One of the most notable differences between Sons Of The Forest and its predecessor, The Forest, is the inclusion of companions. Players who have spent more than a couple of nights amongst the howling winds and horrors of the cursed island will perhaps notice one mutant who is considerably different from the others. Virginia is a female mutant with three arms and three legs, who will approach the player throughout the game, at first with timidity but later with growing confidence provided the player behaves peacefully towards her. As time progresses and trust is built, player can tame Virginia and have her as a companion in the game.
Much like Kelvin, Virginia can contribute in a variety of ways towards survivability in an otherwise hostile environment with very few friendly elements. However, the skills of these two companions differ, and they provide varying skill sets which combine to make them a very useful and effective team. Given that Sons Of The Forest is still in early access, it is likely that further features will be developed for both companions.
4 Bring Offerings
Unlike Kelvin, who needs to be issued commands via the notepad, Virginia has lived on the island for a while and is self-sufficient, but she is also willing to lend a helping hand. Quite frequently, Virginia will bring relevant items to the player, such as fish if he is hungry, sticks if he is building and aloe vera if he is injured. These gestures appear to be a way of gaining trust and can be accepted. As previously mentioned, Virginia will not need to be fed, and similar offering cannot be made in return, nor do they need to be - merely accepting offering from Virginia will improve her trust, as will remaining passive around her and not doing things that might scare her away.
In time, players will notice an icon appear when close to Virginia, enabling them to trade clothes, weapons and GPS locator in order to keep track of her location. At this point, Virginia will usually be trusting enough to spend the majority of her time around the player, and can be considered a companion similarly to Kelvin.
3 Show Points Of Interest
One of Virginia's more unsettling gestures, particularly for new players, is her beckoning to be followed. Initially players may not even notice this interaction, or might feel some apprehension about following a six-limbed mutant that cannot speak around a cannibal-infested island. However, for those bold enough to be enticed, Virginia will lead them to nearby points of interest, such as old encampments or sites in which there lots of tools and resources to be scavenged. She will also jam out the music if a radio is playing nearby.
Having lived on the island for considerably longer than Kelvin and the player-character, it is no surprise that Virginia has found several points of interest that may become useful. These locations can include items and supplies such as energy drinks, rope and watches as well as useful tools like explosives and flares. If Virginia is beckoning to be followed, it's a safe bet she has found something worthy of investigation.
2 Spot Enemies
Much like Kelvin, Virginia is also somewhat mute. Presumably as a result of the torturous experiments conducted on her, she can only make noises but not communicate properly. Provided that she has not been scared away by the player, she will begin to spend more time in and around the player's location, and when cannibals are approaching or lurking in the trees, Virginia will point them out and begin moaning to try to get the player's attention.
This skill can often be extremely useful, particularly when construction and more complex activities are taking place. Given the dramatic improvement to the AI systems in Sons of The Forest over its predecessor, The Forest, cannibals will often try to remain hidden out of sight and will peer from behind trees before scrambling away into obscurity again. Although it may not be the most attention-grabbing alarm system, the distinct female voice of Virginia is often quite easy to pick up among the wind and snapping branches of the dense and horrifying forest.
1 Fight Cannibals
Perhaps Virignia's greatest asset is her ability to engage in combat with cannibals. One of the most popular new additions to Sons Of The Forest is the inclusion of guns, and although they are intentionally scarce, they make for a very efficient way of dealing with most enemies in the game, without putting players in too much danger. Much in the same way that gifts, clothes and offering can be exchanged between the player and Kevlin/Virginia, the latter can also be armed (thanks to her three arms) with both the shotgun and the pistol, two of the most effective weapons in the game.
Armed with these, and a seeming thirst for vengeance, Virginia will efficiently and rather cold-bloodedly defend the player's territory - blowing apart mutants with the shotgun and head-shotting cannibals with the pistol from considerable distance. In this way, Virginia can essentially be converted into a mobile base-defense, patrolling the perimeter and ensuring that any enemies stumbling into range will be promptly dealt with.
Sons of the Forest is currently out in Early Access for PC.