How to get the shovel in Sons of the Forest

How to get the shovel in Sons of the Forest
Images via Endnight Games

Written by 

Kiera Mills

Published 

28th Feb 2023 16:35

The Shovel is a vital piece of gear you'll need to progress through Sons of The Forest and uncover bunkers on the island. To get it, you'll need to find the Sons of The Forest cave system the Shovel is placed in and retrieve it using other equipment you have collected so far. Stick with us and we'll show you where the Shovel is, how to get it, and what other equipment you'll need to do so.

Shovel prerequisites

Sons of the Forest, Rope Gun
Click to enlarge

The cave system the Shovel is in is partially underwater and inaccessible unless you can use zip lines. This means you will need the following equipment items before you set out to get the Shovel:

  • The Rope Gun
  • The Rebreather
  • Air Tanks

Other than these key items you'll also need the usual gear when exploring any cave inhabited by the game's enemies. You'll find it easier to retrieve the Shovel if you have a Flashlight, Meds, and impactful weapons.

Sons of the Forest Flashlight Location
Click to enlarge

You can find a Flashlight east of the mountain spawn point. The body the Flashlight is on has a GPS tracker, which means you can find it by following the purple exclamation points on your map. The location of which is marked in the picture above.

Sons of the Forest Stun Baton Location
Click to enlarge

The Stun Baton is also a good option for a weapon as it can slow enemies down with the stun attack, you can then beat them with a simple attack. You can find the Stun Baton near the Rope Gun cave entrance, marked above.

Where can you find the shovel?

Sons of the Forest Shovel Location
Click to enlarge

The Shovel is located on the map marker above, at a T-junction east of the snowy mountains. Once you have collected the necessary equipment and have traveled to the cave, it is worthwhile placing a Tarp near the entrance so you can save your game before entering.

You can then deconstruct your Tarp with an axe and reuse it within the cave, creating custom save points within the game for when you need them.

How to get the shovel

Sons of the Forest Shovel
Click to enlarge

Once within the cave, follow these steps to get to the Shovel:

  • Use the Rope Gun to travel down the zipline by the entrance
  • There will be some Air Tanks nearby that you can pick up and add to your supply.
  • Dive into the water and descend.
  • Follow the underwater path, once you ascend there will be a couple of mutants on the path. Dispatch these, harvest them for Creepy Armour, and continue.
  • Advance and slide down the slippery rock face to get further into the cavern.
  • Follow the lights to advance further into the cave, past the mutants.

Sons of the Forest Central Cavern
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  • From a central cavern, there will be two worker bodies and some items around them.
  • You can either progress down the hall where the light is shining or look to the left towards a group of stalagmites. You can climb over these to an area with money, grenades, and more items.

Sons of the Forest Stalagmite Pathway
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  • Beyond the stalagmites, jump into the pool.
  • Swim to the right-hand side and ascend into a hallway. Continue to an open cavern containing a fingers mutant.

Sons of the Forest Flashlight Attachment Location
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  • Dispatch it and loot the area, of which there is a Flashlight Attachment on one of the corpses.
  • Continue and the path will loop back to the chamber with the dead workers.
  • From here, jump back over the stalagmites and into the pool. Now swim to the left side of the underwater pathway.
  • Ascend and deal with the enemies. The path will lead to a large central cavern.

Sons of the Forest Shovel
Click to enlarge

  • At the end of the cavern towards the light will be a dead body holding the Shovel.
  • Head back the way you came.
  • A large mutant will break down a wall on the journey back.
  • Defeat it and you can leave the cave via the path it has just created.

Now you're all set to continue the story with your Shovel, the only one in the game so far.

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If you're trying to convince your friends to play Sons of The Forest, check out our guide to it being the most wishlisted steam game this year.

Kiera Mills
About the author
Kiera Mills
Kiera is a former GGRecon Guides Writer.
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