How to find a rifle and ancient armor

Difficulty: 7/10 | Time: 25-30 minutes.

Briefly:

1. Get the rebreather and run to the cave entrance — "Cave D (Lake Cave)". The entrance is at the largest lake on the map, near the residential bunker.
2. After entering the cave, run forward hugging the right wall. After 200 meters, dive into the water.
3. Swim to the end. After surfacing, 1-2 "Fingers" will be waiting. Run forward.
4. In the area with 3-6 "Babies", an operative will be hanging from the ceiling — he's holding the Rifle.
5. Turn your back to the operative and run along the right wall, through the body of water.
6. Run forward and climb the rope, then continue running along the left wall.
7. After breaking the wooden planks, slide down the slope into the water — surface, then run forward hugging the left wall.
8. Break more wooden planks, descend the rope, and run forward hugging the right wall until you reach the water.
9. Dive underwater and swim to the end. After surfacing, turn right, then left. Pick up the Ancient Armor inside the spaceship.
10. After exiting the ship, turn right and climb up the ledge. Climb the rope twice.
11. Run left and climb another rope. Run forward, dive into water, and swim to the end.
12. After surfacing, take out the cross, defend yourself against "Demons", and run to the end — to another rope. Climb up.
13. Go forward and descend the rope. After falling, run forward to the wooden planks, fighting off 4-6 "Demons" with the cross.
14. After breaking the planks, run forward and right — climb the stone ledge, pick up the Artifact Piece, then descend on the right side. Run forward through the golden passage.
15. Break 3 pairs of wooden planks and run forward hugging the right wall. Dive into the water and swim to the end.
16. After surfacing, run forward a bit — you'll find the cave exit.

📍 Cave Location

• First, obtain the rebreather.
• The cave we need is in the northern part of the map. The entrance is at the largest lake on the map, near the residential bunker.
• Find the cave entrance — "Cave D (Lake Cave)" (img. 1).

⚔️ Actions Inside the Cave

• After entering — safe zone. Run forward, hugging the right wall. After about 200 meters, you'll reach water — dive and swim to the end. (img. 2).
• After surfacing, you'll encounter 1 "Fingers". Don't fight — just run past.
• You'll enter an area with 3-6 "Babies" and 1 "Fingers" (img. 3). An operative hangs from the ceiling — he's holding the Rifle (img. 4).
• IMPORTANT The rifle pickup animation takes 6 seconds. During this time, you cannot attack or block — only move.
• After picking up the rifle, turn your back to the operative and run along the right wall, through the water (img. 5).
• Climb the rope, then run forward. You'll encounter 1 "Legsy". A very strong enemy — I recommend running past, forward.
• Turn right and run forward, past 2-3 "Puffies".
• Break the wooden planks (img. 6), slide down the slope into the water. Surface and run forward, hugging the left wall. There may be 1-2 "Fingers" here, but the room is huge and they might not notice you. Run past them.
• Break more planks (img. 7), descend the rope, and run forward hugging the right wall — until you reach water.
• Dive and swim to the end. After surfacing, turn right, then left. You'll emerge at the spaceship (img. 8).
• This is a safe zone. Enter the ship and pick up the Ancient Armor.
• Exit the ship, turn right, and climb up the ledge (img. 9). Climb the rope 2 times.
• Run left, climb another rope. Run forward, dive into water, and swim to the end.
• After surfacing, run forward to the rope and climb it. There will be 2-3 "Demons". If you want free creepy armor, neutralize them with the cross. If not, just run past.

• Break the wooden planks, run forward and right. Climb the stone ledge and pick up the Artifact Piece (img. 10).
• Descend on the right side. Run forward through the golden passage (img. 11). There are no demons here anymore (if you didn't lead them here).
• After the golden corridor — break 3 pairs of wooden planks. Behind them, you'll face 3-6 "Babies" and 2-4 "Puffies". Run past them, hugging the right wall.
• Dive into the water and swim to the end — this is the last underwater section.
• After surfacing, you'll find crates with useful supplies (img. 12). Run forward a bit. You'll see light — that's the cave exit.

💡 Congratulations! You've completed the longest cave in the game. You've obtained the rifle, ancient armor, and an artifact piece.

🔫 Rifle: Full Overview

Rifle — a ranged weapon with a scope in Sons of the Forest. It features a bolt-action mechanism and a red dot sight. Currently, it's the only weapon in the game with an optic attachment. Although the sight doesn't magnify, the reticle combined with high range allows you to accurately hit distant targets.

Core Characteristics

• Damage: the rifle deals decent damage, especially with headshots. However, it deals less damage than the crossbow, and only slightly more than the compound bow with carbon fiber arrows.
• Reload speed: medium — 3 seconds, with manual chambering after each shot. This makes the rifle unsuitable for direct combat against crowds. Full reload takes 5 seconds.
• Ammo capacity: 5 rounds. Rifle ammunition is extremely rare. Regular pistol or shotgun ammo won't work — you need specific rifle ammo.
• Attachments: the rifle currently has no attachments. You cannot add a laser sight, flashlight, or silencer.

Effectiveness

• Body Damage:
• • "Native" (No Armor) — 1 hit
• • "Puffy" — 2 hits
• • "Fingers" — 6 hits
• • "Legsy" — 15 hits
• • "Twins" — 7 hits
• • "Demon" — 6 hits
• Keep in mind — headshot damage is multiplied by 2.8 times.

Where to Find Ammo

• Rifle ammo can be found in special ammunition containers scattered across the island. You can usually find them in camps, caves, bunkers, and settlements.

💎 Additional Tips

• The rifle is a weapon for precise shots from long range. Don't use it in close combat or against crowds — slow reloading and rare ammo make it useless. The best strategy: save your ammo for the final cave. You'll need a ranged weapon there, and the rifle fits well.

🛡️ Ancient Armor: Full Overview

Ancient Armor — a unique type of armor in Sons of the Forest. It differs from all others in several ways. First, it's a story-critical item without which you can't complete the game. Second, it's a single piece (not divided into parts like other armor types). Third, it never breaks or loses quality in combat — it's permanent.

Unique Properties

• Protection against "Demons": equipped with this armor, damage from "Demons" is significantly reduced (roughly 70%). This makes fighting them much easier, even in groups. However, this effect does NOT apply to regular enemies — they still deal full damage. Against non-demons, ancient armor is worse than creepy or tech armor.
• Damage Mitigation: the armor reduces, but does not completely prevent, damage. You'll still need meds on hand while wearing it.
• Compatibility with other armor: when first equipped, ancient armor removes any armor you're currently wearing and places it back into your inventory. However, damaged armor pieces will be destroyed. Any armor you were wearing will automatically go into your backpack if there's space.

Story Significance

• Ancient Armor is an important story item needed to open the "Door with the Hand" in the final part of the game. To open the final door with it, you first need to upgrade it with solafite.

Upgrade

• Ancient Armor can be upgraded. This is necessary for story progression and also improves its defensive properties.

💎 Additional Tips

• Ancient Armor is a specialized item for the final stage of the game. Don't wear it constantly — against regular enemies it's useless, and you'll lose the superior protection of creepy or tech armor. Equip ancient armor only before entering lava caves and before fighting "Demons". That's where it truly shines. And don't forget the solafite upgrade: without it, you can't open the final door and complete the game.