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Where to find the Sons of the Forest shovel

Here's how to get the shovel in Sons of the Forest so you can make the most of the new digging mechanic and find some valuable items.

Sons of the Forest shovel location: The corpse of a worker sits on the ground, holding he shovel that you can pick and and use for digging

Where is the shovel in Sons of the Forest? Finding this tool is a must if you want to dig up precious items you need to survive, such as the all-important keycards. The shovel is an essential tool for the Sons of the Forest’s all-new digging mechanic, so whether you’ve played The Forest or not, plowing through dirt for treasure will be a new experience.

To be sure you’re not missing too much as you explore Sons of the Forest, you should make the trek to the shovel location as early as possible. You can only find it inside a specific cave on the Sons of the Forest map, so it could take you a while to find this new item in the survival game unless you know where to look. You’ll also need to have obtained the Sons of the Forest rebreather and rope gun first, so once you have that, here’s the Sons of the Forest shovel location you need to head towards.

Sons of the Forest shovel: The map of Endnight's survival game, with an orange pin marking a river on the western side of the central mountain where the shovel is located.

How to get the shovel in Sons of the Forest

You can find the shovel in Sons of the Forest inside the large river cave to the west of the snowy area of the map. The cave entrance is marked by three corpses, held up by sticks. You must break a wooden blockade to enter the cave.

Before you can reach the Sons of the Forest shovel, you need two items: the zipwire and the rebreather. Without these, you won’t be able to access or navigate the cave system.

Once inside, rappel over the mounds of bones and then head underwater. Use the rebreather to swim to the other side of this relatively linear cave and descend even further into darkness. Use your Sons of the Forest flashlight to ensure you’re following the natural path of the cave until you can see a well-lit bunker area, outside of which is the corpse of a worker holding the shovel. You shouldn’t come up against any nasty Sons of the Forest mutants in this cave, so you can focus on surviving the swim.

Now you know how to get the shovel in Sons of the Forest, you’ll be able to uncover the Sons of the Forest keycard, as well as other important items and resources that will aid your survival. Make sure you know where to find some of the other Sons of the Forest weapons and tools. From the Sons of the Forest katana to the modern axe, each one has its pros and cons and will ensure you reach the Sons of the Forest ending without too many deaths.