Quick Links
Sons Of The Foresthas a thirst meter, just like many survival horror games. You’ll need to keep an eye on this meter at all times to make sure you don’t dehydrate, which is always easier said than done. Theprevious gamehad you collect rainwater, while this sequel currently opts for something much more simple.
RELATED:Sons Of The Forest: How To Get The Rebreather
That’s not to say the answer is staring you directly in the face. Drinking water will sound easy once you know it, but the trick is figuring out how to trigger the prompt.
Updated by Wyatt Grondin on March 17th, 2023:Sons Of The Forest uses Early Access to iron out bugs as well as listen to feedback from its massive player base. This means that important features, such as players being able to manage their thirst, are being constantly updated. There was a glitch in earlier builds revolving around drinking from water sources that have since been fixed, so we’ve added a mention to clarify the resolution of the issue. Further patches have also cleared some questions about which foraging foods help with both thirst and hunger, so a further explanation has been added as well.
Using The GPS To Find A Water Source
At the start of the game, after the opening cutscenes, you’ll have an emergency kit in your inventory that you need to open. There are a handful of incredibly useful items in that kit,and of note is the GPS.This GPS tracks your location in the palm of your hand, as it’s less like a real-world GPS and much more in line with typical video game maps. Not only will you see where you are and see where any of your friends are,but ponds and streams will be easily located with GPS.
It’s as simple as looking foranything blue on the GPS.Streams will look like streams, as in blue lines across the map, and ponds will be large areas of blue. You can walk with the GPS in hand, making your water sources easy to navigate.
How To Drink The Stream Water
This is the part that used to stump most players. There was a glitch in earlier builds where if you had anything in your hand, the prompt to drink would not appear. This has now been fixed in a patch.
Holding a weapon or the GPS will now no longer prevent you from taking a sip from a pond or stream.However, the prompt is still nonexistent when holding a craftable spear.This is not a glitch, as the spear is used to catch fish. While they are two different button prompts, this is in place for valid reasons.Only hold a spear near a water source if you are fishing, and quickly holster it if you are planning on drinking from the stream.
To answer a question, you likely have,no, you cannot drink from the ocean.There will not be a prompt if you attempt this.
Finally, while you’re at a stream, remember that if you have already found the3D printer, you probably have a flask to fill with water. If you didn’t, track those down as soon as you can.
RELATED:Sons Of The Forest: To Get The Rope Gun
What Are The Other Ways To Hydrate
Now that you know how to use the GPS, you’ll always be able to find the nearest source of water. That said, you’ll need to keep in mind all of your other options if you are far from a water source and coming close to full dehydration. It should be noted that drinking from a water source can fill over half your thirst meter, so the following methods are only needed when you are truly stuck without a nearby pond or stream.
Scavenging will provide other methods, but these have their cautions. Energy drinks and the like can be found in abandoned campsites, but these may prove rare. Energy snacks and alcohol, for example, maybe the chosen spawn, and neither of these items will help your thirst.You can’t drink alcohol as it’s designed to be used for Molotov cocktails, and snacks are designed for your energy meters even more than your food meter, which they also improve.
So, how about berries? Or even oysters if you happen to be on the shore?Oysters, blueberries, mushrooms, and salmonberries improve your meters so little you may not even see the results.Do not rely on these items, even for your hunger meter, which is what most of them are designed for. Feel free to pick them up for your inventory, but expect next to nothing.
There is one exception:yarrow.Yarrow will still only give a small amount to your meters,but the amount that it helps with your thirst is noticeably higher than every berry and mushroom.Storing yarrow in your inventory for the sake of your thirst meter isn’t the greatest, but it’s far better than hoping oysters or berries will do the trick. In the end, the best way to stay hydrated is to just drink fresh spring water. Your options are limited even if you think outside the box.
