A Couple of Strategic Tips to Survive in The Forest

[Abes]

This will most likely be short... Not so sure.

Tip #1: Know that the odds are always stacked against you.

Tip #2: Campfires: When creating a Fire place, know that where ever you place the the Mutants will know exactly where you are. What you should do is; place your fire far away from your camp site. better yet, when you go out hunting and gathering wood, just find a pond full of fish and eat there instead of needing to go abck to your camp site.

Tip #3: Campsite Defense: Whenever I create my campsite, I always tend to create two wall barriars protecting my camp just incase. The front being normal non-defensive walls, and a couple of yards behind it I sit my defensive walls actually protecting my campsite. I do this because of Jumpers. They jump over my non-defensive wall and [theoretically] depending on the distance between the non-defensive wall, the mutant should end up landing on the spikes, causing him to die.

Tip #4: Effigies: Do not place Effigies infront of your campsite, especially when setting it a'light. Instead, if you have the oppertunity to. Place Effigies far from your campsite, but surrounding the the area your campsite is in and mark your territory. As soon as the Mutants find the Effigies they will immediatly be frightened and call for reinforcements. Theoretically, this would make them confused and will help prolong your existance in The Forest. However, that will be only one or two factions looking for you.

Inevitiably, the mutants will find your campsite. Whether how big your fortess is they will end up marking it themselves. In case this happepns, you want to place Effigies, not infront or outside the parimeters of you campus, but. Inside your campus and you will only need one. Do not set that Effigie a'light or they will immediatly find your camp, and that goes for all of them.

Tip #5: Lonely Mutants: There's a moment in the Forest where you will see one mutant alone in one of the NPC Villages. Do not hesitate, be aware of what's around you, and kill that son of a ♥♥♥♥♥. He won't attack you at first until you get really close to his face, but he will try to run away if you attack him first. If that one mutant lives you will hear the howl it makes for reinforcements. You don't want that happening.

Tip #6: Stalk the Mutants: Stalk the mutants as much as they stalk you, and kill them off when one is left on its own before it howls for help. Tall grass and bushes are accepted as cover, so don't be shy when sneaking up to one of them.

Tip #7: Use Fire to your Advantage: Moletoves, explosives come in handy in offensive. But what you can really do is to lure the mutants near you to one spefic area for an offensive strike. Create a Torch Stand/campfire and hide, and once they come close to the torch stand, that's when you throw your molatov or explosive in where they're standing.

That is of course, very dangerous and you shouldn't even be so near them since there are more of them then what is percieved. The chances are that if you're stalking them, there's always one stalking their perameter. And that's the one who howls and alerts them. So always kill him/her first.

Tip #8: When entering their Caves, and you slowly surpass the dead bodies and collect your needed items, and you end up entering an area where it seems empty.
Do yourself a favor and do not point your torch upwards...

Tip #9: The Sacred Trees: It is believed that the Mutants spawn from the Sacred Trees. That is false, but it is most likely a hotspot for Mutants to help mark the pathpoints for their patrol pathways. There is also another Tree in the forest; I've only seen one. A white tree that isn't chopable. That is also most likely to be a hotspot for mutants to surround.
You already know what I'm about to say.

"Do not set camp there", and yes, that's true, but. If you find the time to do so, place Effigies next to the trees and show them whose f***king boss!

Tip #10: Use Tennis Balls to lure the mutants.

And the final tip;

TIP #11: DON'T EAT ANYTHING YOU CANNOT SEE... IF YOU SEE A RANDOM MUNCHY SYMBOL NEXT TO A POND OR IN A NPC-CAMP SITE. AND IT'S NOT MUSHROOMS, DON'T BOTHER.

YOLOSURVIVOLOR-IN THE-FORESTLOR.

GOOD LUCK MY DOVES AND BE GOOD

[CormacMcCarthy]

have you actually tried tip #10,? im not sure that they actually follow the ball..

[Abes]

Yup! That's what they're there for!

[Saucy Senpai]

Have you actually seen them jump down from the cave roof? Also are they just the normal mutants? Haven't come across this yet.

[Abes]

Nope, but I'm sure that's where they spawn. Not from that stupid tree. And normal mutants? I really don't know. I am aware of how strong the cave mutants are if not careful, but maybe these ones are just being reserved for depending on how many days you're in the Forest.

I believe that since the inevitably of the Forest being de-forest is true, meaning that once you chop down a tree it can not regrow. Then - except for brown rabbits and the comodo lizards - there should be a limited amount of Mutants on the island.
That's my theory anyway

Originally posted by Froggin Bullfish:

Have you actually seen them jump down from the cave roof? Also are they just the normal mutants? Haven't come across this yet.

[Leonydus]

Good tips, i don't have the game yet but it seems you are well versed with it.

[Old Mate]

Cheers mate, some good insight. I see now why setting up a cozy hunting shack next to one of those lovely looking trees was not a good idea. Nor was trying to feel up their women when they came back to chill out under said tree.

[Abes]

Bomp