How to get Water in Sons of the Forest

 Sons of the Forest water flask collector
Sons of the Forest water flask collector

Your Sons of the Forest water supply is important, and can either be obtained from resources in-world or stored in a Water Collector flask. With thirst being very important, it's essential to keep it under control and avoid dehydration, but there's a limit to what you can do in that regard. Fortunately it's pretty easy to find water once you know where to look in Sons of the Forest, and while nothing specifically tells you where to look for the flask, it's easy enough to get ahold of once you know. We'll go through how to get water in Sons of the Forest below, and how you can keep it on you for later.

How to get Water in Sons of the Forest

There's several ways to get water in Sons of the Forest:

All of these will serve to restore your thirst meter, the little drop icon above your map. Thirst itself is also linked to stamina, and depleted thirst can have negative effects on your character. We'll cover all the methods you can use below and how they function.

Where to find water in Sons of the Forest

Sons of the Forest water flask collector
Sons of the Forest water flask collector

Sons of the Forest guides

Sons of the Forest on PS4, PS5 and Xbox
Sons of the Forest hotkey weapons
Sons of the Forest release time and date

Drinkable water is obtained from streams and lakes, but certain water sources can make you sick. Do not drink seawater! Either in real life or in the game, as it has negative effects on your character. To find water of any kind, simply pull out your GPS map and look for blue. We recommend looking for blue lines specifically; a stream is a supply of flowing, fresh water and shouldn't make you sick.

To actually drink, simply stand in the water, face it, and press E to drink when the waterdrop icon comes up. Your character will drink, restoring their thirst.

Yarrow and water-restoring food

Sons of the Forest screenshot
Sons of the Forest screenshot

Yarrow - portrayed in-game as a little bushel of white flowers - can serve to restore some thirst when eaten, and we suspect that there will either be other foods either yet to be discovered or added in future updates that will serve the same effect. Yarrow usually grows in thick bunches in forested areas, so if you find one plant, you'll likely find more nearby. Eating it will serve to hydrate you in a pinch.

Where to find the flask/water collector

Sons of the Forest water flask collector
Sons of the Forest water flask collector

A way to store water on you is to use the flask, or water collector. This is actually very easy to find, once you know where to look.

  1. From the original helicopter crash site use your GPS map to head to the nearest marked point of interest to the South East (shown above)

  2. Here you'll find a little electric cart, overgrown with plants, and a stone staircase going underground.

  3. Go down the steps and squeeze through the gap. Follow the tunnel into a room.

  4. Here you'll find a 3D Printer. Though it requires Resin to use, it should have some already.

  5. Use the laptop next to the printer to cycle through the options to the flask, then press E to start printing it.

  6. Wait a few seconds, then collect your new flask from the device!

The flask will start empty, but just go to a water source like a river with it equipped in your hand, and press E as if you were drinking - this will fill the flask. You can drink from it simply by using it like any other item, and refill it again when it depletes. You can even print other flasks to increase how much water you want to carry on you!

Why can't I drink water?

Sons of the Forest screenshot
Sons of the Forest screenshot

You can't drink water from a stream or other water source if you're holding an item or weapon! You need to have empty hands to drink, so make sure you put down whatever you're holding by pressing G (or whatever key you have set to de-equip). Once you're empty-handed, you can chug water to your heart's content.