How to find and help red flare soldiers in Sons of the Forest

In Sons of the Forest, if you know where to look, you’ll find tactical soldiers holding red flares. What are these stranded soldiers for, is there any way to save them, and how do I find more in Sons of the Forest?

Sons of the Forest: How to find red flare soldiers

With 1.0, red flare soldiers are spread all over the Sons of the Forest island. As their name suggests, you can find these stranded soldiers easily by looking for red smoke. I found dense red smoke as I walked around the forest and as I got close, it turned into a stream of red smoke coming from a stranded soldier.

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The red flare soldiers mark important locations in Sons of the Forest which makes getting what you need and progressing the story easier. While you can find red flare soldiers all over the island, I found red soldiers easily by following the purple exclamation marks on my map.

How to help the Sons of the Forest red flare soldiers

When you approach the red flare soldiers in Sons of the Forest, they slowly pass away. To my knowledge, there’s nothing you can do to cure them or keep them alive. Sadly, these red flare soldiers are destined to die when you meet them.

The red flare soldiers only signify points of interest in Sons of the Forest. Once you’ve found a red flare soldier, make sure to loot everything in the area because there’s bound to be good stuff. Red flare soldiers can also be placed near important caves, so stay vigilant.

One red flare soldier I found who, naturally, died when I met him was pretty unintelligent. He was in the center of a camp with food, water, supplies, first-aid kits, shelter, and even electricity. I’m not sure what made him give up the ghost when he could have easily stayed alive on his own, but whatever. More for me!