Key Highlights:
- Learn every crafting recipe and material requirement in Sons of the Forest.
- Discover how to use the inventory crafting square, guidebook, and blueprints effectively.
- Find out which items can be crafted, which rely on 3D printing, and which require exploration.
Crafting in Sons of the Forest is at the heart of survival. Whether you are putting together a quick torch to survive the night or piecing together advanced armour and traps, knowing the recipes is essential.
While scavenging provides many resources, it is through crafting that you turn them into something useful.
Crafting happens in three main ways: inside your inventory crafting square, through the Survival Guidebook, or by laying down blueprints and feeding resources into them.
Opening your inventory with “I” brings up the crafting mat. Place an item in the center to see possible combinations by hovering over the gear icon. The game automatically teaches you new recipes when you pick up relevant ingredients.
The Guidebook offers recipes for basic survival structures like fires, drying racks, or shelters. Switching modes allows you to place full blueprints of larger builds such as log cabins or traps. These blueprints act as frameworks where you drop logs, stones, or rope until the structure is finished.
One of the best features is that you can assign Kelvin to help with gathering and filling structures, though you need to be careful as he can cut down trees supporting treehouses.
A third layer is the underground bunkers with 3D printers. By feeding them with Printer Resin, you can craft items such as a flask, sled, or even Tech Mesh for advanced Tech Armour. Exploring bunkers is the only way to access these, making them key stops in your progression.
Here is a breakdown of the main crafting recipes so far:
Utility Items
| Item | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Repair Tool | 1 Stick, 1 Rope, 1 Stone |
| Torch | 1 Stick, 1 Cloth |
| Zipline Rope | 1 Grappling Hook, 1 Rope |
| Flashlight | Flashlight, 1 Battery |
Weapons
| Item | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Crafted Bow | 2 Sticks, 1 Rope, 1 Tape |
| Crafted Spear | 2 Sticks, 1 Utility Knife, 1 Tape |
| Crafted Club | 1 Stick, 1 Rope, 1 Skull |
| Stone Arrows | 4 Small Stones, 2 Sticks, 2 Feathers |
| Molotov | 1 Vodka Bottle, 1 Cloth |
| Time Bomb | 1 C4 Brick, 1 Watch, 1 Wire, 1 Tape, 5 Coins, 1 Circuit Board |
Armour
| Item | Ingredients / Requirements | Defence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bone Armour | 4 Bones, 1 Rope, 1 Tape | Low | Basic craftable early defence. |
| Leaf Armour | 10 Leaves, 1 Cloth | Very Low | Minimal protection, but quick to craft. |
| Hide Armour | 2 Hides, 1 Cloth | Moderate | Good against cold weather too. |
| Tech Armour | 1 Tech Mesh, 1 Wire, 1 Circuit Board, 1 Tape, 1 Battery | 100 | Expensive but durable; requires Tech Mesh printing. |
| Solafite Armour | Full Bone Armour + 12 Solafite Ore per piece via Armour Plater (VIP Bunker blueprint) | 135 | Strongest set; upgrading triggers Solafite Storm with mutant waves. |
Health and Food
| Item | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Canned Food | 1 Can, 1 Can Opener |
| Health Mix | 1 Aloe Vera, 1 Yarrow |
| Health Mix + | 1 Aloe Vera, 1 Horsetail, 1 Fireweed |
| Energy Mix | 1 Chicory, 1 Arrowleaf |
| Energy Mix + | 1 Chicory, 1 Fireweed, 1 Devil’s Club |
Traps
| Item | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Small Animal Trap | 14 Sticks |
| Fish Trap | 25 Sticks |
| Bone Maker Trap | 2 Sticks, 3 Rocks, 3 Leaves, 1 Vodka Bottle, 1 Rope |
| Fly Swatter Trap | 10 Sticks, 3 Rocks, 1 Rope |
| Spring Trap | 7 Sticks, 1 Turtle Shell, 2 Wire |
Quick Tip: For the full list of Traps, visit our comprehensive SOTF Traps Guide where we’ve covered every recipe.
Exploring caves and bunkers adds more recipes, with items like the Chainsaw or Can Opener becoming usable within the crafting system.
The key is to keep collecting resources, because many recipes overlap. Sticks, cloth, rope, and tape are involved in most builds, while rarer items such as Solafite, Tech Mesh, or C4 Bricks are tied to high-end crafting.
In my experience, the best approach is to always keep a small stockpile of the basics so you can throw together weapons or torches quickly. Then, plan expeditions to bunkers and caves specifically for advanced crafting items. Once you unlock Tech Armour and traps, survival shifts from a daily grind into a more strategic game of resource management.
Crafting is what separates a desperate survivor from a well-prepared one. Every recipe learned is another tool that makes the island a little less hostile. You can find everything from weapons to clothing in our full Sons of the Forest walkthrough hub.