Mutants
The mutants found inside The Forest are the main antagonists of the game, and they will seek and hunt any human that they can find on the island. They are not immediately hostile, some may only watch the player, while other mutants will attack on sight.
Be warned, although the mutants are stated to be nocturnal, they will actively search for the player during both day and night. It is vital that the player creates quick defense as soon as the Plane Axe is acquired.
There are various types of mutants to be found in The Forest.
Be warned, although the mutants are stated to be nocturnal, they will actively search for the player during both day and night. It is vital that the player creates quick defense as soon as the Plane Axe is acquired.
There are various types of mutants to be found in The Forest.
- Normal Class Mutant: Easily distinguished, the normal mutants are commonly spotted in the game. They are found in male and female forms. They can be easily killed with traps and fire.
- Leader Class Mutant: Leaders appear as a normal mutant, but are distinguished by lamps and skulls which will hang or appear near or around the head area. They control certain scouting parties and patrols, as normal mutants will follow their lead. They possess a light source which acts as a makeshift flashlight, and will use it when the player is spotted.
- 'Octopus' Mutant: As the name suggests, this mutant is unique not only in its appearance, but the fact that it possesses many arms, and an increase in strength. It is a few heads taller than the normal cannibals and swings its arms around it in a circle to attack.
- 'Spider' Mutant: Much like the 'Octopus' mutant it is taller and stronger than the cannibals, but instead of arms it has many legs. The Spider Mutant itself has a charging attack, and has been formed by merging two female bodies together. It is able to destroy the player's walls and buildings. It does not look like a normal mutant. To attack it lifts its front legs and charges the player.
- Mutant Babies: In deeper parts of the Cave, the player is able to find some malformed mutant babies laying on the ground. They don't move and cannot be interacted with in any kind.
Behavior
The behavior of the mutants towards the player depends on many factors like their numbers, the current time of day and probably many more. It seems as if some of them are very aggressive, attacking the player on sight while others are easily frightened (by effigies, by getting hit or by watching their own kind die).
First contact
Right after the plane crash the cannibals will start searching for the player. Once they've found him they will cautiously come closer if alone or in a smaller group but they even might be very aggressive right from the start if in large numbers. They will slowly approach the player and stay at a safe distance while mustering him. Sooner or later one of the group will charge towards the player and try to attack him. If the attacker fails and gets hit instead he might run away to get more help.
Day time patrol behavior
Day time patrols consist of 3-4 individuals with one of them being the patrol leader. These patrols generally act cautious/guarded when initially encountering the player. It is possible to intimidate these patrols into fleeing by using a variety of methods or combining methods including: Killing members of the patrol party, killing the patrol leader, erecting and lighting an effigy, not running away from a false charge, disrupting an enemy attack and successfully withstanding an enemy attacking via blocking. Likewise, the aggression level of a patrol can be increased by doing the following: Stun locking a member of the patrol party, charging and attacking the patrol, entering a patrol members "personal space", allowing yourself to be encircled by the patrol, the presence of another patrol increases aggression, aggroing the patrol leader and generally ignoring the patrol can also lead to hostility.
Night time patrol behavior
Night patrols are more aggressive and more numerous than their day time counterparts. Night patrols rarely flee unless they sustain catastrophic casualties or are unable to find the player. The effect of effigies is also reduced at night allowing mutants to come closer to the player and at times individuals may even ignore the effigy completely and attack the player. Once the player has been discovered by a night patrol, the patrol will not leave the player alone until they have sustained catastrophic casualties or morning arrives. Another unique behavior of night patrols is they will erect small totems around the player's camp during a prolonged night attack. The totems range in appearance from a mummified head on a stick to an intricate collage of random junk (umbrellas, sunglasses, etc) with a skull as the center pieces. Scattered on the ground in vicinity of the totems the player can often find low level loot usually consisting of (but not limited to) coins, flares and booze.
Other behavior
If the player begins chopping trees or killing animals while the mutants are circling him, they may interpret this as hostile behavior and begin the attack.
Also using Lizard Skin as armor seems to be seen as a preparation for war. So not equipping the armor might help to keep things peaceful at the beginning. (Needs more testing)
Three mutants may approach the player and one will kneel, the other two may attack or run, if the two are defeated, the kneeling one will stay there, no matter what the player does. If all are killed, it appears that the mutants will leave the player alone for a period of time, possibly believing the player is some god-like figure, the kneeling mutant acting as a sacrifice. (Needs more testing)
First contact
Right after the plane crash the cannibals will start searching for the player. Once they've found him they will cautiously come closer if alone or in a smaller group but they even might be very aggressive right from the start if in large numbers. They will slowly approach the player and stay at a safe distance while mustering him. Sooner or later one of the group will charge towards the player and try to attack him. If the attacker fails and gets hit instead he might run away to get more help.
Day time patrol behavior
Day time patrols consist of 3-4 individuals with one of them being the patrol leader. These patrols generally act cautious/guarded when initially encountering the player. It is possible to intimidate these patrols into fleeing by using a variety of methods or combining methods including: Killing members of the patrol party, killing the patrol leader, erecting and lighting an effigy, not running away from a false charge, disrupting an enemy attack and successfully withstanding an enemy attacking via blocking. Likewise, the aggression level of a patrol can be increased by doing the following: Stun locking a member of the patrol party, charging and attacking the patrol, entering a patrol members "personal space", allowing yourself to be encircled by the patrol, the presence of another patrol increases aggression, aggroing the patrol leader and generally ignoring the patrol can also lead to hostility.
Night time patrol behavior
Night patrols are more aggressive and more numerous than their day time counterparts. Night patrols rarely flee unless they sustain catastrophic casualties or are unable to find the player. The effect of effigies is also reduced at night allowing mutants to come closer to the player and at times individuals may even ignore the effigy completely and attack the player. Once the player has been discovered by a night patrol, the patrol will not leave the player alone until they have sustained catastrophic casualties or morning arrives. Another unique behavior of night patrols is they will erect small totems around the player's camp during a prolonged night attack. The totems range in appearance from a mummified head on a stick to an intricate collage of random junk (umbrellas, sunglasses, etc) with a skull as the center pieces. Scattered on the ground in vicinity of the totems the player can often find low level loot usually consisting of (but not limited to) coins, flares and booze.
Other behavior
If the player begins chopping trees or killing animals while the mutants are circling him, they may interpret this as hostile behavior and begin the attack.
Also using Lizard Skin as armor seems to be seen as a preparation for war. So not equipping the armor might help to keep things peaceful at the beginning. (Needs more testing)
Three mutants may approach the player and one will kneel, the other two may attack or run, if the two are defeated, the kneeling one will stay there, no matter what the player does. If all are killed, it appears that the mutants will leave the player alone for a period of time, possibly believing the player is some god-like figure, the kneeling mutant acting as a sacrifice. (Needs more testing)
Religion and beliefs
In areas where there are Cannibal (not player) traps and totems and possibly in other locations, the Cannibals can be seen in the early hours of day praying/worshiping the sun or one of their effigies along the beach. These locations are close to large Cannibal villages and the traps mark the outer limit of their camps. Cannibals encountered whilst in the process of worship are not hostile. However striking any of them will cause the one attacked to switch focus to the player.
Combat
Mutants might attack when alone or in groups, and if the player is not careful they might ambush from behind. The cannibals can be knocked down with any type of melee weapon with about eight to fifteen hits. Sometimes the enemies will take evasive action if they see the player as a threat; they might even run away completely or come back later with more cannibals. Fire is the best weapon the player has to fight mutants at this time, as it will cause them to retreat and take damage at the same time. The fire may go out before the mutants die however, so the player may have to take several shots with the flare gun or throw several Molotov cocktails before they go down for good. Mutants can also be lured to walk over a burning campfire if the flare gun or Molotov cocktails are not available, and the effect will be the same.
In addition to attacking the player, mutants have also been seen "intimidating" the player. It is possible that they are testing the strength of the player to see what actions they will take next. To intimidate the player cannibals will hiss and lunge at the player while another will circle the player and attempt to make eye contact. After a short amount of time the mutants will either attack or retreat further into the forest. It is currently unknown at the time if this is a glitch or if this was added to the game on purpose.
Mutants may also approach the player and throw a variety of punches (normal mutants and leader class), or they may back up and leap at the player, slamming them with a powerful blow. The player should avoid this attack if possible as it does a massive amount of damage and may kill them in one strike.
If the player proves too much for the mutants, they might run away into the forest and not return for a period of time (if they despawn completely this is a known glitch). During or after combat mutants can also be seen climbing several feet into the trees, and jumping from one tree to another or at the player.
In addition to attacking the player, mutants have also been seen "intimidating" the player. It is possible that they are testing the strength of the player to see what actions they will take next. To intimidate the player cannibals will hiss and lunge at the player while another will circle the player and attempt to make eye contact. After a short amount of time the mutants will either attack or retreat further into the forest. It is currently unknown at the time if this is a glitch or if this was added to the game on purpose.
Mutants may also approach the player and throw a variety of punches (normal mutants and leader class), or they may back up and leap at the player, slamming them with a powerful blow. The player should avoid this attack if possible as it does a massive amount of damage and may kill them in one strike.
If the player proves too much for the mutants, they might run away into the forest and not return for a period of time (if they despawn completely this is a known glitch). During or after combat mutants can also be seen climbing several feet into the trees, and jumping from one tree to another or at the player.
Notes
- If the player remains unseen by a patrol it is best to stay hidden until the group has moved on to avoid being attacked.
- All patrols are different, some are aggressive, others may be curious and some may ignore you completely but always expect a fight.
- Female patrol members seem to be more aggressive than the males and attacking one can often lead to the entire patrol to attack you at once. But often they are also the first to retreat from a fight.
- Patrols will often investigate anything out of the ordinary (cut down trees, campsites, etc). This can be exploited by throwing tennis balls into areas around the patrol, throwing rocks or Molotovs to distract them from your current location.
- Some mutants will climb trees and use them as observation platforms while travelling through the forest. Cutting down trees around your camp will deny them this ability and make them easier to spot. Also, destroying underbrush helps in spotting them.