As with most survival horror games, Sons of the Forest comes with a frustrating building mechanism. Thanks to the game’s destruction physics, any build is at risk of collision—whether it’s by the lovely companion, Kelvin, scary Cannibals, or mistakenly thrown explosives. But there’s a way to safeguard buildings in Sons of the Forest: Turn off structure damage in the options. Here’s how.
How to Turn Off Structure Damage in Sons of the Forest
In the main menu, go to Options, open the Gameplay tab, and toggle off structure damage. This will prevent buildings against axes, explosives, and other threats. Players can toggle the structure damage back on at any point in the game.
What Happens When Structure Damage Is Switched Off
Upon turning off structure damage, buildings are no longer vulnerable to destruction. In other words, they do not collapse or get wrecked, no matter the damage.
Note that “structure damage” doesn’t prevent customization. Players can still add windows, doors, and other items to an existing building. What they won’t be able to do is break, explode, rebuild, or move the building.
This is particularly useful for stopping Kelvin from destroying shelters. Despite his good intentions, the lovely companion can be hilariously unhelpful, abolishing players’ precious constructions while gathering logs. But with the structure damage setting off, Kelvin can no longer harm the buildings and shelters.
How to Alter Builds When the Structure Damage Is Off
While toggled off, structure damage stops altering buildings with axes. Players must switch the setting on and off to move or rebuild structures. In other words, keep structure damage on as long as the construction is in progress—and turn it off when it’s finalized.
Other Ways to Avoid the Kelvin Glitch
Kelvin can get food and other valuable resources. But an early-game glitch turns him into a hazardous entity near shelters: He might accidentally destroy a house while trying to cut trees.
To prevent Kelvin from damaging structures:
- Build shelter away from trees.
- Do not command Kelvin to gather logs near a treehouse.
- Clear up the trees near the shelter before giving asking Kelvin to gather logs.
Ultimately, players can also kill off Kelvin to stop the chaos. But that’s not advised, as there’s no way to get him back during the single-player campaign.
Sons of the Forest is available now for PC.