Sons of the Forest Best Base Defense Tips (Top 15 Tips)

This guide was written during a single-player run on Hard Mode. Adjust my suggestions to your difficulty and play-style accordingly.

15. Build Where Lumber And Stones Are Both Close By

There is no wrong way to be a lumberjack.

It’s unquestionable that lumber is the most important ingredient to good base-building. Luckily you have access to it from anywhere. However, there are some rare areas on top of the mountain where it isn’t very accessible. Don’t make your base there.

Towards the beginning of the game, other than an unnecessary fireplace, there isn’t too much need for the large stones; but I wouldn’t start a sprawling base without making sure you're near some. They are most prevalent near inland bodies of water (i.e. rivers and lakes, but not the ocean). 

Most advanced traps that aren’t accessible at the beginning of the game require large stones; so it would be a shame if they were too far away for Kelvin to be willing to go pick up when you want to build those traps. 

14. Build Around Abandoned Buildings

The Miner’s Camp is the best example of a “pre-built” base. 

The obvious reason for building around abandoned buildings is that you don’t have to do any work. You’re still going to want to build traps as well as a perimeter; however, when used adequately the buildings can serve as both a perimeter as well as covered housing. Just don’t forget to string up a light at night.

The less obvious reason for building around abandoned buildings is the fact that they are not destructible. This means that not only will enemies be unable to destroy the buildings, but your explosives won’t either. 

13. Build Near A 3D Printer

Pictured alongside the instructions to build the tech-armor that I never craft.

This step isn’t a necessity for every base, but it is important to have a smaller base somewhere close to a 3D printer. The importance of 3D printers will only be truly imperative if you are okay with using the save/reload method. 

Any time you reload a save, all scavengable items are respawned. By continuing to save and then reload in an area that has 3D printer ink, you can have access to an infinite amount of 3D printed items. This means infinite GPS locators, tech-armor, and arrows–among other things.

The GPS location in the picture the picture below is above the cave that leads to a room with a 3D printer, 3D printer ammo, and a bed in the same room, maximizing farming efficiency. 

Be aware that this is a hot spot for cannibals. 

12. Sleep In The Trees

Just don’t forget to connect your zipline rope!

The trees have a natural advantage that can take away the monotony of building a perimeter. While it does take a lot of logs to build platforms in the trees; it takes significantly less logs than building walls around your base. Assuming you haven’t built your platform on a hill (the larger enemies will still be able to damage your structure if it isn’t high enough), you will be safe from enemy attacks. 

Additionally, it is significantly easier to pick off unwanted visitors from a high location that leaves most of them too baffled to move. With two platforms and a zipline, enemies won’t stand a chance… assuming you don’t run out of ammo. I suggest using a crossbow when defending your base with this method so that you can retrieve your ammo after the battle.

11. Don’t Make The Logs Of Your Fence Touch

Left Side = Bad. Right Side = Good. 

Your natural inclination when building a fence will be to stack the logs right up next to each other. The game even autocorrects there if you get too close. This can cause fences to take A LOT of logs. Fortunately, you don’t have to put them right up next to each other.

Think about the width of a smaller cannibal and just make sure that the hole between the posts is too small for them to fit through. You can adequately build a working fence with less than half as many logs as if you connect them all.

10. Don’t Have More Entrances To Your Base Than Traps

Traps located at the entrance of tree forts are just as productive as inside base-level funnels.

It’s a big ammo saver if enemies have no choice but to run into their demise in pursuit of you. By creating funnels around the perimeter of your base, cannibals can be forced to run directly into a trap. This is also convenient if you don’t realize there is an attacker on your case. There’s no buzzkill worse than working on your base and then finding yourself strung up in the middle of an enemy camp seconds later with no recollection of how it happened.

Traps can also effectively be used at the “entrance” to tree forts. Whether they’re at the base of the rope or at the end of a zipline, enemies won’t be able to swat you off if they’re subjected to a well placed trap.

9. Use The Right Traps

With an improper understanding of traps the only thing you’ll be trapping is yourself. 

Different traps behave in different ways so if you aren’t using them properly you can easily end up with a cannibal walking right around it. Each trap is tripped in a different way, so finding the sweet spot is vital. This may seem like common sense, but the trick lies in the fact that it is not always blatantly obvious where that spot is unless you’ve seen the traps in action. 

I’ve spent a lot of supplies to build traps at the end of a funnel just to find that the part of my trap that does the damage isn’t in the correct place. Be wary of the type of trap, as well as the direction they face, before you lay them down.

8. Focus On A Perimeter Before You Focus On Fun

Otherwise Big Red is gonna get ya. 

There are three ways to create a perimeter: 

-Use the environment to your advantage (I’ll go over this later)

-Spend an ungodly amount of time placing logs (this isn’t all that bad as long as you’re using Kelvin efficiently)

-Make your base too high up for enemies to reach.

When the cannibals aren’t busy killing you, they have plenty of fun destroying what you’ve worked so hard to build. You’re going to be a lot more disappointed with them destroying a hard-to-build item than your fence; especially since the logs from your destroyed fence are still reusable. That is not the case with alot of other structural supplies.

7. Don’t Use Explosives Near Your Base

When your walls crumble this is all that can protect you.

You’ll learn very quickly that this is a big no-no when you find something you spent a lot of time on obliterated. Nothing feels worse than watching your hard earned work be destroyed and knowing that it was your own doing–even if you saved yourself from being a cannibal’s victim in the process. 

If you find the use of explosives absolutely necessary in combat then pay extra attention to what I said during number 14: Abandoned buildings can’t be destroyed. 

6. Build Small Bases Across The Map Before You Settle In To Create Your Big Base

There are limitless advantages to all sorts of terrain in Sons of the Forest; which is affected even more by the fact that there is a seasonal cycle in the game. In order to keep the experience less reckless, it is advised to build small camps as you go; if for no other reason than putting a free destination point on the map. 

Hold off on building something extremely time consuming until you are more aware of the convenience of a location. There are no fast-travel options in this game; so if you aren’t readily near a farmable supply, then you’re going to have to make a long trek to get it. 

5. Build Somewhere That Has Natural Protection From Enemies

Pictured is “The Lone Cabin”. Check out my other article for a greater description of it. 

One of the easiest ways to protect yourself during base-building is by using the environment to your advantage. By using both tops and bottoms of cliffs, lakes, oceans, etc. you guarantee yourself protection from cannibals without having to waste supplies that could be used elsewhere.

The above picture gives a great example. I haven’t built ANYTHING other than a single tent. Yet, my base is completely inaccessible from the front, inaccessible from the back, has a central area where any necessary utility needs to be placed, and adequate room for naturally-occuring trap funnels. This location can be found here:

4. Don’t Try To Build Anywhere That Has An Entrance Animation

I know this is blatantly obvious.

I shouldn’t have to mention it. I know. You know. Obviously, you shouldn’t build a base somewhere where you can’t carry logs. 

BUT I WANTED to build a base in a bunker. It seemed exciting. I accepted that I wouldn’t be able to build wooden structures; but that was okay because I would just accept the structure available. After all, I’m safe from roaming cannibals so why would it matter?

You’ll get sick of sliding through that wall to get sticks… and rocks… and bones… and rope… and tape… and wire… and batteries… and…

3. Go Get The Chainsaw

Kelvin will thank you dearly.

The chainsaw is just so much more efficient than axes. I don’t care what the damage output says. I don’t care what the speed says. I don’t care what the defense says. You can cut down trees with a chainsaw better than you can with an axe; no matter what axe you have. 

Don’t let the biggest inhibitor to your base be that it takes too long to cut down logs. Games are meant to be enjoyed, not loathed. 

The chainsaw can be found inside a bunker a small bit down the river from the inlet near the pistol’s location. Once you pass the second pool area, there will be a locked door that requires the guest keycard that can be found in the same room.

2. Have Fun (no really, your base will work better)

F is for fire that burns down the whole town

Stop rolling your eyes. I see you in doubt. I mean this. 

This is legitimately a life lesson as well as a lesson in building a better base.

If somebody hates doing something, they are more likely to do a bad job of it than if someone who likes it is doing it. 

The same applies to you. If you find the game mechanics of traps clunky and inefficient, then you’re probably not going to do a good job of making efficient traps. If you despise the concept of building a durable perimeter, then you will probably create one that isn’t very successful. If you’re terrible at hand-to-hand combat, then you're not going to enjoy building a ground-centric base. 

Basing your playstyle around what you enjoy will not only have the obvious benefit of making your gameplay more enjoyable; but will increase the chances of you doing a good job of it. 

1. Build Where Kelvin Can Easily Maneuver

If Kelvin’s doesn’t enjoy it, then you probably won’t either.

When utilized properly, Kelvin is the most important tool for building a base. I think it is safe to say that most players don’t want to cut down a hundred trees; even if they have the chainsaw. Kelvin is the sole protector from this game being unplayably monotonous. He will chop down the trees you need and bring them back to your base. There’s nothing I could be more thankful for. 

Additionally he has a keen sense of exactly where your needed ingredients are. You don’t have to search for large stones or sticks or whatever else, because his AI already knows their location.

You don’t have to worry about him dropping them off to you or putting them in storage for you to get out (which he can still do), because if you task him with finishing a blueprint he will automatically farm the supplies needed to build it. 

Kelvin is your greatest tool.

Check out these related articles:

• [Top 10] Sons of the Forest Best Weapons
• [Top 3] Sons of the Forest Best Axes
• [Top 5] Sons of the Forest Best Melee Weapons