Part 2

Explore The Forest's Part 2 guide, detailing all 12 plane crash site locations, how to identify them, and their proximity to key areas like caves and villages.

This reference section of the guide is for bits and pieces which don't quite fit into the Walkthrough section, but which you might want to know anyway.

The game chooses a random crash site at the start of the game, from a pool of twelve options. Some of these starting positions are better than others, although you are at least always given some luggage and plenty of natural resources to get you started.

Here are the sites you can be given (in order of farthest from the south-east corner of the map to closest), how to identify them when you see them, and then how to reach the large cannibal village and the Hanging Cave from each point. If you manage to identify the starting point you are given from my descriptions, and you don't like it, you can just restart the game in the hope of being given a better one - this is particularly useful if you're playing on harder difficulties.

1. SITE 1: This crash site is the farthest away from the large cannibal village. The plane's exit faces almost due east, and slightly south. If you run directly forward you will very soon arrive at the ledge overlooking the west side of the geese pond. This therefore means that you're very close to the Lawyers Cave, the Submerged Cave, and the Waterfall Cave. Follow the direction the tailfin is pointing and you will reach the west coast very soon, and from there you can just follow the coast around to the south-east until you eventually reach the large cannibal village. Cache 5 is very close to the crash site, in the woods to the south-west.
2. SITE 2: Facing north-west, and sitting on a brown area of ground, you can run directly forwards from this crash site to reach the shore, with the Sahara Shipping Crates directly ahead. The tailfin points at the large campsite south of the geese pond, and there you can save and rest, saving you from having to build a Shelter, etc. There are plenty of supplies around this crash site, including the campsite; and there are several Caves nearby. This is also the best site from which to start a speedrun, since you can just go due south to find the Submerged Cave's Entrance 1 (SW), thereby getting to the Rebreather as soon as possible.
3. SITE 3: This crash site is far from the large cannibal village, but extremely close to the Sinkhole. Follow the direction the tailfin is pointing (due east) to find the Sinkhole on the left. This therefore means that by turning approximately 45 degrees to the right you will definitely be heading towards the south-east corner of the map. Alternatively, you can head due west upon exiting the plane to find the geese pond and the various Caves surrounding it.
4. SITE 4: This site faces east and a little north. There are very few luggage cases to be found, or anything else of use. The geese pond is to the north-west; and both of the Submerged Cave's southern Entrances are to the south-west. Turn slightly to the right upon leaving the plane, then run past the left side of the single white boulder next to the four slim trees (you are now facing due east). Continue in that same exact direction and you should soon arrive first at a pond with two blue tents, and then at the Dead Cave's Entrance 1 (W). This Entrance has three brown crates in front of it: stand next to the one farthest away from the rock wall, then line it up in front of you so that the crate to the right of the Cave Entrance is directly beyond it, in a straight line down the centre of your screen. This gives you your compass direction to arrive exactly at the Hanging Cave's Entrance 1 (SE).
5. SITE 5: This time the plane exit faces south, and by continuing in that direction you can quickly find the bay where the Yacht is moored, with all the benefits that brings. There is not much luggage around the plane, but there's a lot more on the beach. From here you can just follow the shore to the east to find the large cannibal village. As with site 2, this crash site is a good roll for speedruns, since the Submerged Cave's Entrance 2 (SE) is very close by, to the north-west.
6. SITE 6: This is a decent roll. The plane faces south and a little west. There is a nice, flat space outside the plane, with luggage everywhere. Turn right upon stepping out of the plane to find a little pond with some aloe next to it. The large cannibal village is due east: just turn toward the sun.
7. SITE 7: This one appears to the south-east of the Sinkhole, and the exit faces north. There are a few luggage cases on the down-slope at the exit, and a few more to the north-west, at the foot of a huge tree beside a pool. By moving in the direction in which the tailfin is pointing, and veering slightly to the left as you move down the grassy hills and into the south-east woods, you will arrive at the large cannibal village. The two cannibal huts on the plateau are nearby, as is the Dead Cave's Entrance 3 (E), and that means you ca