How to find a modern axe

Difficulty: 1/10 | Time: 10-15 minutes.

Briefly:

1. Run to the starting beach (near the boat with the pistol).
2. Turn your back to the ocean and run straight toward the northernmost GPS marker before the mountains.
3. When you see a medium-sized meadow, run north.
4. When you see a tent campsite (there will be red smoke in the sky from a flare) near the water, the modern axe will be sticking out of one of the bodies.

📍 Path to the Modern Axe

• First, you need to run to the starting beach near the ocean. There will be a boat with a GPS locator out in the ocean.
• Turn your back to the ocean and run northwest toward the left river (img. 1), uphill.
• Then turn right and run forward along the road. A good landmark is a cut tree with blue tarp on top (img. 2) — you can pick it up.
• Run forward until you reach a fork in four directions (img. 3). You need to turn right, then run forward and left twice in a row.
• You'll find yourself in a spacious meadow with a beautiful lake (img. 4). Here, turn right along the road uphill and run to the second beautiful meadow (img. 5), which, by the way, is a pretty good spot for a base.
• Turn right along the road, and you'll see a small lake, several tents, and a live operative holding a red flare gun.
• Around him are many useful items, and in one of the bodies you'll find the modern axe (img. 6).

💡 TIP: The operative is holding a flare gun — it's very visible. If you're having trouble finding the tent campsite but are close, look up at the sky — you'll see the red smoke from the flare.

🪓 Modern Axe: Full Overview

Modern Axe — a reliable melee weapon and effective tool for cutting wood in Sons of the Forest. It occupies a middle ground between the tactical and firefighter axes: it has less damage than the firefighter axe but swings faster. You can find it within the first few hours of the game, making it a great find for any survivor.

Resource Gathering

• A tree is chopped down in 7–10 hits. For comparison: the standard combat axe takes 13–16 hits. That's a significant difference, especially when building a base in the first few days.

Combat Use

• The modern axe deals more damage than the tactical axe but has a slower attack speed. In close combat, it effectively deals with enemies, though it falls short of the firefighter axe's raw power. Its block provides excellent protection, but don't rely on it exclusively.
• IMPORTANT I strongly recommend using this axe in situations where you need to avoid combat. It blocks a significant amount of damage and helps you get out unscathed.

Effectiveness

• Damage:
• • "Native" (No Armor) — 4 hits
• • "Puffy" — 4 hits
• • "Fingers" — 6 hits
• • "Legsy" — 17 hits
• • "Twins" — 8 hits
• • "Demon" — 7 hits

Solafite Upgrade

• The modern axe can be upgraded at the solafite upgrade table. You'll need 6 units of solafite. After the upgrade, the top part of the axe becomes golden, and its damage increases significantly.

💎 Additional Tips

• Even though the modern axe is weaker than the firefighter axe, you can find it much earlier. Use it as your main tool in the first few hours of the game. After you obtain the firefighter axe, keep the modern axe as a backup or for cutting wood. Also worth noting: this was Eric Leblanc's preferred axe in the first game — The Forest.