Mutants, previously called Cannibals, are the main type of enemy in The Forest.
For more information on Mutant/ Cannibal types, see the following pages:
Types
Types of mutants refers to their behavior, movement, and abilities. They can be found across most tribes:
| Type | Tribes | Weapons | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Regular,
Pale, |
Stick | Skinnies are the weakest and earliest encountered mutant type in the game. They can sometimes be seen attacking others and occasionally consuming their fallen allies even in the midst of battle, causing themselves to become vulnerable to player attacks. They are the fastest tribe in all movements and thus are best faced with weapons that can match their quick speed.
Skinny mutants cannot build mutant effigies. Note: Skinny mutants include both female and male variants, but don't share the same behaviors as the Regular tribes of either gender. |
 |
Regular, Painted |
None | Female mutants are more aggressive than their male counterparts, usually starting combat with a player before male mutants do. They can attack without any weapons and instead use their long, claw-like nails.
If they witness or discover the death of another mutant, they may halt in the midst of battle to weep over their fallen comrade. Female mutants can build mutant effigies. Note: Be warned: If a player kills a female mutant in front of males, it will increase their aggression. |
 |
Regular, Masked, Painted, Pale |
Crafted Axe | Despite the significantly different appearances between tribes, male mutants have behaviors that are almost indistinguishable, even down to a similar style of movement when fighting. They are slightly slower and less limber than skinny types, but make up for it in spades with increased hardiness and strength. If females are killed in front of these mutants, they will become markedly more aggressive towards the player.
Regular and Painted tribes carry various weapons, while the Masked and Pales prefer to battle bare-handed. Heavier, hard-hitting weapons are recommended to defeat these mutants as opposed to weaker weapons (such as the Katana) which have the player running out of stamina mid-fight. Male mutants can build mutant effigies. |
 |
Regular, Painted |
Crafted Axe | Leader type mutants are commonly found within groups of Regular and Painted tribes. They can be identified by having skull lamps above their heads, and occasionally a fan of severed limbs fastened to their backs.
Leaders are more likely to oversee fighting and sneak away to dismantle player structures rather than participate, but will engage in combat and howl for backup when needed. If a Leader is killed among their group, the other mutants may flee for a short while, but eventually return to avenge the death of their chief. Leader mutants can build mutant effigies. |
 |
Regular, Painted |
Fire Stick
|
Fire Throwers are the only ranged mutants in the game and rarely spawn. They will stand back and hurl flaming tennis balls at the player, setting all creatures on fire who are in its area of effect. It is common for them to accidentally set other mutants on fire, which can be used to the player's advantage.
These mutants aren't as hardy as others, but even their melee attacks have the potential to burn the player to death. Fire Thrower mutants cannot build mutant effigies. |
Tribes
Tribes refers to their appearance as well as their difficulty, listed from easiest to hardest:
| Tribe | Types | Weapons | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Skinny | Stick | The weakest and earliest encountered tribe in the game. They are often seen attacking other tribes and have an emaciated, filthy, and almost necrotic appearance. They can also be found to occasionally eat other fallen mutants even in the middle of battle, causing them to become vulnerable to player attacks. They are the fastest tribe and can be seen running, laughing madly on all fours. |
 |
Males, Females, Leaders, |
Crafted Axe | The earliest form of mutants the player will find, aside from the Starving mutants. This is the most common tribe in the beginning and has the biggest type variation between genders. Males are often intricately decorated with bone jewelry, warpaint, and belts consisting of found materials, while females are left undecorated with a possible simple loincloth. Males can occasionally be seen carrying weapons, but female mutants cannot. |
 |
Skinny, Males |
Crafted Axe | These pale, bluish mutants can be found most commonly in caves, but will spawn above the surface after a few days of mutant contact. These mutants are stronger than Regular mutants and they have no Female, Leader, or Fire Thrower counterparts among their ranks. |
 |
Males, Females, Leaders, Fire Throwers |
Crafted Axe | These mutants can be identified by the dozens of crosses on their bodies usually accompanied by white paint. The crosses are easily seen on Males, though more difficult to see on Females and Leaders. They are stronger than both Regular and Pale mutants, and are usually seen mid to late game. |
 |
Males, Skinny |
Crafted Axe | Masked mutants are the final and strongest tier of mutants, having more health and giving more damage than other mutant types. They are a pale gray and wear the faces of the dead as masks. While they rarely spawn, they are more commonly found late game. |
Gameplay
Mutants are the primary enemies of The Forest. A scattering of primitive humans living in the Forest, mutants will seek out and attempt to kill any outsider that they can find on the Peninsula. They are not necessarily immediately hostile, as some may only spy on the player at first like the Regular Mutants, while others will attack on sight due to sheer hunger such as Starving Mutants. Both sets of mutants will actively patrol the island both day and night and, after several days, can be joined by the monstrous creepy mutants. Once aware of the player's presence, patrols will get stronger and become more frequent. It is recommended that the player build defenses as larger groups of enemies can be difficult to defeat. As the game progresses, the stronger types of mutants will spawn. Listed from weakest to strongest are Skinny Mutants, Regular Mutants, Pale Mutants, Painted Mutants and Masked Mutants. Fire Mutants will often accompany a patrol after 5-7 days in a game.
First Contact
After the plane crash, the mutants will not immediately look for the player and the mutants may be unaware of the player's presence on the peninsula. It is possible, though difficult, to remain unnoticed by the mutants for an extended period of time, but it is essential that mutants are faced eventually in order to complete the story. Mutants will regularly patrol the land and, during this time, it is possible to kill a lone mutant and remain undiscovered. However if the player is seen and a mutant has successfully run away, it is possible that aggression will increase. For the first few days, simple fortifications, walls, and traps will keep the mutants from attacking the player. However, the mutants will eventually send creepy mutants to the players camp, which are much more difficult to defeat than mutants.
Behavior
Note that mutant behavior is heavily affected by the difficulty level. On hard mode and hard survival, all enemies are much more powerful and aggressive.
Initial Neutrality
Mutants (except Starving mutants) will be neutral to the player upon first interaction. If a player kills a lone Mutant, the rest of the tribe can remain unaware and therefore their stance remains unchanged.
Neutral behaviors include:
- Watching the player from a safe distance.
- Growling at the player.
- False charging, where the mutant will rush into the player's face, but not swing.
- Attempting to surround the player.
- Backing away from an advancing player, but staying within sight.
- Fleeing upon a charge from the player.
Passive/Fearful
Red paint and Effigies can force neutrality and passive behavior between the player and mutants of every kind, except Creepy Mutants.
Passive/fearful behaviors include:
- Backing away from an advancing player, but staying within sight
- Kneeling before the player and bowing their head, briefly (2-4 seconds)
- Kneeling before the player and starting a hum or chant (10-20 seconds, or until interrupted)
- Note that a method of pacifying the Regular Mutants exists, but is tedious and requires a neutral stance (no tribe member can be aware of any mutant killing besides the Creepy Mutants). This can be found on the Regular Mutant page.
Hostility
Little is known about Mutant hostility and may be based on each encounter. It has been speculated by the community that the following actions will increase hostilities:
- Attacking mutants
- Killing mutants, especially females in front of males
- Walking too close to the mutants
- Visiting specific parts of the map
- Cutting down trees
- Building large bases
- Building fires, especially bonfires
- Building Defensive Walls or Traps, especially on mutant patrol paths or bases
- Destroying effigies
To decrease hostilities, it is perhaps best if players reduce the mentioned methods. However, the developers have stated they have purposely put some "fuzziness" into the AI to prevent players from fully understanding and predicting mutant behavior.
Religion and Beliefs
In areas where there are non-player traps and totems, mutants can be seen in the early hours of day praying to or worshiping the sun or one of their effigies along the beach. These locations are close to large villages, and appear to mark the outer limit of their camps. Mutants encountered whilst in the process of worship are non-hostile, however striking any of them will cause the one attacked to become hostile.
When multiple mutants approach a red-painted player, one may kneel while others attack or run. If the attacking mutants are defeated, the kneeling one will remain no matter what the player does. The kneeling mutant is possibly acting as a sacrifice, or simply wishes to surrender.
When not in combat, mutants may be seen burying their fallen soldiers. Currently, if the player kills a mutant and leaves the area, abandoning the corpse with other Regular mutants nearby to access it, the body will be gone if the player goes back to retrieve it, leading to the assumption that the mutants are removing the bodies. However, Skinny mutants will start to eat the body in front of the player.
Difficulty Differences
There is a large difference in difficulty settings as to how mutants behave and attack:
| Mutants | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanic | Normal | Hard | Hard Survival |
Description |
| Mutant Structure Damage Ratio | 1 | 2 | 2 | Mutants building damage amount |
| AI Attack Chance Ratio | 1 | 2.5 | 2.5 | Chances of being attacked by enemies |
| AI Follow Up After Attack Ratio | 1 | 2.5 | 2.5 | Chances of being attacked again by enemies during a fight |
| Player Search Radius Ratio | 1 | 1 | 1 | Rate that mutants will search out for the player |
| Fire Damage Mutant Ratio | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | Fire damage amount mutants receive |
| Heavy Attack Knock Down Chance | 1 | 0.25 | 0.25 | Chance of knocking down an mutant with a heavy attack |
Patrols
Patrol Map Done by Farket, current as of v0.71 - Does not include ALL routes, only confirmed ones
Patrols will form most of the encounters the player has with mutants and creepy mutants. The following videos are research that has been done on mutant patrol routes and their behavior. It is recommended to not build on patrol routes if one wishes to avoid conflict:
Patrols, part of the general mutant presence on the peninsula, are groups of mutants and/or creepy mutants that roam mostly pre-set paths throughout the forest. They have set spawn locations, and they will watch over these areas day and night. Patrols can be found almost everywhere, with the exception of the barrier islands that surround the peninsula. The most dangerous places to build are where mutant routes cross over.
- Mutants respawn at various spawn points and objects, thus there is no finite amount of mutants and it is impossible to wipe out all mutants on the peninsula.
- The size of the patrol may vary. There are scouts that travel alone, pairs of mutants that travel together, and tribes that travel in groups of 3-7 mutants.
- The behavior of the patrol may vary. Some are aggressive, others may be curious, and some may ignore players completely, but one should expect a fight if spotted.
- Some mutants will climb trees and use them as observation platforms while traveling through the forest. Cutting down trees and underbrush around one's camp will make mutants more visible, at the cost of making players more visible as well.
- Un-engaged patrol members will often step in to save incapacitated or knocked down allies.
- There is no difference at day or night when it comes to patrols. It is speculated that mutants may be more hostile towards the player at night time.
Patrol types
- Mutant Patrols - Consists of mutants only, they are fast moving and can often be seen running. They walk more often than they run. Will often stop to pray, sleep, build mutant effigies or investigate sounds, player buildings etc
- Creepy Mutant Patrols - Consists of 2-3 armsies, Virginias and cowmen, (mutant babies too if a Virginia is present). They have more sight and detection of the player. Without the help from mutants scouting, they can be more easily avoided. Though if they spot the player, they will often attack.
- Mutant and Creepy Mutant Patrols - Possibly the most dangerous patrol to come across. Consists of 2-3 armsies, Virginias and cowmen, (mutant babies too if a Virginia is present), as well as 2-3 mutants, often skinny types. These patrols are slow moving, and the mutants will walk at the same speed as the slower moving mutants. The mutants act as scouts, as soon as a mutant sees the player, the mutants will almost always start charging at the player. The Skinnies will also attack. Due to variety in this patrol, it is often the most difficult patrol type to deal with.
Patrols vs Attacks
- Patrols search for possible threats and they're identified if they run past the player, even with a base present.
- Attacks are designated groups of mutants and/or creepy mutants that head directly to the player's base when discovered, and chances of this occurring increase if the base gets larger.
Villages
Other than the cave system, mutants are also seen around the peninsula in camps of various size and location. The player may notice small scouting parties leaving them and single mutants wandering through them. Other than finding mutants in such camps, there are also chances of finding loot such as baggage and other brought in objects. Bodies can also be found quite frequently.
There is one large, central camp with the most huts, in the southern portion of the map. This camp has the most mutant activity out of any camp, and it contains one cave entrance on the North side (Formerly inside a hut.). This cave is where the player will awaken if caught by the mutants for the first time. Despite mutant's notorious fear of fire, especially the player's campfires, some camps appear to have one large campfire, which also appears to be recently used, too.
Combat
Enemies might attack when alone or in groups, and if the player is not careful they might ambush from behind. The mutants can be knocked down though it is much more difficult in harder modes. 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 mutants.
In addition to attacking the player, mutants have also been seen "intimidating" the player. It is possible that they are testing the player to see what actions they will take next. To intimidate the player mutants 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.
If the player proves too much for the mutants, they might run away into the forest and not return for a period of time. During or after combat mutants can also be seen climbing trees, and jumping from one tree to another or at the player.
Incapacitated mutants will sometimes be dragged to safety by other mutants.
Attacking a mutant will arrest any attack they may be performing. If they are to lunge at the player, and the player swings their weapon, the attack will stop causing the mutant to stumble backwards. Therefore, rapidly slashing can be a good multipurpose tactic when engaging a mutant. It offers offensive and defensive benefits, though the drain on stamina should be considered as well as flanking enemies.
Occasionally after killing a large band of mutants or while moving through territory with a mutant settlement nearby, a mutant may be seen sitting on the ground crying either in pain or mourning the death of others.
Infection
The death of a mutant, mutant, or animal in close proximity to the player may result in becoming splashed with blood and acquiring the "bloodied" status. Theoretically, being "bloodied" for too long is stated to result in acquiring the "infected" status by the suggestion to "avoid infection by washing" when covered in blood. Being infected leads to negative effects on "athleticism" and can be seen in the "health tab" of the survival book. To cure an infection eat raw Aloe Vera.
Optional Forms of Encounters
- If the player wishes to gather building materials, explore, or just play in peace, they can type
veganmodefor zero mutants except creepy mutants in caves for story progression. Typingvegetarianmodewill set the game to have mutants only come out at night. To reset these, and return the game to its default state the player can typemeatmode. - Building and lighting the bonfire at night will cause a large amount of mutants and sometimes creepy mutants to be drawn to the player's location, which will be immediately hostile.
Gallery
Mutants mourning their dead in an older version of the game
| Sections |
|---|
| Mutants: Regular Mutants • Skinny Mutants • Pale Mutants • Pale Skinny Mutants • Masked Mutants • Masked Skinny Mutants • Painted Mutants • Fire Mutants • Dynamite Mutants |
| Creepy Mutants: Armsy • Virginia • Cowman • Mutant Baby • Blue Armsy • Blue Virginia • Worm • Girl • End Boss |