Key Highlights:
- The Night Vision Goggles are found in the cultist cave on the south side of the island.
- They let you toggle green-vision in dark caves but drain batteries.
- Other light sources clash with them, so timing their use is key.
The Night Vision Goggles are one of the most useful utility items in Sons of the Forest, especially if you like pushing into caves early. Added in Patch 03, they let you swap out the usual flashlight or lighter for a full green-vision filter that cuts through darkness.
I like them most for scouting big open caverns, since you can see enemy outlines and loot much clearer than with a narrow beam of light.
They’re found in the cultist cave on the south side of the island, just off a river that flows down to the southern beaches. The entrance is tucked into a rock face near the waterline.
Once inside, you don’t have to go deep—look for a skeleton in a chair by a water tunnel, and the goggles will be sitting right on its head. If you’ve already got the Rebreather, you can explore deeper into the cave and grab the Gold Armour, but mutants patrol the tunnels, so bring strong weapons and enough supplies if you plan to continue.
After the 1.0 release, a second spawn point was added. If you head to the southwest of the island, look for a blue question mark GPS marker. This leads to an abandoned camp littered with dead soldiers and cannibals.
In the centre is a hole that drops down into a cave holding the Teleporter Blueprint, but the goggles themselves are above ground. Check the tents around the camp and head to the one furthest from the hole on the right, just past the tent with a body outside. Inside, by another fallen soldier, you’ll find another pair of Night Vision Goggles.
Equipping the goggles is done from your inventory, and once worn you can toggle them with the L key. A battery meter appears in the top right corner while they’re active. Unlike the lighter, which never runs out, or the flashlight, which does require batteries and gives a bright focused beam, the goggles steadily drain battery life, so they’re best used sparingly.
From testing, they’re not a “set and forget” item. Daytime use blinds you completely, and other light sources interfere with their clarity. The flashlight on your gun, the diving light on the Rebreather, and even the glow from the Tech Armour suit all cut visibility. Flares don’t block sight, but they do create a foggy effect through the lenses. For me, the best approach is to switch between light sources depending on the area. Tight spaces work better with a flashlight, but the goggles shine in huge caverns where distance visibility matters.
They can completely change the feel of some of the tougher caves. The revamped ore caverns where you find the Golden Suit are a perfect example. With goggles on, every enemy, crate, and path is visible at a glance. They make navigation easier, but because of the battery drain, you’ll want to carry plenty of spares.
Thankfully, they last longer than expected before needing a swap.
The Night Vision Goggles aren’t required to beat the game, but they give you confidence in some of the darkest, most intimidating areas. You can liken them to the binoculars, where they’re optional tools, not must haves.
If you’ve ever struggled to keep your bearings in sprawling cave systems, they’re worth grabbing as soon as you can. For the full breakdown of items and routes, see the Complete Sons of the Forest Guide.