One of the defining traits of Sons of the Forest, carried over from its predecessor, is the cannibals roaming the land. Largely naked, dirty, and feral, cannibals make clothes and homes out of human remains. They seek to kill the player and devour them. They are one of the main threats the remote island poses to the player's survival. The best way to defeat them is to study their behavior and strike first.

There are a lot of fantastic weapons for survival in Sons of the Forest, including a club, a spear, a bow, an ax, explosives, and even guns! However, players will spend most of the game with one of the three main crafted weapons: the club, bow, or spear. Each one has different strategies for defeating cannibals in Sons of the Forest. Overall, it is better to use ranged weapons to take down cannibals, especially if players lack good armor. There are some exceptions, though.

Related Guides: The Forest: Most Useful Cheat Codes (PC and PS4)

How To Beat Cannibals In Sons of the Forest

A Golden Masked Cannibal tries to kill the player in Sons of the Forest

In the early stages of the game, players will mostly deal with Dirty Cannibals, who study the player from a distance, collect allies, and swarm when the player sticks to one location for too long. These enemies are quick but weak. To defeat these cannibals in Sons of the Forest, players can use a bow, one of the best items to craft first in the entire franchise, to catch them by surprise from a distance.

If caught in an ambush, a spear is the best option to repel cannibals in the early stages of the game.

The other cannibals in Sons of the Forest are tougher and can take players down in a couple of hits. Mutants are even worse, with their very appearance warning players to stay away. Both types of enemies can be killed with ranged weapons, typically the bow. Players should use one of the 3D printers found in cave systems around the island to craft stronger arrows, making their bow more deadly. The great thing about using arrows is that players can ask Kelvin, their AI companion, to collect them after combat, just like he can get food in Sons of the Forest.

The best weapons for defeating cannibals in Sons of the Forest are the ranged weapons found around the island: the slingshot, the shotgun, and the pistol. The pistol can be found on an orange lifeboat floating by the western cove. Players must swim to the raft and avoid the deadly sharks. There is a pistol upgrade on the southern part of the cove that allows players to improve the pistol. The slingshot, meanwhile, can be found on some corpses outside a cave at the intersection of three streams. It uses small rocks as ammo.

The shotgun requires a lot of work to collect, as players first need to find the shovel, rope gun, and rebreather. That makes the pistol a better option for killing cannibals in Sons of the Forest. The main drawback to the pistol is that players will need to stay on the hunt for ammo in caves and points of interest. However, since those are some of the first places players should go, they should be able to find a fair amount of ammo. Once players have their preferred ranged weapons, they can take down countless cannibals and mutants in Sons of the Forest without getting hit.

More: Sons of the Forest Shows Off Disgusting Foes

  • Sons of the Forest Poster
    Sons of the Forest
    Platform:
    PC
    Released:
    2023-02-23
    Developer:
    Endnight Games
    Publisher:
    Newnight
    Genre:
    Survival Horror
    ESRB:
    M
    Prequel:
    The Forest
    How Long To Beat:
    12h 1m