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How to Save Kelvin and Virginia in Sons of the Forest

Your own survival is not the only priority

Sons of the Forest offers players two distinct endings separated by a key choice the player makes at the end of the game. One is to leave the Island behind, which can result in leaving behind the companions who you will have grown close to in your survival against the Cannibals and Mutants. The other is to remain on the Island, to fight Demons as a continuation of your mantra, becoming a true resident on the Island. Both Kelvin and Virginia can die on the Island, you also do not have to connect to these characters, meaning that either way they will not be with you at the ending. But if you want the best ending in Sons of the Forest, this is our guide on how to save your companions.

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How to Save Kelvin

Kelvin is found as soon as you gain control of the protagonist. You will find this companion incredibly close to you after the crash where you will need to heal him in order to add him onto your companion list. This is the first companion that you can get in the game. Sons of the Forest offers a different gameplay take in that you will need to command Kelvin to do specific actions through choosing which of the options you want him to complete via the Notebook. You can get Kelvin to follow you, get specific items or find food. Unlike other games, Kelvin can fend for himself when it comes to his own survival, where he will obtain food and make shelter without you commanding him to do so.

The issue of him dying in the game is when faced against the enemies of the Island, such as the Cannibals and Mutants. Kelvin does not have any means to defend himself, therefore it is up to you if your camp/shelter comes under attack from the enemies. There is no health bar to watch so keep your eye on Kelvin at all times in a fight. If he gets downed you can heal him, but if he dies in single-player mode, he will be gone for good. So long as you keep Kelvin alive until the ending, you will see Kelvin come with you on the Helicopter at the end. But the same cannot be said for Virginia.

How to Save Virginia

Saving Virginia is a tougher task to accomplish due to her being a lot more hesitate of your existence than Kelvin. Of course, Kelvin is part of your team so “recruiting” him in a sense is easy. There is natural loyalty between the protagonist and Kelvin. However, Virginia requires more work in order to get her into the ending with both yourself and Kelvin. In order to get the best possible ending in Sons of the Forest, you must get max sentiment with Virginia, this is your relationship with her, similar to any kind of RPG. You need to focus on getting the ‘Chivalry is Not Dead’ Achievement, which is key to getting the best ending where Virginia is saved in Sons of the Forest.

How to Get ‘Chivalry is Not Dead’ Achievement

In order to get the ‘Chivalry is Not Dead’ Achievement, players should make a shelter in the form of a tent. Whilst you will likely have a logged shelter made for more resources and greater defences against enemies, you should have a tent available as Virginia often is seen around this form of shelter. You also need to install a Bench and make a Fire, next to one another so that Virginia can use these whenever she pleases. You should also plant Crops, having a Field close to your home so that Virginia can pick fruit as she works without any commands. Whilst this companion can revive herself from being downed, you should go out of your way to revive her yourself as this will also increase your sentiment level.

The final points to note for getting this Achievement is to follow her whenever she is calling for you. She will often be seen gesturing for you to follow her somewhere, make sure you do as this will increase your sentiment level too. Finally, do not hold weapons around her as she will feel threatened. You are not close to her at this point, so make sure you are doing everything you can to be around her, to never ignore her and to make sure she feels as safe as possible. This means to give her weapons, including guns, whenever you can so that she can learn to defend herself.

If you want to test whether all of this is enough, manually skip ahead a few days via a Tent and note whether the Achievement appears or not. If it does not, do not worry, continue hitting the steps above and you will eventually max out your sentiment with Virginia.

How to Get ‘Keep Your Friends Close’ Achievement

In order to get the ‘Keep Your Friends Close’ Achievement, you will need both max sentiment with Virginia and to keep Kelvin alive through every fight where Kelvin is in close proximity of you. By successfully hitting these two objectives, both companions should be with you in the ending scene, meaning that they are safe inside the Golden Cube to avoid the mass mutation. If Kelvin survives, he will always be with you inside the Cube, but if Virginia survives and you do not max out your bond with her, she will not be with you both inside the Cube so keep that in mind. By having both players inside the Cube, spending time with both by protecting Kelvin from harm and giving Virginia the opportunity to defend herself, your companions will be able to leave the Island with you.


That was our full guide on how to save Kelvin and Virginia in Sons of the Forest. This will give you the best ending in the game, where yourself and your companions will get off the Island. This guide also included how to get both the ‘Chivalry is Not Dead’ and ‘Keep Your Friends Close’ Achievements in the game, which are crucial to unlocking the best ending in Sons of the Forest. For more Sons of the Forest guides and information, we have: All Endings in Sons of the Forest Explained, How to Revive Kelvin in Sons of the Forest and more available at Gamer Journalist.

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Hadley Vincent
Hadley is a Freelance Writer for Gamer Journalist. They have been with the company since October 2022. With a BSc Honors in Psychology, Hadley focuses their creativity and passion for Video Games by primarily covering Horror, FPS, and anything with a great narrative. You will often find Hadley covering the latest indie horror games or deploying into Call of Duty's DMZ. They love a good story and one that can keep them up at night, be that for its scares or its lore.