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Short answer: treat the caves in Sons of the Forest as a progression chain, not a sightseeing list. Start with Cave A for the Rebreather and Stun Gun, return to the Shovel Cave only after obtaining the Rope Gun and Rebreather, then work through the Ancient Armor, Pickaxe and Artifact caves before attempting the demon-heavy Hell Cave. A current community GPS map is the safest way to identify entrances because cave counts and names vary between sources and patches.
The primary community wiki currently lists nine GPS-marked caves. Another community reference counts 10, probably because it groups or separates locations differently. This guide uses nine as the practical main count, identifies every cave for which the available information is specific, and labels details that are not established rather than guessing.
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How many caves are in Sons of the Forest?
Use nine marked caves as the working count for a normal GPS route. That is the count given by the primary community wiki. A second community source reports 10, so the total can change with patch revisions or with the way a source classifies connected grottoes and entrances. The disagreement does not change the useful planning rule: the GPS-marked caves are the main progression network, while Hell Cave is a separate, unmarked endgame-style destination.
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Caves matter because they combine story progression with practical upgrades. They can contain weapons, traversal equipment, armor, lore and other supplies that are difficult or impossible to replace elsewhere. Entering one also changes the danger around its entrance, so opening every cave immediately is not an efficient or safe strategy.
How to use a cave map and the GPS
A community global map is useful for an entrance overview: the map marks cave mouths and other GPS locations, while the in-game GPS lets you confirm your position against coastlines, rivers and mountain landmarks. Because map makers and the game can use different labels, use the letter or descriptive name shown in your game rather than assuming every online marker follows one universal taxonomy.
- Get an up-to-date community map. Prefer a map that states when it was last updated and shows both cave entrances and GPS points.
- Match large landmarks first. Confirm a river junction, shoreline curve, mountain face or crash-site area before walking toward a small marker.
- Mark the entrance in your own GPS notes. Record whether the opening is boarded, flooded, vertical or connected to a bunker. This prevents a return trip with the wrong equipment.
- Plan the exit as well as the entrance. Caves can force you through water, climbs or one-way-looking passages. Carry enough food, medicine and light sources to retrace your route if a deeper passage is blocked.
- Recheck the map after a patch. Loot, enemy placement and tool gates are community-maintained information and can change between versions.
Quick comparison: equipment gates and danger
The table below compares only facts established for the named locations. “Not stated” means the available source does not establish a requirement or threat level; it is not a guarantee that the cave is harmless.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Cave A (Rebreather Cave) | No prerequisite is stated for reaching the entrance | Possible water route and shark danger | Puffies, Fingers and Babies; shark possible |
| Shovel Cave | Rope Gun for the initial obstruction; Rebreather for flooded sections | High: rope traversal plus underwater passages | Difficult Legsy encounter highlighted |
| Cave D (Ancient Armor Cave) | Upper Rifle route is reached through Grotto D; no additional gate is stated | Vertical navigation in the upper section | Puffies, Blue Puffies, Babies, Twins and Demons |
| Cave F (Pickaxe Cave) | No tool gate is stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Cave G (Artifact Cave) | No tool gate is stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Hell Cave | Enter through the Luxury Bunker | Not stated | 14–21 Demons plus a Giant Demon in the cited gameplay count |
| Other GPS-marked caves | Not stated in the available cave notes | Not stated | Not stated |
The safest practical order
This order prioritizes equipment that unlocks later routes and postpones the most punishing enemy concentration. It is a planning framework rather than a forced quest sequence; experienced players can deviate when a particular weapon or story objective matters more than safety.
- Recover the Rebreather in Cave A. The same cave also contains the Stun Gun, giving you both underwater capability and a non-lethal control option early in the run. Prepare for Puffies, Fingers, Babies and the possibility of a shark.
- Return to the Shovel Cave with the Rope Gun and Rebreather. The Rope Gun clears the opening stalagmite obstruction. The Rebreather is then required for the flooded sections, and the route includes a difficult Legsy encounter.
- Take the Ancient Armor route through Cave D and Grotto D. The cave contains Ancient Armor. The Rifle is in an upper section reached from Grotto D, so treat the route as a vertical-navigation trip rather than a simple walk to a single chamber.
- Visit Cave F for the Pickaxe. The source identifies this as the Pickaxe Cave, making it a useful utility stop after the two major traversal gates are covered.
- Use the current map to locate Cave G, the Artifact Cave. Its entrance identification is established, but the available notes do not specify an additional tool gate or enemy roster, so verify the route on the map before committing supplies.
- Leave Hell Cave for last or close to last. It is unmarked, is entered through the Luxury Bunker and contains a cited count of 14–21 Demons plus a Giant Demon. That combination makes it a poor first-cave target even for a well-equipped character.
Cave A: Rebreather Cave
Why go there
Cave A is the early equipment-recovery destination. Its two named rewards are the Rebreather and the Stun Gun. The Rebreather changes which flooded passages you can attempt later, while the Stun Gun gives you a way to interrupt or control threats without relying exclusively on close-range damage.
Threats and approach
The cave is associated with Puffies, Fingers and Babies. A shark is also possible, so do not assume that a water-filled chamber is merely a navigation puzzle. Keep the entrance route memorable, avoid spending all healing items before the deepest section and leave enough inventory space for the two named pickups.
Because the Rebreather is inside this cave, it should be treated as an early recovery objective rather than a location that requires the Rebreather beforehand. The available cave note does not establish another entry tool gate, so the sensible preparation is general survival gear and a plan for the possible shark rather than a specific traversal item.
Shovel Cave: Rope Gun, flooded passages and Legsy
Where the route fits
The Shovel Cave lies at the river confluence below the mountain crash site. Its location is useful to remember in landscape terms because a GPS marker can be harder to spot than the meeting point of the river channels and the crash-site mountain.
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Required equipment
You need the Rope Gun to cross the initial stalagmite obstruction. Farther inside, flooded sections require the Rebreather. Attempting the cave without either item turns a progression route into a dead end and can leave you exposed while searching for an exit.
Combat planning
A Legsy ambush is specifically highlighted for this cave. Move through constricted areas with an escape direction in mind, keep your light pointed toward the next opening and avoid using every high-value healing item before the ambush area. The Rope Gun solves the first traversal problem; it does not make the subsequent flooded or combat sections safe by itself.
Cave D: Ancient Armor Cave and the Grotto D Rifle route
Rewards and route structure
Cave D contains Ancient Armor. The Rifle is not described as sitting beside the first cave entrance; it is in an upper section reached from Grotto D. Plan the visit as a linked cave-and-grotto route and leave time for vertical navigation rather than turning back after collecting the first major item.
Enemy roster
The listed enemies are Puffies, Blue Puffies, Babies, Twins and Demons. This is a broader and more dangerous roster than the early Rebreather Cave list. Use the entrance as a staging point: heal before descending, keep ammunition or durable melee options for the upper route and avoid carrying a full load of irreplaceable items if you are still learning the layout.
When to attempt it
The safest point is after the Rope Gun and Rebreather are already available, because those tools make the wider cave network less likely to strand you. The source does not name another mandatory tool gate for Cave D, so the recommendation is based on route efficiency and enemy density rather than a stated lock.
Cave F: Pickaxe Cave
The community wiki identifies Cave F as the Pickaxe Cave. The available note names the Pickaxe but does not specify a prerequisite tool, water section or enemy roster. That makes it a useful utility stop once you are already traveling with the equipment needed for the Shovel Cave and Ancient Armor route.
Use the current GPS map for the entrance instead of inferring its position from the letter alone. Since the published note does not establish the cave’s combat profile, enter with your normal cave kit and do not promise yourself a low-threat run simply because no enemy list is documented.
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Cave G is identified as the Artifact Cave. Its entrance should be checked against a current community global map because the available cave note does not provide a landmark description or a separate tool requirement.
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The name tells you why the location belongs in a completion-oriented route, but the supplied cave information does not establish a precise artifact list, enemy roster or water burden. Treat those details as version-sensitive and verify the entrance and current interior layout on the map immediately before setting out.
Hell Cave: the unmarked demon-heavy destination
Finding the entrance
Hell Cave does not appear as a normal marked GPS cave. The route enters through the Luxury Bunker, so search for the bunker connection rather than scanning the surface for a cave icon.
What makes it dangerous
The cited gameplay count is 14–21 Demons and one Giant Demon. That is a range from the source, not a guaranteed spawn total for every patch, difficulty or visit. It is still enough to classify Hell Cave as a late destination: the enemy concentration is substantially more severe than the ordinary equipment-recovery caves, and a failed push can cost a long resupply trip.
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Enter only after you can spare ammunition, armor durability and healing supplies for a prolonged fight. Save before using the Luxury Bunker route, keep an exit plan and do not use Hell Cave as a shortcut for learning basic underwater or rope movement. Those skills are safer to practice in the earlier progression caves.
The three other GPS-marked caves
The nine-cave count includes three marked locations that are not given a distinct name, loot list or enemy roster in the available notes. Do not fill those gaps with assumptions from an older map or a similarly named grotto. Use the current global map to identify each entrance, record the label shown in your game and update your route notes after a patch.
For an efficient first pass, visit an unnamed cave when it lies on the way to a known objective and when you have both the Rope Gun and Rebreather. That approach minimizes the chance of reaching an undocumented water or vertical section without the tools already established as necessary elsewhere.
What to pack before any cave run
- Traversal tools: carry the Rope Gun and Rebreather before attempting the Shovel Cave. They are the explicit gates for its obstruction and flooded sections.
- Light and navigation: keep a dependable light source, watch the GPS for the return direction and note distinctive junctions rather than assuming every tunnel loops back.
- Healing and food: bring a reserve for the trip out. A cave run that ends with no healing items left is not successful merely because the named loot is in your inventory.
- Combat flexibility: use a mix of ranged and close-range options. The enemy lists include swarming small enemies, heavy mutants and, in Hell Cave, multiple Demons plus a Giant Demon.
- Inventory discipline: leave room for quest items and equipment. Returning to the surface to empty your bag can force you to fight the same entrance area twice.
- Save management: save before opening a new cave and again after securing a major item when the game allows it. This is especially valuable before the Legsy section and before the Luxury Bunker route.
Why mutants start appearing near a cave base
Opening a cave means destroying the planks covering its entrance. The primary wiki states that, after this happens, mutants can begin spawning on the surface. As days pass, the highest quantity appears near cave entrances, and the same source says that at least two mutants naturally respawn in the area each day after kills.
This explains why a base that was quiet beside a sealed entrance can become a recurring combat zone after you open it. The behavior is not limited to the moment you break the boards; it can continue as a daily local pressure pattern.
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Base-placement rule
Avoid placing a long-term main base immediately beside an opened cave unless you deliberately want repeated fights. A temporary forward camp can still be useful, but keep storage, beds and valuable structures far enough away that an entrance skirmish does not become a permanent interruption. If you already built beside one, relocate the main stockpile first and leave only expendable supplies near the entrance.
Common route mistakes and fixes
You reached the Shovel Cave but cannot cross the first barrier
The initial obstruction is the Rope Gun gate. Leave, obtain the Rope Gun and return rather than searching every side tunnel for an alternate opening.
You crossed the opening but the route ends at water
The flooded sections require the Rebreather. Return to Cave A if you have not recovered it; carrying extra healing items does not substitute for the stated underwater requirement.
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The Rifle is described as being in an upper section reached through Grotto D. Continue planning for the connected upper route instead of treating the first Ancient Armor chamber as the complete objective.
Your GPS count does not match an online guide
Use nine marked caves as the primary working count, but allow for the alternate 10-cave taxonomy. Compare entrance locations and landmarks, not just letters and totals, and check the map’s update date.
Mutants keep returning after you clear the entrance
That behavior is consistent with the documented local respawn pattern. Move your permanent base away from the opened cave and treat the entrance as a combat perimeter rather than a permanently cleared zone.
A compact cave-run checklist
- Confirm the cave name or letter on the GPS and match it to a current community map.
- Check the route’s known gate: Rope Gun and Rebreather for the Shovel Cave, or Luxury Bunker access for Hell Cave.
- Save before breaking an entrance covering or committing to a deep descent.
- Carry light, healing, food and at least one combat option suited to tight spaces.
- Mark major junctions and keep enough supplies for the return trip.
- After opening the cave, expect more mutant activity around the entrance and keep a permanent base elsewhere.
- Record any changed loot, enemy or route detail so your personal map remains useful after future patches.
Bottom line
Build your cave route around tools, not compass direction: Cave A gives the Rebreather and Stun Gun; the Shovel Cave then becomes passable with the Rope Gun and Rebreather; Cave D adds Ancient Armor and the Grotto D Rifle route; Cave F supplies the Pickaxe; Cave G is the Artifact Cave; and Hell Cave belongs at the end because of its Luxury Bunker entrance and demon-heavy encounter. Keep a current community map open, treat the nine-versus-10 count as a taxonomy or patch discrepancy and never place your main base directly beside an opened cave unless recurring mutant attacks are part of your plan.
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