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The safest practical progression is to recover the Rebreather in Cave A, return with the Rope Gun and Rebreather for Shovel Cave, then tackle Ancient Armor Cave, Pickaxe Cave and Artifact Cave before entering the demon-heavy Hell Cave. The primary community wiki marks nine caves on the GPS; another community listing counts 10, probably because it uses a different taxonomy or patch. Hell Cave is not marked and is reached through the Luxury Bunker.
For a hosted multiplayer world, Godlike.Host Sons of the Forest game servers are managed through its own game panel. Its Sons of the Forest plans list 4, 12 and 20 slots; the server’s MaxPlayers setting allows 1 to 8 players (Steam Community server guide, 11 Oct 2026).
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How many caves are in Sons of the Forest?
Use nine marked caves as the working count for the current map. The primary wiki describes nine cave entrances shown on the GPS, while another community source lists 10. That disagreement is best treated as a labeling or version difference rather than proof that one entrance is missing from your save. Names and categories can change after patches, so compare the labels on your in-game GPS with a current community global map instead of relying on an old screenshot.
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| Area | GPS status | Highest-value named loot | Traversal checks | Main hazards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cave A (Rebreather Cave) | Marked | Rebreather; Stun Gun | Water and underwater navigation | Puffies, Fingers, Babies and a possible shark |
| Shovel Cave | Marked | Major progression route (the supplied sources do not name a separate signature item inside) | Rope Gun at the opening; Rebreather for flooded sections | Legsy ambush and other cave mutants |
| Cave D (Ancient Armor Cave) | Marked | Ancient Armor; Rifle route through the upper section reached from Grotto D | Vertical route-finding between the cave and Grotto D | Puffies, Blue Puffies, Babies, Twins and Demons |
| Cave F (Pickaxe Cave) | Marked | Pickaxe | Exact burden varies by route; check the current map | Enemy layout can change with patches |
| Cave G (Artifact Cave) | Marked | Artifact | Use the current map for the entrance and internal route | Enemy and route details are not consistently stated by the cited sources |
| Hell Cave | Unmarked; entered through Luxury Bunker | Late-game story and exploration area | Bunker access and a long, combat-heavy descent | 14–21 Demons and one Giant Demon |
| Other marked entrances | Four additional locations are implied by the nine-cave count | Not stated in the cited material | Check the current GPS/map labels | Patch-dependent |
Reading the map and finding entrances
Use the GPS for the entrance overview
Cave icons on the GPS give you the reliable starting point for route planning. A current community global map can add entrance markers and other GPS locations, but treat its labels as a community reference: the nine-versus-10 disagreement shows that naming conventions are not universal. Mark the entrance you intend to use before leaving camp, then keep a waypoint or screenshot so you can find the exit again after a long underground route.
Expect labels to differ
“Cave A,” “Shovel Cave,” “Ancient Armor Cave,” “Pickaxe Cave” and “Artifact Cave” are practical names used by players and wiki pages. A map may use a letter, an item name or a nearby landmark for the same entrance. If a guide calls an area by a different name, match the GPS position and entrance shape rather than assuming it is a separate cave.
Finding Hell Cave
Hell Cave will not appear as a normal cave icon. Its entrance is through the Luxury Bunker, so searching the surface for a seventh lettered entrance wastes time. Plan it as a late objective after you can reliably clear high-level fights and navigate the bunker route.
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Preparation checklist before opening a cave
Opening the entrance changes the surface around it, so prepare for both the underground trip and the return journey.
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- Confirm the tool gate. Do not begin Shovel Cave without the Rope Gun and Rebreather; the first obstruction and later flooded sections each stop an unprepared run.
- Carry healing and food. A failed swim or an ambush can leave you unable to fight your way back out.
- Bring dependable light and spare power. Darkness makes vertical junctions and retreat routes harder to recognize than the entrance itself.
- Use your strongest practical weapons and armor. Cave enemies attack at close range, where a single missed hit can trap you against a wall or ledge.
- Leave inventory space. Rebreather, Stun Gun, Ancient Armor, Rifle access and the Pickaxe are high-value finds; a full pack can force a needless return through hostile rooms.
- Place temporary storage away from the mouth. Mutant activity rises near opened caves, so a small staging point is safer than a permanent base directly beside the planks.
- Record the exit route. A waypoint outside and a note about the last fork prevent a successful loot run from becoming a lost-in-the-dark death.
Cave A: Rebreather Cave
Why this cave comes first
Cave A is the early equipment recovery stop because it contains the Rebreather and the Stun Gun. Those items expand what you can do in later caves and make the Shovel Cave route possible. Treat the cave as an equipment mission rather than a race to the deepest chamber: collect the named items, then leave while you still have healing and light.
Loot and enemies
The documented enemies are Puffies, Fingers and Babies. A shark may also appear, adding a water-specific threat that is different from a normal corridor ambush. Keep your camera on the waterline when entering a submerged section and avoid assuming that a quiet pool is safe simply because no mutant is visible on the ledge.
Practical approach
- Mark the entrance on your GPS and establish a return waypoint outside.
- Advance slowly through the first combat rooms so you do not spend all your healing before reaching the equipment.
- When water becomes part of the route, manage air and keep an exit direction in mind; the cave is the place to obtain the Rebreather, not a reason to take unnecessary underwater detours.
- Secure the Rebreather and Stun Gun, then withdraw and restock before attempting the longer progression caves.
Shovel Cave: the main progression gate
Entrance and required tools
The entrance is at the river confluence below the mountain crash site. The initial obstruction is a stalagmite barrier that requires the Rope Gun to cross. Farther inside, flooded sections require the Rebreather. These are separate checks: having one tool does not solve the other, so an unprepared run can end at the first barrier or after the first swim.
How to run the cave
- Approach from the river confluence and confirm that the entrance is the one shown on your current map.
- Use the Rope Gun on the opening obstruction rather than searching the surrounding rock for a ground-level detour.
- Before entering a flooded branch, equip and test the Rebreather and note the direction of the dry route behind you.
- Expect a difficult Legsy encounter. Create space before committing to melee, and avoid backing into water or a dead-end ledge.
- After the Legsy fight, check your supplies before pushing farther; the cave’s value is its role in progression, and a forced retreat is preferable to losing the equipment you already recovered.
Common failure points
- You cannot cross the first obstruction: return for the Rope Gun; explosives or repeated melee attacks do not replace this traversal requirement.
- You reach water and run out of air: leave and return with the Rebreather rather than trying to memorize an unverified alternate route.
- Legsy overwhelms you: pull the fight into a wider space, keep an escape line open and do not let the ambush pin you against the cave wall.
Cave D: Ancient Armor Cave and the Rifle route
Loot layout
Cave D contains Ancient Armor. The Rifle is not simply on the first path through the cave: access is from an upper section reached through Grotto D. If you enter, collect the armor and leave without checking the upper route, you may miss the firearm path even though you cleared much of the cave.
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Enemy profile
The documented threats are Puffies, Blue Puffies, Babies, Twins and Demons. The mixture matters because the cave combines fast pressure, attacks from multiple bodies and tougher demon encounters. Keep a retreat corridor open when moving between the lower cave and the upper Grotto D route; vertical navigation can turn a manageable fight into a pile-up on a narrow ledge.
Efficient route planning
- Enter with enough supplies for two objectives: the armor pickup and the upper-section detour.
- Clear immediate enemies before climbing or traversing a narrow connection; fighting while searching for the Grotto D route increases the chance of falling or being surrounded.
- Use the current map’s entrance label and internal landmarks to confirm that you are heading toward the upper section, not back toward the lower exit.
- Once the Rifle route is reached, secure the item and retrace the marked path instead of improvising a new descent in darkness.
Cave F: Pickaxe Cave
The wiki identifies Cave F as the Pickaxe Cave. The Pickaxe is the defining pickup, making this a utility-focused stop rather than an armor or firearm route. Because the cited material does not specify a universal water or vertical gate for Cave F, use the current GPS and community map for the exact entrance and inspect the first junction before spending scarce healing. Patch changes can alter enemy placement even when the named loot remains the same.
For a clean run, visit after your first major equipment recovery, leave inventory space for the Pickaxe, and mark the entrance before you descend. If the route in your version differs from an older video, trust the live GPS position and the physical entrance over an outdated compass description.
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Cave G is identified as the Artifact Cave. The supplied references establish its identity and recommend consulting a current global map for the entrance, but they do not provide a stable item list beyond the artifact designation or a consistent enemy count. That makes map verification more important here than memorizing a route from an old guide.
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Approach it as an exploration objective: carry enough supplies for a return trip, mark the surface entrance, and keep a record of every major fork. If your map uses “Artifact Cave” while the GPS shows only a letter, use the position to reconcile the labels. Do not infer that an unlisted enemy or tool gate is absent; those details are more likely to vary with updates than the cave’s name.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Hell Cave: the unmarked demon gauntlet
Access
Hell Cave is reached through the Luxury Bunker, not through a surface cave icon. Plan the bunker approach first and treat the cave as a late-game expedition. It is the wrong place for an early map-checking trip because a failed run can cost more time and supplies than the marked caves.
Enemy intensity
The cited count is 14–21 Demons plus one Giant Demon. That is a gameplay range from the community source, not a guaranteed fixed spawn count for every patch or difficulty setting. The number alone explains why Hell Cave belongs after you have reliable combat equipment and a practiced retreat plan.
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- Enter with a full healing reserve and enough light for the return route.
- Fight from spaces that let you sidestep or retreat; do not allow several Demons to stack in a doorway.
- Separate the Giant Demon from smaller enemies whenever the room permits instead of spending all resources on the first wave.
- Leave if your supplies are exhausted. Hell Cave rewards a controlled second attempt more than a desperate push toward an unmarked chamber.
Recommended cave order
This order is a practical equipment progression, not an official quest sequence. It minimizes the chance of reaching a hard gate without the required tool.
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- Survey the GPS and mark entrances. Start with the current map because community labels differ and the nine-versus-10 count is unresolved.
- Clear Cave A. Recover the Rebreather and Stun Gun, then return to restock.
- Prepare for Shovel Cave. Do not leave for the river confluence until the Rope Gun and Rebreather are both available.
- Run Shovel Cave. Cross the stalagmite obstruction, handle the flooded sections and plan for Legsy.
- Visit Cave D. Collect Ancient Armor and follow the upper route through Grotto D for the Rifle access.
- Take the utility detour to Cave F. Recover the Pickaxe when your inventory and combat supplies allow it.
- Explore Cave G. Use the current map to identify the Artifact Cave entrance and record your route.
- Finish with Hell Cave. Enter through the Luxury Bunker only when you are prepared for 14–21 Demons and a Giant Demon.
Why mutants start appearing near a cave base
Breaking the planks that cover a cave entrance has a surface consequence: mutants can begin spawning outside. The wiki says the highest quantity appears near caves as days progress, and that at least two mutants naturally respawn in the area each day after killed mutants are removed. The exact encounter pattern can vary, but repeated attacks beside an opened entrance are expected behavior, not proof that your save is corrupted.
Base-placement decision
- Want a quiet long-term base? Build well away from an opened entrance and use a small, temporary supply point near the cave instead.
- Want a defensive outpost? A cave-side structure can work if you deliberately plan for recurring combat, maintain clear sight lines and avoid blocking your escape route.
- Already built beside the entrance? Move valuable storage first, then relocate the main sleeping and crafting area. Killing the current attackers will not permanently remove the respawn pressure described by the wiki.
Troubleshooting map, loot and route problems
My map shows 10 caves, but another guide says nine
Use the nine marked GPS caves as the primary count and check whether the tenth entry is a differently named entrance, an unmarked location or a category added by a later patch. Compare positions, not just letters.
The cave name on my GPS does not match a walkthrough
Community names mix letters, loot names and nearby landmarks. Match the GPS location and entrance geometry, then use the walkthrough’s tool requirements to confirm that it describes the same route.
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I found Ancient Armor but not the Rifle
Check the upper section reached through Grotto D. The Rifle access is described as a separate upper route, so clearing the lower armor path does not guarantee that you visited it.
Mutants keep returning outside my entrance
Opening the planks enables surface spawning, with the greatest activity near caves as days advance and at least two natural respawns in the area each day after kills. Relocate a permanent base rather than expecting one cleanup to solve the problem.
Enemy numbers do not match an older video
Loot, enemy placement and tool gates can change after patches. Treat the named items and documented requirements as the stable planning points, then verify the current entrance and route in-game.
What can change after a patch
All cave references here come from community-maintained pages. The nine-versus-10 count, labels, enemy placement, loot placement and traversal gates may change as the game is updated. Before a long expedition, check the current GPS and a recently maintained community map, then carry enough supplies to retreat if a familiar passage is flooded, blocked or populated differently. The route principles remain useful even when a room layout changes: recover early utility equipment, respect Rope Gun and Rebreather gates, treat the Ancient Armor upper route as a separate objective, and reserve Hell Cave for a fully prepared run.
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