What is the eye icon in Sons of the Forest?

Sons of the Forest can sometimes get confusing, mainly because no in-game instructions exist. There are no tutorials available to learn about the game’s basics, meaning that you need to figure out everything on your own. Many players need clarification about the eye icon that pops up around the HUD from time to time. If you’re one of them, keep reading to learn what the eye icon means in Sons of the Forest.

Related: The best things to build first in Sons of the Forest

Sons of Forest eye icon — What it means and how to use it?

Sons of the Forest is a game where the danger lies everywhere. You might be wandering around the forest carrying logs in your hands to build a treehouse for yourself when, suddenly, a cannibal attacks you. This can put you in a tight spot as you will be caught off-guard. However, if you paid attention to the HUD, you might have prepared yourself for a fight because the eye icon serves as a warning signal.

If a nearby enemy has seen you and is hunting you down, the eye icon will appear around the HUD. When this happens, you must leave everything and focus on it. You have two options in this case. You can either start running and go toward your base until the eye icon disappears or take out a weapon from the inventory to fight the threat. We recommend following the second option only when you have a powerful weapon stored in your inventory, like the Katana or the Pistol. Otherwise, running will be the best option, as you might lose your progress by getting killed.

It is important to remember that the eye icon will only appear when an enemy has set its eyes on you. It does not act as a detection system where the bar goes up when an enemy gradually notices you.