Key Highlights:
- Build basic spiked walls by placing sticks behind a defensive wall, sharpening them outward with an axe, and reinforcing each spike with rocks.
- Multiple rows and raised spike designs can increase contact damage and make it harder for enemies to reach the wall itself.
- Spikes damage players as well as enemies, so leave enough room to move and repair them safely.
Quick Links:
Spiked walls add contact damage to your perimeter in Sons of the Forest instead of relying on defensive logs alone to absorb attacks.
I use them around the sections of a base that enemies approach most often because they can damage cannibals before they get close enough to start hitting the wall.
How to Build a Basic Spiked Wall
Build your defensive log wall first, then place sticks vertically in the ground directly behind it.
Equip an axe and strike the upper part of each stick so it bends and sharpens outwards through the wall. Your position determines the direction the spike points, so stand on the inside of the perimeter and face towards the side you want the point to extend.
Place three rocks around the base of each stick to reinforce it. Unreinforced spikes can be knocked down or damaged much more easily, while the rocks make them considerably more durable.
You can repeat the process along the full length of the wall or concentrate the spikes around gates, corners and other areas that attract the most attacks.
For heavier defence, add a second row of spikes behind the first or vary their angles so enemies can make contact with several points as they approach and retreat.
How to Build an Advanced Spiked Wall
You can also build raised spike defences using a low ramp or log framework in front of the main wall.
Place sharpened, rock-reinforced sticks through the ramp at different heights to create several rows of outward-facing spikes. Raising some of the points lets them connect with enemies higher up the body rather than relying entirely on ground-level contact.
This design takes considerably more logs, sticks and rocks than a standard spike line, but it can keep enemies further away from the main defensive wall and expose them to several spikes at once. Similar raised designs are still being used effectively by players in current builds.
In my own runs, basic spikes are usually enough for ordinary perimeter defence. I only start adding multiple rows or raised sections around approaches that repeatedly attract heavier raids.
Spikes can also hurt the player, so leave enough space behind your perimeter to move, repair structures and replace damaged sticks without constantly walking into the points.
For other defensive options to combine with your perimeter, see our Best Traps guide.
If you need to secure the entrances themselves, our door locks and shelter reinforcement guide covers locks, reinforced doors and defensive wall gates.
For more building, survival and progression tips, see the Comlete Sons of the Forest Guide.
