Best Weapons In Sons Of The Forest

The new release of Sons Of The Forest has players returning to a cannibal-infested island in a bid to survive and thrive. One key change from its predecessor is the protagonist and the overall plot. Rather than being a civilian passenger in a plane crash, the player will embrace the role of a high-tech rescue operative, meaning more tricks, tools, and weapons are available. Including firearms is also a welcome change, along with companions and a series of other technical improvements. A series of new melee weapons have also been added to the game, along with the return of a few fan favorites from the first game. The forest can be thick and difficult to navigate, so with each weapon, a short guide on where and how to find them is included.

While it is largely down to each player and their preferences which weapon they prefer, there are certainly some weapons that have considerable advantages over others, and sometimes they are not altogether as difficult to acquire as they might seem. Players can collect and craft a range of weapons and store them all in a single inventory, so there is no need to worry about having to ditch one weapon in favor of another one.

Updated January 8, 2025 by Andrew McLarney: With the release of the 1.0 update, Sons of the Forest has officially left Early Access, with several new features, weapons, traps, and events now introduced to the game. New weapons have been added, as well as existing entries being re-ordered and amended in accordance with the game as it evolves.

25

Utility Knife

A Basic Starting Weapon Better Suited To Crafting

• Location: Automatically acquired during cutscene

The Utility Knife is a basic close-range weapon that the player will have available from the very start of the game. The knife will be used automatically for crafting, but it can also be equipped and used as a weapon if necessary.

While it can certainly harm enemies, it will take a fair few stabs and slashes to take down even the weakest of cannibals, so it is best suited to hunting slow, small-game creatures if no axes or arrows are available.

24

Crafted Spear

Though Easy To Craft, This Weapon Is Best Used For Hunting

• Crafting Ingredients: 2x Stick, 1x Utility Knife, 1x Tape

Crafting is one of the core features for players to familiarize themselves with in Sons of the Forest. A good way to do this is through the crafting of basic weapons. The spear is a useful tool that can either be thrust or thrown at any desired target.

The ingredients are relatively common and should be easy to find in abandoned camps or cave entrances. Unfortunately, the weapon is relatively weak without upgrades. It is best used for hunting fish and deer, rather than standing up to cannibal tribes.

23

Crafted Club

A Brute Force Blunt Weapon For When Things Get Tribal

• Crafting Ingredients: 1x Stick, 1x Rope, 1x Skull

Much like the Crafted Spear, the Crafted Club is a relatively primitive weapon. Without upgrades, it will be less effective than even the basic axe. While the damage output may be slightly higher, it comes at the cost of a very slow swing speed.

Fortunately, this can be improved with the addition of Solafite, a unique resource found throughout the island, particularly in caves. Applying the upgrade will give a damage boost to the club, making it significantly more powerful.

22

Crafted Bow

A Versatile Ranged Weapon, Though A Basic One

• Crafting Ingredients: 2x Stick, 2x Rope, 2x Tape

The Crafted Bow is easily one of the best early-game tools players can craft. It will enable them to both hunt and fight from a distance, all while remaining relatively stealthy. It will also have near-limitless ammunition in the form of sticks and stones.

While it may not be as powerful as some of the other bows and ranged weapons in the game, the Crafted Bow is bound to be useful for players in the early stages of a game. It can always be a good backup, considering that firearms ammunition is not easy to come by.

21

Axe

The Basic Starting Tool For All Players

• Location: Automatically acquired during cutscene

This small axe is provided in the emergency pack that the player will automatically pick up during the game’s opening crash cutscene(s). This versatile weapon can be used to hack down trees, ropes, and enemies alike.

It is very light and fast to use, which allows the player to deliver many hits in a short space of time without having to worry about long wind-ups. The downside is a weak block that will not do much to stop larger cannibal attacks.

20

Cattle Prod/Stun Baton

Can Temporarily Slow Enemies and Reduce Cannibal Aggression

• Location: Cave entrance near the southern lake

The cattle prod is a stun weapon that can be used to pacify enemies at close range. Depending on the relationship the player wants with the cannibal tribes, stunning enemies can be better than butchering them in front of their friends, making the cattle prod a useful tool in any Sons of the Forest player’s inventory.

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The cattle prod/stun baton can be found in a pile of skulls near a cave by the lake that is connected to the sea. Players can follow the rivers from the sea to locate it, and will not need a shovel to retrieve it, as with some others.

19

Machete

A Fast, Effective Blade Ideal For Dicing Up Enemies

• Location: Southern Bay Camp

The machete is a brutal weapon and can be used for crafting or combat alike. A swift-cutting arc makes this weapon one of the best choices in Sons of the Forest. The machete can be found in a small ruined camp on a beach in the southern bay, opposite the cave entrance and sea helicopter crash site.

This should be relatively easy to find for players who crash-land nearby. For others who may have had alternate beginnings, it’s best to look for the small estuary in the south of the island to locate the cave entrance.

18

Katana

Perfect For Dismembering Enemies Quickly

• Location: Underground Bunker (North)

As the best weapon from The Forest, the katana is difficult to access. The katana is a very fast blade that will cut through most cannibals with ease, and cause massive damage. Be prepared to fight if searching for this one, as it is located deep inside a well-defended location hidden in a cave on the northern side of the island, just above the lake.

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Though acquiring this weapon may prove difficult, it is worth the effort since it is one of the best melee weapons in the game. In addition, underground bunkers often house a variety of other useful tools and items, so it’s worth taking the time to look for them.

17

Chainsaw

For When Maximum Carnage Is Required

• Location: Underground Bunker Cinema Room

The chainsaw is located in the same underground facility as the katana, only this time it is in a sort of theater room. This room is located to the right, toward the exit of the swimming pool. This highly effective weapon can dismember enemies of all sizes and create a gory mess. It is also an efficient tree-cutter, which will be essential when building a large base.

The chainsaw requires batteries to operate, and these will need to be topped up over time. It can also be an extremely efficient tool for cutting down trees, but we know that’s not what most players will use it for.

16

Guitar

An Inferior Wooden Weapon With A Dual Purpose

• Location: Entertainment Bunker

The guitar is more of a novelty item than a first-choice weapon, but it still provides great entertainment when being used to batter lower-level enemies around. It can also be used to play instrumental covers of the game’s soundtrack, so it is worth retrieving for that alone.

The guitar can be found in the Entertainment Bunker along with the Modern Axe and Electric Chainsaw. It should go without saying both these alternatives are preferable to the guitar when it comes to combating mutants.

15

Putter

A Blunt Club With A Fast Swing Speed And Unique Ability

• Location: North-East Golf Course

The Putter is another novelty weapon that can be used for entertainment. In addition to clubbing tribal cannibals over the head, it can also be used in conjunction with any collected golf balls to tee off just about anywhere on the map.

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There are several places in which players can acquire a Putter, but the most reliable is the golf course in the northeastern region of the map. Here, a club can usually be found next to the abandoned cart, and another in the sand trap.

14

Pickaxe

A Brutal Stabbing Weapon With Good Melee Range

• Location: Solafite Cave (North-East)

Though perhaps not the ideal weapon, the Pickaxe has several uses beyond impaling cannibals and mutants. It can also be used in conjunction with the Solafite Upgrader to produce unique items, and the axe itself can also be upgraded with solafite.

The Pickaxe has a surprisingly nifty swing speed, and its thrusting damage is likely to cause enemies to stagger when hit cleanly. While the Pickaxe is a decent weapon, especially for the early game, it may struggle against some of the game’s larger enemies.

13

Slingshot

A Primitive But Effective Ranged Weapon

• Location: Found on the body of an impaled soldier near the cave at the adjoining rivers (slightly West of the Central Mountains)

Though the Slingshot might not seem like the best choice of weapon when there are so many other lethal options available, it certainly has several unique advantages to consider. First of all, the abundance of ammunition means that the Slingshot will seldom run out.

Additionally, it is a quiet weapon and can be used stealthily as a result. The Slingshot also has great accuracy, even if it is not the most powerful weapon. It can make for a useful alternative to bows when hunting as well.

12

Modern Axe

Great For Lopping Down Trees And Mutants Alike

• Location: North-Eastern purple GPS marker

The Modern Axe strikes an ideal balance between speed and power. While the weapon can deal a deadly blow, taking down even larger cannibals with just a few swings, it also has the speed to deliver these attacks quickly without offering enemies a chance to recover and counter.

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The only downside is the cost of stamina, which can deplete very quickly when swinging together combos with the axe. In almost every way, this is an upgraded version of the standard axe and can be put to use in crafting as well as combat.

11

Firefighter Axe

• Location: Maintenance A Bunker (North-West)

The Firefighter Axe is a powerful two-handed weapon, capable of delivering even more damage than the modern axe, though at the cost of a slower swing. Power attacks with this axe are more likely to cause staggering to enemies than most other melee weapons.

To find the Firefighter Axe, players will need to head to Maintenance Bunker A in the northwest of the map. Like the other maintenance bunker entrances, this will require a shovel to excavate. Once inside, the axe can be found in an emergency box next to the generator.

10

Compound Bow

A Powerful Modern Bow With Great Accuracy And Velocity

• Location: Maintenance Bunker B (South-West)

The compound bow is arguably the best in the game due to its strong power, range, and accuracy. While it doesn’t possess a sight, it is still quite straightforward to aim and can make a worthy upgrade from the Crafted Bow.

To find the Compound Bow, players will need to locate Maintenance Bunker B in the southwest area of the island. The entrance will require a shovel to uncover, and once inside, the bow can be found next to a body in a bathtub there.

9

Crossbow

Can Turn Players From Prey Into Predator

• Location: Underground Bunker

The crossbow is one of the most powerful ranged weapons in the game and offers the additional advantage of stealth when attacking cannibals. Once the 3D printer room has been found and a maintenance key card acquired in the underground bunker, players can access a green room with plants inside.

Passing through here and into the next room, players will find the crossbow in between bookshelves and next to a dead body in the darkness. The weapon relies on a rare type of ammunition called crossbow bolts, which can be its only downside.

8

Stun Gun

Useful For Pacifying Enemies, But Difficult To Retrieve

• Location: Deep inside the Southern Cave

Like the cattle prod, the stun gun can be useful for tranquilizing rather than killing enemies, offering a ranged alternative that can be especially valuable in low-health situations. The stun gun is deep inside the first cave encountered from the sea crash site, which is located on the northern side of the same bay as the machete.

The gun is found on the body of a dead maintenance worker, who has been strung up by the neck from the ceiling of the cave. Players can choose to either exit via the way they came or delve deeper into the caverns to search for more valuables.

7

Cross

A Mystical Weapon Used For Fighting Mutants & Demons

• Location: Deep Caves Near Beach Crash Site

The Cross is one of the few special supernatural weapons in Sons of the Forest, which can certainly help considering the types of enemies players have to deal with. While the Cross can’t be used to outright bludgeon enemies, it can help to pacify them.

Cannibals are less predictable and easily controlled, so it will depend on one’s relationship with nearby tribes whether or not they will attack. For mutants, the Cross serves to ward them away but deals no damage. In the mid-to-late game, when Demons become more common, the Cross is one of the only weapons to damage them significantly.

6

Pistol

Kill Many Enemies With A Single Headshot

• Location: In a small life raft in the Southern Bay

The pistol can be located by following the markers on the protagonist’s GPS tracker. Head to the point closest to the ocean, and there will be an orange life raft visible at sea. Climb aboard the life raft to find valuable supplies, including the pistol. This weapon will cut down cannibals with ease, but its loud noise is likely to attract more of them, so it is best to use it only in emergencies.

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The player can also give the weapon to Virginia, who has formidable accuracy when doing so. This can be one of the best uses of the pistol, as it will enable players to maximize the overall defensive capabilities of their camp, provided they have befriended Virginia.