In the harsh wilderness of The Forest, your axe is more than just a tool—it’s your lifeline. Whether you’re chopping trees for a shelter or defending yourself against cannibals, an upgraded axe can mean the difference between survival and becoming someone’s dinner. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about upgrading your axe in The Forest, from finding the necessary materials to creating the optimal upgrade combinations.
Understanding Axe Types in The Forest
Before diving into upgrades, it’s important to understand the different axes available in the game. Each axe has its own base stats and upgrade potential.
Available Axes in The Forest
| Axe Type | Location | Base Damage | Base Speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plane Axe | Automatically acquired at the start | Medium | Medium | Your starting weapon, always stays in inventory |
| Crafted Axe | Craftable with sticks, rope, and rock | Medium-Low | Medium | Early game alternative |
| Rusty Axe | Found in caves | Medium-High | Low | Slower but powerful |
| Modern Axe | Found at abandoned campsites | High | Medium | Overall best axe in the game |
The Plane Axe is your starting weapon and the focus of many players’ upgrade efforts, as it’s permanently in your inventory. However, if you can find the Modern Axe, it’s generally considered the superior option for upgrading due to its higher base stats.
Upgrade Materials: What You Need and Where to Find Them
To upgrade any axe in The Forest, you’ll need specific materials that serve different purposes. Here’s what you need to gather:
Essential Upgrade Materials
| Material | Function | Where to Find |
|---|---|---|
| Tree Sap | Binding agent for all permanent upgrades | Harvested when chopping trees or from Sap Collectors |
| Feathers | Increases speed (decreases damage) | Dropped by birds (3-5 per bird) or from Birdhouses |
| Teeth | Increases damage (decreases speed) | Dropped by cannibals (10-15% chance per hit) |
| Booze (Glass) | Significantly increases damage (significantly decreases speed) | Found in suitcases, on beaches, in crashed plane |
| Cloth | Temporary fire upgrade | Found in suitcases, cannibal villages, caves |
Finding Tree Sap
Tree sap is essential for all permanent upgrades as it acts as the binding agent. You can obtain it in two ways:
- Chopping Trees: Each time you fell a large tree, you’ll receive 2-3 pieces of sap.
- Sap Collectors: Build a sap collector and place it on a tree to passively collect up to 30 units of sap.
Sap collectors are the most efficient way to gather sap in bulk, especially when you’re planning multiple upgrades.
Gathering Feathers
Feathers are used for speed upgrades and can be collected by:
- Hunting Birds: Kill birds to obtain 3-5 feathers per bird.
- Building a Birdhouse: Birdhouses will passively collect feathers (up to 30) even when you’re not around.
Beaches are excellent locations for finding birds, particularly seagulls, which can be hunted with a bow or fast melee weapon.
Collecting Teeth
Teeth are dropped by cannibals with a 10-15% chance per hit. Interestingly, weapon damage doesn’t affect drop rate, so using weaker weapons like the stick or upgraded stick allows you to hit enemies more times without killing them, potentially yielding more teeth.
Finding Booze
Booze is used to create glass shard upgrades (when combined with sap) and can be found:
- Inside the crashed plane
- In suitcases around the peninsula
- On beaches
- In cannibal villages
- On the yacht
A good strategy is to check the yacht and luggage-heavy areas for a reliable booze supply.
How to Upgrade Your Axe: Step-by-Step Process
Upgrading your axe in The Forest requires using the crafting system. Here’s a detailed walkthrough:
Basic Upgrade Process
- Open your inventory (press “I”)
- Place your axe on the crafting mat in the center
- Add your desired upgrade material (feathers, teeth, or booze) to the mat
- Add tree sap to the mat
- When the gear icon appears, click it to combine the materials
- Your weapon will now be upgraded with the chosen attribute
Upgrading with Feathers (Speed Upgrade)
To increase your axe’s speed:
- Place your axe on the crafting mat
- Add feathers to the mat
- Add tree sap
- Click the gear icon to combine
Each feather upgrade will:
- Increase speed by 0.1
- Decrease damage by 0.05
Upgrading with Teeth (Damage Upgrade)
To increase your axe’s damage:
- Place your axe on the crafting mat
- Add teeth to the mat
- Add tree sap
- Click the gear icon to combine
Each tooth upgrade will:
- Increase damage by 0.1
- Decrease speed by 0.05
Upgrading with Booze/Glass (Damage+ Upgrade)
For a more significant damage boost:
- Place your axe on the crafting mat
- Add booze to the mat
- Add tree sap
- Click the gear icon to combine (this creates glass shards)
Each glass upgrade will:
- Increase damage by 0.2
- Decrease speed by 0.1
Adding a Temporary Fire Upgrade
Unlike permanent upgrades, fire upgrades are temporary but very useful:
- Place your axe on the crafting mat
- Add cloth to the mat (no sap needed)
- Click the gear icon to combine
- To light your weapon on fire, equip it and press “L” (default lighter key)
For a longer-lasting fire effect:
- First add cloth as above
- Then place the weapon back on the mat with booze
- Combine again to triple the burn duration
Optimal Upgrade Strategies
With a limit of 30 total upgrades per weapon, strategic combinations are crucial for maximizing your axe’s potential.
Understanding the Upgrade Limit
- You can add a maximum of 30 upgrades to any weapon
- These can be any combination of feathers, teeth, and glass
- Each feather, tooth, or glass counts as one upgrade
Best Upgrade Combinations
| Goal | Recommended Combination | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Balanced Weapon | 15 feathers + 15 teeth | Adds 1.5 damage, no speed change |
| Maximum Damage | 14 teeth + 16 glass | Highest possible damage |
| Maximum Speed | 24 feathers + 6 glass | Highest possible speed |
| Balanced with Glass | 20 feathers + 10 glass | Adds 1 damage, 1 speed |
Why Not 30 of One Type?
Due to diminishing returns, adding 30 of a single upgrade type isn’t optimal:
- 30 teeth gives less damage than a mix of teeth and glass
- 30 feathers can make the weapon too weak
- 30 glass makes the weapon extremely slow
The most effective approach is to use combinations that balance your weapon’s stats according to your playstyle.
Making Fire-Enhanced Weapons
Fire upgrades can give your axe an edge in combat and provide light in dark areas.
Benefits of Fire Upgrades
- Additional Damage: Enemies hit will catch fire and take ongoing damage
- Light Source: Helps visibility in caves and at night
- Heat Source: Protects against cold
Fire Upgrade Duration
| Upgrade Type | Burn Duration | Swings Before Extinguishing |
|---|---|---|
| Cloth Only | ~110 seconds | ~7 swings |
| Cloth + Booze | ~300 seconds | ~21 swings |
Each swing reduces the remaining burn time by a percentage. Adding booze after cloth triples both the burn duration and the number of possible swings.
Common Issues and Troubleshooting
Even veteran survivors encounter problems when upgrading weapons. Here are some common issues and solutions:
Upgrades Disappearing Visually
Sometimes the visual appearance of feathers/teeth/glass on your weapon might disappear while the stat bonuses remain. This is a known bug but doesn’t affect the weapon’s performance.
Unable to Add More Upgrades
If you can’t add more upgrades to your weapon, you may have reached the 30-upgrade limit. The weapon will float momentarily when placed on the crafting mat but then return without accepting new upgrades.
Important: Save Before Upgrading
You cannot remove individual upgrades—only all upgrades at once. When removing upgrades:
- You lose all sap used
- You only recover 40% of the upgrade materials
- You might lose excess booze since you can only carry 7 bottles
Always save your game before making significant weapon upgrades.
Beyond the Axe: Other Upgradeable Weapons
While axes are essential, other weapons can also be upgraded using the same materials and methods:
| Weapon | Upgradeable? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plane Axe | Yes | Starting weapon |
| Crafted Axe | Yes | Early game craft |
| Rusty Axe | Yes | Found in caves |
| Modern Axe | Yes | Best overall |
| Club | Yes | Good blocking |
| Crafted Club | Yes | Strong but slow |
| Weak Spear | Partially | Only accepts feathers and teeth, not glass |
| Upgraded Stick | Yes | Fast but low damage |
| Katana | Yes | Fast with good damage |
| Machete | Yes | Great balance |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it matter where I place the teeth/feathers on my weapon?
No, the placement of upgrades on your weapon is purely cosmetic. The stat changes will be the same regardless of where you place the materials on the weapon.
Can I remove individual upgrades from my weapon?
No, you can only remove all upgrades at once by placing the weapon on the crafting mat and pressing “C”. You’ll lose all sap used and only recover 40% of the materials.
Do upgrades carry over when I craft a new version of a weapon?
Generally no, but there’s an exception with the weak spear. If you lose an upgraded weak spear, crafting a new one will retain the previous upgrades.
Which is better: more damage or more speed?
It depends on your combat style and the enemies you’re facing. For cannibals, speed is often better as it allows for faster knockdowns. For mutants that can’t be knocked down, damage is more important.
Can I use the fire upgrade in water or rain?
Yes, but it will be less effective in rain and will be extinguished if you enter water. However, placing your weapon in inventory and taking it out again will pause the burn timer rather than reset it.
By mastering axe upgrades in The Forest, you’ll have a significant advantage against both the environment and your enemies. Remember that survival often depends on having the right tools for the job, and a well-upgraded axe is one of the most versatile tools at your disposal. Happy surviving!
Learn more about weapon crafting in The Forest
Detailed weapon stats on The Forest Wiki
Tips for finding upgrade materials
