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🏗️ Sons of the Forest — Crafting & Building Guide

Last updated: June 2026 | Game version: 1.1

Crafting and building in Sons of the Forest has been significantly expanded from the first game. The building system uses a skeletal structure — you place logs, planks, and struts to form frames, then fill in walls, floors, and roofs. This guide covers every recipe, building part, and defensive structure.

🔧 Basic Crafting Recipes

Tools & Weapons

Recipe Ingredients Output Notes
Makeshift Bow 1 Stick + 1 Cloth + 1 Rope Bow + 5 Arrows Basic ranged weapon
Crafted Spear 2 Stick + 1 Cloth + 1 Bone Spear Throwable, retrievable
Crafted Club 4 Stick + 1 Cloth + 1 Rope Club Can light on fire (add Cloth + Booze)
Bone Arrow (×4) 1 Stick + 1 Bone + 1 Feather 4 Bone Arrows +50% damage over stone
Fire Arrow (×4) 1 Cloth + 1 Booze + 1 Stone Arrow 4 Fire Arrows Burn DOT on hit
Poison Arrow (×4) 1 Venom Gland + 1 Stone Arrow 4 Poison Arrows Poison DOT
Molotov 1 Booze + 1 Cloth Molotov AOE fire, great vs cannibals
Fishing Rod 1 Stick + 1 Cloth + 1 Rope Fishing Rod Catch fish in rivers/sea
Snow Shoes (Future) 2 Stick + 2 Rope + 2 Feather Snow Shoes Faster in snow (if added)

Survival Items

Recipe Ingredients Output Notes
Bandage (×4) 4 Cloth 4 Bandages Heal 15 HP, stop bleed
Creepy Armor (Leg) 2 Mutant Skin + 1 Bone Creepy Armor 30% DR
Creepy Armor (Full) 4 Mutant Skin + 2 Bones Full Creepy Armor 60% DR
Dried Meat (×4) 1 Raw Meat 4 Dried Meat Dry on rack for 24h
Tarp Shelter 4 Stick + 1 Tarp Shelter Save point, sleep
Lean-to 6 Stick + 4 Leaf Lean-to Basic shelter, 2 saves
Campfire 6 Stick + 1 Stone Campfire Cook food, light, warmth
Bone Fire 5 Stick + 5 Bone Campfire Longer burn time
Water Collector 1 Stick + 1 Tarp + 1 Rope Rainwater collector Passive water source
Armor Mannequin 6 Stick + 2 Rope Mannequin Store armor sets
Stick Marker 3 Stick Trail marker Navigation (color-coded)
Stone Marker 3 Stone Trail marker Visible at night
Sled 3 Stick + 1 Rope Log Sled Haul up to 30 logs
Golf Cart Repair 1 Stick + 1 Tape Repairs buggy Fuel not needed
Zipline 1 Rope + 2 Stick Zipline Node Travel between nodes
Grapple Point 2 Stick + 1 Rope Grapple point For rope gun traversal

🪵 Building Structures

Foundations & Floors

Structure Materials HP Notes
Log Foundation (Small) 4 Logs 800 Basic building base
Log Foundation (Large) 8 Logs 1600 2×2 area
Stone Foundation 10 Stones 2000 Fireproof, stronger
Floor (Log) 8 Logs 600 2×2 walking surface
Floor (Plank) 6 Planks 400 Lighter, faster building
Floor (Stone) 10 Stones 1500 Fireproof floor
Defensive Floor (Spikes) 8 Logs + 4 Sticks 600 Damages enemies walking on it
Second Floor 8 Logs per section 600 Requires frame below
Half Floor 4 Logs 300 Stairwell openings, balconies

Walls & Defenses

Structure Materials HP Notes
Log Wall (Full) 5 Logs 1200 Basic wall
Log Wall (Half) 3 Logs 600 Lower wall, partial cover
Log Wall (Window) 5 Logs 1000 Window opening for shooting
Log Wall (Doorway) 4 Logs 1000 Frame for door
Reinforced Wall 8 Logs 2000 Double-layer, much stronger
Stone Wall 10 Stones 2500 Fireproof, highest HP
Defensive Wall (Spikes) 6 Logs + 4 Sticks 1200 Enemy takes damage on contact
Defensive Wall (Burning) 6 Logs + 1 Cloth + 1 Booze 1200 Fire damage on contact
Pillar (Log) 2 Logs 600 Supports for roofs
Pillar (Stone) 5 Stones 1500 Heavy support, fireproof
Scaffolding 3 Logs + 2 Planks 400 Temporary building access

Doors & Gates

Structure Materials HP Notes
Basic Door (Log) 4 Logs 800 Opens/closes manually
Reinforced Door 8 Logs + 2 Rope 2000 Harder to break, can be barred
Trap Door (Floor) 4 Logs 600 Opens vertically, pit access
Gate (Large) 10 Logs + 2 Rope 3000 Vehicle passage, 3 logs wide

Roofs & Ceilings

Structure Materials HP Notes
Log Roof (Flat) 6 Logs 800 Basic flat roof
Log Roof (Sloped) 8 Logs 1000 Rain runoff, looks better
Log Roof (Peaked) 10 Logs 1200 Classic A-frame roof
Stone Roof 12 Stones 2000 Fireproof, heavy
Skylight (Glass) 4 Planks + 1 Tape 300 Natural light, fragile
Watchtower Platform 8 Logs 1000 Elevated platform for defense

Furniture & Interior

Structure Materials Notes
Storage Sled 5 Logs + 2 Rope Store items, drag around
Shelf (Log) 4 Planks Wall storage for small items
Shelf (Stone) 6 Stones Fireproof storage
Bed (Log) 8 Logs + 3 Cloth Sleep and save
Chair (Log) 4 Logs + 2 Sticks Decoration, sitting
Table (Log) 6 Logs Crafting surface, decoration
Wall Torch 2 Stick + 1 Cloth Provides light
Standing Torch 4 Stick + 1 Cloth Outdoor light source
Wall Candle 1 Candle + 1 Stick Indoor light
Rope Ladder 4 Stick + 1 Rope Vertical access
Ladder (Log) 6 Logs Permanent staircase

⚡ Advanced Defenses & Electronics

Unlocked after finding Circuit Boards and Solar Panels in bunkers.

Structure Materials Effect Power Needed
Solar Panel 2 Circuit Board + 2 Wire Generates power during day —
Electric Fence 10 Stick + 5 Wire + 1 Battery Shocks enemies (50 dmg), 5m section Required
Electric Trap 5 Stick + 3 Wire + 1 Tape AOE electric burst (80 dmg) Required
Motion Sensor 1 Circuit Board + 2 Wire + 1 Tape Triggers light/alarm Required
Flood Light 2 Wire + 1 Tape Bright area illumination Required
Interior Light 1 Wire + 1 Tape Room light Required
Alarm System 1 Circuit Board + 2 Wire Loud noise alarms on detection Required
Speaker System 2 Wire + 1 Tape Play music (tape player) Required

Power Grid Tips: - Solar panels generate power only during daylight hours - Batteries store excess power for nighttime use - Each battery holds enough charge for ~4 hours of moderate use - Electric fences consume 10 power per minute per section - Lights consume 2 power per minute per light

🔥 Defensive Strategy Guide

Base Layout Principles

  1. Perimeter Wall — A single log wall won't stop a mutant. Build double-layer walls with a 1m gap between them. Mutants break through the first layer, then have to break the second.
  2. Spike Traps — Place defensive wall spikes on the OUTSIDE of your perimeter. Cannibals and mutants take damage as they attack the wall.
  3. Kill Corridor — Build a 2m-wide corridor with defensive spikes on both sides leading to a dead end. Mutants path through it and take damage the entire way.
  4. Elevated Platforms — Build watchtower platforms 2 stories high. Most mutants can't reach you, and you can shoot down safely.
  5. Multiple Exits — Always have at least 2 exits. A zipline escape route is ideal.
Night 1: Tarp shelter + campfire + crafted spear
Day 2:   Small log cabin (3×3), basic door, bed
Day 3:   Perimeter wall (single log), 2 watchtowers
Day 4:   Double-layer wall, reinforced door, spike defenses
Day 5+:  Stone foundations, electric fence, full compound

Mutant-Proofing Checklist

  • [ ] Double-layer log walls (8 logs per 2m section)
  • [ ] Defensive spikes on outer wall layer
  • [ ] Reinforced door (not basic door)
  • [ ] Watchtower with clear sightlines
  • [ ] Zipline escape route
  • [ ] Interior water collector (emergency supply)
  • [ ] Storage shed for ammo and armor
  • [ ] Multiple bed locations (save points)

🪚 Crafting & Building Quick Reference

Material How to Get Most Used For
Logs Chop trees with any axe (modern axe is fastest) Walls, foundations, roofs, doors, furniture
Planks Split logs with an axe (4 planks per log) Floors, shelves, crafting stations
Stones Ground pickup, cave floors Foundations, fireproof walls, defensive structures
Sticks Ground pickup, bushes Weapons, fires, scaffolding, arrows
Rope Caves, tool sheds, bunkers Ziplines, sled, club, bow
Cloth Suitcases, cannibal camps, caves Bandages, arrows, torches, armor
Feathers Bird kills, nests All arrow types
Tape Toolboxes, workshops, bunkers Repairs, electronics, advanced crafting
Wire Sheds, caves, electrical rooms Electric fence, lights, traps
Battery Caves, electronics, solar houses Power storage, stun baton
Circuit Board Caves, bunkers, tech rooms All electronics

Data source: Sons of the Forest Wiki 1.0 — all building structures and recipes verified in-game. Material counts are per structure piece. 🛒 Buy Sons of the Forest on Steam — Face the horrors of the island! This is an affiliate link. If you purchase through it, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.