Sons of the Forest endings explained

The full version of Sons of the Forest is now available, and we are here to break down the endings. Sons of the Forest picks up after the end of the previous game, where Eric LeBlanc survived the peninsula and brought his son back, with some unpleasant consequences.

Many years later, journalist Jack Holt heads to a second site tied to the events of the game previous, kicking off the story of the sequel. Here is what happens at the end of Sons of the Forest, what happens with Kelvin and Virginia, whether you leave on the helicopter or not, and what it all means.

How many endings does Sons of the Forest have?

Broadly speaking, Sons of the Forest has two endings. There are more levels to this, but how the game ends can be divided into two categories; either you leave the island at the end or you stay. Staying on the island doesn't really end the game, this is your way to continue playing after the story is finished.

Leaving the island is the only way to truly end the game, much like how bringing down the second plane is the only way to truly end the first game. What happens after you leave the island depends on your actions during the game, so while there is a definitive ending when you leave, it can be expanded upon.

Okay, that's enough speaking in vague terms, let's get into the details.

How do you finish the game?

Let's start here, as the answer is just as vague as the first game. The primary method for progressing is exploring and finding the many bunkers on the island. You'll come across the mutated forms of the Pufftons, who your character is here to find, you'll also meet Timmy LeBlanc, the child from the first game. Timmy is partly mutated and has come to the island to try and find something to reverse his condition.

Further exploration will uncover many strange things, evidence of a cult, strange pieces of an artifact, and what appears to be a spaceship surrounded by the corpses of people in space suits. When you enter the VIP bunker you will find Timmy again, at a large metal door he cannot open.

To enter it, you need to craft a set of the strange armour found on the spaceship, wear it, and then interact with the door to get it open. Inside, you will find many demonic creatures to fight, and a large metal cube that you can enter, with what appears to be a countdown timer.

The cube closes, and you are shown a vision of some kind of sci-fi city on another planet, potentially the place the spaceship came from. Afterwards, Timmy's mutations have only gotten worse, and Jianyu, the corporate spy who has been the antagonist of the game so far, has been mutated just outside of the cube.

We transition then to the beach, where helicopters are landing to rescue Timmy and Holt. As they land, the mutated Jianyu bursts out of the ground, and you must defeat this monster to complete the game. Once Jianyu is defeated you are presented with a choice. The artefact pieces begin to react and leave you, you can either follow them and stay on the island, or leave on the helicopter.

Leave on the helicopter

Exactly what happens when you leave depends on two things: your relationship with Virginia and if Kelvin is still alive. If Kelvin is alive and you have developed a friendship with Virginia, both will make it into the cube at the end. They will also appear on the helicopter as you make your escape.

Regardless of the situation with Kelvin and Virginia, the first cutscene of the ending shows Timmy visiting a doctor about his condition. The doctor tells Timmy he cannot help him until Timmy produces a piece of Solafite, the new element discovered on the island- likely of alien origin.

During the credits, we learn that Timmy has used this new material to fix his mutation and create cures for various diseases, before starting his own pharmaceutical company called Timmy Pharma (yes, really). Timmy buys the island and begins refining Solafite to create miracle cures for all manner of diseases.

If Kelvin is alive at the end of the game, another cutscene plays where Holt visits Kelvin in a hospital, and we see Kelvin playing with construction blocks on the floor. Evidently, his brain damage is permanent and he has regressed to a childlike state.

If you befriend Virginia, this prompts another cutscene where you become even closer. First, we see Virginia go for surgery which reverts her mutations. Then, we cut to several months later, Holt and Virginia seem to now be in a relationship and Virginia is several months pregnant. They get into a sports car where we see Kelvin, still in his pyjamas, sitting in the back.

Holt speeds off down a coastal road, far too quickly considering his pregnant partner is in the seat next to him, and the game ends there.

Stay on the island

This new ending was added in the full release of the game. If you choose to follow the artefact and stay on the island, the helicopters leave without you and you can continue playing. Up to this point, you will likely have picked up a couple of pieces of the artefact, but the final piece only becomes available if you remain on the island.

As you might guess, the final piece is at the bottom of the giant beams of light that appear just as you decide to stay. Head to where the beams of light converge and you will find it marks a new cave. Climb down the rope and make your way to the bottom to find the final artefact piece.

Once you have all seven parts, you can construct the artefact. This item has three abilities, ranging from strange and interesting to very useful indeed. The first and least effective use is the ability to turn just about any object into gold. This does very little other than make you look very wealthy, but who wouldn't want that?

The second and much more beneficial power is the ability to create a teleporter. Craft the teleport location from stone, skulls, and bones, then place it in your home base (or wherever you prefer) and activate it with the artefact. From then on, you can use the artefact at any time to teleport back to that location.

The third ability is very useful, and it is to create a totem that will terrify all enemies in a wide area. Placing these in and around your base will keep the cannibals and mutants far away at all times, allowing you to live in peace on this island you are trapped on forever. Probably should have taken the helicopter, huh?

That is it for our rundown of the endings, for more head to our Sons of the Forest homepage where we have guides on how to get the modern axe, the rope gun, the pistol, the rebreather, and an explainer for the difficulty levels.