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Sons of the Forest plot, explained

Be careful, spoilers ahead!

Behind Sons of the Forest's intricate crafting and combat mechanics lies a Hollywood-esque story putting most modern-day horror movies to shame. If the free-roam gameplay got you sidetracked, here's a quick recap of the plot in Sons of the Forest to refresh your memory!

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What is the plot of Sons of the Forest?

Sons of the Forest is a game of survival that tests your creativity and wits like no other. Unlike the game's predecessor, where you find yourself in an apparently random plane crash, you are now part of a military team sent to investigate the disappearance of the Puffton family of three.

Things quickly go awry, and your helicopter crashes on the cannibal and mutant-infested island, leaving you stranded with a single teammate. Besides fighting for your life, you'll have a chance to gradually discover a deeper story of the island, the Pufftons, and the events happening before your arrival.

The Sons of the Forest plot begins with Edward Puffton, CEO of Puff Corp and a multi-billionaire discovering the existence of a Golden Cube with otherworldly properties. Upon finding the island where the Cube is located, he immediately bought it in an intense bidding war against the company Sahara Therapeutics, a corporation from the first game. The Puff Corp built an underground resort on the island with living quarters, a gym, a nightclub, and other commodities.

Related: Sons of the Forest Building and Crafting Guide

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While the residents occupied themselves with trivial activities, the corporate researchers worked hard to dig up the artifact's secrets. During their work, they discovered a new mineral that appeared to be a black metal with a bright gold finish. When subjected to refinement, the metal becomes fully golden and can be plied into many different objects.

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The main discovery was the Golden Cube on the far east side of the island. Hidden at the end of a magma cavern network, behind the set of golden doors with an arm-like indentation that is only unlockable with a Golden Armor set, the Golden Cube is a construct with otherworldly properties. Not only is it capable of transporting humans to other dimensions, but it's also apparently responsible for the mutations happening all over the island.

During the island exploration, the players can discover a wall painting inside one of the caves representing the Golden Cube, with a single stick figure inside it alive, while his fellows outside die. This could mean that the Cube has been around for quite some time.

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At the facility where you obtain the VIP Keycard, a video surveillance monitor plays a looping video in which a room full of regular humans start shaking violently and transform into mutants. The likely cause for this event is that somebody used the Golden Cube's transportation ability at that moment. Another indication of this phenomenon is seen in the game's ending when the player reaches the chamber inside the Cube. 

Screenshot by Pro Game Guides

Related: How to use the Artifact in Sons of the Forest

The player, Timmy, and any companions are all trapped inside as the Cube slams its side shut. An antagonist wearing a silver jacket gets trapped outside. Immediately after, the opposite side of the box opens, seemingly transporting you to an alternate dimension for a brief period. Once the box returns to normal and the door reopens, the antagonist in silver appears to have mutated into a Sluggy, their head dangling upside down from the ceiling.

After the cutscene ends, you and Timmy find yourself at the beach, with police helicopters preparing to land on the island. Suddenly, Jianyu breaks out of the ground in his mutated form and starts destroying the incoming helicopters. Timmy tries to confront him but is quickly overpowered. Jianyu interrogates you about what you saw through the Cube, and you and your companions must defeat him.

Sons of the Forest all possible endings

After defeating Jianyu, two CIA helicopters fly in along with an entourage of soldiers. Eric LeBlanc and the soldiers open fire at an incoming group of cannibals, and you have a limited time frame to board one of the helicopters and escape. This is where you choose one of three possible endings.

First ending

Once the timer for entering the helicopter expires, you retrieve the backpack containing the artifact, and the helicopters fly away without you, leaving you to fight the monsters on your own.

Second ending

You grab a shotgun and fend off the invading monsters, eventually making your way into the helicopter and escaping the island. The scene cuts to Timmy in the doctor's office, receiving the news that his mutation is impossible to cure. The next scene sees Kelvin playing with building blocks on the floor of the brain injury ward, suggesting you've taken custody of him. This cutscene will play only if you manage to keep him alive throughout the game.

Third ending

For the third ending, you must make Virginia a companion and keep Kelvin alive. In this ending scene, Virginia is rushed into the operating room, followed by a scene taking place five months later. This second scene sees you driving a car with Virginia sitting in the passenger's seat, mutation-free and with a visible baby bump. You're riding off into the sunset, with Timmy in the backseat.

Looking for more guides on surviving the Sons of the Forest? Check out How to fix Kelvin getting stuck in Sons of the Forest and What’s the best light source in Sons of the Forest? here on Pro Game Guides!


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Luka Rakočević
Luka Rakocevic works as a full-time staff writer at Pro Game Guides and is a new-generation gamer. Backed with old-school gaming knowledge, his oldest gaming memories are on SNES, trying to beat Super Mario. Games are his big inspiration, and he frequently draws from that well to create new art. He prefers narrative-driven games like God of War, Killzone, Half-life, Uncharted and similar. Luka mainly writes science fiction in his free time. When he's not home banging away at his computer keyboard, you will most likely find him at a local pub or a metal concert in the middle of a mosh pit.
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Jovan Krstić
Jovan, a Codes Writer at GAMURS, applies his extensive gaming background and research skills to uncover every available code. His gaming interests span genres such as racing, horror, first-person shooters, and RPGs. Outside of work, he enjoys competitive gaming in Destiny 2, ranking up in EA FC's Ultimate Team, and playing Overcooked 2.

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Sons of the Forest plot, explained

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