Clean Water in Sons of the Forest

Dehydration on the island will end your run faster than most cannibals. The catch is that you cannot just slurp from any lake or stream and expect to live. Since Patch 07, water comes in two flavors: clean and dirty. Drink the wrong one and your character pays for it.

Here are the two reliable ways to stay hydrated.

Method 1: Build a Rain Catcher

The Rain Catcher is the lazy hydration option. Set it up, wait for weather, drink. Crafting it needs two ingredients:

• One large turtle shell. Hunt a large turtle and pry the shell off with your knife. Small turtles will not work, since their shells cannot hold enough water.
• 12 sticks. Trivial to gather.

If large turtles are nowhere in sight, head to the western beach. The shore there has a healthy population, and you can reach it quickly with one of the Hang Gliders scattered across the map.

Once you have both materials, open the Guide Book (default key: B), flip to the Utility section, and select the Rain Catcher recipe. Place it down and let the sky do the work. The next storm will fill it with clean water you can drink straight from the catcher.

Method 2: Boil Water With a Flask and Cooking Pot

If the weather refuses to cooperate, you can purify water yourself. This method needs three things: a Flask, a Cooking Pot, and a fire.

Find a Cooking Pot

A Cooking Pot is waiting in the Abandoned Camp by the lake on the western side of the island. No crafting required, just walk over and grab it.

Print a Flask

Flasks come from any 3D Printer for 100ml of Printer Resin. With a Flask in your inventory, you can scoop water from any nearby lake or stream.

If you do not remember where the printers are, our Sons of the Forest Red Mask guide lists their locations.

Boil It

Build a campfire or fire pit and light it with the lighter from your Emergency Pack. Drop the Cooking Pot on the flames, open your inventory, click the gear icon, and pick Clean Water from the cook menu.

Your character will pour the flask into the pot, the water boils, and a few seconds later you have a drink that will not poison you. Repeat as needed and the island becomes a much friendlier place to spend the night.