Sons of the Forest 3D Printer Guide: Crafting of the Future

About
Latest Posts

Having learned the tricks of the trade regarding games journalism at Veryali Gaming, Alex is now a key member of the Ready Game Survive team, and loves nothing more than grabbing a controller and bracing himself for a devastatingly brutal battle for survival. Outside of traditional survivals, Alex loves immersive RPGs, has spent more time in Skyrim than he dare admit, and he also loves playing guitar.

Crafting Made Easy

You’ve got the world’s weight on your shoulders trying to survive in Sons of the Forest. There are crazy cannibal tribes, monstrous mutants, and not to forget your own thirst and hunger to contend with. It’s a good job that plenty of tools and gadgets are sprinkled all over the island to help keep you alive.

The 3D Printer is a survivalist’s dream, crafting survival gear from thin air, well, almost thin air. You will need to fuel collect Printer Resin to fuel the printers but don’t worry, your little heart; In this Sons of the Forest 3D Printer guide I will show you where you can find these 3D Printers and Printer Resin, so without further ado, let’s get printing!

Key Details Up Front

The locals of Site B are an angry bunch. They don’t take too kindly to people who build on their land. So if you’ve got cannibals knocking at your front door and don’t have time to read the entire guide, don’t worry; I gotcha back. Here are all the important details you need to know about 3D Printers.

Here is a quick list of all the 3D Printer locations in Sons of the Forest:

Guest Bunker: The Guest Bunker houses the first 3D Printer you should come across in the game. Located west of the Rope Gun Cave and Forest spawn.
Maintenance Bunker A: You won’t be able to access the Maintenance Bunker without the Shovel, but it is totally worth it for the items inside the bunker. There is a decent amount of Printer Resin and a Firefighter’s Axe.
Maintenance Bunker B: The next 3D Printer is located in Maintenance Bunker B, and just like the previous bunker, you will have a safe place to craft items and rest up from the hardships of the forest.
Resident Bunker: The Resident Bunker 3D Printer is the final printer in the game. You will have to travel here as part of the Sons of the Forest story. However, it’s a lot more dangerous than the previous 3D Printer locations due to mutants and even a Demon.

If you’re playing Sons of the Forest on Hard difficulty, I recommend you craft Tech Mesh until you can craft a full set of Tech Armor. You can acquire enough Printer Resin by saving your game and reloading into the world.

The Guest Bunker is perfect for this, as a bed is right next to the 3D Printer and Printer Resin spawn.

You can craft the following items using the 3D Printer:

Flask
Red Mask
Grappling Hook
Tech Mesh
Sled
Printed Arrows

If you’ve acquired a full set of Tech Armor or don’t need to craft any more 3D Printer items, I highly recommend that you craft a shelf storage and wall storage in your base to store Printer Resin for when you’ve maxed out your inventory.

Playing on Hard difficulty aided me in getting back into the fight after the pesky cannibals cracked my armor.

Where to Find the 3D Printers

The first 3D Printer is in the Guest Bunker near the Forest spawn.
The second 3D Printer is found in the Maintenance A Bunker, located at the green marker near the beach starting area. Note that you will need the Shovel to dig up the entrance to the bunker.
The third 3D Printer can be found in the Maintenance B Bunker after revealing the bunker’s entrance with the shovel.
The last 3D Printer can be found in the Resident Bunker. However, you cannot access it unless you own all three keycards.

Guest Bunker 3D Printer

Four 3D Printers can be found on Site B if your helicopter crash landed in the forest next to the Rope Gun Cave; then, you can access the 3D Printer immediately by traveling to the cave marked by a pulsating green marker on your GPS Tracker.

The cave entrance is not too far from the beach, with a broken-down golf caddy sitting next to the entrance and a nearby river.

Inside the cave, you will follow a corridor that leads to a small room and a long corridor facing left that leads to another room that requires a keycard to access. Forget this and head straight into the small room to find the 3D Printer.

The small room makes for a great shelter as there are no enemies in the cave, and it’s supplied with a bed, Batteries, Printer Resin, Carbon Fibre Arrows, and containers that can all be looted by loading your save.

You won’t be so lucky with the other three 3D Printer locations, as these will all require the Shovel, Rope Gun and Rebreather. Therefore you’re better off using the first 3D Printer location at the start of the game.

Maintenance Bunker A 3D Printer

The Maintenance Bunker is found north of the purple GPS Tracker marker where the Flashlight and hanging soldier can be found. I pick up the Modern Axe on the way to Maintenance Bunker A.

You will need the Shovel to dig and reveal the bunker’s entrance; flat dirt golf carts and tripod-looking devices mark the dig spot.

Inside you will have to fight one Mutant Baby, so it’s a very safe location; you will find the 3D Printer at the back of the living room on the counter along with the Maintenance Keycard.

Maintenance Bunker B 3D Printer

You will find the next 3D Printer in Maintenance Bunker B. The entrance to the bunker is more dangerous to access since there are Titans and Golden Mask cannibals that will aggro on you from the nearby cannibal camp.

This makes digging the entrance of the bunker a little tricky. If you’re playing on Hard difficulty, I recommend clearing out the entire area as these guys will just frustrating attack you while you’re stuck in the digging animation.

A fully armed Virginia can effectively hold the nearby cannibals while you dig the bunker’s entrance up.

There is a glitch where the entrance will break, and you won’t be able to open the hatch. Therefore, I recommend creating a Hunting Shelter or a basic Tarp Tent nearby to save your game and reload the world to fix the glitch.

Maintenance Bunker B is almost identical to the contents of Maintenance Bunker A. However, this time there are no mutants to be found. Inside you will find the Silencer attachment and Compound Bow (I’m not a fan of either, but they could be very useful for you, so pick em up).

The 3D Printer is in the living room at the back of the wall in the same position as the previous bunker.

Resident Bunker

You will need the VIP Keycard to gain access to the Resident Bunker. So don’t expect to gain entry to the Resident Bunker without acquiring the Maintenance Keycard, Guest Keycard, Rebreather, Rope Gun, and, Shovel.

The Resident Bunker is located east of the giant lake and is marked by a green pulsating marker. You will

The 3D Printer in the Resident Bunker is found on the second level of the bunker, and you will need to activate the Timmy and Eric Leblanc cutscene in order to get there.

This is the first area where you’ll come across a demon, even though the demon spawns on a lower level; I’ve had the demon attack me within the 3D Printer room, so make sure you bring a Crucifix with you when entering the Resident Bunker.

The Resident Bunker has many rooms to loot, and practically every room will contain a laptop, so you could potentially craft Tech Armor if you have the other required items.

3D Printer Items

Speaking of Tech Mesh and 3D Printed items, let’s explore what kind of items you can craft in Sons of the Forest using the 3D Printer. The 3D Printer has its limits. You won’t be able to print machine guns or battleaxes (although I wish you could).

All 3D Printers have the same list of available items you can craft. The more valuable the item, the more Printer Resin you will use to craft the item. 3D Printer Resin can be found near each 3D Printer and bunkers, so keep an eye out for them.

You can spawn Printer Resin back by loading your save. I’ve used this old trick from The Forest to get supplies of Grenades and Meds quickly.

Item	Amount of Printer Resin	Description
Printed Arrows	50ml	Produces five arrows that can be shot with the bow and Compound Bow.
Flask	100ml	The Flask stores water from streams and lakes for a portable water supply.
Grappling Hooks	100ml	Grappling Hooks can be combined with a Rope to form a Zipline Rope that can be shot with the Rope Gun.
Red Mask	150ml	The Red Mask, when worn heavily, restricts your vision but has a high chance of scaring Cannibals away from you.
Tech Mesh	250ml	A material used to craft Tech Armor.
Sled	1000ml	The Sled is used to slide down steep hills and rivers. A very useful item that saves time and can save you from harm’s way.

You don’t need to craft Printed Arrows; you can find Carbon Fibre Arrows in the Guest Bunker beside the 3D Printer. While you’re at it, I recommend you ignore crafting Grappling Hooks, as these can be found in containers dotted around the island.

The Flask is an essential item that you should craft straight away, only costing 100ml of Printer Resin; it will help keep you hydrated when flowing water sources can’t be found. The great part is that you will only need to craft one Flask.

Bringing the Brawn with Tech Armor

tech armor sons of the forest — Tech Armor schematic poster – Image by Alex Maksymiw

The Red Mask and the Sled are also one-time crafts, so get these out of the way so you can focus on crafting Tech Mesh as this will be the item that you will mostly be crafting so that you can make Tech Armor.

The Sled is by far my favorite of the printable items it makes traversal across the island fast and fun. Honestly, you’re not a real local of Site B until you’ve sledded down the Mountain!

I’d advise you not to rely upon the Red Mask to avoid fighting with Cannibals as it’s not always consistent, and while wearing the mask, your vision and speed are significantly reduced.

If you are on a high day in your playthrough, then you may want to take into account any mutants on the surface. While the mask may befriend cannibals, it won’t work on mutants.

In the game’s later stages, you will only need to prioritize crafting Tech Mesh for one of the main components of Tech Armor.

To craft Tech Armor, you will need the following:

Tech Mesh
Batteries
Circuit Board
Duct Tape
Wire

Most of these items can be found within containers and Skin Pouches dropped by cannibals.

Tech Armor may be expensive to craft, but it’s not an issue in a game where you can infinitely spawn items. It’s superior to the Gold Armor suit, as Gold Armor only provides decent protection against demons. Tech Armor can be broken, but each piece can take some big hits before breaking.

3D Printer Step-by-Step Guide

Setting up the 3D Printer is a simple process.

First, you must select what item you want to craft using the computer.
Second, you must ensure the printer has enough Printer Resin to craft the desired item.
Don’t worry if the printer runs out of Printer Resin while it’s still crafting, as all you have to do this fill the printer up for it continues to craft your item.

Remember that the more Printer Resin the item requires, the more time it will take to craft.

The 3D Printer will alert you when it has finished printing an item with a high-pitched tone. While I can’t be certain, I’m sure the beeping noise from the 3D Printer attracts enemies to your location, as the blasted creatures sieged me in the 3D Printer room.

Thankfully the corridor that connects the 3D Printer room to the main hall in the Resident Bunker is narrow, allowing you to control the flow of mutants.

FAQs

Question: How do you use the Sled in Sons of the Forest?

Answer: The Sled grants fast transport down steep slopes. To use the Sled, you will need to equip it from your inventory and jump and click LMB (Left Mouse Button) while in the air to jump onto it to initiate sliding down the slope.

Question: What are the Cannibal Factions in Sons of the Forest?

Answer: Sons of the Forest has four types of cannibals:
Regular Cannibals: These cannibals are the standard cannibals you will encounter on Site B from the start of the game. These cannibals aren’t just mindless monsters. They will think twice before attacking you if you wield a gun, and they can also be easily scared off.

• Dirty Cannibals: These are the small cannibals that skitter around on four limbs. They are very fast but weak. They will often surround the player and use hit-and-run tactics.
• Golden Masked Cannibals: These Cannibals wear golden masks to highlight their dominance over others. They are much larger than standard cannibals and can be found wearing Red Masks.
• Titans: The creepiest cannibal, in my opinion. Titans are big brutes that can easily destroy structures. They are easily recognizable by their big fat naked red bodies.

Question: Can Mutants and Cannibals Swim in Sons of the Forest?

Answer: Cannibals and Mutants cannot swim and will avoid entering the water. However, if an enemy is running after the player, they may fall into the water if the player enters the water. It won’t take long for cannibals and mutants to drown if they fall into the water.

You can use this to your advantage on the surface by building your base surrounded by deep water or using deep water in caves to kill off the creepy mutants quickly.

The Ink Runs Dry

If you plan on living weeks or even months in Sons of the Forest, then the 3D Printer will help you survive into the more chaotic days of the Sons of the Forest. Where Mutants roam the surface and Titan cannibals siege your base.

Tech Armor is the second-best armor in the game next to the Golden Armor suit, and it’s accessible if you have already crafted the other 3D Printers items like the Red Mask, Water Flask, and Sled. Save all your Printer Resin for Tech Mesh. It has got me out of trouble more times than I can count.