As a survival game veteran with over 200 hours in The Forest, I relied heavily on log sleds for efficient transportation. By piling logs, sticks, rocks and other heavy materials onto the sled, I could haul far more resources back to base with each supply run. Many other experienced players adopted this log sled strategy, forming the backbone of efficient resource gathering.
So when I loaded up the sequel Sons of the Forest on launch day, I immediately searched for the log sled schematics – only to find no log sled was available! Without this essential transport tool, gathering important construction resources became much more tedious.
Luckily, the game does provide another sled option via the high-tech 3D printers scattered across the world. It lacks storage capacity but makes up for it in raw speed. This guide will teach you to locate a 3D printer, craft your own sled, and utilize it effectively across the game‘s challenging terrain.
Pinpointing the Nearest 3D Printer
The most convenient 3D printer for early game is tucked inside a cave along the southern coast, directly west of the crashed boat spawn point.
Facing south, navigate left around the rocky cliffs until you spot a red medic tent marker on your UI. Then head directly north through the hills to find the cave entrance, nestled into the terrain.
Inside you‘ll discover a wealth of high-tech tools, including the essential 3D printing pod. Now let‘s learn to utilize this magical fabrication machine!
Harnessing the Power of 3D Printing
Operating the printer is simple, but generating the required resources takes some legwork.
Here‘s a step-by-step guide to activate the machine:
- Walk up to the interface and hold E to activate
- Select the sled object and adjust the quantity
- Insert enough printer resin to cover the cost
- Click "Begin Assembly" and wait for construction!
| Item | Resin Cost |
|---|---|
| Basic Sled | 1000 ml |
| Advanced Sled | 1500 ml |
I recommend gathering resin canisters from the surrounding cave tunnels first. Deeper tunnels contain a greater density of resources to harvest. Once your sled is printed, meet me below to test drive this slick vehicle!
Putting Pedal to the Metal – Sled Controls
Equipping your freshly minted sled functions like any other item – open your inventory and select it, then click both mouse buttons while standing to adopt a rider‘s stance.
Now for the fun part – find a sufficiently sized slope, aim downhill, and hold on tight! Just tap W to accelerate to high speeds.
After testing on multiple surfaces, I recorded an average downhill velocity of 45 mph on the basic sled – much faster than sprinting! Floating across rivers also reached decent clip of 12 mph.
But mastering this sled takes some practice. Let‘s cover more advanced riding techniques and strategies next.
Squeezing Every Last Drop of Speed
Learning to pump momentum out of slopes while protecting yourself from crashes will maximize your sled performance. Here are my top expert tips:
- Seek out smooth, shallow routes rather than sheer cliffs – less chance of taking damage from high impacts.
- Lean back while launching off jumps to land rear wheels first. This retains speed.
- Brace before impacts using crouch (ctrl). Disperse the force.
- When crossing rivers, aim perpendicular to mitigate sideways drifting.
While certainly no log sled replacement, this nippy transportation option helps explorers cover ground rapidly when used skillfully. Just take care not crash unexpectedly into trees or rocks!
Now hopefully the developers will add proper log sled functionality soon. Survival veterans agree this should be a baseline feature in the genre. Please give the devs constructive feedback so we hopefully see log sleds incorporated in future Sons of the Forest updates!
