How to get a shovel in Sons of the Forest: Shovel location & guide

Liam Mackay
weapon stash in sons of the forest

As you enter the late game in Sons of the Forest, you’d want to have a shovel as many important items like the Shotgun, Tuxedo, and Firefighter Axe are tied to it. Here’s how to get a shovel in Sons of the Forest, including the tool’s location and tips to reach it easily.

While Sons of the Forest has a unique theme where you and your companions fight mutants and discover artifacts that eventually help in finding a billionaire and solving several mysteries, at its core, the game’s all about survival, requiring you to collect food, craft tools and weapons, and more.

Some of the most powerful resources in the title such as the Shotgun, the Firefighter Axe, the 3D Printer, Laster Sight, and the Tuxedo can only be accessed if you have a shovel.

So here’s how to get it in Sons of the Forest, including the requirements to get it and the exact location.

Shovel requirements in Sons of the Forest

If you’re looking to get a shovel in Sons of the Forst, you’ll first need to get a Rope Gun and a Rebreather.

How to get the Rope Gun in Sons of the Forest

To get a Rope Gun in Sons of the Forest, you’ll need to journey through a cave near the helicopter crash site on the west side of the island, near the rivers. You can check out the exact location on the map.

Rope Gun location marked on Sons of the Forest map
The Rope Gun can be found in a cave on the west of the island.

Here’s everything you need to do:

  1. With a weapon and light source equipped, break the wood to enter the cave near the western rivers.
  2. Use your weapons to fight through the mutants inside the cave.
  3. Keep going until you find the entrance blocked by a Sluggy. Use the Time Bombs on the ground to blast through it.
  4. Keep advancing while fighting mutants. You know you’re on the right path after passing bodies hanging from the ceiling, a steep downward slope, and then skeletons hanging from the ceiling.
  5. Eventually, you’ll be able to take a right turn which will lead you to the Rope Gun.
  6. After picking up the Rope Gun, use it to create a zipline leading out of the cave.

How to get the Rebreather in Sons of the Forest

The Rebreather is also found inside a cave in Sons of the Forest, this time at a cave on the north coast of the island. We’ve marked it on the map below.

Rebreather location marked on sons of the forest map
You’ll need the Rebreather to get the shovel in Sons of the Forest.

Here’s how to get a Rebreather:

  1. Enter the cave by breaking through the wooden panels.
  2. Keep going until the cave splits, and turn left. Going right will lead you to the Stun Gun so it’s worth a quick detour.
  3. Keep following the cave until you reach the cavern with water.
  4. The Rebreather will emit light, so pick it up.
  5. Use the Rebreather to go underwater and swim out of the cave.

How to get the Shovel in Sons of the Forest

With a Rope Gun and a Rebreather in hand, you can head to the cave west of the snowy mountains to get the shovel. We’ve marked it on the map below.

shovel location marked on sons of the forest map
The Shovel can be found in a cave at the foot of the snowy mountains.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting the shovel in Sons of the Forest:

  1. Enter the cave and use the Rope Gun to zipline across the gap.
  2. Enter the water and use the Rebreather to navigate through the underwater passages.
  3. After leaving the water, defeat the mutants and loot the wetsuit outfit from the ground.
  4. Slide down the steep slope and progress through the cave while defeating mutants.
  5. Leap over the stalagmites next to the dead miners’ bodies and go underwater.
  6. You can take a right here to grab the flashlight attachment for weapons, but keep going straight to find the shovel.
  7. Fight through mutants and reach the end of the passageway and you’ll find the shovel on a miner’s corpse.

You’ll now have the shovel, giving you access to many more top-tier items in Sons of the Forest.


For more on Sons of the Forest, be sure to check out some of our other guides:

Is Sons of the Forest multiplayer? | Are Sons of the Forest servers down? | Sons of the Forest PC requirementsSons of the Forest companions guideSons of the Forest keycard locationsHow to get the Red Mask in Sons of the ForestSons of the Forest Interactive Map guideSons of the Forest endings explainedHow to craft a Sled in Sons of the ForestHow to hotkey items & weapons in SOTF

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About The Author

Liam is CharlieIntel's Editor. After graduating in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, Liam made use of his passion for FPS games, including Call of Duty, by writing for sites such as The Nerd Stash, Red Bull Gaming, and GAMINGbible before joining CharlieIntel in November 2020. You can contact Liam at [email protected].