Sons of the Forest
ByYurii Luzhko

How to Get Clean Water in Sons of the Forest

Game files, client build 539515 min read

Drink straight from a lake, pond or waterfall when you are thirsty. For a safe store, carry a cooking pot, fill it at the water and boil Clean Water on a fire, or build a rain catcher for 12 sticks and 1 turtle shell.

Five steps, from finding water to keeping a stock. The crafting page has every recipe, and the cooking guide covers the dishes that fill thirst and hunger together.

Icons of water, a cooking pot, a turtle shell and a flask from the Sons of the Forest client
Game icons: water, the cooking pot, the turtle shell for the rain catcher and the printed flask.
On this page

The 5 steps at a glance

Steps 1 and 2 are enough for the first days. Steps 3 to 5 make you independent of the shore.

  1. Find water. Lakes, ponds and waterfalls are marked on the map.
  2. Drink and read the warning. One drink is worth 50 hydration.
  3. Get a cooking pot and boil Clean Water. Fill, fire, recipe.
  4. Build a rain catcher. 12 sticks and 1 turtle shell, useful at base.
  5. Stock up and avoid the thirst traps. Dried food and noodles dry you out.

Step 1: Find water

The map has 79 lake markers, 139 pond markers and 12 waterfalls. Players say only deeper water can be drunk from and the open ocean cannot (Gamer Guides, EIP), so aim for a lake, a pond or a waterfall pool rather than the beach.

Sons of the Forest island with lakes, ponds, waterfalls and cooking pots marked

Tap a dot to see which place it is. Open a layer on the full map: Lakes, Waterfalls, Cooking pots

  1. Equip your GPS or use our map below and pick the nearest lake, pond or waterfall marker.
  2. Walk to the water and face it. Players say it has to be deep enough to drink from.
  3. Plan your base within reach of a lake or pond: the beginner guide already says to build near fresh water.

Pro tip

Switch the cooking-pot layer on, pick the pot nearest to a lake, and Step 3 is a short walk.

Step 2: Drink, and read the warning

A drink from the water is worth 50 hydration in the consumables table (the drink action is code in the game, so this figure is the wiki's). The Printed Flask and the Energy Drink are listed at the same 50, and the energy drink also gives 20 energy.

The game's own warning: "Consuming dirty, poisonous or rotten foods will make you sick, limiting max health". It does not name the dirty sources, so boil the water when you are not sure.

Thirst items in the game files
ItemHydrationNote
Fresh water50Wiki figure; the drink itself is code
Printed Flask50In the client; how to get it is not in our data
Energy Drink50Also +20 energy
Clean WaterthirstCooking recipe, no numbers in the file

Step 3: Get a cooking pot and boil Clean Water

Clean Water is one of the 13 Cooking-table recipes. It needs just water from a river, lake or rain catcher. The pot is a pickup: our map has 10 cooking-pot markers, and players say pots sit at abandoned campsites (35 camp markers) and that you can carry one at a time (GameRant).

  1. Pick up a cooking pot from one of the map pins.
  2. Equip the pot and walk up to the water until the interact icon shows. This fills it (GameRant).
  3. Break two sticks to build a fire and light it with the lighter from the Emergency Pack.
  4. Put the pot on the fire, open its recipe list and choose Clean Water.
  5. Close the lid and wait until it drops off. Then take the water.

Not in the files

How long boiling takes and how many drinks one pot holds are not in the data we hold. Guides we checked do not give a number either.

Step 4: Build a rain catcher

The rain catcher costs 12 sticks and 1 turtle shell and collects clean water when it rains. It is unusable in winter, per our crafting data.

  1. Get a turtle shell: the map marks 22 pickups, and the hunting guide covers turtles.
  2. Gather 12 sticks, open the building book and pick the Rain Catcher.
  3. Place the catcher in the open at your base, where rain reaches it.
  4. The Clean Water recipe lists a rain catcher as a water source, so it feeds Step 3.

Step 5: Stock up and avoid the thirst traps

Some food costs hydration instead of giving it: rotten meat (-20), ramen noodles (-15), dried meat (-10). Eat them next to a drink, not on a long walk.

  • Berries and the soups also cut thirst. The cooking guide lists which dishes do.
  • Watch for the game's prompts: "You are thirsty" first, then "You are dying of thirst".
  • Winter changes the plan: fast water, a canteen and the pot. See winter survival.

Common mistakes

  • Drinking at the ocean. Players say it does not work. Use a lake or pond.
  • Counting on a rain catcher in winter. It does not work then.
  • Eating dried meat or noodles on an empty flask. Both lower hydration.
  • Forgetting the fire. The pot boils only on a lit fire; two sticks and the lighter start one.

FAQ

How do you get clean water in Sons of the Forest?

Fill a cooking pot at a lake, pond or river, put it on a fire and choose the Clean Water recipe. A rain catcher (12 sticks and 1 turtle shell) also gives clean water when it rains.

Where do you find a cooking pot?

Our map marks 10 cooking pots. Players say they lie at abandoned campsites and that you carry one at a time.

Does a rain catcher work in winter?

No. Our crafting data lists it as unusable in winter.

Can you drink from any water?

Players say only deeper water works and the ocean does not. The game warns that dirty, poisonous or rotten things make you sick, but its files do not list which water is dirty.

How much does a drink restore?

50 hydration in the consumables table, the same as the flask and the energy drink.

Which foods dry you out?

Rotten Meat (-20), Ramen Noodles (-15), Dried Meat (-10).

Pages to keep open

Related pages

Sources

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