Key Highlights:
- The Sons of The Forest Crossbow is in the Food and Dining bunker on the northwest side.
- You must have the Shovel and Maintenance Keycard to reach it.
- High damage and silent shots with reusable bolts, but a slow reload suits stealth or distance.
The Crossbow in Sons of The Forest is a big step up from a crafted bow. It hits hard, stays quiet, and pays you back every time you recover a bolt. I grab it as soon as my kit allows because it turns camp clears into clean, low-noise runs.
Before you start, pick up the Shovel and the Maintenance Keycard, we’ve covered these in previous guides already, so go check them out before committing to the Crossbow.
The Shovel sits deep in a northwest cave marked by three impaled soldiers outside. You need the Zipline Rope Gun and Rebreather to traverse that cave. Bring food, drinks, and at least one strong weapon or Molotovs.
With the Shovel in hand, dig out Maintenance A at the green GPS ping with the golf carts and surveying gear. Drop in, loot the room with the 3D Printer, and take Carl Planter’s Maintenance Keycard.
Head for the unmarked cave on the northwest side that sits in front of two broken golf carts. Go down to the hatch labelled Food and Dining. You will land in a kitchen with plenty of supplies. Use Carl’s card on the closed door on the right to enter the hydroponic garden. Push into the second garden and be ready for baby mutants and a Fingers. Fire and explosives work well here. With the room clear, search the back. On the second-to-last plant row, the Crossbow is beside a body, a Health Mix, and several bolts.
Use it like a precision tool. Bolts cannot be crafted and you can hold up to 15, so recover them after each fight.
Aim for headshots on tough targets. Regular cannibals often drop to a single body shot. The reload is slow and you must cycle after every shot, so the Crossbow shines from cover, at range, or in stealth.
You can fit a Flashlight Attachment or Laser Sight for darker rooms and long lanes. If aim feels off with attachments, remove them and re-check your zeroing distance. Clear the remaining halls, then backtrack to the hatch or keep exploring the bunker if you want extra story beats and loot.
Make sure to mark the entrance with a tarp and stick. Restock food in the kitchen. Sweep both gardens for spare bolts, and keep a bow or firearm on your hotbar for close scrums where the reload window is risky.
Want to find every cave, bunker, and hidden item? Browse the Complete Guide to Sons of the Forest.