Exploring the island Sons of the forest, you’ll come across a variety of crafting recipes and weapons to add to your arsenal. Each weapon has unique characteristics that can give you an edge in the battle against the cannibals that inhabit this dangerous landscape.


related: Sons of the Forest Beginner’s Guide

Whether you’re a fan of long-range warfare or one-on-one battles, Sons Of The Forest has a variety of weapons for you and your friends, allowing each player to assign their own role during combat. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the best weapons this formidable island has to offer.

10 Craftable Spear

An image of the Craftable Spear from Sons Of The Forest, with the player wielding a spear to attack a turtle.

A craftable spear is a melee and ranged weapon crafted from sticks and ribbon. Since the spear is made of sticks, you can create several as the weapon does little damage and can get stuck in an enemy running away from you.

While this spear may not be the best choice for dealing with large groups of cannibals, it is a great choice for hunting animals when you have no other long-range options. Spear throwing allows you to successfully hunt for food without getting too close to your prey, so you don’t have to worry about scaring away animals.

9 Made bow

An image of the crafting bow from Sons of the Forest where the player aims the bow at cannibals climbing a wall.

The craftable bow is another ranged weapon that can be crafted early in the game sticks and rope hunt beasts and cannibals. Unlike the spear, this weapon also requires arrows, which means you must always collect and store ammo while hunting.

While this is a great option for early game damage, it can be quite difficult to aim with the bow. Also, other ranged weapons do significantly more damage than this craftable variant.

8 Tactical ax

An image of a tactical ax from Sons Of The Forest, the player is holding this weapon while looking at a cannibal sitting on a rock.

Tried and true, the tactical ax is a starting weapon that will be incredibly useful for most of the game. Obtained at the start of the game, this nifty little black ax can be used for both chopping trees and cannibals.

related: The best axes in gaming

Although the tactical ax has the lowest damage of all the axes in the game, the smaller size of the weapon allows you to swing the ax faster than the larger weapons in the game.

7 electric shock baton

An image of the Sons Of The Forest Taser Baton, a large black baton with red and green buttons that shocks enemies.

The stun staff is a melee weapon that can be found stuck in a pile of bones on the island. This melee weapon deals minimal damage, but stuns enemies with an electric shock every time you hit them.

While you won’t be able to kill cannibals quickly with this stick, this weapon can be a great choice in multiplayer servers. Just find a player who always stun enemies with this weapon and everyone else wields axes to quickly finish off the electrocuted cannibals.

6 Electric shocker

An image of the Taser from Sons Of The Forest, a yellow gun that shoots electricity to stun enemies.

Similar to the baton, the Taser is a ranged gun that fires an electric current at enemies. While this electrical blast doesn’t deal much damage, enemies hit by the shot will fall to the ground from the electricity.

This is another great weapon to unlock on multiplayer servers, as a special marksman can use this weapon to stun enemies from a safe distance, while splitters kill incapacitated opponents.

5 Modern ax

An image of the modern ax from Sons Of The Forest, a larger black axe.

The modern ax is a larger version of the tactical axe, useful for hacking your way through enemies and chopping down trees to build houses. Once you retrieve this weapon from an abandoned campsite, you can use this ax for almost all of your basic needs.

This ax is not only more useful for obtaining wood, but also deals significantly more damage to enemies. Although the attack speed is slightly slower than the smaller tactical axe, the increased damage makes melee combat much easier and safer.

4 Arbalest

An image of the crossbow from Sons of the Forest, a black ranged weapon.

An incredible upgrade to the craftable bow, the crossbow is another ranged weapon that shoots arrows to deal damage to your enemies. Unlike a craftable bow, this weapon has a sharp sight for easier aiming and deals more damage with each shot.

The crossbow is a great choice for those interested in stealth, as the arrows are silent and will not alert other cannibals nearby. In addition, this weapon can also be used to silently hunt animals such as deer at a distance.

3 Firefighter Ax

An image of the fire ax from Sons of the Forest, a large and heavy yellow and red axe.

Dropped from the underground bunker, the fireman’s ax is a large orange-red weapon that deals massive damage. Like the other axes on this list, the fireman’s ax is incredibly useful for gathering firewood and can easily protect you in dangerous melee battles.

related: Sons of the forest: how to get a shovel

Due to the large size of this ax, the weapon swings much slower than the other two axes on this list, but it deals significant damage to anyone unlucky enough to get in your way. When paired with a Taser or Baton, this ax can quickly take down enemies in just a few seconds.

2 pistol

An image of the gun from Sons Of The Forest, a small gun that can be upgraded as you play.

The pistol found on a raft off the coast of the island is a fantastic ranged weapon that deals a lot of damage. Unlike the craftable bow, the pistol has a built-in iron sight to aid in aiming; however, remember to conserve ammo and make every shot count.

While a gun is a great weapon, you can also do your best discover cannon upgrades scattered throughout the island. Adding a silencer or a new pistol guide will greatly improve the versatility and power of the pistol, making it a great choice for any ranged combat.

1 Shotgun

An image of the shotgun from Sons Of The Forest, a large ranged weapon that can slice through enemies.

While the pistol is certainly successful in dealing damage from longer distances, nothing compares to the shotgun when it comes to close range combat. This rifle specializes in taking down enemies in close quarters, ideal for raiding cannibal caves or underground bunkers.

Similar to the pistol, you can also find several upgrades throughout the island that improve different aspects of the shotgun. No matter how you play, this weapon is an absolute must as it completely dominates any close range combat.

further: Sons of the Forest: The Complete Guide to Creation