How to find a pickaxe

Difficulty: 6/10 | Time: 15-25 minutes.

Briefly:

1. Get the rebreather and run to the entrance of the "Luxury Bunker" (the final bunker). It's located in the northern part of the map and is marked on the map as VIP.
2. Face the bunker entrance, then turn right onto the road. Follow the road, turning right at the first fork.
3. Run forward, at the second fork turn left, at the third — turn right. Run forward and turn right one more time.
4. Cross the river and run forward to the cave entrance. The entrance is marked on the map.
5. After descending the rope, run forward and dive into the water. After surfacing, run forward, at the fork turn right.
6. Slide down the slope and dive into the water. Swim all the way, hugging the right wall.
7. After surfacing, run to the boards and dive again. Swim to the end.
8. After surfacing, pick up the pickaxe by the solafite ore and run further. There will be 2 "Blue Puffies" here. Climb up the rope.
9. Run forward and climb up another rope. Exit the cave.

📍 Path to the Cave

• Get the rebreather and run to the entrance of the "Luxury Bunker". This is the bunker with the final door. The bunker is in the northern part of the map and marked as VIP on the GPS map.
• Face the bunker entrance, then turn right onto the road (img. 1). Run forward, at the first fork turn right.
• Run forward, at the second fork turn left.
• Run forward, at the third fork turn right.
• Run forward and cross the river, turning right at the fourth fork.
• Run forward about 30 meters and you'll find rocks — by them is the cave entrance (img. 2). The cave is also marked on the GPS map.

⚔️ Actions Inside the Cave

• After descending into the cave, run forward to the water (img. 3). Jump into the water and swim forward to the end.
• After surfacing, run forward to the fork. If you break the boards and go left, you'll find one of the artifact pieces. If you go right, you'll reach a slope. Run right (img. 4).
• After the slide, dive into the water and swim to the end, hugging the right side.
• After surfacing, go to the destroyed boards (img. 5) and dive into the water again. Swim to the end.
• After surfacing, run forward a bit — you'll see solafite ore, a flashlight shining on it, and the pickaxe (img. 6). You can also mine some solafite right here if you want — so you don't have to come back. The maximum you can carry is 20 solafite. I recommend doing this so you don't have to run to other caves for ore before the final door.
• After gathering, turn right and run further forward. Here you'll find 2 "Blue Puffies". These are dangerous mutants — I recommend running past them. Further ahead, there are no enemies, just run forward to the rope.
• IMPORTANTIf you want to neutralize the enemies, use the best weapons: shotgun with buckshot, grenades, or sticky bombs. "Blue Puffies" are very strong and can knock you down. Each "Blue Puffy" requires 4-6 point-blank shotgun shots, or 2-3 sticky bombs.
• Climb up the rope and run forward — this is now a safe zone. Jump down and run further to the next rope.

🚪 Cave Exit

• Climb up the rope and exit the cave.

⛏️ Pickaxe: Full Overview

Pickaxe — a weapon and tool in Sons of the Forest. Although not intended specifically for combat, it's quite strong and performs at the level of the tactical axe. Its main purpose is mining valuable resources, not fighting enemies.

Primary Use

• The pickaxe is used for mining solafite — a rare resource needed to upgrade weapons at the solafite upgrade table. Without the pickaxe, you can't mine it. It's best to mine solafite right where you find the pickaxe so you don't have to come back to solafite caves later.

Combat Use

• If necessary, you can use the pickaxe as a weapon. Its power is on par with the tactical axe — not bad, but inferior to the modern and firefighter axes. In a pinch, it can save your life, but don't rely on it as your main weapon. The tactical axe is still better for combat.

Solafite Upgrade

• The pickaxe can be upgraded at the solafite upgrade table. After upgrading, its combat stats improve, making it more effective in battle. However, the pickaxe's main value remains resource gathering.

💎 Additional Tips

• The pickaxe is primarily a tool, not a weapon. Don't rush to use it in combat if you have the katana or modern axe. The main goal is to mine solafite as quickly as possible and upgrade your main weapons. I recommend looking around immediately after getting the pickaxe: there are several solafite veins in the spot where you found it. Mine them on the spot so you don't waste time looking for the resource later. And remember: without the pickaxe, you won't be able to upgrade your weapons and ancient armor with solafite, so this tool is essential for completing the final part of the game.