Sanity is a stat in The Forest that was added in update v0.29. Having sanity under 90% is required to be able to build effigies.
Gameplay[]
Sanity can be viewed by accessing the stats page of the Survival Guide.
Sanity works as a formula. You start with 100% which is the max value, and 0% being the lowest value. Certain actions will raise or lower it.
There is only one patch note that mentions sanity. It was from its release and its information is quite limited:
- New “Sanity” system. Sanity goes down when killing an enemy, chopping limbs, a lot when eating an enemy and slowly while in caves. Sanity goes up when sleeping, listening to music, eating fresh non limb meat and slowly while restoring energy on bench. Viewable in stats page of book.
What lowers sanity[]
- Killing enemies, including cannibals and mutants
- Cutting off cannibal arms, legs and heads
- Eating arms, legs and heads
- Spending time in caves
What increases sanity[]
- Listening to music through the cassette player
- Sitting down on benches, chairs, bone chairs and couches
- Sleeping
- Eating fresh meats which include lizard meat, rabbit meat, meat, small meat, and fish
Mechanics[]
The following table outlines what has positive or negative effects of sanity:
| Action | Effect | Positive/Negative | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killing cannibals | -0.5 | Negative | Unknown if this affects mutants [citation needed] |
| Cutting off cannibal limbs | -1 | Negative | Includes arms, legs, & heads |
| Eating Limbs | -3 | Negative | Includes arms, legs, & heads |
| Each second spent in caves | -0.001 | Negative | Spending time in caves |
| Each second spent listening to music | +0.01 | Positive | Listening to the cassette player |
| Each second spent sitting | +0.15 | Positive | Includes bench, chair, bone chair, couch |
| Each game hour of sleep | +0.75 | Positive | Depending how long the player sleeps |
| Each piece of fresh food consumed | +1 | Positive | Includes Rabbit Meat, Lizard Meat, Fish, Meat, & Small Meat |
What does sanity do?[]
It has been confirmed that Sanity has no effect on the player whatsoever. The developers had plans to incorporate effects, however at this stage it has no effect. The only thing it does is allow the player to build effigies.
- There is a theory that sanity causes auditory hallucinations, though this has never been confirmed. In the game files, there isn't anything linked to sanity as an effect, only what raises and lowers it.
Guide[]
Gallery[]
0% sanity in the survival guide
Update History[]
| Version | Changes |
|---|---|
| v1.0 | Sanity less than 90% is now required to access the Effigy tab |
| v0.29 | Sanity added to the game
New “Sanity” system. Sanity goes down when killing an enemy, chopping limbs, a lot when eating an enemy and slowly while in caves. Sanity goes up when sleeping, listening to music, eating fresh non limb meat and slowly while restoring energy on bench. Viewable in stats page of book. |