The Sons of the Forest GPS locators can be used by placing them on a stick or companion, but you'll need to find them first, their locations marked on the map with a purple icon. Of course, because nothing in Sons of the Forest is easy, each of the GPS locators is hidden behind some sort of puzzle, challenge or obstacle that players need to deal with. However, once you have the locators, you can effectively add little permanent markers to your GPS map, acting like pins that can highlight specific points. Alternatively, give one to a companion like Virginia so you'll always know where she is - a useful feature for keeping track of your friends.
There's a total of three GPS locators you can find: one on a hanged man, one on a raft behind some sharks, and one buried in a grave along with a deadly shotgun. No matter which of them you wan to get, we'll explain how to find and use the GPS locators in Sons of the Forest below.
How to use GPS locators in Sons of the Forest
GPS locators mark whatever they're placed on when you look at your GPS map, acting as helpful icons. You can find them in your inventory in the red box in the upper left, and can use them for the following purposes:
- Put a stick in the ground, then equip the GPS locator and place it on the stick to mark the area on your map.
- Give the locator to the Sons of the Forest Virginia companion to permanently mark her location on your map (or make her stand out by triggering the Sons of the Forest big head mode, either works)
There's only the three GPS locators at time of writing, as mentioned, so we recommend using them sparingly, especially considering Kelvin doesn't need one. Perhaps one for Virginia, one for your base, and one for a point of interest or good resource collection point? A secondary base? We leave it up to you to decide!
How to get all GPS locators in Sons of the Forest
At time of writing there's three GPS locators in Sons of the Forest that can be found around the map (unless you want to use the Sons of the Forest item IDs to add extras to your inventory). They're marked on your GPS with the purple exclamation points, and there's three to get, each one behind home kind of puzzle, restriction or obstacle:
- Mountain Locator (hanged man)
- Peninsula Locator (buried grave)
- Ocean Locator (sharks and Survival Raft)
Each of these locations is kind of its own puzzle, though it's worth mentioning that in each case, it's not just the Locator that's the prize, but new Sons of the Forest weapons and tools that players can equip and use to their advantage going forward. Of course, if you want to know where other gear beyond this is hidden, check our page on the Sons of the Forest item locations.
Hanging Man GPS locator puzzle
- Requires: axe/melee weapon OR small rock/ranged weapon
The first - and easiest - locator to obtain is on the body of a hanged man, suspended by a rope on the western side of the mountain range. There's two ways to get the body down - either work up to the clifftop where the rope is fastened and cut it with an axe, or use a ranged weapon/thrown small rock to hit the rope from ground level, severing it.
Either method will cause the body to drop, whereupon you can loot it for the first locator, as well as a Flashlight. There's also booze bottles and rope around it, both at the top and below, if you want to put those to use.
Buried Grave GPS locator puzzle
- Requires: Sons of the Forest shovel (click the link to find out how to get your own)
The next locator marks a grave at the island's peninsula, somewhat hidden in a forest and marked with an Evil Dead 2-style cross with a bit of cloth on it. The locator is inside the grave, and to get it, you simply need to dig with the shovel - once you have one. Not only that, but there's a Sons of the Forest shotgun in there too, a powerful ranged weapon that'll give any mutant cannibal pause.
Red Survival Raft GPS locator puzzle
- Requires: No item required, but ranged weapon will definitely help
The final one is out to sea, but can be seen from the coastline - a red survival raft floating out in the distance with lights on it, to help identify it at night.
The Raft can be swum to without any items, but it's in shark territory. At time of writing there's no way we know of to actually fight sharks while in the water, so you'll need to swim fast and cautiously, simply trying to avoid them until you can get to the Survival Raft itself. A single bite can do big damage, but it is possible to reach the raft without getting bitten - we've done it ourselves.
Once you're on the Survival Raft, you'll find the GPS locator on a corpse, a pistol, some flares and other assorted supplies. This is the moment where you can turn on the sharks a little - if they've followed you, use the pistol or other ranged weapon to shoot those near the surface, clearing the area and allowing you to start the long swim back to the coastline.
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