The recent March 9 update for Sons of the Forest brought more than just technical tweaks. Exciting new items like the wingsuit glider and binoculars finally arrived, expanding transportation and scouting options for survivors.
As a passionate gamer, I love when new content opens up different ways to traverse the world. The glider provides airborne freedom, while binoculars unlock far-off vistas invisible to the naked eye. They tap into the very explorer spirit that makes open world survival adventures so compelling.
In this expert guide, I’ll share insider techniques for using these binoculars to their full potential. We’ll cover:
- Binocular Benefits for Exploration Gaming
- Locating Your First Pair on the Map
- Equipping and Using Binoculars Effectively
- Advanced Scouting Tactics and Tips
- Comparing Binoculars to Other Information Items
Let’s get started uncovering all the horizons these binoculars reveal!
The Rich History of Binoculars for Adventure
Humans have used optic aids like telescopes for centuries to extend vision range. Galileo Galilei helped progress lens-based optics in 1609 with his famous home-crafted telescope. Handheld binoculars then started emerging around the 1840s for both military reconnaissance and leisure sailing.
These compact folding designs allowed users to quickly survey the landscapes and seascapes around them. The 7x magnification offered by early opera glasses expanded to 10x or higher over time. Larger objectives over 50mm widened the light intake for steadier viewing.
By World War I portable binoculars were a standard for scouts and lookouts. They became crucial for Early warning and directing artillery barrages. Post-war surplus binoculars also enabled more hobbyists to unlock birding, hunting, and exploration hobbies.
This rich history carries on today in immersive survival games like Sons of the Forest. As a passionate gamer, having binoculars taps into that innately human desire to uncover the world around us. No longer constrained to what’s immediately visible, we can take in epic vistas from afar and see dangers or resources ahead of time.
Just as early military scouts surveyed foreign terrain, binoculars in Sons of the Forest help us scout these mysterious islands early on. The tactical advantage and expanded world knowledge they offer remains invaluable today.
Scooping Up Your First Binoculars
Shortly after arriving on the islands, you can grab the binoculars without needing special tools or weapons. They simply await next on some red kayaks washed ashore on the Northern beach.
This peaceful spot sits just north of the underwater rebreather cave, reachable shortly after the introductory events. Along with the binoculars, you’ll find a camouflage suit for Virginia and some supply crates. It’s a quick detour with useful scouting and inventory boosts at nearly no risk.
Now let’s get those binoculars equipped for some long-distance revelations!
Equipping Your Binoculars
Using the binoculars starts simply after grabbing them off the kayak. First open your inventory by pressing I to bring up your backpack. Select the binoculars with your mouse to equip them into your hands.
Once equipped, hold down the primary action button on your mouse and start panning around! This enters a zoomed-in scoped view allowing you to spot items barely visible normally.
You can also hotkey binoculars for quick swapping on adventures. Hover over them in your inventory and press a number like 3 to bind to that slot. Tap 3 anytime to whip them back out when discovering new areas.
Now let’s move onto some pro sightseeing tips!
Expert Binocular Tactics
While usable anywhere, binoculars really shine when scouting from an elevated position. I suggest immediately seeking out a tall cliff, tower, or raised forest section after acquiring them.
The higher your vantage point, the wider and clearer your long-distance view becomes. Make spotting key landmarks and areas your first goal:
Passenger Ship: This wrecked ship offshore holds many crucial tools and gear for advancing. Scan the decks carefully to spot patrols and plan your approach.
Large Island: A huge landmass lurks west through the fog of war. Precisely reveal its shoreline details and inland areas while plotting future travel.
Cave Networks: Many dark caverns and facilities hide underground with valuable loot. Peer down for exterior clues about how to enter.
Hidden Beach: An isolated beach across tall cliffs contains a peaceful cave base location. Pinpoint its location early to set up a main camp.
Don‘t forget to toggle your magnification by scrolling the mouse wheel during observations. Dial in the exact right level of zoom to make out small details without overly blurring the view.
You can even equip the binoculars simultaneously with the map or compass! Quickly check your broader position, then zoom in on updated terrain with the press of a hotkey.
Maximizing Your Travel Efficiency
Efficient travelers avoid wasting steps and maximize time usage. With binoculars, you can precisely plan trips factoring in variables like:
- Vision range
- Enemy movement
- Hunting density
- Resource richness
Save endless walking by charting multi-stop routes grabbing essentials at each location. For example, spot a faraway cliffside cave to clear out, then grab berries from a berry bush valley on the walk back.
Long hikes become more targeted, avoiding dead ends or overlapping areas already visited. You also minimize meandering “there and back” travel that burns time.
As survival experts know, wasting energy forces more frequent supply runs and risks emergency scenarios. Make your efforts count by strategically utilizing binocular intelligence!
Binoculars vs. Other Information Items
While the compass and map provide general navigation, binoculars serve as specialized vision enhancers:
| Binoculars | Camera | Paraglider | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnification | High zoom | None | Low zoom |
| Mobility | Use anywhere | Use anywhere | Only while gliding |
| Field of View | Narrow | Wide | Very wide |
The camera offers a wider snapshot for reminiscing, while the glider provides high elevation briefly during transport. But the binoculars deliver a perfect mix of extreme zoom, location flexibility, and travel efficiency.
I suggest ultimately carrying all three items once acquired to mix and match benefits!
Unlock Hidden Parts of the Map
With how concealed much of the Sons of the Forest map stays, portable binoculars are a godsend. They empower survivors to uncover hidden areas early on and prepare travel accordingly.
Where previous games forced slow, danger-fraught walking to reveal new biomes, now you can safely scout from lofty perches instead. Find resource hotspots, chart safe paths around enemies, and optimize routes to equipment and bases.
In a way, the binoculars “complete” the core fantasy of exploring stranded islands by showing areas naturally undiscoverable. Few survival games offer such a direct peek into the unknown — use it wisely to prosper!
Soon those distant grayed-out areas on your GPS won‘t seem so distant after all. Let us know your favorite revelations uncovered with the binoculars below!
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