Where to find the rope gun for the zipline in Sons of the Forest

Sons of the forest zipline rope gun - a player holds a rope gun loaded with an anchor while standing in the forest
(Image credit: Endnight Games)

Nailing down the rope gun location isn't just a matter of where to find zipline excitement—it's a vital step to uncovering the secrets in Sons of the Forest. If you've been vigilant, you may have noticed a digging icon hovering over certain spots at points of interest, so you're likely wondering about the shovel location too. A closer look reveals that both the rebreather location and the rope gun for the zipline are prerequisites for unearthing the crucial shovel.

The rope gun is found deep inside a cave marked on your GPS map that's halfway between the mountains and the western coast of the island. Check the map below for the exact location, or use this interactive sons of the Forest map to help locate the entrance. It's a fairly long and dangerous trek through the dark but I'll help walk you through each step on your journey to nab the zipline rope gun.

(Image credit: Endnight Games)

Sons of the Forest zipline rope gun location

Before you set out, be aware that this cave is rather stacked with enemies so make sure you've got the health and weapons needed to survive.

At the first large cavern inside, head to the left side and walk up the ridge of a small split room until you reach two dead bodies and a very gnarly, squealing monster wedged inside a narrow cavern opening. There are two time bombs lying beside one of the dead workers, which you'll want to pick up and chuck at that enemy to clear the way forward. 

After that, it's a long, long walk through lots and lots of enemies to arrive at the rope gun. There are two forks in the path to beware of.

  • At the first fork: keep left towards the tunnel with lumps of ore coating its sides.
  • At the second fork: keep right towards the low-ceilinged stalactite area with standing water.

Here's what each of the important forks in your path will look like:

If it feels like you've been walking forever, I know, me too. Even on peaceful difficulty this felt like a trek. In normal mode it's full of those dangerous open-chest creatures, the small babies that leap at you, and other horrors you'll be familiar with if you've done a bit of spelunking on the island already.

You'll eventually reach the top of a cliff where an open case on the ground to your left holds the rope gun waiting for you. Like the rebreather, you'll use your new gear to escape the cave. Equip the gun and you'll be able to ride the zipline already in place down to the bottom. Do mind that there is one last group of enemies down here waiting to harry  your heels on the way out.

With the rope gun in your possession, you are now free to zipline as you please. Your next order of business will be using it and the rebreather to hunt down the shovel location.

Lauren Morton
Associate Editor

Lauren has been writing for PC Gamer since she went hunting for the cryptid Dark Souls fashion police in 2017. She accepted her role as Associate Editor in 2021, now serving as self-appointed chief cozy games and farmlife sim enjoyer. Her career originally began in game development and she remains fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long fantasy books, longer RPGs, can't stop playing co-op survival crafting games, and has spent a number of hours she refuses to count building houses in The Sims games for over 20 years.