The Forest: Everything you Need to Know About Effigies

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In The Forest you can build your own Effigies (Totems) to increase your protection against mutants and cannibals. You will also find Effigies erected by your opponents throughout the island.

All Effigies in The Forest are made of sticks, stones, and body parts. In order for you to be able to build Effigies at all, your Sanity must drop below 90 percent. In our guide to The Forest we show you which Effigies you can build, which Effigies are built by your opponents on the island and what effect each has.

Player Effigies and Cannibal Effigies in The Forest

Effigies can be differentiated based on whether they were built by players or by mutants. Also, both sides can build different types of totems, each with different effects. Effigies you build must be completed and lit to have an effect on enemies.

It is not clear what exact effect Effigies have on cannibals. However, it is extremely likely that they are intended to be intimidated by your Effigies. However, an Effigy does not necessarily have to prevent the cannibals from attacking. Instead, they tend to behave cautiously and are more likely to run away (to get other cannibals to help). You can build the following four Effigies in The Forest:

Small Effigy

How to build the small Effigy in The Forest:

4 sticks
3 stones
3 arms
2 legs
3 heads

The small Effigy only burns for a total of ten minutes and then disintegrates into 5 bones, 3 skulls and 3 rocks.

Big Effigy

How to build the Big Effigy in The Forest:

10 sticks
6 stones
9 arms
4 legs
9 heads

The great Effigy burns for 20 minutes. After that, it breaks into 14 bones, 9 skulls, and 6 rocks.

Arm Effigy

How to build the arm Effigy in The Forest:

4 sticks
3 stones
7 arms

The arm Effigy also only burns for 10 minutes and breaks into 7 bones and 3 rocks.

Individual Effigy

You can also get creative in The Forest and create your very own Effigies. In addition to the materials stick and stone, you can use any body part that a defeated cannibal body provides you with. These Effigies burn for ten minutes plus an additional minute for each body part used, but no longer than 20 minutes total.

Cannibal Effigies

Mutants and cannibals could also raise Effigies, although not all of them. Their effigies often appear on beaches or in front of a player base, but can actually be found throughout the island and can be destroyed by you.

There are numerous cannibal Effigies whose functions and effects are not yet fully known:

Appearance:

13 sticks in the shape of a semicircle
1 human skull centered over the semicircle
2 shoes, 1 pair of sunglasses, and 2 umbrellas attached to the Effigy

Locations:

Near a player base
At cannibal sanctuaries

Possible effects:

Warning to other mutants of nearby humans
Summon arm mutants (the sunglasses represent the blindness, the canes represent the many arms)

Appearance:

2 wooden circles arranged around a female head and attached to her hair

Location:

Mostly on beaches

Possible effects:

The totem probably has a religious background, as the shape is reminiscent of the symbol for “Venus” or “woman”. Sometimes you can see a group of cannibals praying in front of it or even a blue Virginia patrolling it.

Appearance:

Numerous skulls packed into a central pocket under a rib cage. At the bottom of the totem is a single leg.

Location:

Mostly on beaches

Possible effects:

A note for other mutants. The full “stomach” below the rib cage could symbolize that there is food nearby.
Summoning a Virginia, or symbolizing the process of giving birth to mutant babies by breaking open the belly.

Appearance:

A mummified human skull on a stick, with a camera stuffed in its mouth held by strings through its eye sockets.

Locations:

In caves
With wooden barricades
Near player camps

Possible effects:

Indication that the mutants are watching the player.

Appearance:

Two male heads without eyes, connected to their own innards and impaled on a triangle of sticks

Locations:

In caves
At mutant sanctuaries
Near player camps

Possible effects:

Warning for strangers to keep approaching

Appearance:

This Effigy consists of a cracked skull decorated with grass, leaves, and an old-looking bottle.

Location:

At mutant sanctuaries

Possible effects:

Markers for mutant patrols.

Appearance:

This totem consists of a skull defaced with crayons and a shoe.

Location:

Anywhere on the island

Possible effects:

These Effigies usually only appear when the cannibals realize that a player is killing cannibals nearby. So it could be a warning to other mutants.

Appearance:

A V made of two sticks connected by a rope to which are attached a finger, a toe, and a bundle of sticks.

Location:

Anywhere on the island

Possible effects:

The totem is reminiscent of a drying rack for hanging meat. So it could mark a place to find food.

Appearance:

A very tall wooden trident adorned with many feathers at the top. This species is also available with a slightly different appearance and with a frog as a decoration instead of the feathers.

Location:

Anywhere on the island

Possible effects:

Due to the enormous height, these totems should serve as a marker for the mutants at certain locations, such as a player camp.

The actual meaning of each Effigy cannot be guaranteed with absolute certainty. It is also possible that some images have multiple effects. All other totems that are not listed here are for decoration only or represent hunting trophies. You can easily check whether an Effigy has an effect or was only placed for decoration. If a totem has no effect, you cannot destroy it and collect the materials.

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