You can’t fight what you can’t see. Darkness is a huge problem in Sons of the Forest. After crashing on a lost island, you’ll have a lighter and not much else. If you want to explore the many underground locations marked on your map, you’ll need something better than a torch. Flashlights are quiet, useful tools for sneaking through dark environments — enemies in the underground can’t see, so they’ll completely ignore your flashlight if you stay quiet. The Flashlight is practically required, and you can find an even better version with the Mountable Flashlight Upgrade. This can be attached to your Pistol or Shotgun. This is the only way to use the two-handed Shotgun while still lighting up an area. You really don’t want to miss it.
More Sons of the Forest guides:
How To Escape The Island | Ending Guide | How To Get The Shovel & Unlock Hidden Underground Locations | How To Unlock The Mysterious Door | How To Find A 3D Printer | How To Get The Pistol | Where To Find The Best Weapon | All Keycard Locations | Silencer Location | How To Make Bone Armor & Farm Bones | How To Catch Animals | Can Opener Location | How To Craft Healing Mix
Best Light Sources Guide | Flashlight & Mountable Flashlight Locations
There are four basic light sources in Sons of the Forest — the Lighter, the Torch, the Flashlight and the Mountable Flashlight. You start with a Lighter, the Torch can be crafted with simple materials, and the Flashlights must be found on the map.
Torch: The torch is the basic workhorse light source of the early game — much more powerful than the lighter, and the fire is bright enough to scare away cannibals. Cannibals will back away from fire, and they’ll ignore your bright light when underground. Albino underground cannibals can’t see, so they only react to sound. The torch is very simple to make.
- How To Craft The Torch: x1 Stick + x1 Cloth. Combine in your inventory and press the gear symbol. Use the lighter when the torch is equipped to light it up.
Flashlight: The Flashlight is one of the most important tools in your arsenal. To acquire the Flashlight, go to the purple Beta Team GPS marker on your map that’s highest on the mountain and closest to the center of the map. He’s hanging from a rope — go to the ledge above and cut him down to collect his flashlight.
Mounted Flashlight: The most useful flashlight in the game. This mounted flashlight can be placed on your pistol or shotgun — if they’re upgraded with a mounting rail. The Mounted Flashlight is a late-game item, and only available at the Underground Apartments — the Underground Apartments are located toward the center of the island from the Exterior Bunker Entrance / Mansion near the docks. Find the green GPS dot on the same side of the island, near a mountain lake. You can enter this area without a shovel, but you’ll need a Keycard to gain access to the interior.
- The Mounted Flashlight is located here — you can also find the Golden Armor, the Katana, the Golf Club, and the Gold Mask.
The Mounted Flashlight is easily the best item in the game. You’ll need a Rail Upgrade to equip it. The Pistol Rail can be found in multiple location, but the easiest spot is on the beach near the Beta Team Member in the lifeboat. On the beach, there’s a small camp with a mercenary corpse. The radio is on, so follow the music to the location. The Pistol Rail is here.
The Shotgun Rail is found in the Food & Dining hatch. Down in the food storage room, use a Keycard to access the hydroponics growing area, it leads to a large dining room with many dead bodies at the table. The rail is located in the Security Room with another keycard.
With these light sources, you can explore with more confidence. You’ll need them in the large underground areas filled with mutants — and the mutants only get stronger as the story progresses. They’ll be coming for your camp at night, so stay prepared.
