How to heal your companions in Sons of the Forest

Sons of the Forest is the latest survival adventure from developer Endnight Games. As a successor to The Forest (2014), it introduces many new changes and additions to the gameplay formula. These include AI-controlled companions who will accompany the players on their perilous journey to uncover the mystery behind the island.

This is a boon for solo players as they have someone to help them in various aspects, from gathering resources to aiding in combat. Unfortunately, they are not invincible, as many of the world's elements, from physics to enemies, can hurt or kill them.

Players must keep their companions alive and help them out when needed. But is there a way to heal them in the first place?

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Players have option to revive downed companions in Sons of the Forest

After taking enough damage, the companions will go into a downed state as they hunch over. Players will then see a "heal icon" over them with a button prompt to heal them. Approach them and hold the prompt button to revive them. This process can take a few seconds, so players should ensure no enemies are around them.

While companions can respawn if killed by enemies in single-player, if players proceed to kill them, they will permanently disappear from the game. Players can also have companions in the multiplayer co-op, and they function the same way. However, when killed, they are automatically revived the next day. This is likely to prevent other players from killing them for fun.

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How many companions are there in Sons of the Forest, and how do they differ?

Currently, Sons of the Forest features two recruitable companions in the form of Kelvin and Virginia. The former is a fellow task force member who crashlands onto the island alongside the player. Unfortunately, he suffered head trauma during the mishap, making him deaf and mute.

This is also why players must give him orders using a notepad. His injuries also mean he cannot fight in Sons of the Forest, thus, since players cannot hand him a weapon, they will need to protect him when he is in danger. At the end of the day, though, he is a friendly and loyal partner to have around.

The other NPC is named Virginia. Despite being a three-armed, three-legged mutant, she is the black sheep among her hostile and freakish brethren. Players can encounter her roaming about aimlessly in the open world. However, she will initially be wary of the protagonist, especially if their weapons are equipped in her presence.

To recruit her, players must show that they are docile, leading to her gradually opening up. While she cannot be commanded like Kelvin, she can at least fight back. Players can hand her a pistol, a shotgun, and even a GPS tracker to find out her location at any given time using the GPS.

Sons of the Forest is now available on PC exclusively via Steam Early Access. The game's developers are yet to announce its release on consoles.