How to find crossbow

Difficulty: 6/10 | Time: 15-20 minutes.

Briefly:

1. Find the entrance to the cave with the "Food Bunker" (shown as a food icon on the map).
2. Run forward through the cave to the bunker entrance — this area is safe.
3. After descending into the bunker, pick up supplies and open the door with the maintenance keycard.
4. Run forward through the opened door. Pick up the crossbow in the second room, on the floor in the hands of a victim.
5. Run forward, neutralize or run past 1 "Fingers", and dive into the water.
6. Swim to the straight corridor (three identical rooms), then turn left. You'll enter the security room.
7. Take the marker for the residential bunker, the shotgun rail, and the VIP keycard.
8. Return to the fork and swim forward to the door, open it with the VIP keycard.
9. Watch the scene, then dive into the water. Fighting the enemies is optional.
10. After surfacing, run forward, ignoring the mutants. At the end of the linear path, you'll find the exit from the bunker and the cave.

📍 Path to the Food Bunker

• Get the rebreather and the maintenance keycard. Run to the starting beach, near which there's a boat with a pistol out in the ocean (purple GPS marker in the water).
• Turn your back to the water and run left toward the path (img. 1). Get onto the road and run forward (img. 2).
• At the first fork, run straight (img. 3), and at the second fork, turn right (img. 4).
• Run forward to the cave entrance "Cave - Food and Drink Bunker" (img. 5).

⚔️ Actions Inside the Bunker

• First, run forward through the cave to the bunker entrance — about 30 meters. It's safe here for now — catch your breath and prepare.
• After descending into the bunker, pick up all the supplies you see — crates, boxes, meds, and also 3 bolts for the crossbow. Then open the door with the maintenance keycard.
• Run forward through the opened door. In the second room (between the plant stands), on the floor near a dead worker, lies the crossbow (img. 4).
• Run further down the corridor. In the next room after the crossbow, you'll find a total of 6 bolts for the crossbow. Also in this room, you'll encounter 1 "Fingers". You can neutralize it with the crossbow or just run past — it's safe in the water. IMPORTANTThe mutant sometimes appears a bit later — in the dark room following this one. Keep that in mind and don't be startled.
• Further ahead, there's water — dive in. Swim to the straight corridor, passing 3 identical rooms, then turn left. You'll enter the security room (img. 5).
• Here lie important items: "Residential Bunker" marker, shotgun rail, and VIP keycard. Take all the loot.
• Return to the fork and this time swim forward toward the door. Open it with the VIP keycard (img. 6).
• A story scene will play. After the scene:

🚪 Bunker Exit

• After surfacing, run forward, ignoring the mutants. Along the way, you'll encounter 3-5 "Puffies" and 4-6 "Babies". The path is linear — you won't get lost.
• At the end, you'll see the bunker exit, and then the cave exit. You're outside. Now you have the crossbow with bolts, the shotgun rail, and access to the residential bunker.

💡 CROSSBOW TIP: Bolts can be retrieved after shooting. Don't shoot into chasms — you'll lose valuable ammunition. The crossbow is ideal for silently taking down "Puffies" and regular enemies from a distance.

🏹 Crossbow: Full Overview

The Crossbow is a powerful ranged weapon in Sons of the Forest, surpassing bows in damage and accuracy. It's an ideal silent option for precise kills. It kills most cannibals with two body shots or one headshot. If you prefer a "sniper" playstyle, the crossbow is the best choice for survival, but it requires a stockpile of bolts and careful play due to its long reload time.

Core Characteristics

• Damage and Accuracy: high damage, higher than any bow. Features an integrated iron sight that provides excellent accuracy at long distances.
• Ammunition: uses crossbow bolts, which cannot be crafted or printed on a 3D printer. They can only be found in caves or bunkers.
• Reload Speed: medium — about 4 seconds. This makes the crossbow situational; against large groups of enemies, you need to think twice. One miss could cost you health or your life.
• Stealth: the weapon is completely silent, allowing you to eliminate enemies without attracting others. Ideal for stealthy cave clearing.
• Upgrades: unlike many other weapons, the crossbow cannot be upgraded. Neither solafite nor attachments work on it.
• IMPORTANTReloading is done manually by pressing the R key. Always reload your weapon after a fight.

Effectiveness

• Body Damage:
• • "Native" (No Armor) — 1 hit
• • "Puffy" — 2 hits
• • "Fingers" — 4 hits
• • "Legsy" — 9 hits
• • "Twins" — 4 hits
• • "Demon" — 4 hits
• Keep in mind — headshot damage is multiplied by more than 4 times.

Usage Tips

• Save your bolts: shoot only when you're sure you'll hit. After the fight, always retrieve your bolts.
• Choose your targets: I recommend shooting mutants in the legs (to temporarily immobilize them) and cannibals in the head (one shot is enough).
• Caution in caves: during reload, the flashlight is put away, which can be inconvenient in dark caves. Try to reload in a safe spot or with good lighting.
• Don't use against crowds: the long reload makes the crossbow vulnerable against groups. For mass fights, use a shotgun or katana.

💎 Additional Tips

• The crossbow is a weapon for precise kills. Carry it as a secondary weapon paired with a machete or katana. Before a fight, assess the number of enemies: if there are few, use the crossbow; if it's a crowd, save it for a better moment. I also recommend always having at least 5-10 bolts in reserve. And remember: one accurate shot is better than three misses. Due to the value of ammunition, every shot must count.