Summary
- Catch freshwater fish or sea fish in Sons of the Forest with a simple wooden spear to ensure a reliable food source.
- Hunt small game like rabbits with a spear or bow, or set traps in specific areas for easy access to meat.
- Forage for vegetables and berries early in the game, or later farm them for a sustainable food source that doesn't need replanting.
Sons of the Forest is the sequel to the original survival horror game, The Forest, which was released by Endnight Games in 2018. And while Sons of the Forest shares a great many gameplay elements with the original game, it does follow a completely unique plot. Players must survive cannibalistic monsters as they search a secluded island to learn its secrets.
One of the similarities between the two games, is that the player’s need for food forms a gameplay loop of its own. Like in its predecessor, the need to gather or farm food is a major element. Unlike some survival games that devalue the need to eat and drink, Sons of the Forest keeps this need front and center. There are quite a few ways to get food in Sons of the Forest, so for players who don't want to become food themselves, check out the tips below.
Sons Of The Forest: Best Food
To survive the hostile outdoors in Sons of the Forest, players will need a reliable source of food. Here are the best foods in the game.
8 Catch Freshwater Fish
Spear Fish In A Freshwater Pool
This is probably the easiest way to get food in Sons of the Forest. Inland, especially within the dense forest, players will find small pools of water. These pools are very clear, making it easy to see the fish swimming around.
Using a simple wooden spear, the player can spear the fish in the pool as they swim past. This is laughably easy, and with the right-sized pool, it can be possible to spear any fish in the pond from one spot. Don’t forget to cook or dry the fish before it goes bad, though. Raw meat or fish will spoil and make the player sick if they eat it.
7 Catch Sea Fish
Spear Fish In The Sea
Once again, this is pretty simple to do, although nowhere near as easy as spearing fish that are contained in a freshwater pool. Simply walk along the beach, and look for fish that are close enough to the edge of the water to snag with a wooden spear.
Sons Of The Forest: 13 Items You Need To Get As Soon As Possible
These items are essential for all players to grab first before venturing out too far in the wilderness of Sons of the Forest.
The downside here is that the fish can and will swim away if spooked. With freshwater fish in a pool, they can’t go far. Sea fish, though, have the entire ocean to escape into. Once again, don’t forget to preserve the fish in some way, as raw fish goes bad very quickly in Sons of the Forest.
6 Hunt Small Game
Use A Spear Or A Bow
Small game such as rabbits can be hunted using a spear or a bow in Sons of the Forest. The bow can be tricky to master at first. If struggling to kill small game with a bow, try chasing after them and stabbing them with a spear instead.
Like all meat (and fish) in Sons of the Forest, these catches will need to be preserved. Players can either cook the meat on a campfire or dry it on a drying rack. Cooked food will eventually go off, but ried food will last forever (or until eaten, of course).
5 Trapping Small Game
Be Ready For A Diet Of Rabbit
Instead of hunting small game, the player can set out traps. Once the player finds an area that has a particular type of small game, such as rabbits, they can set out the relevant type of trap. Some time has to pass before an animal can be caught, and then the player can come back and check the trap. If the trap is set in the right place, the player will find it full when they go back and check it. Just take the animal out and kill it.
Sons Of The Forest: Best Traps
Traps are an incredibly handy resource in Sons of the Forest, but some are more useful throughout the game than others.
Rabbits seem to be the easiest to trap. Indeed, just a handful of rabbit traps can result in an endless supply of rabbit meat to keep the player’s food inventory full. Multiple drying racks will be needed to keep up with preserving the rabbits trapped, so that the player's work doesn't go to waste.
4 Shoot Wild Birds
Prepare To Master The Bow
It is possible to hunt wild birds with a bow, and these are a good source of meat. However, this can be pretty tricky, as wild birds are scared easily and will fly away if they notice that they are being stalked. And if the player is not a great shot with a bow, they will need to sneak to get as close as they can to the bird.
Birds don’t give that much meat. But unlike small game, which is not found everywhere, birds are all over the place. This means they are great for topping up the food inventory if the player finds themselves getting hungry away from their main camp.
3 Stab Tame Birds
Pets Make Good Eating
If the player doesn’t want to have to stalk wild birds with a bow, there is another easy, yet slower way to get themselves some tasty bird flesh. All they have to do is build a bird box at their camp. Birds will then perch on the shelf outside the bird box, and the player can then kill them with a spear.
The trick here is just to stand still next to the bird box and wait for a bird to settle on the perch. A quick stab kills the bird, which will fall to the floor. Easy.
2 Forage For Vegetables And Berries
Run Around And Collect Everything
If the player can find a part of the map that is rich in vegetables, berries, or fruit, they can simply harvest it all. This is especially useful in the early game, before the player has mastered the bow or the spear to kill game animals or catch fish.
9 Beginner Mistakes To Avoid When Playing Sons Of The Forest
Sons of the Forest is not a forgiving survival game, but these tips can help new players avoid some detrimental errors.
However, most of the food that can be harvested in this way is not very filling, and this shouldn’t be an endgame solution for keeping a well-stocked food inventory. But this method can literally be a lifesaver at times, when the player is running out of food and close to starvation or death.
1 Farm Vegetables And Fruit
A Sustainable Source Of Food
Eventually, players gain access to a schematic for building a farm plot. Once they have at least one farm plot, they can then use any seeds that they harvest while foraging for fruit, berries and vegetables, and plant them in the farm plot.
It is then a matter of waiting for the food to grow, and then harvesting it. Harvestable food is permanent in Sons of the Forest, meaning that once a plant has been grown, it will keep producing food and will not need to be replanted every time it is harvested.
Games Like Sons Of The Forest
Sons of the Forest is a fantastic survival horror adventure, and there are plenty of other games like it for those who enjoyed the experience.