Unlike many other survival games, Sons of the Forest features a complete story to uncover! It follows directly on from The Forest, but it’s perfectly enjoyable without prior knowledge. You can play through the story at your own pace with no time limit. And even after the ending, you can keep building your base and exploring the island – there’s no definitive end. We recommend not putting the story off forever, but do make sure you’re properly geared up first so you’re ready for anything. With our guide, you’ll be able to progress from start to finish – low on spoilers and packed with practical tips.
Sons of the Forest story: cave guide, gear and first steps
Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the basic mechanics of Sons of the Forest, it’s time to brave the caves. That’s where you’ll find the first clues to what has happened on the island. Beforehand, you should at least have found the torch, the Modern Axe and the pistol.
- Diving gear: Head to the north of the map first and search the cave there for the diving gear. You’ll need it later to deal with flooded sections.
- Rope Gun: With the rebreather in hand, head for the cave with the Rope Gun, a key item for progressing the story and for your building projects.
- Shovel: You’ll need both the diving gear and the Rope Gun for the third cave, where you can grab the shovel at the end. There you’ll also get a glimpse of a strange underground structure.
We already have a very detailed guide to all cave sections if you want exact details (Sons of the Forest caves: best order, locations & tips) . The important thing is to pick up the story-critical items and hold your own against the first mutants.
Bunker guide: find keycards, defeat the Pufftons and open the Luxury Bunker
The shovel is the pivotal item you need for the next steps. Many of the island’s secrets are hidden underground, including entrances to bunkers used by the Puffton family. That’s your next step if you want to follow the story. We’ve also put together a bunker guide (Sons of the Forest bunkers: best order, keycards, loot and tips) . For the story, your main goals are to find the keycards and unlock the Luxury Bunker.
- Maintenance A: In this bunker, make sure you pick up the Maintenance Keycard so you can use it in later bunkers.
- Food and supplies bunker: Here you’ll face your first major boss fight: to get the next VIP Keycard, you must take on the Puffton couple. The two are essentially tougher Puffies. We recommend standing behind the glass wall at the end of the room and fighting from a rock there. The shotgun is excellent for this.
- Entertainment bunker: You’ll find another keycard in the Entertainment bunker. The Guest Keycard there is required to open the next bunker and unlock the gate to the end of the game.
- Residential bunker: The Residential bunker is not only packed with loot and important items (like the Katana), it’s also a key stepping stone towards the ending of Sons of the Forest. With the Guest Keycard you can activate several doors and, at the end, in a room full of monitors, enable the door to the Luxury Bunker.
- Luxury Bunker: Head straight to the newly opened Luxury Bunker. Even if you can’t explore everything yet, you’ll find an important blueprint that points you towards your next objective. At the end you’ll come to a golden door, with a skeleton beside it holding instructions for the Ancient Armour.
Ancient Armour and Solafite: find rare artefacts in caves
To open the golden door in the Luxury Bunker, you must wear a specific set of armour. You can only craft it by finding the armour pieces and then upgrading them using the blueprint you discovered. Of course, you’ll first need to find the armour and the right material – which means heading back into the caves. You can tackle both objectives in any order.
- Cave with Ancient Armour: You’ll need the diving gear again for this cave. It’s also the longest cave on the island, with multiple entrances on the east and west sides of the big mountain. We recommend the south-west entrance by the larger lake. Explore thoroughly to find the Ancient Armour.
- Cave with pickaxe: Next, you’ll need Solafite ore, which you can mine in another cave. It lies south of the golf course and isn’t as long as some others. Deep inside you’ll find a pickaxe and, right next to it, the golden Solafite ore you can mine. Take as much as you can carry. You’ll need 12 Solafite to upgrade the armour. Tip: torches and flares help you spot enemies early.
Endgame walkthrough: Luxury Bunker, Hell Cave and final boss fights
Use the Armour Plater, the Ancient Armour and the Solafite ore to transform the armour, then use it on the golden door in the Luxury Bunker.
- Luxury Bunker: Head back to the Luxury Bunker and open the golden door. This unlocks the Hell Cave, letting you delve even deeper into the island’s secrets.
- Hell Cave: The Hell Cave is peppered with red lava but is fairly linear. You won’t be alone either: Tim LeBlanc (son of the protagonist from The Forest) will be at your side. Fight your way to the end and defeat the giant demon in a boss battle there.
- On the beach: After a longer cutscene you’ll wake up on the beach, ready to face the true boss of Sons of the Forest: a mutated Jianyu Zhang, the man who knocked you out at the start of the game. He has become a Sluggy that you must defeat.
After the boss fight, the game offers multiple endings. You can board the helicopter or pick up your backpack and remain on the island. Your relationship with Kelvin and especially Virginia will also determine which ending you can get.
Conclusion: story explained and tips for the finale
The story of Sons of the Forest follows on from its predecessor and offers deeper insight into the machinations that led to the mutations on the island. You’ll explore much of the island, uncover clues and piece together its secrets.
It’s even more fun to play through with friends. [Rent a Sons of the Forest server from us]{.underline} and, with the help of our guide, make it all the way to the end of the story.
