Key Highlights:
- Only the Pistol, Shotgun, and Crossbow support attachments in Sons of the Forest.
- The Pistol Rail, Shotgun Rail, and Flashlight Attachment are the most important upgrades to prioritise.
- The Flashlight Attachment does not consume batteries and is especially useful for caves and night-time combat.
Weapon attachments completely change how you handle combat in Sons of the Forest. Once you start collecting rails and modules, you can customise firearms for stealth, accuracy, and visibility in dark areas. After testing every attachment across multiple playthroughs, it’s clear which ones are worth it and which are just for show.
There are three weapons that support attachments: the Pistol, Shotgun, and Crossbow. Each works a little differently.
The Pistol is the most versatile. The first upgrade to find is the Pistol Rail, found in Maintenance Bunker A next to the Laser Sight and 3D Printer.
The rail lets you equip a Flashlight Attachment, Laser Sight, and Silencer simultaneously.
With all three attached, the Pistol becomes one of the most balanced weapons in the game, quiet, accurate, and capable in total darkness.
The Silencer is found in Maintenance Bunker B on a desk, or at a mercenary outpost west of the bunker after the 1.0 update. It drastically reduces gunfire noise, preventing cannibals from detecting you. This makes it perfect for stealth runs or bunker clears where noise attracts patrols.
The Laser Sight has unlimited use and makes hip-firing more accurate, though it blocks the scope view when aiming down sights. It’s ideal for the Pistol or Shotgun, but skip it for the Crossbow since it interferes with precise aiming.
The Shotgun works differently. You first need a Shotgun Rail, which can be found in four locations across the island, including the north-west abandoned camp, Food and Dining Bunker, Entertainment Bunker, and Luxury Bunker.
Once installed, the Shotgun Rail lets you equip either the Flashlight Attachment or Laser Sight, but only one at a time.
The Crossbow doesn’t need a rail. You can attach a Flashlight, which gives a wide cone of light that’s perfect for stealth or hunting mutants in dense forest. The Laser Sight, however, is useless here. It adds visual clutter and blocks your view when aiming, so stick to the Flashlight.
If you haven’t picked up the Flashlight Attachment, it’s found in a cave west of the snowy mountains.
Outside, you’ll spot three workers impaled on spikes, loot the middle one for a Slingshot before entering.
Inside the cave, expect multiple cannibals, so bring Medicine, armour, and weapons. The route includes a drop into water, a Zipline Rope Gun section, and an underwater dive using the Rebreather.
Once through, continue down until you reach a chamber illuminated by a worker’s light. On his body, you’ll find the Flashlight Attachment, easily one of the most valuable early-game tools.
It’s worth noting that the Flashlight Attachment can be equipped on any compatible weapon at any time and doesn’t consume batteries. You can even pair it with your Lighter for dual visibility, which makes cave traversal far safer.
In practice, I always prioritise finding the Pistol Rail, Shotgun Rail, and Flashlight Attachment first. The Silencer is a strong addition for stealth, but being able to see clearly underground without worrying about batteries changes the flow of exploration considerably.
Check out our Definitive Sons of the Forest Guide for quick links that cover everything in the game.
