All Sons of the Forest Cave Locations and Their Contents

Overview of Sons of the Forest Caves

Sons of the Forest features approximately a dozen major caves and several smaller grottos scattered across its island, serving as crucial locations for acquiring progression gear and advancing the main story. These underground areas house vital tools such as the Rope Gun, Rebreather, Shovel, and Pickaxe, along with various armor sets and key items. While some caves are integral to the narrative, others offer optional exploration and additional finds. The map identifies around 20 markers for cave entrances, encompassing locations for the Rope Gun, Rebreather, Shovel, Pickaxe, Golden Armor, and Artifact caves, as well as various lake grottos.

The design of the caves often requires specific tools for traversal, meaning the order in which they are explored is important. For instance, the Rebreather is necessary to navigate flooded passages, and the Rope Gun enables zipline travel. Without the correct equipment, players may encounter impassable sections, necessitating backtracking. This interconnectedness emphasizes a strategic approach to cave exploration to ensure a smooth progression through the game.

Essential Progression Caves and Their Contents

The key to progressing through Sons of the Forest lies within a specific set of caves that contain critical items. These items not only unlock new areas but are also often prerequisites for accessing deeper or more challenging sections of other caves. The following table outlines the primary caves essential for story progression and the key items found within them, as of June 22, 2026.

The Rebreather and Rope Gun are foundational tools, directly impacting player mobility and access. The Rebreather allows players to swim through flooded sections, which is crucial for reaching the Shovel. The Rope Gun, on the other hand, provides zipline traversal, opening up new routes both above and below ground. The Shovel itself is then used to unearth buried graves and break through sealed walls in deeper caves. The various Maintenance, Food and Dining, Guest, Resident, and Puffton Bunkers are primarily focused on story progression, containing keycards that unlock subsequent areas and ultimately lead to the game’s conclusion.

Recommended Cave Exploration Order

Exploring the caves in a specific sequence is highly recommended in Sons of the Forest to avoid hitting progression roadblocks and minimize backtracking. This structured approach ensures that players acquire the necessary tools before encountering obstacles that require them. A reliable progression path prioritizes traversal tools first, then items that unlock further exploration.

The optimal sequence for major cave exploration is as follows:

1. Rope Gun Cave: This should be one of the first caves visited. The Rope Gun enables zipline traversal, which is useful for navigating both the surface and subsequent caves. There are two entrances to this cave.
2. Rebreather Cave: After acquiring the Rope Gun, the Rebreather Cave is the next critical stop. The Rebreather is essential for swimming through flooded passages, particularly those found in the Shovel Cave.
3. Shovel Cave: With the Rebreather in hand, players can then tackle the Shovel Cave. This cave contains flooded sections that are impassable without the Rebreather. The Shovel itself is vital for digging up buried items and accessing certain sealed areas in later caves and on the surface.
4. Pickaxe Cave (Not explicitly listed as a separate story cave, but implied by progression): While not listed as a distinct story cave in all sources, the pickaxe is mentioned as a tool that, alongside the shovel, unlocks sealed walls in deeper caves. It is generally acquired after the shovel.
5. Bunkers (Maintenance A, Food and Dining, Maintenance B, Guest Keycard, Maintenance C, Resident, Puffton): These bunkers form the latter half of the story progression. They contain various keycards that grant access to subsequent bunker sections, culminating in the Puffton Bunker, which is the final area of the game. It is crucial to have completed the previous cave explorations and acquired the necessary traversal tools before delving deep into the bunkers.

Following this order ensures that players always have the appropriate equipment to overcome environmental challenges, making for a smoother and more efficient playthrough. Attempting to enter the Shovel Cave without the Rebreather, for example, will result in an impassable flooded section, forcing a return trip.

FAQ

How many caves are in Sons of the Forest? There are roughly a dozen major caves plus several small grottos on the peninsula. The map identifies around 20 markers including the Rope Gun, Rebreather, Shovel, Pickaxe, Golden Armor, and Artifact caves, as well as various lake grottos.

What is the best cave order in Sons of the Forest? A reliable progression is Rope Gun cave first (for zipline traversal), then the Rebreather cave (to swim underwater), then the Shovel cave (its flooded section needs the Rebreather), and then the Pickaxe. This order ensures you acquire necessary tools before encountering obstacles that require them.

Which cave has the Shovel? The Shovel is found deep inside the Shovel Cave. This cave is partly flooded and requires the Rebreather to navigate its underwater sections. The Rope Gun is also highly recommended for efficient traversal within.

Which cave has the Rebreather and Rope Gun? The Rebreather is located in the Rebreather Cave, and the Rope Gun is found in the Rope Gun Cave, which has two distinct entrances. Both of these are high-priority caves early in the game as they unlock critical traversal abilities for the rest of the map.