The Forest Wakes Up update, live around June 13–20, 2026, is one of the biggest additions to 99 Nights in the Forest to date. It brings 8 new Roblox badges, 7 new default structures scattered across the world, a brand-new Sawmill location that produces a new material called Plank, and quality-of-life lobby improvements including direct biome selection and Hardcore/Hard Mode toggles.
The 8 New Badges and How to Unlock Them
Each badge has a distinct challenge. Work through the simpler ones first to build resources before attempting the completionist or team badges.
Toolfinding — Assemble a full set of upgraded tools: a Giant Sack, a Strong Axe or Chainsaw, a Strong Flashlight, and high-level armour. This badge rewards systematic gear progression, so prioritize Tool Trader visits and loot runs.
Mastery — The most demanding badge in the update. You must reach day 99, unlock every campfire tier, rescue all 4 missing kids, unlock all crafting tiers, and complete every Pelt Trader request. Whether all of these need to happen in a single run is not yet confirmed by the community, so treat it as a full-completion run to be safe.
Carnivory — Survive 99 days eating only meat. Stew counts as long as it contains meat, which gives you some flexibility with food prep. Avoid berries, mushrooms, and any plant-based food entirely.
Free Throwing — Shoot a basketball through a basket. This is the lightest badge in the update and can be knocked out quickly once you find a basketball and a hoop in the world.
Apprenticeship — Trade with the Tool Trader and receive a tool that can be leveled up. Simply completing one qualifying trade is enough; you do not need to fully upgrade the tool.
Hoarding — Store 100 or more Scrap AND 100 or more Wood simultaneously in the Crafting Bench. Stockpile materials from multiple runs or dedicate a full run to resource gathering before attempting this.
Homemaking — Craft more than 50 pieces of furniture at your base. This takes time but pairs naturally with a long survival run aimed at day 99. Prioritize crafting furniture consistently rather than leaving it to the end.
Dream Team — The hardest badge in the update. Survive 99 nights with a full team of exactly 5 players, finish in under 90 minutes, and record 0 deaths across the entire team. This demands a coordinated group, clear role assignments (gatherers, fighters, builders), and a strong start that avoids early wipes.
The 7 New Default Structures
Seven new structures now generate in the world by default, adding landmarks, lore, and resource points to explore:
- Cultist Ritual Circle and Cultist Tree — two new cultist-themed set pieces that hint at the forest's darker side.
- New Large House — an expanded building, useful for loot and shelter.
- New Stone Tower — a tall stone structure offering vantage points or loot.
- Oil Pipes — industrial ruins scattered through the environment.
- Ravine Bridge — a bridge crossing a ravine, opening new traversal routes.
- New Snow Towers — tower structures found in colder parts of the map.
The existing Dilapidated Building also received improvements alongside these additions, and the forest itself has been visually revamped with performance optimizations.
The Sawmill and Planks
The Sawmill is a new dedicated location added by The Forest Wakes Up. It contains a power switch and a log-cutting flow that processes raw logs into Planks, a new wood material. To use it, activate the power switch at the Sawmill and feed logs into the cutting mechanism. The exact conversion rate and processing time are still being confirmed by the community, so experiment on your first visit to gauge throughput. Planks open up new crafting options, though which specific recipes consume them has not yet been fully documented — check back as the community maps out the full crafting tree.
Tips for Tackling the Update Efficiently
Start with Free Throwing and Apprenticeship since both can be completed incidentally during a normal run without altering your strategy. Run Hoarding and Homemaking together in the same long survival session, as stockpiling and base-building reinforce each other naturally. Save Dream Team for last — it requires the most coordination and a team that already knows the game's systems. For Carnivory, disable all non-meat food sources from your camp early so teammates do not accidentally feed you berries. And for Mastery, track Pelt Trader requests actively from day one rather than rushing them at the end.
