The Forest: Beginner's Guide The Forest Guide

Last update: 28 December 2022

The Forest, following its survival-horror genre, is different from many games that can be encountered on the market. You cannot run carelessly around the forest engaging every enemy patrol available, as you won't survive the encounter. In short: the game is difficult and you need to learn some of the basic rules if you want to survive.

• General Tips
• Combat
• Base-building
• Resource Gathering

General Tips

1. Avoid attacking enemy units during the initial hours of the game - aside from Effigies and Teeth, they offer no benefits, and the only thing that will change after annihilating an enemy patrol, is that will intensify them, sending more numerous groups of mutants, curious of what happened to their brethren. The simplest way, which is more rewarding in the long run, is to just step aside from their view, and wait out their march.
2. While moving around the island, especially while you're in the woods, you must have your eyes in the back of the head (quite literally, because enemies can climb up trees and jump on you from the air), and be extra careful not to stumble upon an enemy patrol. Sneaking mechanics in the game work extremely well, and you can be sure, that if you are well hidden, there's no chance that the enemy will spot you.
3. If you are uncertain, if your surroundings are safe, you should always move while crouching (see the key bindings section of the guide if you're unaware how to do so), because you make less noise while doing so - even by walking a few meters away from the enemy, there's a high chance that you will be able to slip by unnoticed.
4. You should never, ever decide to move out of your camp when the sun goes down, unless you're clearly out of options and are forced to do so. There are a few reasons to that statement - there are way more enemy patrols in the woods at night, you will have (because of the lack of light) trouble moving about, and by drawing out your flashlight (or other source of light, like flares and/or lighter) you are perfectly visible to the enemy from a great distance.
5. Pay attention to the physiological needs of your character - if he lacks the energy, feed him, because otherwise you will be unable to fight effectively or even sprint. If he's hungry, feed him too, because starvation leads to certain death. Do not ignore blood on your hands (which means an infection) or hypothermia (symbolized by a freezing screen) - in both cases, your character is on a quick path to a disease, which will result in lower stamina (making it difficult to fight or sprint).
6. To wash your hands from blood, jump into the water - all you have to is to dive to get rid of it. The rain also cleans you from blood.
7. If your character has been soaked in water (e.g. you've been outside during rain) and you'll receive a message that your hero suffers from hypothermia, find shelter quickly. Enter a roofed space (e.g. one of the types of shelter) and stand next to a heat source (e.g. campfire). Your character will be healed after a moment.
8. The patrols increase in size and aggressiveness along with the amount of defeated enemies. The groups will increase in amount and will consist of more powerful cannibals as well as mutants. As a result, avoid fighting with the enemy to stop the conflict from escalating.
9. If you defeated a group of cannibals, dismember them and pick up the leftover elements (head, hands, and legs). You can use the elements to construct dummies that frighten your opponents.
10. When defeating a cannibal, check if he hasn't left a tooth somewhere. If you've found a tooth, pick it up - you can use it to e.g. upgrade your equipment.
11. Mind your steps. During fast travel, you may often fall down from a hidden bluff that will cost you a lot of your health or end up in an instantaneous death.
12. Craft an armor as quickly as you can. You can amass the needed resources by killing Lizards or Crocodiles. Once killed, you can "skin" those animals to acquire their skin (Lizard Skin) which can be worn or used to create a better type of armor.

Combat

1. Take a moment to think about whether to engage a group of cannibals. Sometimes, it is better to simply run away - you can lose the pursuit in the forest where some of the cannibals can get blocked, and when that is not enough - simply dive in the water.
2. When you see an enemy patrol nearby, make sure to hide behind cover (by crouching) instead of going straight to combat. Some of the enemies can travel fast and they may simply run away to return with reinforcements after a short while.
3. Even if you don't see the enemy, the enemy may see you. Such situations are often signalized by enemy shouts or a change of music. If something like this happens, look around and make sure to locate the opponents - do not let them surprise you!
4. The opponents are more powerful than they appear - a few attacks from regular cannibals are enough to eliminate your character. You'll receive access to better armor as the time progresses, but the first few hours of the game can prove to be difficult.
5. Your hero can block incoming attacks. The attacks of most opponents can be easily blocked even when armed with a simple axe, enabling you to avoid damage.
6. Leave the hardest enemies for last. If you've been attacked by a group which consists of a few cannibals and a mutant, defeat the cannibals first and leave the mutant for later - your task will be much easier.
7. Make an effort to build a better weapon than the starting axe. The combat will become easier, while you'll be able to customize your equipment according to the situation - not every weapon is effective against the given opponent.

Base-building

1. Choose a right location for your hideout. Building it in the middle of the forest will give you access to a lot of resources (stones, sticks, or wood) but will make you unable to see opponents beforehand. On the other hand, building a hideout away from the forest will make expansion difficult. You need to weigh the pros and cons and decide on your own.
2. Use the landform to your advantage. You can build a base at the end of a cliff that can be accessed from one direction only - this approach will make the escape more difficult, but will enable you to defend your base more easily, as you'll need to place traps on only a single direction.
3. Do not build resource stockpiles at the base's outskirts. This approach will enable you to avoid destroying them when the base is attacked by cannibals or a mutant.
4. If possible, build a wall around your base. This will cost you a lot of work, as the wall requires a lot of resources, but your opponents won't be able to reach the base without destroying the wall. If you cannot build a wall, create a Stick Fence - such defensive measures can stop your opponents for a few seconds.
5. A wall has to have a right size. The enemies will easily jump over a single fence, but you can simply build a second row (on top of the first one) to make them unable to scale it.
6. Pay attention to the locations of campfires and other light sources. You should build walls around them in order to make them undetectable from the outside - this will lower the chance of detecting your base by the enemy patrol. Do not place the fire too close to the bed - the character may stand on it after a nap which will end up in losing some of your health points.

Resource Gathering

1. Search the airplane and its vicinity. Remember to take the axe from the airplane, as well as all meds, food, and water, then use the aforementioned axe to open up suitcases located around the wreck - simply hit them once with the axe to open them.
2. Start by gathering Rocks, Sticks, and Logs. The third resource, logs, is gathered from chopped-down trees. You can find all of these resources next to the airplane.
3. Remember that you can only carry two logs at once. This problem can be solved by creating a Log Sled which can be used to transport rocks, sticks, or cannibal corpses.
4. Remember that the inventory space is limited - you can only carry a certain amount of each item. To combat this obstacle, build resource stockpiles - more details can be found in chapter "constructing buildings".
5. Pick up all resources that you encounter. Remember that our hero isn't limited by the weight, rather than the amount of items - you can carry only a given amount of each item.
6. If you managed to build resource stockpiles, visit them regularly to clear your inventory. This will enable you to make room in the backpack, allowing you to pick up additional resources during your travels.