sequence. Always pay attention to which material is currently required. You’ll see this when looking at the blueprint in the world: the requested material is marked with a white arrow and can be placed with E. Any still-missing resources are shown at the bottom left as a text list — this applies to all builds you have in the world. You can delete blueprints by holding X.
Sons of the Forest free build system: Create without blueprints
If you move the handbook back to your right hand with X, you’ll see different recipes. You can’t place these as silhouettes; you need to remember them and place the required materials directly in the world.
This is the completely new free build system introduced with this game. You work directly with resources and no longer have to stick to blueprints. It gives you far more freedom and complements many of the blueprint structures perfectly.
Building with sticks: fire, torches, fences and traps
First, equip a stick from your inventory and experiment with what you can do. You can snap the stick to make a fire, or plant it in the ground to unlock more recipes. A fire should be your initial priority. Your character breaks the stick over their knee and lights the campfire. You can reinforce it by placing seven larger stones around it.
With upright sticks you can craft other things. Torches are worthwhile to brighten up the nights. Wrap a cloth around the stick, then place another stick on top. You can also decorate a torch with a skull.
You can also build a fence out of sticks to surround your base. And if you strike an upright stick from a certain angle with your axe (shown as a curved arrow), you can turn it into sharpened spikes as traps.
Building with logs: foundation, walls, palisade
Logs are your most important building resource. They’re the backbone of large houses and offer far more flexibility in Sons of the Forest than in the predecessor.
Once you’ve felled a tree, you can do many things with a log:
- Split lengthways to get two flat half-logs
- Cut into up to four smaller pieces for short stumps
- Ram upright into the ground to create a palisade/defensive wall
- Lay lengthways on the ground to build a wall
A platform for a house starts with a foundation, which you should first mark with four small log stumps. This also helps to level the terrain. In principle, you can build with the ground and the platforms will adapt — but only to a point. Once you’ve placed something, dashed lines indicate additional actions. They help you keep spacing consistent, add new logs, and unlock extra functions.
The free build system is deep and gives you many options to create your dream base. Flip through the handbook to see what’s possible: reinforce posts and roofs, build stairs, add doors and windows, or even construct with stone.
Practical tips for base building in Sons of the Forest
- Choosing a location: Build near water, resources, and gentle terrain. Avoid well-travelled enemy paths.
- Defence: Secure your base with a palisade wall (sharpen logs) and place traps at choke points. Torches improve visibility at night.
- Resource management: Set up storage and shelves so your inventory doesn’t overflow. Stack logs neatly to keep pathways clear.
- Efficiency: Plan your foundation first, then build walls, doors and windows. Watch alignment using the dashed lines.
- Safety: Save regularly, work in stages, and reset blueprints if needed (hold X) when something doesn’t fit.
- Multiplayer: Split tasks (logging, building, defence) and define clear paths within the base.
Conclusion: Master the systems and build the perfect base
Sons of the Forest has thoroughly revamped its building system and is perfect for survivalists who want to live in style on the island. Players of The Forest will feel right at home with the blueprint system, but the new free build system offers far more ways to realise your own ideas and build huge bases. Rent your Sons of the Forest server now and work with your friends on a large house where you can live and survive together. A perfect combination of both methods will help you create your dream home!
