Sons of the Forest drops players on a remote, densely forested peninsula where the key to survival is crafting weapons to defend yourself. As you explore the vast open world, you‘ll come across abandoned camps, bunkers, caves and more – each hiding powerful weapons to add to your arsenal.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover all the melee, ranged, explosive and other weapons in Sons of the Forest, their stats, and exact locations so you can gear up to take on enemies and bosses.
All Weapons Comparison
Here‘s a comparison table of all weapons currently available in the game:
| Weapon | Type | Damage | Speed | Range | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Axe | Melee | High | Fast | Short | Helicopter Crash |
| Crafted Spear | Melee | Medium | Medium | Medium | Crafted |
| Machete | Melee | Medium | Fast | Short | Northern Coast |
| Chainsaw | Melee | Extreme | Medium | Extreme Short | Bunker |
| Katana | Melee | High | Fast | Medium | Cave Bunker |
| Slingshot | Ranged | Low | Fast | Long | Riverside Cave |
| Crafted Bow | Ranged | Medium | Medium | Medium | Crafted |
| Crossbow | Ranged | High | Slow | Long | Bunker |
| Compound Bow | Ranged | Extreme | Medium | Extreme Long | Bunker |
| Pistol | Ranged | Medium | Fast | Medium | Raft, Cave |
| Revolver | Ranged | High | Fast | Medium | Bunker |
| Shotgun | Ranged | Extreme | Slow | Short | Coast, Grave |
| Grenades | Explosive | High | N/A | Medium | Weapon Cache |
| Molotov Cocktails | Explosive | High | N/A | Small | Crafted |
| Time Bomb | Explosive | Extreme | N/A | Small | Crafted |
Now let‘s go through each weapon‘s stats and location details:
Melee Weapons
Modern Axe
- High damage
- Fast swing speed
- Short range
This devastating axe with its black grip and stainless steel blade is located at Helicopter Crash Site barely inland from the west coast beach. As you follow the road uphill, look for Modern Axe next to a corpse inside a tent between train tracks. It‘s extremely effective for melee combat and chopping trees.
Crafted Spear
- Medium damage
- Medium speed
- Medium range
You‘ll need to collect sticks, cloth, and duct tape to craft this basic spear. It can be thrown from a distance and the shaft retrieved afterwards. With its respectable speed and reach, Crafted Spear is a reliable early-game melee weapon.
Machete
- Medium damage
- Fast speed
- Short range
This broad bladed machete is hidden inside a boat wreck among dead whales on the Northern Coast beach. Machete boasts an excellent blend of damage and attack speed making it arguably the best melee weapon you can obtain fairly quickly.
Chainsaw
- Extreme damage
- Medium speed
- Extreme short range
The devastating, gas-powered Chainsaw is found inside Bunker 17 Cinema behind double keycard locked doors. It inflicts ludicrous damage but has extremely short range requiring you to get dangerously close to enemies, making it a high-risk, high-reward weapon.
Katana
- High damage
- Fast speed
- Medium range
This deadly curved Japanese sword provides the overall best melee weapon stats. Retrieve Katana from a display stand inside Bunker 01 Armory behind the first keycard locked door. It strikes the optimal balance between damage, speed and range.
Ranged Weapons
Slingshot
- Low damage
- Fast speed
- Long range
Slingshot can be looted early-game from a corpse speared atop the mouth of Riverside Cave. It uses small rocks for ammunition. While weak, Slingshot allows safely engaging enemies from a distance.
Crafted Bow
- Medium damage
- Medium speed
- Medium range
Combine sticks, rope and duct tape to craft this makeshift Bow. It offers respectable mid-range combat potential until you acquire stronger ranged weapons. Arrows can also be crafted from stones, sticks and feathers.
Crossbow
- High damage
- Slow speed
- Long range
Once inside Bunker 12 Hydroponics Lab through the keycard activated door, you‘ll find Crossbow on a corpse alongside bolts. Dealing heavy damage from great range but hindered by slow fire rate, Crossbow excels at taking carefully-aimed shots.
Compound Bow
- Extreme damage
- Medium speed
- Extreme long range
After digging up and entering sealed Bunker B, traverse the dark corridors until locating Compound Bow submerged in bloody bathtub water. This advanced bow paired with deadly accuracy provides some of the best ranged damage in the game. But expect a drop in fire rate.
Pistol
- Medium damage
- Fast speed
- Medium range
Two 9mm Pistols can be obtained – one beside GPS Tracker on drifting Survival Raft, the other inside Green Cave Cache requiring Bunker Keycard for access. Quality early find being common pistol ammo provides medium power at quick fire rate.
Revolver
- High damage
- Fast speed
- Medium range
Powerful .357 Magnum Revolver is found on floor next to dead construction worker inside concrete Bunker 6. Hand cannon packs a mighty punch yet retains fast firing rate. But reload speed is slower given just 6 rounds per cartridge.
Shotgun
- Extreme damage
- Slow speed
- Short range
Double Barreled Shotgun leans against the bar inside sealed Nightclub. Alternatively, locate Shovel then dig up Shotgun interred inside hilltop Grave. Exploiting extreme close-quarters damage makes Shotgun the most brutally powerful firearm.
Explosives
Grenades
- High damage
- N/A speed
- Medium range
Pry open large metal Weapons Cache trunk on west coast beach to unlock 2x Grenades alongside pistols and ammo. Lobbing these compact explosives proves an easy area denial tactic, able to inflict splash damage making Grenades highly versatile.
Molotov Cocktails
- High damage
- N/A speed
- Small range
Combine cloth and alcohol to create these basic incendiary weapons. Once lit with lighter, throw the burning rag-stuffed bottles to create small fire zones. Molotovs offer an early-game way to block paths and inflict burn DoT damage.
Time Bomb
- Extreme damage
- N/A speed
- Small range
Through complex crafting combining wires, circuit boards and explosives, clever survivors can create these timed IED bombs. Place them strategically then take cover as these Small Thor-esque weapons erupt after 10 seconds into deadly explosions.
Unarmed Weapons
While not offering noteworthy combat potential, players can also locate a Putter inside Bunker armory to play golf, and Jimmy‘s red electric Guitar leaning against wall inside Bunker 17.
So there you have it – the complete guide detailing stats and exact locations of all weapons currently available in Sons of the Forest to gear up your survivor!
The diverse arsenal of melee, ranged and explosive weapons each bring unique advantages. Your choices ultimately depend on playstyle preference. Early game focus on ranged weapons to safely eliminate enemies from afar. Collect potent melee options like Chainsaw and Katana to get up close and personal later on against frightening mutants. And craft explosives when desperate situations call for maximum destruction!
As you unlock keycards and explore more of the sprawling open world, be sure to revisit bunkers and caves marked on your map. These areas often guard powerful late-game guns like Shotguns.
Godspeed survivor! Keep this guide handy so you can always upgrade to more formidable weapons. Your very survival on the peninsula depends on it…
