Can You Force Companions in Sons of the Forest to Drop Items?

The NPCs in Sons of the Forest are a helpful pair. One aids you in building a base while the other can take on enemies and will sometimes bring you gifts. But if they’ve both got their hands full, is there a way of getting them to ditch their current endeavor? Can you force items to drop from your Sons of the Forest companions?

Kelvin and Virginia Will Drop Items If You Interact With Them, But Not Always

Regardless of what Virginia or Kelvin have in their hands, interacting with them (using E key on the keyboard) should be enough to make them drop it. That can also have undesirable effects. For example, talk to Kelvin when he’s carrying a log and, often, he’ll drop it towards you, crushing your feet.

However, you may also encounter a situation where the companions in Sons of the Forest are carrying an item and refuse to drop it. Maybe the interact icon is missing? In that case, your only real option is to attack them. A single swipe with an axe should be enough to force them to drop the item in question. 

Don’t worry about them dying or fleeing, never to return. A single swipe won’t kill them, and it won’t stop them being your friend. If you’re worried about doing them actual damage, you could always use a severed arm though, arguably, that’s going to leave even bigger psychological scars. 

We’ve yet to encounter a situation where this didn’t force the NPC to drop the item. But if that does happen to you, your absolute last option — apart from loading an earlier save — is to kill the NPC and then resurrect them. 

So, on the subject of whether you can force items to drop from your Sons of the Forest companions, that’s what you need to know.