The Forest throws you into a terrifying survival situation with cannibals lurking everywhere and your son missing. Don't panic though - with the right approach, you'll master this challenging survival game and maybe even enjoy getting hunted by creepy mutants. This guide covers the essential survival tips and building strategies you need to survive your first week in this dangerous wilderness.
Table of Contents
- Your First 30 Minutes
- Essential Survival Mechanics
- Basic Building Guide
- Crafting Your First Tools
- Finding Food and Water
- Combat Basics
- Cave Exploration Safety
- Common Beginner Mistakes
- Your First Week Goals
Your First 30 Minutes
Pick up that suitcase immediately after the crash. It contains the crafting mat, your most important early-game item. Walk around the crash site and collect everything you see - cloth, snacks, sodas, and pills scattered everywhere.
Your priority list looks like this: find water, build a shelter, make basic tools, and scout your immediate area. The pond southeast of the crash site provides clean water and serves as an excellent base location. You'll find it by following the sound of flowing water.
Build your first shelter right next to this water source. The lean-to shelter requires 18 sticks and costs zero energy to construct. Place it facing away from the forest to spot incoming threats easily.
Essential Survival Mechanics
Four meters demand constant attention in The Forest. Health decreases from combat damage and falls. Hunger drops steadily and affects your maximum health when ignored. Thirst kills faster than hunger, so prioritize water. Energy controls your stamina and regenerates through sleep.
Temperature matters more than most players realize. Cold weather drains energy faster and prevents proper rest. Build fires regularly and craft the warmsuit from collected cloth pieces as soon as possible.
Sanity decreases when you see disturbing sights like mutant bodies or effigies. Low sanity makes enemies more aggressive and causes hallucinations. Combat this by staying clean, sleeping in beds, and eating fresh food instead of old rations.
Basic Building Guide
Start with essential structures before attempting elaborate bases. The hunting shelter beats the lean-to because it saves your game and provides better rest. You'll need 13 sticks, 15 leaves, and 9 rocks.
Your first real base needs these components: a hunting shelter, drying rack, fire pit, and defensive walls. The drying rack preserves meat indefinitely and requires 7 sticks plus rope. Make rope by combining cloth on your crafting mat.
Wall placement strategy matters enormously. Build defensive walls in overlapping sections rather than perfect squares. Enemies break through corners easily, so create curved sections that force them into chokepoints. Each wall section needs 8 logs, making deforestation necessary around your base area.
The water collector automates your hydration needs during rain. Position it outside your walls where rain hits freely. You'll need a turtle shell and 13 sticks to build one.
Crafting Your First Tools
Three tools determine your early survival chances. The crafted axe outperforms your plane axe significantly. Combine one stick, one rope, and one rock on your crafting mat. This upgraded axe chops trees faster and deals more combat damage.
The upgraded spear becomes your primary weapon for days. Take your crafted spear and add either cloth with booze (fire damage) or teeth (poison damage). Fire spears excel against multiple enemies, while poison spears work better for hunting animals.
Create the waterskin immediately after finding your first deer hide. This portable water container holds enough liquid for extended cave expeditions. Combine deer skin with rope on your crafting mat.
Essential crafting recipes you'll use constantly: rope (cloth + cloth), arrows (stick + feathers), molotov cocktails (booze + cloth), and small rock bags (cloth + rocks). Stock up on these components whenever possible.
Finding Food and Water
Fresh water comes from several sources with different risk levels. The cleanest water flows from streams and can be drunk safely. Ponds contain dirty water that requires boiling in a pot first. Ocean water makes you sick and should never be consumed.
Hunting provides the most reliable food source. Rabbits spawn predictably near the pond south of the crash site. Build rabbit traps using six sticks each and place them along rabbit paths. Check traps every day around dawn and dusk.
Blueberries grow abundantly throughout the forest and never spoil in your inventory. Twin berries (the red ones) provide less nutrition but grow in larger clusters. Mushrooms offer decent nutrition but some varieties cause negative effects.
The drying rack transforms any meat into jerky that never spoils. One piece of dried meat provides the same nutrition as three fresh pieces, making it incredibly efficient for long trips.
Combat Basics
Most cannibals fear fire more than they fear you. Craft molotov cocktails and throw them at groups of enemies. The flames deal damage over time and often cause enemies to flee entirely.
Block timing saves your life more than aggressive attacks. Hold your weapon up when enemies wind up their swings. Perfect blocks stagger enemies and create counterattack opportunities. Practice this timing against single cannibals before facing groups.
Tree climbing exploits enemy AI limitations. Cannibals can't climb, so scramble up trees when overwhelmed. They'll eventually lose interest and wander away, giving you time to heal and plan your next move.
Different enemy types require different strategies. Skinny cannibals die quickly to fire but move fast in groups. Pale cannibals take more damage but telegraph their attacks clearly. Armsy (the six-limbed mutant) requires hit-and-run tactics and lots of explosives.
Cave Exploration Safety
Cave locations contain the most valuable loot but present extreme dangers. Never enter caves without these items: upgraded spear, molotov cocktails, medicine, food, and a light source. The modern axe hidden in Cave 2 becomes your best weapon once obtained.
Cannibals spawn infinitely in caves, so speed matters more than clearing every enemy. Learn the shortest routes to important items and avoid unnecessary fights. Explosives clear crowds effectively in narrow cave passages.
Map the cave systems on paper during exploration. The in-game map doesn't show cave layouts, making it easy to get lost during panicked retreats. Mark important item locations and alternative exit routes.
The rebreather in Cave 5 opens underwater areas and provides significant advantages. Prioritize this item after establishing a secure base. For detailed cave navigation, check our complete walkthrough covering every cave location.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Building too close to patrol routes guarantees constant attacks. Cannibals follow specific paths through the forest. Scout for several days before committing to a base location. Areas with no enemy activity for three days usually stay safe.
Hoarding resources instead of using them kills more players than cannibals do. Craft weapons and tools immediately rather than saving materials. You can always gather more sticks, but you can't gather more health once you're dead.
Ignoring the ocean wastes incredible opportunities. Beach areas contain valuable items, turtle shells, and relatively few enemies. Coastal bases provide natural barriers against land-based attacks.
Fighting every cannibal you see exhausts your resources and attracts larger groups. Sometimes running away or hiding makes more sense than combat. Pick your battles carefully and retreat when outnumbered.
Your First Week Goals
Day one through three: establish a basic shelter, secure water access, and craft essential tools. Focus on the area around the pond southeast of the crash site. Build rabbit traps and start collecting cloth for rope production.
Days four through seven: construct proper defenses, explore nearby cave entrances (but don't enter yet), and begin hunting larger game like deer and boars. Craft the waterskin and stockpile dried meat for future expeditions.
By day seven, you should have: a defended base with walls, reliable food and water sources, upgraded weapons, basic armor, and knowledge of your local area. This foundation prepares you for the more challenging aspects of The Forest.
Your next step involves tackling your first cave expedition. Start with Cave 2 to obtain the modern axe, then work through our detailed overview to plan your path toward finding Timmy and escaping this cannibal-infested nightmare.