Sons of the Forest Water | How to craft a Water Collector

Sons of the Forest has you stranded on an island near-immediately, and it refuses to hold your hand. You’re left to figure out exactly how to survive, and to ultimately, survive in your own way. That said, getting to grips with the basics can be troubling at first. For example, how are you supposed to get water?

Washed up on an island with nothing but a strange robot, coming across a clean source of drinking water isn’t as straight-forward as you might’ve first thought. So, to help quench your thirst, here’s how to get water in Sons of the Forest.

How do I get water in Sons of the Forest?

First things first, to ensure you don’t waste away and die from thirst in Sons of the Forest, loot the suitcases that litter the crash site. You’ll find a few bits and pieces in these that will help keep you alive for the tiniest bit longer, including some water.

With those ransacked, you now want to locate a more reliable water-source. Use your GPS Locator to find a river or stream, and stroll on over to it. Once at the river, crouch and interact with the water using 'E' to drink from it directly.

If you’re having some trouble drinking from the river, make sure that you aren’t holding any items by pressing ‘G’. Additionally, if you’re stumped locating a river, you can press the middle mouse button to take a closer look at your GPS Locator.

Finally, remember that this is a survival game, and trying to drink water from the ocean isn’t going to do you any good. So, remember to stick solely to rivers when it comes to acquiring drinking water!

You'll also be able to get a little hydration from some of the resources across the island. For example, the white flower Yarrow will make you a little less thirsty.

How to craft a Water Collector in Sons of the Forest

You can later craft a Water Collector in Sons of the Forest once you’ve found a beach. To craft a Water Collector, you will need to smack the shell off the back of a large turtle. The shells of smaller snapping turtles won’t be suitable.

Then, simply place the large shell on the ground and it'll collect rainwater that you can later drink. This is best for bases away from natural sources of drinking water.

Note: This method of collecting rainwater worked in The Forest, but doesn't appear to work fully in Sons of the Forest right now. It's worth collecting some turtle shells anyway, in case the feature is added in a later update. But for now, your best chance at collecting water is by 3D printing a water flask.

How to make a Flask in Sons of the Forest

One of the caves on the island in Sons of the Forest contains a 3D Printer, can you believe it?

This cave is beside the cave where the Rope Gun resides (which is used to get a shovel), and marked on the map below.

Once you locate the 3D Printer, you will be able to print your very own Flask for storing water. The recipe does require Resin, but it just so happens that the 3D Printer has enough resin left for your flask.

Wait for it to print, grab it, and you can then store it in your rucksack. To fill it up and later refill it, hold the bottle and take it to a river. Then, crouch and press 'E' as if you were going to drink, and the water will be refilled. You can print as many flasks as you need, provided you have the resin for it.

For more on Sons of the Forest, check out our Sons of the Forest walkthrough.