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🌲 Sons of the Forest — Caves & Story Walkthrough

Last updated: June 2026 | Game version: 1.1

Sons of the Forest's story is hidden beneath the island. The main narrative unfolds in caves and bunkers — underground complexes filled with mutants, cannibals, and lore. Many are non-linear and interconnected, making it easy to get lost. This guide covers every cave entrance, the full loot table, enemy types, story progression, and all endings.

Essential Prep Before Any Cave

Before entering any underground area:

Item Why You Need It
🔦 Lighter Crafted from 1 stick + 1 cloth — required for vision in almost every cave
💡 Flashlight Found in cave B1 (see below) — better than the lighter
🩹 Medicines 10+ — each heals 35 HP and removes infection
🪵 Food Dried meat (craft on a drying rack) — 10+ pieces
🗡️ Better Weapon Modern Axe or Shotgun (found in caves) — the Crafted Spear is not enough
🪢 Rope For ziplines and escape routes

General Strategy: - Run past enemies in early caves — many are narrow and fighting mutants in tight corridors is suicide - Place a tarp shelter at the cave entrance so you can save and sleep outside - Mark cave entrances on your GPS map with a custom marker - Bring a sled (crafted from 4 sticks + 2 rope) for hauling loot - Caves don't respawn — once cleared, they stay clear

Cave & Bunker Map Overview

The island has 6 major cave systems and 4 bunkers. Here's the recommended order:

Surface → Cave 1 (modern axe) → Cave 2 (rebreather)
  → Cave 3 (shovel) → Cave 4 (rope gun)
    → Bunker A (main story) → Bunker B (VIP)
      → Bunker C (maintenance) → Bunker D (secret/lab)
        → Endgame (final bunker)

⛰️ Cave 1 — The Maintenance Cave

Location: West of the crash site, behind a waterfall. GPS coordinates: roughly 1200W, 500S.

Difficulty: Easy

Loot Found:

Item Location
Modern Axe In the first chamber, stuck in a stump — best tree-cutting tool, also excellent weapon
Flashlight On a dead body in the right fork
3x Rope In wooden crates
Circuit Board Deeper chamber — used to craft advanced electronics
2x Creepy Armor Craftable from mutant skin — provides 30% damage reduction

Enemies: 2–3 Cannibals (early), 1 Mutant (deep chamber, optional)

Walkthrough:

  1. Enter behind the waterfall. The cave opens into a main chamber with 3 tunnels.
  2. Left tunnel: dead end with 2 crates (rope, food).
  3. Middle tunnel: leads to the Modern Axe chamber. The axe is in a large tree stump. 1 cannibal is guarding it.
  4. Right tunnel: deeper, leads to the Circuit Board and a large mutant. The mutant has slow attack patterns — side-step and use the modern axe for 5 hits, repeat.
  5. After the modern axe, you can rope-descend into a lower water pool. There's a weapon case with a Pistol Rail (attachment).

Why It's First: The Modern Axe drastically improves combat and resource gathering. Clear this before any other cave.

🌊 Cave 2 — The Rebreather Cave

Location: South beach, near the shipwreck. Look for a small cave entrance at sea level. GPS: roughly 800S, 300E.

Difficulty: Medium

Loot Found:

Item Location
Rebreather Underwater chamber — allows breathing in deep water
3x C4 Brick In a metal crate
Pistol Ammo (12) Various bodies
Wetsuit Deepest chamber — faster swimming, cold resistance

Enemies: Cannibals (3–4), 2 Mutants (one underwater, one on the exit path)

Walkthrough:

  1. The entrance is partially flooded. Wade through the first pool.
  2. Main chamber — 3 cannibals are praying around a bonfire. Stealth kill them with the bow.
  3. Underwater tunnel — this needs the rebreather! Swim down, follow the tunnel for 20 seconds, surface in a new chamber.
  4. The Rebreather is on a skeleton in the air pocket chamber.
  5. Deep chamber — a wetsuit is in a submerged crate (15m deep). Use the rebreather. A mutan swimming here — avoid it or kill with 3–4 modern axe hits.

Why It's Second: The Rebreather opens up water paths, shipwreck loot, and access to other caves.

🗺️ Cave 3 — The Shovel Cave

Location: Northwest section of the island, in a dense forest. The entrance is hidden under a fallen tree. GPS: roughly 1500W, 100N.

Difficulty: Hard

⚠️ Warning: This cave has a spider-like mutant called the "Fingers" that can one-shot you with its tongue grab.

Loot Found:

Item Location
Shovel Final chamber — required to dig up bunker entrances
Shotgun In a weapon case, mid-cave — extremely valuable
Shotgun Shells (20) Various crates and bodies
2x Flashlight Attachment For the shotgun
GPS Locator Upgrade Extended range tracker

Enemies: 6+ Cannibals, 3 Mutants (small), 1 Fingers (large mutant boss)

Walkthrough:

  1. The entrance leads to a 20m vertical drop. Rope down — you can't get back up without the rope gun (Cave 4). Bring enough supplies.
  2. First section: winding tunnels with cannibal patrols. Use the bow for stealth kills. Each cannibal body can be looted for coins and cloth.
  3. The Drop Room: a large vertical shaft with platforms. Descent carefully — the Fingers mutant is at the bottom.
  4. The Fingers Boss Fight:
  5. It has a long-range tongue grab that pulls you in — sprint sideways when you hear the tongue sound
  6. Once grabbed, mash E to break free before it bites (bite kills in 2 hits)
  7. Weakness: fire. Molotovs deal 4x damage
  8. The arena has 4 pillars — kite around them
  9. 3 shotgun blasts to the face stagger it for 5 seconds
  10. Final chamber — the shovel is next to a skeleton. Behind it is a maintenance hatch that's the shortcut back to the surface (requires shovel to dig it out from outside, then it's open).

Why It's Third: The Shovel unlocks every bunker on the island. Don't leave without it.

🧗 Cave 4 — The Rope Gun Cave

Location: Mountain in the center-north of the island. GPS: roughly 100W, 800N. The entrance is a crack in the cliff face.

Difficulty: Hard

Loot Found:

Item Location
Rope Gun Final chamber — enables ziplines and shortcuts
Stun Baton In a weapon case — shocks enemies, low damage but stun-locks them
2x C4 Brick On a maintenance shelf
Batteries (3) For the stun baton and gadgets

Enemies: 4+ Cannibals, 2 Mutants (one is a "Twins" mutant — two-headed enemy)

Walkthrough:

  1. The entrance is a vertical climb. You'll need to jump across gaps — timing matters.
  2. First chamber — a cannibal camp with 3 hostiles. Clear it from the high ledge using arrows.
  3. Rope bridge section — cross a broken stone bridge by jumping across 4 platforms. Miss and you fall 30m into a water pool (survivable, but annoying).
  4. The Twins Mutant:
  5. Two heads with separate health bars. Each head has its own attack
  6. Head A: ranged bile spit (poison)
  7. Head B: melee claw swipe
  8. They share movement — if you run behind a pillar, they both circle
  9. Kill Head A first (ranged is more dangerous), then Head B
  10. Shotgun is ideal — 3 shells per head
  11. Final room — the Rope Gun is on a weapon rack. A dead body next to it holds a note with a bunker passcode.

Why It's Fourth: The Rope Gun unlocks movement across the island and shortcuts back out of caves.

🏢 Bunker A — Main Story Bunker

Location: Southwest of the crash site, near the beach. The entrance is buried — use the Shovel to dig it up. GPS: roughly 500W, 600S.

Difficulty: Hard

Loot Found:

Item Location
Maintenance Keycard A Office desk in the first section — opens Bunker C
Guest Keycard Security room — opens Bunker B
3x C4 Brick Armory
Night Vision Goggles Security locker
Gold Armor Display case in the VIP quarters — +50% armor, +20% cold resistance
Story Note #1: "The Protocol" VP's office desk

Enemies: 8+ Mutants (various), 2 Twisted Mutants, environmental hazards (poison gas vents)

Walkthrough:

  1. Entrance hall: dining room with 2 cannibals eating. Stealth kill them.
  2. Office wing: 3 offices with computers. Read all notes for lore.
  3. Armory: locked door needs Guest Keycard. Inside: C4, shotgun ammo, Night Vision.
  4. Living quarters: 2 Twins mutants. Clear with shotguns.
  5. The VP's office: Gold Armor in a display case. Story note explains the "Protocol" — a failsafe to destroy the island's research.
  6. Final security gate: needs Maintenance Keycard A. Beyond it is a zipline exit back to the surface.

🏢 Bunker B — The VIP Bunker

Location: Central island, under a mansion ruin. Dig up the hatch in the mansion's basement. GPS: roughly 100W, 200S.

Difficulty: Very Hard

Loot Found:

Item Location
The VIP (Edward Puffton) Cryo chamber — the billionaire you were sent to find
Maintenance Keycard B On Edward's body — opens Bunker C maintenance section
Story Note #2: "The Research Files" Lab computer
Crossbow Weapon case — silent, high damage
Crossbow Bolts (15) Nearby crate

Enemies: 10+ Mutants (heavy concentration), 1 Demo Mutant (explodes when killed — fight at range)

Walkthrough:

  1. This bunker is heavily infested. Go slow, use night vision, and conserve ammo.
  2. Lab section: 5 rooms of mutated creature experiments. Read research notes for backstory.
  3. Cryo chamber: Edward Puffton is alive! Interacting triggers an attack from the Demo Mutant (it was guarding him).
  4. The Demo Mutant:
  5. Slow, but deals massive AOE damage
  6. Glows red when about to explode
  7. When it dies, it explodes in a 15m radius — run away
  8. Weakness: ranged weapons only. Do not melee.
  9. Escape: After the Demo Mutant, grab Maintenance Keycard B and exit through the maintenance tunnel.

Story Development: Edward reveals the truth: the island was a research facility for a bio-weapon. The cannibals and mutants are test subjects that escaped. He knows the failsafe code.

🏢 Bunker C — Maintenance Bunker

Location: Inside Cave 1 (the Maintenance Cave). After getting the Shovel, return to Cave 1 and dig up the hatch in the first chamber.

Difficulty: Medium

Loot Found:

Item Location
Circuit Board + Blueprint Engineering station — craft solar panels and electric fences
Maintenance Keycard C Supervisor's desk
5x C4 Brick Storage room
Buggy Key Unlocks the golf cart near the mansion

Enemies: 4 Mutants, environmental hazards (electric floor panels)

Walkthrough:

  1. Enter from Cave 1's main chamber. The hatch is in the corner under rubble.
  2. Engineering section: puzzle — you need to restore power by flipping 3 breakers. The breakers are in different rooms, but the order is: Breaker 1 → Breaker 3 → Breaker 2. Wrong order triggers electric floor traps.
  3. Supervisor's office: Maintenance Keycard C and the Buggy Key.
  4. Storage: C4 bricks and a zipline exit.

🏢 Bunker D — Secret Lab / Final Bunker

Location: Island center, under the large mountain. Requires Maintenance Keycards A, B, and C to open the 3-layer security door.

Difficulty: Extreme

Loot Found:

Item Location
The Artifact Final chamber — key to all endings
Legendary Katana Security room — best melee weapon in the game
All Story Notes Complete the lore collection
Environmental Suit Allows walking through poison gas

Enemies: Swarms of Mutants, 2 Demon Mutants (tanky, explode on death), The Final Mutant (boss)

Walkthrough:

  1. Enter the mountain door (large blast door at the base). Insert all 3 keycards in sequence.
  2. Research section: 10 connected rooms full of mutants. There's no stealth — sprint from room to room, closing doors behind you.
  3. The Final Mutant (Boss Fight):
  4. Huge, armored, with 3 attack phases
  5. Phase 1: charge + claw swipe — dodge and shoot
  6. Phase 2: spawns mini-mutants — use grenades
  7. Phase 3: grows armor plates, becomes resistant to bullets — use C4 or the environmental hazards in the room (explosive barrels, gas vents)
  8. Drops: Mutant Heart (used to craft the best creepy armor)
  9. The Artifact room: a glowing orb on a pedestal. Taking it triggers a timer and the bunker begins self-destructing.
  10. Escape: 5-minute timer. Run through the evacuation tunnel (marked with green lights). At the end is a zipline that takes you to the surface.

🎬 All Endings

After escaping the final bunker with the Artifact, you have 3 endings depending on your choices:

Ending 1 — Destroy the Artifact

How: On the beach, use the Artifact with the Environmental Suit equipped.

Result: You destroy the Artifact, removing the island's source of power. The mutants slowly die out. You and Kelvin/Virginia escape by boat. Edward stays behind — he says he has "unfinished research."

Epilogue: A short cutscene shows the island peaceful, with plant life reclaiming the structures. End credits show newspaper clippings: "Billionaire Missing — Presumed Dead."

Ending 2 — Extract the Artifact

How: Call in the extraction helicopter using the flare gun (found in Bunker B).

Result: The military arrives and extracts you, Kelvin (if alive), and the Artifact. Virginia refuses to come — she sees the military as a threat.

Epilogue: Years later, a news report mentions "unexplained outbreaks in a military research facility." The Artifact has been weaponized. You see a shadow of your character watching the broadcast, holding the Katana. Implication: you enter a new facility to stop the military.

Ending 3 — Activate the Artifact

How: Activate the Artifact inside the final bunker with all 3 keycards inserted.

Result: A massive energy pulse emanates across the island. All mutants and cannibals die instantly. The pulse also sterilizes the island. You, Kelvin, and Virginia survive inside the bunker's shielded room.

Epilogue: You emerge to a silent, dead island. No mutants, no cannibals, no animals, no insects. The island is perfectly preserved but completely empty. You build a new life but the silence is unsettling. Final shot: a single flower pushes through the ash.

Quick Reference Map (Text-Only)

                        Cave 4 (Rope Gun)
                            |
                        [Mountain]
                            |
                  Bunker D ---+--- Cave 3 (Shovel)
                     |              |
                  Cave 1    [Forest]    Cave 2 (Rebreather)
                  (Axe)        |            |
                     |     Bunker B     [Beach]
                  Bunker C  (VIP)

Data sourced from the Sons of the Forest Wiki and verified in-game (v1.1). Cave layouts and loot are stable across patches but enemy spawns may vary slightly.