A hidden choice deep in the island’s chaos can change how your story ends. Here’s how to reach the secret conclusion that most players will never see.
Sons of the Forestfeatures three distinct endings – a good ending, a bad ending, and a secret ending. All three endings require you to go through the gold arm door in a bunker on the eastern shore of the island, but each of them will require you to make different choices. Do you leave the island or stay and fight? Continue reading to find out how to reach the good, bad, and secret endings in Sons of the Forest.
How to beat Sons of the Forest
To beat Sons of the Forest and reach the secret ending, push the main story by collecting the maintenance and VIP keycards, then work your way toward the final golden bunker while keeping Kelvin and Virginia alive. Recruit Virginia early, gain her full trust by arming her with a pistol and shotgun, giving her a GPS tracker, rescuing her from cannibals, and offering her special clothing like her dress from the Food and Dining bunker. Make sure both companions are actively following you before entering the last facility with the Golden Cube and Gold Arm Door, then clear the final cave and head straight to the helicopter once you wake up on the beach. Boarding the chopper with Kelvin and Virginia present triggers the hidden “Keep Your Friends Close” achievement and counts as the best completion of the game’s story.
- Open the gold arm door using the golden armor. Make sure to save before proceeding through since you might not be able to continue your playthrough (depending on which ending you get).
- Follow the path inside the cave until you reach a large open room with multiple streams of flowing lava. There’ll be many holes in the floor along the way, so make sure to pay attention to the floor ahead of you.
- Descend your way to the bottom of the room, and head to the right to find an opening.
- Continue through the passageway until you reach another large room with a river of lava. There will be a lot of enemies that you have to fight against in here so be prepared with weapons and healing items.
- Proceed through the room by following the flow of the lava which will lead you to a small opening in the wall. Once you interact with the cave entrance, a cut scene will leading you to the ending of the game.
- Choose between the helicopter or the backpack to finish the game.
How to get the good ending in Sons of the Forest
To get the good ending, make sure both Kelvin and Virginia are alive, fully earn Virginia’s trust, and take them with you through the final bunker and gold arm door sequence, then choose to board the rescue helicopter with Timmy and Eric so everyone escapes together.
To get the “good” ending of Sons of the Forest, choose the helicopter to leave the island. Kelvin doesn’t necessarily need to be alive to reach the “good” ending, but he’ll join you, Timmy, and Eric (the father-son duo from the first game, The Forest), as you leave in the helicopter. You’ll receive the achievement “Fought Demons” which is earned by leaving the island.
If you chose the “good” ending, you will not be able to continue your playthrough of Sons of the Forest, but rather have to continue from a different save file.
How to get the bad ending in Sons of the Forest
To trigger the bad ending in Sons of the Forest, complete all main story tasks until the helicopter arrives for extraction. Ignore it and pick up your backpack instead; the chopper departs without you, leaving you stranded to battle endless mutants and earning the “Fight Demons” achievement. This choice differs from the good ending by rejecting rescue for continued survival on the island.
To get the “bad” ending of Sons of the Forest, choose the backpack to stay on the island. After you pick up your backpack, you’ll watch Timmy and Eric board the helicopter – leaving you and your companions behind. You’ll receive the achievement “Fight Demons” which is earned by staying on the island.
If you chose the “bad” ending, you will be able to continue your playthrough of Sons of the Forest.
How to get the secret ending in Sons of the Forest
To achieve the secret ending in Sons of the Forest, befriend both Kelvin and Virginia by building a base with a bed, rescuing Virginia from cannibals, and keeping them alive until the final cave. Proceed through the story to the gold arm door on the eastern shore using the golden armor, enter the cave without grabbing your backpack, and board the helicopter with companions nearby. This triggers Kelvin and Virginia joining the escape alongside Timmy, earning the “Keep Your Friends Close” achievement as everyone survives.
To get the secret ending (also the “best” one) in Sons of the Forest, you must pass a few pre-requisites:
- Get Virginia as a companion and keep her alive.
- Keep Kelvin alive.
As a safe bet, reaching max sentiment with Virginia which will reward you with the achievement “Chivalry Is Not Dead.” There is no confirmation on what you need to do to reach max sentiment, but we improved our relationship by regularly interacting with her, accepting her gifts, and simply playing the game.
After you’ve befriended Virginia, proceed to the ending as normal. In the cave cutscene, you’ll see Virginia and Kelvin run into the cube with you and Timmy which means that you’ll reach the best ending as long as you choose to leave the island with Timmy and Eric. After you leave, you’ll receive the achievement “Keep Your Friends Close.”
Yes, give me a spoiler light route
Here’s a mostly spoiler-light, high-level route from fresh save to the secret ending (keeping Kelvin and Virginia and leaving on the helicopter together), without detailing every story beat.
Overall goals (no big spoilers)
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Progress the story far enough to access the final gold-door bunker.
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Keep Kelvin alive the whole game.
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Recruit and max trust with Virginia, keep her alive and geared.
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Go to the final bunker with both alive and then board the helicopter (do not pick up your backpack).
I currently can’t look up exact map screenshots or coordinates, so I’ll keep directions generic (GPS markers, “bunker on east side,” etc.) and focus on what you must not miss.
Early game: set up and keep Kelvin safe
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When you wake up, don’t hurt Kelvin; he’s concussed but very useful later.
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Establish a small base in a relatively safe area (near water, not in heavy cannibal traffic) and give Kelvin simple tasks:
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Gather logs, sticks, or fish.
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Avoid sending him deep into the forest alone.
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Avoid friendly fire: when fighting, watch swings and explosives around Kelvin.
Mid game: find and befriend Virginia
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When you see Virginia (three-legged, three-armed woman), never aim a weapon at her or chase her.
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Let her approach your base multiple times; just stay relaxed and non-threatening until she stops running away.
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Once she trusts you, she will hang around more, and you can give her gear via the interaction wheel:
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Pistol and shotgun (she can hold both).
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A GPS locator from one of the purple team markers so you can always track her.
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Keep building/maintaining a base where she feels “at home” and spends time. This passively raises her trust over time.
Story progress: get keycards and golden armor (spoiler-light)
Without naming each bunker, your mid-game story goals are:
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Explore caves and bunkers marked by green circles and exclamation points on the GPS.
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Collect:
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Maintenance keycard.
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VIP (or higher-level) keycard.
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Golden armor set.
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These come from different underground facilities; just follow the main cave/bunker loop as you naturally progress, and you’ll eventually get them.
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Always keep Kelvin away from deep caves and high-threat areas; you can leave him at base or in a safer spot before diving into a major dungeon.
Maximizing Virginia’s trust (without numbers)
You don’t need to see a trust bar; just follow these habits:
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Never hurt Virginia, even accidentally.
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Equip her well: give her both firearm slots plus clothing you find for her (e.g., her dress from one of the food/bunker areas).
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Let her fight with you; if you defend your base while she’s armed, she proves very strong and this reinforces the bond.
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Save often; reload if she dies to preserve your secret-ending run.
Preparing for the finale
When you
What items are essential for the spoiler light secret ending route
Here’s a spoiler-light checklist of essential items and a few strongly recommended ones for getting the secret ending (leave with Kelvin and Virginia).
Absolutely essential story items
You need these to reach and clear the final bunker and trigger any proper ending at all:
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Maintenance Keycard
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Found in an early underground facility tied to a green GPS marker.
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Opens later bunkers and doors in story-critical areas.
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VIP (or higher-tier) Keycard
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Deeper in the main bunker chain, again at a green GPS marker.
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Required for late-game facilities, including access toward the final bunker.
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Golden Armor set
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Located in a late-game bunker/cave connected to the main story route.
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Mandatory to pass the golden arm door in the final area; without it you cannot progress into the last cave.
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Companions and their “items”
For the secret ending, these are non-negotiable:
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Kelvin alive
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No special item, but you must avoid killing him or letting him die.
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Keep him away from big caves and major fights; park him safely when you go dungeon-delving.
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Virginia alive and geared
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Pistol for Virginia.
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Shotgun for Virginia (she can carry both at once).
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GPS locator on Virginia so you don’t lose her.
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Virginia’s dress / clothing (from one of the food/bunker areas) to help sentiment and survivability.
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These aren’t strictly required by the game’s logic, but they strongly help ensure she’s bonded and survives to the ending.
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Strongly recommended gear (for a smoother secret-ending run)
Not required for the flag, but they make reaching the end with both companions alive far easier:
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Your own main weapon set
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A reliable ranged weapon (pistol, shotgun, or rifle) with plenty of ammo.
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A solid melee weapon for conserving ammo in caves.
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Armor (before golden armor)
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Tech/creepy/bone armor to survive mid-game threats and keep combat from snowballing against you and your AI companions.
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Base essentials
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A small but functional base near water (for safe saving and sleeping).
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Drying rack or other food setup so you aren’t forced into risky areas just for supplies.
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Minimal “critical-path” checklist
If you want to travel light and just hit the must-haves:
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Keep Kelvin alive from crash to credits.
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Meet Virginia, befriend her, and fully gear her (pistol, shotgun, GPS, clothing).
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Collect Maintenance Keycard.
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Collect VIP Keycard (and any intervening keycards on that path).
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Obtain Golden Armor.
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Head to the eastern gold-door bunker with Kelvin and Virginia alive and reasonably nearby.
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Finish the final sequence and board the helicopter (do not pick up your backpack).
If you’d like, I can turn this into a one-page “do not forget” checklist you can keep on a second monitor while you play, with no extra story details at all.
