How to build a defensive wall in Sons of the Forest

Sons of the Forest defensive wall - the beginnings of a log wall with a pointed top stands next to a log cabin and a campfire with a a mountain in the distance
(Image credit: Endnight Games)

A defensive wall is exactly what you need to help deter cannibals in Sons of the Forest. It might not keep them out indefinitely, but it's going to mean a lot more work for them to get their next meal than they may be prepared to put in. And if the temptation is too much for them, it gives you valuable time to execute your Plan B and start running.

Of course, stocking up on weapons and guns is another option for surviving a bit longer. But if the cannibals don't get you, the cold might—unless you had the foresight to collect the winter jacket before the snows set in. For the more immediate concern of becoming a snack for a local cannibal, here's how to build a defensive wall in Sons of the Forest. 

Sons of the Forest defensive wall: How to build it 

The defensive wall is built with logs, so you'll need to start chopping down trees—or get Kelvin to do it—before you get started. The number of logs you'll need will depend on the size of the area you want to fence off. Simple.

Once you're ready to start construction, pick up a log and right-click to change the orientation so you can insert it vertically into the ground. To get the pointy top, you'll need to take out your axe and look at the top part of the log until you can see the red lines which indicate where you'll chop. Left-click to finish the job and get your stabby deterrent working. 

Once you've got one log placed, you'll need to repeat this multiple times until whatever you want to be protected is more or less surrounded. If you make a mistake with the placement of one of the vertical logs, pressing C will remove it. It's also worth noting that there's currently no way of making a defensive gate, so you'll need to leave a gap if you want to get in or out. Not ideal, but at least you'll make a kind of choke point if your base does come under attack.

Sarah James
Senior Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.

Read more
Man holding gun up to approaching cannibal
Sons of the Forest's first patch in 6 months is a doozy, adding buildable rafts, a procedural wall system, and fixing more than 100 bugs
A hand holding a compass in the woods
Players are already finding creative solutions to Prologue: Go Wayback's grueling difficulty: 'You could just chug gasoline'
Age of Darkness: Final Stand
Brutal survival RTS Age of Darkness kept me up until 4 am this morning as I tried to perfect the formula to halt the end of the world
All Will Fall - A concrete and wood ramshackle city in the middle of an endless ocean
This 'physics-based survival city builder' stuffed all my favorite words into its title so I'm automatically psyched
Astronaut fishing
7 hardcore survival games that are great to play in peaceful mode
A peaceful hideout with a pond in Japan
The thing I'm most excited about in Assassin's Creed Shadows is my hideout: 'a little over one acre of fully customizable land' to build on, decorate, and fill with pettable baby deer
Latest in Action
Olivia, Alma and a palico
I wish Monster Hunter Wilds wasn't so afraid of letting me play Monster Hunter
Key art of Kent Paul in Grand Theft Auto Vice City.
'My own voice was driving me f***ing insane': GTA Vice City actor admits even he couldn't get past his own, notoriously difficult mission
Split Fiction trailer still - Zoe and Mio standing side by side, wearing glowing neon sci-fi jammies
Split Fiction sells 1 million copies over 2 days
More than 5 years after launch, Control gets a surprise patch that lets everyone play the Hideo Kojima mission
The character Neil in Death Stranding 2, who here is posing like Solid Snake.
Hideo Kojima really just went 'screw it' and made Metal Gear Stranding
Beyond the Ice Palace 2 screenshots
I’m not sure what’s weirder: that someone made a sequel to a completely forgettable 37-year-old game I played as a kid, or that it was actually worth the wait
Latest in Features
Olivia, Alma and a palico
I wish Monster Hunter Wilds wasn't so afraid of letting me play Monster Hunter
SteelSeries QcK Performance mouse pads overlapping on a desk
The SteelSeries QcK Performance series has reignited my excitement over the simple pleasure of a quality mouse pad… and trying to click skulls with pinpoint accuracy
OneXPlayer 2 pro on a table
I never thought a handheld PC bloated with Windows could replace my Steam Deck, but after gaming on an old OneXPlayer 2 Pro I can see now I judged it too harshly
A screenshot from the original Assassin's Creed game
Assassin's Creed: Shadows is just around the corner, so come and see the last 17 years of the series' PC graphics at max 4K settings
Beyond the Ice Palace 2 screenshots
I’m not sure what’s weirder: that someone made a sequel to a completely forgettable 37-year-old game I played as a kid, or that it was actually worth the wait
Screenshot of Children of Clay showing a mysterious clay model
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 10, 2025)