Shovel

Tool / Weapon
Max Carried: 1
Attack Speed: Moderate
Attack Damage: Low
Blocking Effectiveness: None
A metal shovel that can be used to dig up new locations. Not effective as a weapon. Also, allows the player to dig randomly for supplies.

Where to Find the Shovel

You can find the shovel in a cave towards the center of the map (1). You will need the rebreather and the rope gun to progress through the cave. This cave is full of enemies, so make sure you’re well-prepared, and have a tent outside because you’ll likely die. You will also want a second tarp to save at safe locations inside the cave.

After you enter the cave, use the rope gun to cross the zip line over to the subterranean lake. Then use the rebreather to find the path forward underwater. A good tip for dealing with enemies in this cave is to bait them back to the water, since they die when they fall into deep enough water. Use this strategy and proceed; eventually, you will come to a room with a flashlight attachment (for your guns) and a laptop giving you the coordinates of Maintenance Bunker A. You can sneak past the enemies here, then you’ll have another pool to swim through.

Finally, you will find the shovel by a corpse at the very end of the cave (2), but be careful, there are lots of enemies there. Probably a good idea to just grab it and leave. On your way back from where you came, a big slug-like enemy will bust through some rocks, revealing your exit (3). Blow him up with explosives or use a crafted spear to stab him a bunch (while you’re out of his reach).

For a more detailed explanation of this cave and acquiring the shovel, go to Where to Get the Shovel.

sons of the forest shovel bunker on map for wiki — 1

the shovel itself where to get the shovel sons of the forest guide — 1

How to Use the Shovel

The shovel is mainly a tool (since it’s not an effective weapon) that the player can use to dig up all sorts of things. If the player digs randomly at any place, they have a chance to find useful items, like canned food, bones, skulls, coins, and small rocks.

To dig at a location, equip the shovel and look down, you will see a white-dashed line indicating where you can dig (1). If you arrive at a point of interest that has tripods around a patch of dirt, then you know you can dig there to uncover a hatch. You will also come across graves that you can dig up for supplies. Also, there will be a little shovel icon that tells you where you can dig (2).