As you explore the immense cannibal-filled island in Sons of the Forest, you'll probably become increasingly annoyed that you don't have a shovel. Your GPS has several dig spots marked that you've trekked out to only to discover you don't have the tool you need to get whatever you came all the way out there to get.

　　Unfortunately for you, the shovel is not easy to get, and you'll need to get several other tools before you can even try for it, because it's hidden deep in a cave that has some prerequisites. So getting the shovel is kind of a whole thing.

　　

What you need to get before you can go after the shovel

There are two accessories that you absolutely, positively must have before you can get too far in the cave with the shovel in it: the rebreather, which will let you breathe underwater, and the rope gun, which will allow you to use existing zip lines and/or make new ones. Without the rope gun, you'll barely be able to make it past the entrance, and there are multiple spots where you'll need to navigate dark underwater passageways. You'll also need an air tank for the rebreather and explosives for a situation that will occur when you're on your way back out of the cave, but those can be found inside the cave if you don't have any when you get there.

　　We've got a guide for how to get that rebreather right here, and a guide for the rope gun here. Some explosives will also be helpful for clearing an obstacle near the end, but you can find some grenades in the cave if you don't have anything already--just remember not to use them against normal enemies, because you'll need them for a specific purpose.

　　Once you've got the stuff, you should head to this cave marker in the center of the island.

　　Here's where you'll be on your GPS when it's time to spelunk.You will definitely want to save your game before you head in, because there's a good chance this will be the most difficult part of Sons of the Forest that you've been through to this point--this cave is absolutely full of those Finger guys and the obnoxiously resilient conjoined twin creatures. Not to mention all the babies and standard cave cannibals. This is a serious dungeon crawl here, so don't take it lightly.

　　Like the other caves in Sons of the Forest, this one is pretty much linear. And while it has a ton of enemies in it, it's also somewhat better-lit than the less populous caves are, so that makes it a little bit easier to navigate, at least.

　　

How to get to the shovel

Once you enter the cave you'll hit a dead end pretty much immediately. But if you look up, you'll see a rope that you can use as a zipline. But before you do, move all the way to the dead end, drop down, and pick up an air tank next to a couple of skeletons. Then hit the zip.

　　Once you're across, turn left and you'll find a pretty significant body of water. You'll need to dive in and swim straight down into the big opening and follow it until you get to the other side. But be ready to fight when you get out of the water because there are several cave cannibals ahead. Once you get past the baddies you'll find a little stream of water heading downwards--this is a water slide. Jump in and enjoy the ride.

　　When you get to the end you'll land in another cave pond. The path is behind you over your right shoulder--turn around and you'll see a well-lit path with a bunch of boxes that you can crack open for supplies. Grab what you can and move forward.

　　From here the path is linear and easy to follow, though there are still plenty of monsters to deal with. With a linear path you can use the enemies as a sort of guidepost--if you keep running into new ones, then you're going the right way.

　　Can I borrow that?One you get to another underwater passage you have to swim through, you're almost there. You'll have to clear a number of conjoined twin, finger and baby monsters, but once they're dead you can just move to the end of the cave, where you'll find a miner's corpse with a shovel on his lap.

　　Take the shovel and start backtracking. You're not out of the woods yet.

　　

How to get out of the cave that had the shovel in it

Remember that little waterslide from earlier in the cave? Well, you can't go back up that, so you'll need to find another way. Fortunately, a way will present itself to you once you get back near that part of the cave--a large mutant bursts open a hole in the rock wall to your left, but now it's stuck. Use your explosives to blow it to pieces so you can get past, and then follow this new path all the way back to the surface. It's perfectly linear, but there are three separate groups of mutant babies that you'll have to handle on the way.

　　This exit is different from the way you entered the cave, but it's not too far. A minute or two of walking will bring you back to your tent (if you set one up outside the cave before you went in) so you can save your game. And then you'll be ready to get digging.

　　Phil Owen on Google+