What does the Muscle Icon Mean in Sons of the Forest? Answered

If you loved struggling to survive amidst the mutants, cannibals, and general mayhem of The Forest, then you’ll love trying to thrive in its sequel, Sons of the Forest. Sons of the Forest is full of just as much, if not more, gore and enemies as its predecessor! If you love survival horror games, then you should definitely consider adding Sons of the Forest to your wishlist as soon as possible.

If you’ve already bought and downloaded Sons of the Forest, then you may have noticed a small muscle icon sitting above your mini-map while playing. It sits right next to the thirst, hunger, and sleep gauges, so it must be important, right? Keep reading to find out what the muscle icon is and what it does in Sons of the Forest!

What does the Muscle Icon Mean in Sons of the Forest?

The muscle icon in Sons of the Forest may not make a direct contribution to your survival, such as the water or hunger icons, but it’s no less important. Just as the water icon measures your thirst, for example, the muscle icon measures your strength. As you get further in the game and get a bit stronger, you may even notice small numbers appearing by the icon. These represent the level of strength that you’re currently at.

You can get stronger in the game by performing labor-intensive, physical acts. Chopping down trees, hauling logs, or building structures are all tasks that will cause your strength level to go up. If you’ve ever noticed that your strength score seems to be slipping, however, don’t panic! Your strength score will go down the longer you go without food, water, or sleep. As long as you’re sleeping, eating, and drinking regularly, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Just as exercising and maintaining a good diet and sleep schedule keeps you strong in real life, it also keeps you strong in Sons of the Forest!

How Does Getting Stronger Help You in Sons of the Forest?

Getting stronger is never a bad thing in a survival game, especially not in Sons of the Forest. We’ve established that getting stronger is definitely a good thing, but how exactly does it help you? Does it help you carry logs quicker, carry more stuff, show off your big muscles to Virginia?

Having a high strength score does help you carry more stuff, but only under certain conditions. If you’re tired, hungry, and thirsty, and try to carry as much stuff as you usually do, then you’re going to run into some problems. It won’t matter how high your strength score is if your body has been weakened by hunger and thirst.

If you’ve been eating, drinking, and sleeping just as much as you should, however, then having a high strength score will actually make a huge difference in your playthrough. Having a high strength score combined with a well-maintained body will result in higher melee damage, more carrying capacity, and even higher stamina! There have even been reports of players noticing their max health go up along with their strength scores!

Related: How to Switch Weapons Quickly in Sons of the Forest

Strength meters in survival games are nothing new, but Sons of the Forest made them interesting by making your overall health directly correspond to the amount of strength you have. It’s just another small touch that adds a sense of realism to the game; if you love playing realistic survival games, then check out Gamer Journalist’s guides for Green Hell, Far Cry 6, or Project Zomboid!