Sons of the Forest Building Guide

Survival in Sons of the Forest will require you to use everything at your disposal. While you can build a quick tent to save your game and rest, to truly keep the elements (and enemies) at bay, you’ll want to start building your own camps. In our Sons of the Forest Building Guide, we’ll go over how the different building systems work.

We've got a guide for you if you're just getting started in Sons of the Forest, a full map with every location, and item guides for important items such as the pistol, shovel, and the 3D Printer! We've also got details on how to farm and how to cook!

How Sons of the Forest Building Works

Sons of the Forest makes use of two different building styles. One is similar to the previous game, The Forest, allowing you to place down construction blueprints. This is done via the guide book, accessed via the inventory or the B key. Pressing X will switch modes to the blueprint building system. From there, you can go through each category of building by using the right tabs, or scroll each page by clicking on the buttons at the bottom.

After selecting a blueprint, you can rotate it with Q and R, cancel with the right mouse button, or place it with left click. Placing it will leave a white outline, and you will be shown the necessary materials when you walk close. One thing to note is that, while many of the blueprints require logs to be cut up, you only need to deliver full logs. These will then be processed into the correct types needed for the building.

Kelvin, the NPC companion you can save right after the helicopter crash, will bring you certain materials if directed. You can also ask him to create smaller buildings, or even finish uncompleted building blueprints.

The other method of building in Sons of the Forest is more freeform, allowing you to build without the need of a set blueprint. This is done by placing items from your hands into the correct places. For example, to build a small piece of flooring, you would:

1. Place one log down.
2. Take another log and place it at the end of the previous one at a right angle.
3. Repeat until you have an empty square.
4. Place wooden boards to fill in the empty space.

Items like logs and sticks have multiple options which can be toggled between by pressing the right mouse button while looking at the ground. For logs, this lets you place them vertically, while sticks can either be broken or stuck into the ground.

Processing logs can be done via axes. Equip an axe then move near a log. If you’re in the right position, a red dashed line will appear. Left clicking, then clicking again will cut the log in that position. Logs can be cut lengthways to make boards, or into quarter and half pieces — boards can also be cut into pieces as well.

Different examples of buildings can be found via the guide book as well, though you don’t have to follow these exactly (unlike building blueprints). Using this system, it’s also possible to modify or add onto existing buildings that were created using blueprints. This means that it’s generally a good idea to get something built quickly with blueprints, and then improve them later manually.

How to Repair Buildings in Sons of the Forest

Buildings will take damage by default if they are attacked by players or enemies. This is represented by parts of the damaged area becoming visually broken or misaligned. To fix this, you’ll need to craft a Repair Tool. This is done by combining a rock, stick, and rope in your inventory — right click on each, then click on the cog to craft.

From there, equip the Repair Tool and hold left click next to a damaged building. It usually only takes a few hits to repair damaged areas. It’s also possible to disable damaging structures by turning off Structure Damage in the Gameplay section of the options menu.

How to Lock Doors in Sons of the Forest

With the first major update for Sons of the Forest, it's now possible to lock doors. This can stop cannibals, mutants, or even other players from entering, though the door itself can still be broken down. To lock a door, simple grab a stick then look at one side of the door you want to lock. This will bring up a white arrow, and you can them place the stick on the door. Holding down E will let you toggle the door between locked and unlocked.

How to build Gates in Sons of the Forest

If you need something more sturdy than a simple door, then gates are what you need. To build one, first place down five logs next to each other vertically (press the right mouse button while looking at the ground to toggle the placing mode). From there, take a log next to the wall you've built and you'll have the option to place it diagonally. This will create a gate, which — unlike regular doors — can be opened and closed manually with E. Gates can be made with both plain logs, or ones that have had the tips sharpened with an axe.

Sons of the Forest Building Recipe List

While many prefab buildings require different lengths and shapes of logs, this will all be automatically done for you once you or Kelvin delivers regular logs. The freeform buildings given in the game are just examples of how the system works, and can often be modified for use in your own builds.

Thanks for reading our Sons of the Forest Building Guide. Make sure to check out our other guides below!