The Forest is a game that you really want to play with other people because of just how creepy it is. It is probably the most unique survival game out there and is also one of the best. What other game allows you to kill cannibals with a chainsaw on a small island. The story of the game is very good and has multiple endings.
When you are starting out, you get a starting ax that you use to start the game off. You then can go around and open all the suitcases on the ground to give you some extra items to survive with. The items will also help in the crafting of important weapons and healing items as well. There are some things you need to know when starting out and here are those things:
Build a temporary base
The first thing you have to do when you gather all the material from the crashed plane is to go and build a temporary shelter somewhere close where you have a safe place to stay at night. The building is very different from other games because you must carry the materials from the ground to where you are building your structure. You have to place down the plans on the ground first before adding anything to it.
Once the plans are down and it is in the place you want it, go and chop down some trees and find some sticks. Once your trees are chopped down, pick up the logs and use them to build your shelter. Once you get the shelter built, you can then save your game and sleep at night to get away from the cannibals. This is your priority to build the shelter once your game starts.
Craft some important items
There are some things that need to be crafted when you first start out to help you defend yourself and also help in the building process of your structures. The first thing that is really important to craft is a spear. The ax that you start with is very hard to use while fighting off cannibals. At least a weapon with a longer reach will be the best option for you. All it takes is 2 sticks and you have a spear. Add 2 cloth and 3 bone and it is the upgraded spear.
You can craft a Molotov by combining 1 cloth with 1 booze and it can be deadly to the cannibals. There are many helpful bags and pouches that you can make that adds more inventory space for objects like sticks, rocks, arrows, spears, berries, mushrooms, and water. Also making a repair tool will be helpful in repairing your base if the cannibals attack it.
A lot of the really good weapons and tools are found in the world and can’t be crafted, but there are still some that can. The bow is another very important weapon to craft because you can easily take out a bunch of cannibals from far away. To make the bow you need 1 stick, 1 cloth, and 1 rope and you have yourself a nice wooden bow. Keep in mind that you must craft arrows to shoot from it.
If you want to see a full list of everything that can be crafted then go to this link: https://theforest.gamepedia.com/Crafting
Find a source of food and water
The most important thing that you can do is find a small pond where you can drink water. There are other ways to get water like getting a turtle shell and catching water in it, but it is only a limited supply. Even though the pond’s water is not that good for you, it is better than dying because of dehydration. Also, if there is a pond, there are usually berry bushes around it, and those are a very good source of food.
You can also go out and kill animals for food to easily fill you up and get you ready for the next day. Also, the more food and water you keep in your inventory, the better off you will be and the less stressed about the items you will be. You can also find energy drinks and bars around the world, but make sure that you eat all the meat before you eat any of the bars because it goes bad a lot easier.
Find a good area to build a more permanent base
The most important thing is to figure out the location where you want to make your permanent base. You want to make sure that it is near good food and water supply. You also want to make sure that it is not in the middle of a field because you are going to be attacked by some massive cannibals. You might want to make your base somewhere high or up against a cliff so that you can have an escape plan if you need to get out easily.
Your base needs a bunch of things if you are going to survive in the game. First, you are going to have to build a large cabin so you can make your base around that. You are then going to put a barrier of walls around that so that you are protected when walking around your house. You can then place down your campfire once everything is built.
You probably want to place some spikes around the outside of your walls so the cannibals can’t break your outside walls down. Your base can’t have any flaws or weaknesses in it because the cannibals will find the weaknesses and take advantage of them. Always have multiple ways out of your base because you don’t want to get trapped inside while a huge cannibal is breaking through your door.
Explore the cave systems
There are a total of 14 cave systems in the game and in each of them, you can find an important item you can use to progress farther into the game. They are all filled with harder cannibals and can be very challenging, but the rewards are worth it. Here are all the caves and what you can find in each of them:
Cave 1 – Cave 1 has four entrances: one near the southeast rim of the sinkhole, and three surrounding a small cannibal village from there (one entrance is just to the north of the village, one to the west, and one to the east near a small pond. You can find a Katana, flashlight, toy body, and a cassette tape in it.
Cave 2 – Cave 2 has a climbing entrance inside the main Cannibal Village. There is a second entrance to the north near a smaller village on the side of a lake. The first time the player dies, they will wake up in this cave tied by their feet to the ceiling, with their plane ax within arm’s reach on the ground nearby. You can find a Modern Axe, compass, map, toy head, and 2 cassette tapes in it.
Cave 3 – Cave 3 has been resurrected as its own unique cave rather than being merged with Cave 1. It has two entrances: one on the river-bottom at the west side of the Fertile Lands and one near the dirty white tents across from two cannibal structures nearby. You can find a toy arm and a chainsaw in it.
Cave 4 – Cave 4 has an entrance to the west of the southern cannibal village on the side of a lake (northeast of the yacht). It contains one Spider Mutant and several mutant babies. You can find a cassette tape in it.
Cave 5 – Cave 5 has two entrances on the south-west of the peninsula, as well an underwater entrance beneath Geese Lake. Please note, however, that entering the underwater entrance without the re-breather will likely lead to death. Cave 5 is divided into two sections by a giant Stone Door. It is also worth noting most of Cave 5 is underwater. You can find a Rebreather, flashlight, rusty ax, flares, and a photo in it.
Cave 6 – Cave 6 stretches under the west coast of the peninsula. It is split into two halves by an underwater passage and connects to cave 10-waterfall. It is one of the most dangerous, having multiple mutants, over a dozen cannibals, and many babies. Both halves contain several passengers. In order to fully explore the cave, the player will need the rebreather, the climbing ax, and two explosives. You can find the keycard and camcorder in it.
Cave 7 – Cave 7 can be found after crossing the northern-most land bridge connecting the peninsula to the mountains. It is the most difficult cave in terms of length, complexity, navigation, and number/types of enemies present. You can find the Tennis racket, pedometer, flashlight, toy arm, modern bow, and toy leg in it.
Cave 8 – Cave 8 is a part of Cave 7 but is still its own dedicated cave system. It’s officially called the ‘Sinkhole Cave’ due to Cave 7 and 8 being mostly merged. Nothing is found in this cave.
Cave 9 – Cave 9 is located in the most southern part, there is a wall that can be blown up in order to grant access to Cave 1. Multiple walls in Cave 9 can only be scaled with the Climbing Axe, which is found near the center. The player should take care not to fall into the deep pit in the center of the cave while attempting to cross around the ledges.
Cave 10 – Cave 10 can be found to the west of the sinkhole. It’s unusually deep and requires two ropes to climb down before you come to the bottom. All you find in it are a couple of pictures and magazines.
Cave HC – The Hell Cave is located at the bottom of the sinkhole. This can only be accessed by swimming through the small hole in the water ( rebreather required). After a long swim, the player will resurface in a very large chamber. You can find Timmy’s drawings in it.
Sahara Cave – This is a temporary placeholder name for the cave located between the research lab and the elevator to the observatory. It is only accessible via the research lab, with a walk-in entrance. Nothing is found in this cave.
Kanji Cave – The Kanji Cave is found near the shipping containers underwater. You can find some schematics in this cave.
Shipwreck Cave – The Shipwreck Cave or Cave 11 is found in the very southwest corner of the map slightly further from the anchor symbol and west of the yacht. It can be entered by swimming into the wreck of an old ship and swimming down into a cave entrance found in a hole of the ship’s hull. You can find the crossbow and several bolts in this cave.
Explore the world
Not only can you explore the cave systems, but you can also explore the above-ground area. There is much to discover like the cannibal villages, the boats, the abandoned camps, and all sorts of different hidden places. Right in the middle of the map, there is a massive sinkhole that, if you have the right materials, you can scale down and find a bunch of cool stuff along with some hard cannibals.
As you get farther into the world, the cannibals will seem like they get bigger and stronger, and you will find even harder ones in certain places. You have to be really careful because the more days that you survive, the more cannibals will be sent after you and your base. You really don’t want to be attacked by an Armsy or a Virginia when you are in your base because they will destroy all of your hard work.
Also, you will also run into cannibal hunting parties that will attack you if you are not looking. If you kill the leader of the party, then they will run away and you can then harvest the cannibal for food. Remember, you don’t want to let the meat sit in your inventory for long because it will go bad after a little while.
Go hunting
Hunting is the single most important thing that you can do in the game. Without it, you will starve because you can’t really rely on berries and bars to hold you over. Here are some of the animals that you can hunt and what they give you:
Turtle – Being aquatic turtles, they move slowly across land and are easy prey. Gives you a turtle shell when hunted.
Deer – Can be found in the wooded areas though also in open fields. Gives you meat and skin when hunted.
Fish – Can be found in the ocean, rivers, ponds, or cave water. Gives you meat when hunted.
Rabbit – Can be found almost everywhere and can be killed in one hit. Gives you meat and skin when hunted.
Lizard – Can be found nearly everywhere on the surface. Gives you meat and skin when hunted.
Boar – Only appears in the northern half of the map. They usually can be found roaming in a scattered group of two or three north of the river. Gives you meat and skin when hunted.
Crocodile – Can be found in the area around the river in the northern half of the peninsula. They can be easy to miss due to their color and their tendency to lay still on the ground waiting for prey. Gives you meat and skin when hunted.
Shark – Can be found at certain locations, they aren’t everywhere in the oceans. Gives you a shark head that you can mount in your house for decoration when hunted.
Only fight when necessary
You really have to choose your battles because if you choose the wrong one, it could mean life or death for you. It really does not benefit you in any way to go hunting for the cannibals, but you do get food from them if you have to kill them. Sometimes a fight is unavoidable because you are trying to defend your base. It is up to you whether or not you want to go for the fight. You just have to make sure you have the right materials and weapons to finish the job.
Obviously you have to defeat all the mutants in the cave systems because you need to get through them, and plus, if you clear all the caves out, you can move through them freely without being attacked. The katana is the best melee weapon to defeat regular mutants, but when you get to the bigger ones, bombs and bows will do the trick.
Use your tools wisely
The tools you have is the thing that will get you through the game. You have to learn to use the tools that you have and master them. Some of them have durability, while others need gas to work. You can’t waste anything that you have because you might need it again in the future. The more you use a tool, the better and more efficient you will be at using it. Make sure you know what you are doing.
Conclusion
The Forest is a very hard game, but once you understand the basics, you will fly through the game like it is nothing. What makes the game soo good is the way it makes you feel while exploring a new place. It is eerie and quiet, and it feels like there is always someone watching you. All I can say is that if you start the Forest, never give up and keep on pushing through the game. It will be satisfying when you finally make it to the end.