Sons of The Forest Update 12: Weapons Upgrade with Alien Metal, New Cave & more in the Patchnotes

The latest Update 12 for Sons of The Forest has been released and is probably one of the largest updates for the survival game so far. In this article, we will reveal the most important contents and patch notes to you.

Overview of the update: Update 12 of Sons of The Forest is around 1.3 gigabytes in size and brings various new items, tools, structures, and much more. Among other things, there is also a new cave and a revised upgrade system for weapons. The update brings:

• Adjustments to the game world
• Pickaxe added as a tool
• New book for construction projects
• Various improvements & additional content

These are the most important innovations in Sons of The Forest Update 12

New Pickaxe & Mineral Solafite

The pickaxe is the new tool in Sons of The Forest. With it, you can collect a mineable resource that you find in caves. This resource is called Solafite, and you can recognize it by its orange glow, so you won't overlook it in caves. The new resource Solafite is used to upgrade your weapons.

Tip from the author: The Solafite is located fairly centrally next to the hunting rifle in the cluttered inventory of Sons of The Forest!

In the game, you hold the pickaxe with only one hand, as it is relatively small. Therefore, you can't mine thick rock chunks with it. We have already tested it as a weapon, with moderate success. The pickaxe doesn’t deal much damage.

This is the new pickaxe and a mountain of Solafite that you can mine.

New Cave and Changes to the Game World

According to the update files of Patch 12, there is a new cave on the island. Unfortunately, the patch notes do not reveal where the cave is located. We have not been able to find the cave ourselves so far. However, once we have discovered the location of the cave entrance, we will update this article! Check back for this information later. Apart from the new cave, developer Endnight Game has improved the game world as follows:

• Caves A and F have received new props and assets. Among other things, roots now grow through the cave ceiling and narrow the passages underneath. There are also new gore props, such as chopped-off arms, legs, etc.
• Skeletons now dangle from some trees in the game world.
• There are now hanging crucifixes in some caves.

Read also: We explain the story, lore, and all 3 endings of Sons of The Forest

Innovations in the A.I. of Enemies and Allies

If village guards of the cannibals or the leaders become aware of you, they can now call for reinforcements from the surrounding area directly. A personal tip is therefore to take out the guards or the leader first when encountering them. As long as you deal damage to these opponents, they cannot call for help loudly.

With your loyal allies, thanks to Sons of The Forest Update 12, you can now admire new emotes. Among other things, you can now nod to Robby, and he will nod back -- like real good friends! Virginia also now has the nodding function as well as some other new emotes:

• Laughing
• Expressing happiness
• Shaking head
• Expressing confusion
• Saying no
• Expressing sadness

New Items in the Update - Blueprints & Artifact

New blueprint extension: Included in the patch alongside the pickaxe are further items to handle. Among other things, you can now find two new extensions for your survival manual. These two extensions are blueprints and allow you to build:

• Furnace for Solafite Mineral (required for new weapon upgrade)
• Deployable and glowing crucifix

The building costs for the crucifix are:

• 1x tree trunk
• 9x light bulbs
• 2x cable/wire

The building costs for the smelting furnace are:

• 11x sticks
• 4x golf cart batteries
• 7x stones
• 3x cable/wire
• 3x turtle shell

Here you can see the costs for the two new structures.

The artifact: Finally, on the island of Sons of The Forest, there is a second artifact to be found. Fans have long hoped for more lore snippets in the game that should expand the world further. The artifact is located in a cave west from the mountain in the middle of the map!

New Upgrade System for Weapons

You can now upgrade your weapons with the new resource Solafite. However, you will need the furnace for this, which you can unlock with the new book page. You can find the book page in one of the caves.

Once you have built the furnace, for which you need turtle shells and batteries, you can get started. Add here 6x Solafite and a weapon of your choice and wait. You can improve both melee weapons and firearms with the Solafite. After a few minutes, the process is completed and your weapon is coated with a golden alloy.

The bonus is clear, your weapons deal significantly more damage. The YouTube channel "Sons of The Forest Channel" tested how much stronger and finished the boss "Mr. Puffton" with only 6 hits! He used the improved, modern axe for this!

The most important changes & fixes from Sons of The Forest Update 12 - The Patch Notes

• Gameplay Interactions and Reactions:
  • Animal heads can now be hit with a golf putter.
  • Virginia will now laugh when she sees certain events.
  • Kelvin will now react to animal heads.
• Visual and Technical Improvements:
  • Improved appearance of volumetric light from the sun and work lights.
  • Improvements to the physics of driftwood and other items.
  • Improved sprinkler performance in bunkers and the ability to wash off blood.
  • Some optimizations to characters and AI updates.
• Player and Object Interactions:
  • You can now carry up to 3 turtle shells.
  • Placing and interacting with structures, walls, and floors have been improved in various points.
• Balancing Changes:
  • Changes to the health and resistance of certain creatures.
  • Spear melee stab damage reduced.
• Corrections and Bug Fixes:
  • Various bug fixes that improve game stability and the correctness of gameplay interactions.
• Audio Updates:
  • Updated fire events and other sound effects for improved immersion.

You can find the complete patch notes, with all adjustments, on the developer's Steam page.