The Forest: Location of your camp The Forest Guide

A shelter located on a flat, visible piece of land.

A skillful location for a shelter is half of the success in The Forest game. You either want to set it up inside the forest, to gain access to an infinite resource of logs, exposing yourself to the danger of a sudden surprise attack, or to build a camp on a piece of a flat, open terrain, to be able to notice an enemy patrol from afar.

Here's a handful of valuable information concerning the place for your camp:

• Access to building materials (especially logs) - it's important, because most of the buildings in the game require a considerable amount of logs to build. Running back and forth throughout the whole island, to arrive with 2 logs in the camp is time- and energy-consuming - but the main problem is that you expose yourself to a situation in which you stumble upon an enemy patrol. That is precisely why you should locate your camp in a close proximity to a large amount of trees. Another good idea is to locate your base at bottom of an elevation, so that falling logs will come straight towards your camp.
• Access to food sources - it can be a small group of bushes with edible berries, animals jumping around in the distance (which can be found in the deeper parts of the forest, nearby a large quantity of trees) or fishes swimming in the ponds. Think about all the possibilities and decide on the location which suits your needs. Remember, that berries are somewhat easy to find and collect, but they cannot be moved around and they regenerate a small amount of energy and hunger.
• Defensive capabilities - the ideal place for a camp is a flat, fully open piece of land. Some people may say, that it's a bad idea to locate your camp in sight, but it gives you the same benefits as your enemies - with that, you are able to locate and adapt to an enemy patrol long before they are able to see you. Remember to prepare an emergency exit from your hideout, in case something went wrong.
• A lack of cannibals made effigies - the enemies, just like you, can build human-like effigies. There's plenty of different effigies made by the enemy, with a variety of usage options, but they are mainly used for once purpose - to let other patrols know that their meal (you) can be nearby, which is why they will visit your camp a little more often. Unfortunately, those constructions can't be destroyed as of now.

A plan for a big shelter.

You should also remember a few things about the things that can make the cannibals work (finding and killing you) a lot easier:

1. Don't set up a fire on an open terrain, without surrounding yourself with walls, because it's extremely visible from afar (especially during the night), which will surely attract some unwanted attention. Build your walls all around the fire - this way, it should be almost invisible to the enemy. Remember to avoid placing a campfire next to the bed you sleep on - your hero will land in it after waking up, resulting in additional damage dealt to your character.
2. If you are constantly attacked by large cannibals groups, consider moving out. If the enemy have discovered your encampment, and you have killed plenty of them, it's almost certain, that you will be haunted by more and more numerous forces. Change the location of your camp, at least for a short while, while constantly observing the cannibals behavior. Remember that the cannibals will eventually find your new hideout, as they are programmed that way - you cannot stay hidden forever.
3. Don't ever sleep in a non-fortified (by walls) shelter, on an open terrain, with a fire burning close to you, as you may be certain, that after waking up you will be immediately attacked.

A good place to build your camp is the beach, close to a boat, where you will find a whole bunch of useful stuff and gear. To get to that place, assuming that you are at the very beginning (by the crashed plane), you must stand in such a way, to have the plane wreckage on your right hand (the part of the plane with the tail, not with the cockpit) and then go to the left (from your perspective it would be West).

Soon you should stumble upon a small cannibals camp, partially covered by trees, and a nearby pond (inside of the pond you will find a Weak Spear). From there, go to the opposite direction to the mutant camp (you will have the pond on your right hand), and soon, you will arrive on the beach.

Climb up the moored boat and collect all the items on top of the deck. Afterwards, jump back into the water and position yourself in front of the boat, to have the beach on your back (as can be seen on the picture above). Swim to the right side of the boat and turn your camera down - now you have to "run" forward, causing your character to dive under water (there's no diving button in the game yet). Collect a Flare Gun from the bottom and resurface, after which you should start building your shelter, following the hints mentioned above.