Ever wanted an AI companion to help take some of the grind away?
Sons Of The Forest received nothing more than love after its early access release. The praise it has received is echoing throughout the gaming space, and its status as a worthy sequel was definitely upheld. However, one of the many great new things about Sons Of The Forest is the new AI companion Kelvin. A lovable presence that gives players companionship during their hardest and scariest times.
The community knew of his arrival as an AI companion months before releasing Sons Of The Forest. And even though some thought him unnecessary, the majority welcomed such an addition due to how helpful it could be. Today we’ll cover everything that gives Kelvin character, who he is, and what services he can offer the player. His quirks and traits are bound to enhance numerous aspects of your gameplay.
Who is Kelvin?
Kelvin is found in a near-death state close to the helicopter crash that strands us on this island. Kelvin’s vest will give us an instant clue of who he is and who he worked for. He is an elite soldier that accompanied us on our mission to rescue a missing billionaire and his family. The helicopter crash leaves everything chaos, with multiple soldiers dead and others dragged away by whatever this new forest hides.
Sadly, Kelvin suffers a ruptured ear drum and intense brain damage due to the aftermath of the helicopter crash. Although alive, he can’t speak nor indicate that he’s capable of intellectual intuition. This is likely due to all of the brain damage he sustained, and considering how bad the helicopter crash was, he can consider himself lucky.
How to take control of Kelvin in Sons Of The Forest
As we approach Kelvin and interact with him, we suspect that he’s now mute, which is when we also notice that he’s confused. We can then “take control” of Kelvin by making him snap out of his confusion and pulling out a notepad to help us communicate with him. The protagonist proceeds to scribble on their notepad in an attempt to establish communication with Kelvin. This is exactly when you’re given the ability to mold him into a useful AI companion via commands.
You’ll have to revive him before you can do any of this, so look out for him near the helicopter crash site. You shouldn’t miss him unless you’ve strayed further into the forest, and at that point, you’re likely going to regret going in there unprepared.
Every command for Kelvin in Sons Of The Forest
Once you activate Kelvin as a companion, you should be able to start commanding him via your “E” key. There will be a list of commands that you can see in your notepad, and these are all vital to starting your experience with Kelvin.
Your notepad is going to be the only thing that allows us to command Kelvin. Furthermore, you will likely need to know about every command and what it does so that you can properly utilize him and his wide variety of services. With that, we’ve compiled a detailed list of every command you can give Kelvin and exactly how he will execute each command.
- Take Item – Currently, this command allows you to give Kelvin clothing only. There’s not much more to this, unfortunately.
- Build – The ‘Build’ prompt allows you to tell Kelvin to finish a blueprint structure that you’ve placed while also allowing him to build/clear primitive things such as campfires or shelters.
- Get – Kelvin has a predetermined list of resources he can gather for you, such as berries, fish, sticks, and logs. After picking a resource that you want him to collect, you can tell him to: drop it where he’s standing, give it to you, or put it in appropriate storage.
- Stay – This one is relatively self-explanatory. Not only can you tell Kelvin to stay in place with this command, but he can also be commanded to stay near your shelter or hide.
- Take a break – You can command Kelvin to take a break with this command. It will make him sit around your camp just relaxing.
- Clear – The ‘Clear’ command may seem confusing to some, but all it commands Kelvin to do is clear bushes within a certain radius. 5, 10, and 20-meter radiuses are all Kelvin can manage.
The features behind these commands naturally have much more to them. And information like that always needs to be expanded upon further. For example, certain commands need further clarification so that you’ll know how they truly work and affect Kelvin. This is another point we want to tackle with the section on commands.
How do commands work exactly?
Although some are simple to grasp, other commands don’t make the process clear. If you tell Kelvin to finish a structure you’ve started working on, he won’t wait for you to get the required materials. He will start chopping trees and gathering sticks on his own, which he then adds to the structure’s blueprint.
The same, more or less, applies to making him build a shelter or campfire. So don’t be afraid to tell him to do these things if you want to focus on other stuff during your first day on this unforgiving island.
Another thing that needs some clarification is how Kelvin gathers things when you command him to get something for you. His gathering of the resources/food in question will look the same across the board, but you have to be very specific when it comes down to choosing where he puts it. He might not always be standing where you want him, so we’d recommend not telling him to drop it where he’s standing. The remaining two options are good, but commanding him to put it in storage is the best choice. That is only if you have a storage structure for that specific item.
How Kelvin behaves
Generally, with Kelvin being mute, there’s not much intellectual complexity to his character. However, you can still see some glimpses of humanity in that lifeless face of his. If he’s not being told to do anything, he’ll just choose to live in the moment. As for when he’s given a task, he’ll stick to it with as much determination and loyalty as you’d need.
He carries out tasks much slower than the player would. Carrying logs, in particular, takes him the longest to do. This was likely a balancing mechanism because if he ran as fast as your protagonist, then there wouldn’t really be much to strive for or build up to.
But he’s going to start losing the will to work if you overwork him in any way. Eventually, if you neglect him too much, he will just stop working altogether. This doesn’t happen immediately, as it’s more of a gradual loss of interest in what you want to command him to do. This is why the “Take a Break” command exists so that you can give Kelvin time to recharge occasionally.
Do you need to feed Kelvin?
Kelvin is quite a low-maintenance guy when all things are considered. You can directly give him items, but he doesn’t really need you to give him food to function. We assume that he eats “food” when he’s relaxing. So, once again, make sure to give Kelvin a break from time to time. He’s not looking for much to keep working.
We’re not sure if Endnight plans on letting us give him food in future updates, but you will never actually see him consume anything. It would be great if Kelvin ate some of the fish he caught for you or if he ate cooked food from the campfire.
Can Kelvin permanently die?
Kelvin can fully die if he suffers too many cannibal attacks or if you knock him down too many times. He can sometimes be revived, but continuing to damage and attack him will result in permanent death. Once Kelvin dies, there are options for bringing him back to life (see FAQ), but his death is meant to be as permanent as most cannibals you’ll be chopping up with your axe.
We’d suggest leaving him in your camp as you go to explore. He won’t follow you into caves or dangerous situations anyway, so it’s best to simply tell him to “Take a Break” and go about your business alone. Even if you don’t find him as useful and like to do things yourself, having him around is still nifty, and you may want to complete the achievement, “Keep Your Friends Close.”
Can Kelvin fight & defend himself?
Unfortunately, Kelvin cannot fight or even defend your base if cannibals do decide to launch a coordinated attack. This can prove to be a problem in earlier parts of the game, especially before you’ve established yourself and your base properly. Regardless, he’s there to help you get your home and walls done quicker, so make sure to utilize him as much as possible from the get-go.
Alternatively, many people want to know if you can arm Kelvin with weapons via the “Take Item” command. And we’re sorry to burst your bubble, but Kelvin won’t equip any sort of firearms or weapons even if you give them to him. This will only work with Virginia once you’ve spent some time increasing her affinity.
Does Kelvin need to be healed?
Seeing as how he can permanently die if you don’t take care of him, many have pondered if there is a way to heal him and stop him from dying. Well, there is, but probably not in the way that you might think. Kelvin can’t be healed via food or other healing items; the only way you “heal” him is by reviving him if he falls on the ground.
People usually refer to this as reviving him when he’s down, but it’s also technically a healing animation. So no, you can’t heal him while he’s fully operational and working via healing items. This will likely change in the future as players are starting to like Kelvin as a companion. Losing him permanently can happen, and we assume many would love to resurrect or revive him in a way.
FAQs
When Kelvin gives the thumbs-up gesture, it means that he’s completed his last assigned task.
No. Kelvin does not respawn when killed; it’s permanent death.
Yes. There are two ways to bring Kelvin back to life. The first is to load a game save before his death occurred. The second is to open the GameStateSaveData.json file located in AppData\LocalLow\Endnight\SonsOfTheForest\Saves and alter the IsRobbyDead value to read false.
The trustiest of them all
Kelvin might not be the best for base defense or offense, but he will surely make you feel like you’re not alone on this cursed island. The Forest was tough for solo players because of how lonely it could sometimes get. This did not help with overall player retention, and Endnight Games probably responded to that problem by adding AI companions to their sequel: Sons Of The Forest.
There’s plenty more to explore when it comes to the Sons Of The Forest. If you’re new and looking to learn some basic crafting recipes, check out our guide on how to craft a spear in the Sons Of The Forest.
