Learn how to build and use happy birthday traps.
As one of the more advanced traps in The Forest, the happy birthday trap is all the fun of running full speed into a wall of spikes. This deadly and reusable trap comprises a series of sharpened sticks that impales enemies that trigger its trip wire.
This guide will walk you through building and setting up happy birthday traps and offer advice on the best locations to place them.
How to build the happy birthday trap
The happy birthday trap is a bit more resource intensive than other advanced traps. Here is a list of the materials you will need to gather:
- 20 Sticks
- 2 Ropes
- 2 Rocks
- 4 Logs
You can gather sticks by knocking down small trees, brush, and cannibal effigies/totems placed in camps and on patrol paths. Rocks will continuously spawn on the ground surrounding you in nearly all of the game’s biomes. Ropes are found in cannibal villages, caves, beached boats, or crafted from cloth.
Once you have gathered the materials, look for a broad open space to place the trap. Flip open your survival book to the section labeled “Traps and Defenses.” Turn the page to advanced traps and click on the happy birthday trap. Then just set down the building outline and add the components.
The best locations for happy birthday trap placement
Happy birthday traps are relatively big compared to other trap types in The Forest and take up a fair amount of space. While its striking area is wide, you still need an enemy to trigger the trap for it to be effective.
Here are some tips on the best locations to place this trap:
Defensive positions
Happy birthday traps are wide and serve very well as defensive emplacements. Build these traps near your walls to help fortify and protect them from charging mutants.
Watch for cannibal patrols.
Cannibal patrols follow similar routes daily and often mark their trails with totems. Setting a happy birthday trap across a popular patrol route will deter future visitors effectively.
Choose an area you frequent
Enemies won’t spawn in an area unless you are nearby. Choose a place you spend a lot of time to increase the chances of an enemy triggering your traps.
Pros and cons of the happy birthday trap
Cons
- This trap takes up a lot of space, making building difficult in confined areas.
- There is a short delay between when the trap is triggered and when the spikes become deadly. This delay means an enemy sprinting through the trap at high speed has a chance to avoid the spikes.
- The trigger for this trap is just a step in front of the hitbox for the spikes. If an enemy triggers the trap but then stops, the trap will not harm them.
- This trap will typically kill the player if they accidentally trigger it.
Pros
- This trap will kill all cannibals with a single hit.
- This trap’s trigger and impact areas are very wide, making it an excellent defensive barrier.
- The high damage value of this trap means it can kill mutants in one to two hits, depending on your difficulty settings.
- This trap functions as a wall after being triggered, preventing pursuit and stopping charging mutants in their tracks.
Tips and tricks for using happy birthday traps
- This trap works best as a defensive barrier since it cannot be crossed after being triggered.
- If you have a fair lead on your pursuers, these traps can prevent enemies from chasing you.
- They are useful for protecting the entrance to your base, as the spikes are not dangerous while they are settled on the ground, and the trap acts as a wall once triggered.
- When built in front of walls, they prevent mutants from charging into them.
Final thoughts on the happy birthday trap
A cutesy name it may have, but when this trap snaps into action, the only present cannibals will be getting is a spike through the head. Plus, it is satisfying to see an enemy get spiked so fast that they die standing up.
For more insights, check out The Forest Traps Guide for an overview of all the available traps in Endnight Game’s The Forest.
