Sons of the Forest is a cooperative survival title where players build shelters, band together, fend off cannibal threats, and explore a mix of bunkers and underground dungeons. This guide covers how to set up a dedicated server, join existing ones, and the core co-op features you can expect.
Sons of the Forest guides
- Walkthrough Sons of the Forest – sequence for exploring dungeons, locating beacons, key cards, and gold armor
- Sons of the Forest beginner’s guide – tips for inventory management, locating food and water, first aid kits, printers, and more
- How to build a shelter and save progress in Sons of the Forest
- Using Kelvin the satellite in Sons of the Forest
- How to find a shovel and dig a grave in Sons of the Forest plus where to locate diving gear and a rope thrower
- Weapons guide in Sons of the Forest – where to locate and how to craft a spear, bow, pistol, axe, shocker, shotgun, chainsaw, and katana
- How to befriend the Three-Legged Girl named Virginia and make her a companion
- Co-op in Sons of the Forest – playing with friends, server creation, and multiplayer features
Create a server and connect to other players’ servers
From the main menu, select Multiplayer Mode and choose Open Server. For new worlds, start with A New Game if it is your first time in this mode.
Choose a difficulty level. Players can adjust enemy count and challenge, including health, damage, and armor. Environment and survival settings are customizable as well.
Next, name the world and set the participant limit. The cooperative experience currently supports up to eight players.
If Friends only is enabled, the server becomes private and can be joined by Steam friends. Disable this option to open access to other players.
Players can also join public servers or a friend’s server by selecting Multiplayer Mode and Connect.
The right column lists public servers owned by Steam users, while the left column allows filtering by difficulty. Enabling Friends only shows the servers of Steam friends.
What features are available in a cooperative game and how saving works
Kelvin
After joining a server, players spawn on the island in one of several random locations. Kelvin appears nearby, just as in single player. In multiplayer, the satellite acts independently of any single player but can be commanded by any squad member.
What the loot looks like
In co-op play, loot is shared among all teammates. Loot distribution means players do not compete for items, though some finds may differ between teammates in the same location, such as pills versus food.
How to exchange items
Items can be transferred by approaching a teammate and holding the action key. A selection table appears on the left to choose the desired item.
Note that taking items from a teammate is not allowed; the owner must hand them over.
How saving works
Saving in co-op differs from solo play. The world state saves with the host, while other participants save only their inventory and the saved location. If a player connects to another host, tent saves preserve position, but the surrounding world can change as the guest player continues.
Kill mechanics
After taking critical damage, a character drops to one knee for about a minute. If no teammate revives in time, the squad should retreat to the nearest native camp for safety.
To revive a fallen ally, approach them and hold the action key.
A skull icon above a player marks the second and final downed state.
Is it possible to complete the story in multiplayer mode
Sons of the Forest supports multiplayer story progression. Team members can split tasks, with some building shelters while others pursue key items for the plot. Shared progress allows all squad members to access opened passages and bunkers, so reaching the final bunker and overcoming the lava to the Golden Cube completes the storyline for everyone.
Other guides
- How to find a shovel and dig a grave in Sons of the Forest – where to locate diving gear and a rope thrower
- Sons of the Forest beginner’s guide – inventory, food, water, first aid kits, printer and more
- Walkthrough Sons of the Forest – dungeon order, beacons, key cards, gold armor
- Weapons guide in Sons of the Forest – crafting a spear, bow, pistol, axe, shocker, shotgun, chainsaw and katana
- Using Kelvin the satellite in Sons of the Forest
- How to build a shelter and save progress in Sons of the Forest
- How to befriend Virginia and make her a companion
Source attribution: VG Times