This guide to The Forest contains a very detailed walkthrough to the single player mode. There are information about different foes, the ways of dealing with them, as well as general information about melee and ranged combat, by using the various items present in the game, included in this guide. Besides this, all of the crafting materials available in the game, as well as the possible crafting recipes were deeply described in a proper section. Additionally, the guide contains a detailed specification about all of the available constructions in the game, divided into various sections. The guide contains information about choosing the proper location for your encampment, due to a number of variables, the benefits and flaws of each choice, as well as general hints on how to prepare a prospering, safe base of operations. The Forest is a first-person horror, with the addition of a survival and sandbox game elements. The game was developed by the Endnight Games, and is currently in the state of alpha, and is available at the Steam Early Access. The game, although still being in the early stages of an alpha, offers a variety of stuff and mechanisms, and the developers already announced that it will offer more as the time goes by. In the game you play as a man who survived a plane crash. You wake up inside of the wreckage, and your task is to survive, by building a shelter, taking care of the basic physiological needs of your character, as well as skillfully handling the threat awaiting from the enemies.
Guide to The Forest contains:
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Character movement
Jump
Sprint
Attack (activating / equipping items from the inventory)
Block (while being in the inventory screen - adding items inside of the crafting area)
Picking up items / interaction
Throwing out actually equipped items.
Game menu
Adding meat to the fire / placing logs in the Log Storage
Activation / deactivation of a lighter
Inventory Screen
Survival Guide
Status check (blood and/or mud)
In this section, you will learn about the interface present in The Forest game. It is no different from other similar productions, in which you play from the first-person perspective - it doesn't block the view, and it has all the most important information you may need. Unfortunately, the game lacks any means of navigation, be it a minimap, a normal, full-scale map, or even a basic compass.
The bottom left corner of the screen [1] contains information about the materials needed to construct all the started buildings. [2] informs you about the actual condition of your character (getting colder or hungry). In the opposite corner [3] there are information concerning the physiology of the character: the energy marked by the blue color, armor marked as yellow and health as red. The stomach icon represents your hunger, and the thermometer your overall temperature.
The Forest game, given its survival-horror genre, differs vastly from the stream of games served us by the developers. You can't run around the forest with ease, charging at every enemy patrol, because, simply, you won't survive that. To put it simply: the game is difficult, demanding, and you have to adapt to its rules, if you want to have any hope of survival.
There are a few things that you should be aware of (and remember them throughout your playthrough):
At the moment (as of 0.02 version of the game), The Forest game offers a rather limited variety of enemies that you are able to run across, but the developers have announced that they are planning to add new creatures into the game, whose sole purpose would be to hunt you down.
As of now, the enemies are as follows:
A "regular" Mutant.The Mutants, which can also be called Cannibals, are the most numerous, and at the same time practically the only group of enemies (which you will read about later in this section), that you can encounter in the game. Their looks and behavior resemble typical human beings, their bodies aren't deformed, they don't possess any supernatural abilities - the only thing differing them is their minimal clothing and their numerous tattoos.
They can be divided into two types : "regulars" and leaders. The former ones do not differ between individuals, whereas the latter possess numerous "additional accessories", such as pieces of human skeletons (skulls, and/or limbs), handing from their backs like trophies. Besides their appearance, they are the same as their regular brethrens - they aren't stronger, or more resilient. Additionally, as mentioned before, killing them has a significant impact on the rest of their group - the rest of the Mutants can either run, attack or surrender to you.
You can encounter those enemies on those occasions:
The mutants' behavior differ depending on a number of conditions:
The mutants, at least at the very moment (as of 0.02 version of the game), can only fight you in melee range, so you don't have to expect a sudden ranged attack on their part. If you are unable to avoid fighting them, you should remember a few things:
One of the "special mutants", the Spider Mutant.There are two "special mutants" possible to encounter in the game. Both monsters are made up from a three pairs of corpses, and both of them are located in the deepest parts of the caves - they remain passive, unless provoked by the player.
In the current state of the game (as of 0.02 version), both of those mutants are invulnerable to normal melee attacks, or to the damage cause by being ignited by the Molotov or the Flaregun. The only way to kill the Octopus Mutant is to blow it up with the help of Bombs (you will find the recipe for the Bomb in the further part of this guide) - the Spider Mutant is invulnerable to Bombs as well, so it's pointless to engage it in combat.
The Octopus, as well as the Spider, are both a lot stronger than the rest of the foes encountered in the game - two basic attacks (if you are wearing a full armor - if you lack it, you need to be hit once only) from them are enough to kill you. That is precisely why there's no point to fight them - the enemies in the game won't drop any loot upon their death. Fortunately, their attacks, while being extremely powerful, are slow, which allows you to avoid them without much effort.
The inventory, showing some of the resources available in the game.The Forest, just like any sandbox game with a crafting system, allows you to find, collect and use vast resources scattered around the island, in a variety of ways. Finding, as well as finding a proper usage for them, is a must, if you want to have at least a slight chance of survival in the game.
A felled tree.Wood, or specifically Logs, are one of the crafting materials, which are used in the creation of various items and buildings in the game, such as shelters, traps and different types of walls. To be able to collect them, you will have to cut down a large tree (the trunk of such a tree is of a thickness of an average human), which can be done by chopping it with an axe (the number of required hits is the same, regardless of the type of the axe - 16). Depending on the size of the tree, you will be awarded with a number of logs ranging from 2 to 5. To "force the tree" to fall in the direction you want it to fall (for instance, down the hill, leading to your camp), you just have to run towards it the moment the felling animation starts.
You don't have to mine stones in The Forest - you just have to collect them from the ground.
In The Forest, in contrast to other survival/sandbox games, you don't have to smash enormous rocks or dig tunnels to collect stones - they are simply scattered around the whole island, and all you have to do is to collect them. Similar to logs, stones are used in the construction of buildings (shelters, traps), as well as to create more advanced sources of fire. They can also be used as a (rather weak) weapon in melee combat.
Cloth is used only in the production of Molotovs - by combining it with Booze, you can create your miraculous "fire in the bottle". You can find scraps of cloth hidden in suitcases.
Booze is used in the production of Molotovs, as well as Bombs. Bottles with the precious alcohol can be found inside of suitcases - hidden in the close vicinity of the plane you crash in - as well as lying on the beach. You can also consume the drink, but it is highly inadvisable to do so, as it will only reduce your energy, and make your screen go blurry.
Sticks, being one of the three basic resources (other being stones and logs), can be collected by using two methods - picking it up from the ground (or from small ponds), or by cutting down small trees and bushes. Sticks are required (usually in high numbers) in the production of a variety of items and most buildings. You can also use a stick in a melee fight, but it deals almost no damage.
Leaves can be picked up while they are falling to the ground, as well as by chopping down grass, plants and small tress (from which you will get a stick, and a leaf will be automatically collected).
Coins, contrary to the first thought, aren't used as a payment method, because you won't encounter a trading system of any sort in the game. Just like all the other resources, they are used in the crafting process - in the current state of the game (as of 0.02 version), you can only use them in the production of bombs (by combining them with Booze and a Circuit Board). Coins can be found hidden inside of suitcases, inside the caves, or lying on the beach's sand - additionally, you can "extract" them by hitting the sand with a stick or a spear.
Feathers can be collected from a body of a killer bird, but they aren't used in any recipe in the game.
Limbs, or more specifically Body Parts, like Arm, Leg, and Head, can be used in the creation of one construction in the game - Effigy, used to terrify Mutants. Body parts can be collected from the corpses of fallen enemies - you must hit the dead body with an axe, and it will be dismembered, allowing you to pick what you want.
The skin of a lizard serves as the only available armor in the game - you can equip it from the inventory screen, which will fill a yellow bar next to your health, representing the state of your armor. To fill it up, you will have to equip at least 6 Lizard Skins, it is therefore an easy and effective protection (a full armor doubles the amount of damage you can take before dying). Skins can be collected from the bodies of slain Lizards (together with their meat, which can be consumed).
Circuit Boards, at least at the current state of the game, are used in one recipe only - as one of the components required to construct a Bomb. It's one of the rarest items encountered in the game - two of them can be found by going to the left from the plane wreckage, and a few more of them can be collected from the deepest parts of the caves, where the Spider Mutant is lurking. Given how rare this item is, you should be using it (or more specifically, the Bombs you can create with it) with care.
Teeth, as of the current version of the game, have no application - you cannot use them directly, not you can use them in any of the crafting recipes.
The Plastic Torch, which is, in fact, a simple flashlight, can be used to illuminate the terrain in front of you - just as you can use a flare or a lighter. The torch emits the strongest and the brightest light of all the items in the game, but it requires batteries to function - each battery allows you to use your flashlight for a maximum of 10 minutes. You can find it in the caves, or pick it up from a suitcase.
Batteries are used as a power source of a Plastic Torch - each one of them allows you to use it for a maximum of 10 minutes. Batteries can be found inside the caves.
A lighter is the standard (available to you from the very beginning of the game) and the only unlimited source of light in the game - unfortunately, it has the weakest illumination value of all the light sources. It's also used to light fires and effigies.
The Cassette Player is used to regenerate one's energy - after activating it from your inventory screen, your character will use it, and a climatic music will be heard for a few minutes, and energy will be regenerated a lot faster. This item can be activated unlimited amount of times (according to 0.02 version of the game), which is why it's one of the most valuable possessions in the game. The Cassette Player can only be found on the boat's deck.
Flares are, obviously, used to illuminate your surroundings - after picking them up from your inventory, they will emit a strong, red light. You can throw them, to light up the terrain around them, which will also allow you to have your hands free (which is especially useful when you stumble upon an enemy patrol during the night, and you lack a flashlight at your disposal). Flares cannot be loaded into your Flaregun. You can find them on the deck of the boat, as well as in the caves.
The Flare gun, one of most effective weapons in the game.The Flare Gun, unlike regular flares, is not used to illuminate your surroundings, because it emits a rather weak light. It is, however, extremely effective while fighting with the mutants - the projectile, once fired from the weapon chamber, travels in a straight line, igniting any enemy hit on its course, and each enemy set ablaze dies after a few seconds. It is especially useful whenever you don't want to engage enemies in close quarters, or the group is simply too numerous. In the current version of the game (0.02), the Flare Gun has an unlimited supply of ammo - whenever you run dry, open up your inventory screen and equip the Flare Gun again, to gain another "clip" (you can cumulate the ammo by equipping the weapon as many times as you want).
Tree felling by using an axe.There are few variations of axes in the game, such as: Plane Axe, which you start with (you will pick it up before you leave the plane), Stone Axe, which you can craft on your own (by combining a stone and a stick), Modern Axe, which can be found in one of the mutant's camps, and a Rusty Axe, which can be collected at one of the cave's entrances (just before the wooden barricade). As of the current game version, all the axes offer the same capabilities - they inflict the same damage to the enemy, they allow you to block enemy attacks (by pressing and holding the right mouse button), and to chop down large and small trees, and bushes (to do so, you have to "attack" the tree with you left mouse button). If you're not interested in aesthetics and all you want is functionality, you can forget about the other types of axes.
A spear (or more specifically, a Weak Spear), can be used as a melee weapon (but still, the axe is a better choice), as well as the only way to fish (which can be found in small ponds or near the beach). You can find it hidden inside the tent on the beach, or in one of the ponds, scattered around the island.
Molotovs are probably the best weapon against mutants in the game - a single, properly aimed "bomb in a bottle" can set ablaze several enemies at once, to kill them in agony in a few next seconds. The materials needed to craft a Molotov (Booze and Cloth) are easy to find, which is why you should have an abundant supply of those bombs at your disposal, at all times. Additionally, Molotov can be used as a light source (for instance, inside a cave), illuminating the area better than a lighter - you only need to have it equipped in your hand.
The bombs look like normal circuits, but they are extremely lethal.Bombs, just like Molotovs, are used as a ranged weaponry against the enemies - unlike the alcohol bomb, they don't ignite the enemies, ripping them apart instead. Materials needed to craft a bomb, more specifically a single one, Circuit Board, are extremely rare (Circuit Boards are limited), which is why you should think about it twice before throwing one away at the enemy. Additionally, it's the only way to kill an Octopus Mutant. To create a bomb, you need to combine Circuit Bomb, 10 Coins and Booze.
A tennis ball is used only as a mean of distraction - ball thrown in the close vicinity of an enemy will force him to check the source of ruckus, and a direct hit will set the enemy on alarm, and he will start searching you. You can find them inside of suitcases, as well as near the corpses of tennis players inside one of the mutant camps.
Inventory screen serves the purpose of crafting as well.There are two kinds of crafting in The Forest - the first one allows you to make usable items, the second one gives you the access to various constructions. In this section, you will learn about the former.
To create items, all you need to have are the necessary crafting materials, as well as the knowledge which items can be combined to create the desired product - some of them are really simple and intuitive (like Stone and Stick, which, combined, gives you the stone axe, or Booze and Cloth, giving you a Molotov), which is why you shouldn't really have any problems with it.
To start crafting, you need to enter your inventory screen (by pressing the "I" button). The handkerchief in the middle of the screen works like a crafting table - all the items you want to combined will be moved right there. To create an item, you need to add the required materials (by pressing the right mouse button over a desired item) - you can add the materials in any order, however, you can create a single item only at once (for instance, you can't add 10x Booze and 10x Cloths to create 10 Molotovs at one go). After the items are placed on the handkerchief, press the right mouse button while hovering over them, which should create the desired product, provided that you've selected the right items.
The items available in the crafting system (as of 0.02 version of the game) are:
As you can see, there aren't many recipes available in the game at the moment, but the developers announced that they will add more of them as soon as possible. Also, remember, that by entering the inventory screen to create items (or simply to equip something), the game won't be paused - the enemies can (and certainly will) attack you!
As mentioned in the previous section, the crafting system allows you to construct various buildings, giving the player the possibility to "craft" a several dozen of different constructions.
To enter the "construction screen", you need to press the "B" button, to activate the Survival Guide. A book divided into various sections will pop up on the screen. The sections are as follows: Fire, Shelters, Storage, Custom Buildings, Furniture, Traps, Food, Boats and Effigies. Besides them, there is a number of different pages, which are, unfortunately, unavailable at the moment. The Furniture section lacks any construction recipe (as of 0.02 version).
Inside of every of those sections you will find different construction plans assigned to them. To begin rising them, you need to select the desired plan, after which the book screen will disappear and you will be back in the first person view - all you need to do now is to aim and indicate where you want to place the building. You can rotate the plan by pressing and holding the "R" button, as well as connect various construction pieces (for instance, walls), by moving it near an already placed construction plan.
After setting up the construction plan, you can check the required materials by hovering your mouse over a piece - additionally, on the left side of the screen, you can find the combined amount of materials required to construct all the plans placed on the ground, which is why there's no point in providing their required values (which will probably change over the course of time). The amount of materials required to construct a building can be checked in the Survival Guide, but there are some errors in some of the recipes.
The fire tab, used to create various sources of fire.The Fire tab, as can be easily guessed, allows you to create various types of fireplaces. They, in turn, are used as a light and warmth source (you need to stand closer to a fireplace to warm yourself), as well as allow you to cook meat. Additionally, a burning fireplace reduces the chances of a mutant attack (because they are afraid of fire), however, on the other hand, it can also lure a patrol group (especially during the night) towards you. You can (and should) build a fireplace (for instance, a Standing Fire) in front of you camp entrance (surrounded by walls), which should effectively prevent unwanted guests from entering your base.
To maintain the fire you will need leaves - you just have to throw them into the fire and it will allow the fireplace to burn (the more you throw inside, the longer it will stay lit). A fireplace is harder to maintain during the rain, which is why you should have a plentiful supply of leaves at your disposal.
In the current version of the game (0.02), you are allowed to build 3 different constructions from this tab:
The Shelters tab.This tab allows you to create various shelters. Constructions from this section differ vastly from each other in the terms of provided "services", and they are the most expensive constructions available in the game. Sleeping in a shelter will regenerate your energy, and move the time forward a few hours. Shelters available to construct are as follows:
The Storage tab.The storage tab allows you to create constructions used as a storage for items, because your inventory is limited. To be able to accumulate items, you will have to move the desired items into the containers on your own.
Currently (as of 0.02 version of the game), there's only one storage construction available in the game - Log Holder. It allows you to store Logs, so they won't be scattered around your base, but instead, kept in once place - it is especially useful when your camp is situated on the top of a elevation, and all the logs "run" in all directions, forcing you to run after them.
The Custom Buildings tab.The Custom Buildings tab allows you to build a separate sections of buildings, such as walls, stairs, walls with window, walls with door, and platforms. As of the current game version (0.02), there's no way to place door inside hole in the wall.
All of the constructions in this tab require a single type of materials to create - Logs. You can connect single construction elements to one another - to do so, place a plan of any of the walls (for instance, Basic Wall) on the ground. Next, take another piece of wall and set it close to the previously placed plan - both elements should now be linked together, shown by a relevant icon. Place the wall as long as the icon is present and the two pieces will be combined.
You can also "stretch" the building upwards - unfortunately, this can be done with the Basic Wall only, because none of the other elements allow you to connect a piece above them. To build upwards, you need to do so when the below elements are in the "plan" mode - you can't place a wall above a completed (built) piece. In the current state (0.02), the game limits the construction to two layers.
The available elements are as follows:
Traps are an interesting element of the game, but the bugs in the game ruin them completely.The Trap tab allows you to (who would have though?) to place traps against mutants. The player (you, obviously) can't activate them, so they are safe to use. The possible traps to construct are as follows:
The traps are an interesting, but a highly ineffective way of defending against mutants. There are two reasons behind it - bugs in the game and the cost to produce them. The bugs prevent them from functioning properly - often they don't even activate, they don't kill enemies, even if the trap was activated and it hit its target perfectly, or are activated with a delay, so the enemy is able to avoid them. The second, and the most important flaw of traps, is that they cannot be reactivated - they are disposable, and given their high construction cost, they are highly cost-ineffective.
The Food tab allows you to produce your own food.The Food section allows you to rise buildings connected with food production, which are as follows:
As you can see, the game will allow you to build a House Boat later in the game.The Boat tab, as the name implies, allows you to build boats. As of the current game version (0.02), you are only able to construct a simple raft, which, after being built on the surface of the water, will allow you to cross water (to gain access to different, small islands, for instance).
In the future, you will be able to build House Boats, which will surely diversify the game.
A climatic page showing different effigies.The last tab allows you to create human effigies. To construct them, you will need various body parts (Legs, Arms and Heads), which can be collected from a mutant corpse. By building effigies, provided that you set them on fire, will scare nearby mutants off - it will decrease the chance of you being attacked by them.
This tab offers two types of effigies: Simple Effigy and a Large Effigy, which differ in the number of materials needed to build them, as well as in the overall appearance. There's, however, no guarantee, that building more than one effigy of any sort has any bigger impact on the mutant.
The screenshot represents edible and toxic berries.The Food is one of the most important aspects of the game, because, without feeding your character for extended periods of time, you will certainly die. There's a plethora of different sources of food in the game, some of which are easier to find, while being less effective at satisfying your hunger, while some being quite the opposite.
Available food sources in the game are as follows:
A shelter located on a flat, visible piece of land.A skillful location for a shelter is half of the success in The Forest game. You either want to set it up inside the forest, to gain access to an infinite resource of logs, exposing yourself to the danger of a sudden surprise attack, or to build a camp on a piece of a flat, open terrain, to be able to notice an enemy patrol from afar.
Here's a handful of valuable information concerning the place for your camp:
A plan for a big shelter.You should also remember a few things about the things that can make the mutants work (finding and killing you) a lot easier:
A good place to build your camp is the beach, close to a boat, where you will find a whole bunch of useful stuff and gear. To get to that place, assuming that you are at the very beginning (by the crashed plane), you must stand in such a way, to have the plane wreckage on your right hand (the part of the plane with the tail, not with the cockpit) and then go to the left (from your perspective it would be West).
Soon you should stumble upon a small mutant camp, partially covered by trees, and a nearby pond (inside of the pond you will find a Weak Spear). From there, go to the opposite direction to the mutant camp (you will have the pond on your right hand), and soon, you will arrive on the beach.
Climb up the moored boat and collect all the items on top of the deck. Afterwards, jump back into the water and position yourself in front of the boat, to have the beach on your back (as can be seen on the picture above). Swim to the right side of the boat and turn your camera down - now you have to "run" forward, causing your character to dive under water (there's no diving button in the game yet). Collect a Flare Gun from the bottom and resurface, after which you should start building your shelter, following the hints mentioned above.
You can enter the caves in two ways - you can either do it on your own, by finding the entrance, or get dragged there by force (the moment you die the first time, you aren't really killed, instead, you wake up in a cave with low health).
Travelling through the caves is problematic, at the very least, as there's almost no light (aside from your flashlight, lighter and/or flares). It is further complicated by the fact, that there's no map, or even a compass, in the game, so you can't really navigate and you will have some trouble getting out. All you can do is to wander a little and you should be able to get out.
You should always remember about few things, while being inside the cave:
There are at least 5 different entrance to 2 caves in the game: two of them are located on the beach (one very close to your "ideal" place for a base, near the boat), and 3 of them are hidden deep in the forest. Because of the lack of map of any sort, it's difficult to show their location in this guide, so you will have to find them on your own.
Different game modifications to sandbox games are sort of a standard today - some of the clever modders are able to come up with ideas, which the developers never dreamed of. Bigger, more interesting, and capable mods become a must over a time, without which it's hard to even play, because it's simply boring.
In this section, you will learn about the more interesting game modifications, but as of the current version of the game (0.02), there's not really many of them. To install a given mod, all you have to do is to download it from the creator's website, unpack it, and copy it to this directory: SteamApps\common\The Forest\theforest_data\Managed and the mod is ready! You now have to run the game and you can enjoy additional game content. Save the original file in case you want to play without the mod - you need to restore it.
In this section you will find descriptions of different mods, functions offered by them, and additional files, which are required to install for the mod to function properly. You won't, however, find any links to websites or forum topics, as it's really easy to find them, and as the time goes, links provided here will become inaccessible do to various reasons.
An extremely useful mod, offering an array of different functions, some of which were previously announced by the developers, but they weren't implemented yet. You can read about all the changes on the creator's website (or on the steam forums - you can find it on Google), but the most important are:
The mod, at the time this section is created (version 0.02 of the game) is marked with a 1.4 number. The developer of the modification updates his work constantly, so you won't have to wait long for another bunch of useful stuff.
The Forest has a decent, but not really high-end graphics, which means that the game requirements are not steep at all. It should run smoothly even on some of the older PC configurations. This guide was prepared on a PC version of the game.
Singleplayer: Yes
Offline Cooperation (split screen/hot seat): No
LAN / Internet Cooperation: No
Multiplayer: No
The guide was created on the PC version of the game.
Yes, it is possible to player The Forest on laptops, you will need an equivalent of an AMD ATI Mobility Radeon 3870 or better.
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