The most recent patch for Sons of the Forest, still in Steam Early Access, added a few new features, including the ability to find a new weapon. Here’s where to find a well-hidden bolt-action rifle for both long-distance combat and efficiently hunting big game.
Single Bullet Theory: Where to Find the Rifle in Sons of the Forest
You don’t have to go that far out of your way to find the rifle, thankfully. It’s hidden inside a cave near a crucial story objective, so if you simply run around the island pursuing the main plot, you won’t have to make a big detour for the rifle. Getting back out with it, on the other hand, is a little harder than you might think.
I should caution you that the rifle, at this point in Sons of the Forest’s trip through Early Access, isn’t that big of a deal unless you use cheats to get more ammunition for it. In a game where bullets are already hard to come by, rifle ammo is rare.
I’ve yet to find or hear about a consistent spawn point for rifle ammo outside of the cavern where the rifle’s found, and that limits the rifle’s overall utility. Then again, if it was any easier to find bullets for it, it would trivialize a lot of encounters with cannibals.
Sons of the Forest Rifle Location
To find the rifle in Sons of the Forest, you’ll want to head toward the heavily damaged bunker on the island’s southeast side. This is the Residence Bunker. If you interact with one of the working computers in the Food & Dining Bunker’s security room, you’ll label the Residence Bunker with a flashing green point on your in-game GPS unit.
The Residence Bunker holds a lot of useful gear, such as a second pistol (in case you befriended and armed Virginia), several outfits, the Golden Mask, and a 3D printer. More importantly, it’s got some of the last big plot twists before SotF’s endgame.
How to Reach the Rifle’s Location in the Cavern
For our current purposes, though, the Residence Bunker is just a useful landmark. To its west, on the far side of the nearby lake, there’s a cavern on the side of the mountain (above). Before SotF’s June 23 patch, that cave had nothing to recommend except a few crates. Now that cave’s actually worth checking out. You’ll need the Rebreather, however, so you can’t make a beeline straight here from the start of a new game.
Once you’ve got that in hand, drop into the flooded area in the cavern’s entrance and follow the tunnel to get deeper inside.
You’ll emerge into a large cavern that’s infested with mutants. You’ll need some decent firepower or solid stealth to get through it intact.
Grab the hand grenade off the dead soldier to your right, then hug the wall. There are two yellow lights ahead of you, and you’re looking to reach the one on the right.
You’ll discover the light source is a lit skull lamp. There’s a dead mercenary slumped against the wall next to the lamp, holding the rifle and a single box of ammo for it.
Where to Find the Rifle in Your Inventory
Once you have it, the rifle can be found in your inventory on the left side, near your crafted and composite bows. It’s a bolt-action rifle with a scope that deals high damage per shot, which makes it excellent for hunting big game or thinning out distant cannibal camps. Hopefully, future patches will add more places to find bullets for it.
How to Exit the Cavern
Getting back out of this cavern can be a little trickier than getting back inside was, as it’s easy to get turned around in the underwater tunnel. In case you can’t find your way back, you can fight or sneak over to the other point of light in the main cavern area, where you’ll find a rope leading up to the ceiling.
Climb that rope and follow the path on the other side. You’ll end up on the other side of the mountain, in the “cultist cave” where the night-vision goggles and Golden Armor are found.
That’s where to find the rifle in Sons of the Forest. For more survival tips, check out our SotF guides hub.
