Knowing what to expect from each chest type helps you decide which areas to prioritize and what runs are worth the risk. This guide covers every chest in 99 Nights in the Forest from worst to best, with complete loot tables pulled straight from the wiki.
Tier F ā Not Worth a Detour
Cold Chest
Found in the Snow Biome. Contains: Ice Axe, Snowball, Fuel Canister, 1 Diamond, Leather Body. Decent utility items but nothing combat-changing. Open it if you walk past it, but do not hunt for it.
Spooky Chest (Halloween Only)
Contains: Candy Apple, Candy Corn, Pumpkin Pie, Cotton Candy, Potion. Seasonal consumables only ā no weapons or armor.
Tier C ā Useful Early, Skip Late
Common Chest
Full loot table: Bandage, Good Sack, Good Axe, Old Flashlight, Spear, Revolver + Ammo, Fuel Canister, 1 Diamond, Flower/Firefly Seeds, Old Rod.
Common Chests are your bread-and-butter in Days 1ā5. The Good Sack alone is worth opening one. After Day 10, Common Chests stop offering anything you need unless you want seeds or flashlights.
Good Chest
Full loot table: Leather Body, Fuel Canister, Spear, Revolver + Ammo, Bandage, Good Sack, Good Axe, Berry Seeds, 1 Diamond, Old Rod.
Basically a better Common Chest. Leather Body armor is a real upgrade in the first few days. Still not a priority after mid-game.
Tier B ā Worth Seeking Out
Iron Chest
Full loot table: Rifle + Ammo, Revolver + Ammo, Strong Flashlight, Good Sack, Defense Blueprint Spikes, Fuel Canister, Leather Body, Flower Seeds, Spear, 1 Diamond.
The Rifle (60ā90 damage) makes every Iron Chest worth hunting. The Strong Flashlight is a significant upgrade over the Old Flashlight for dealing with The Deer at night. According to the wiki, Iron Chests are mostly found in campfire Level 4+ areas.
Hot Chest (Volcanic Biome)
Full loot table: Crossbow (30 damage), Wildfire (grenade), Lava Mine Blueprint, Sacrifice Totem, Revolver + Ammo, Leather Body.
The Wildfire grenade is the standout here ā it is one of the best crowd-control tools against Cultist raids. Lava Mine Blueprint is useful for fortifying the Volcanic Biome area. Risk: the Volcanic Biome has Scorpions (50 HP, 20 damage) and The Ram (unkillable, 25 damage).
Frog Chest
Full loot table: Poison Spear (25ā32.54 damage), Poison Armor, Frog Boots, Blowpipe.
The Frog Chest sits in the Frog Cave, which opens with Frog Keys dropped by frogs, and it is guarded by the Frog King. The Poison Armor + Frog Boots combo gives solid jungle resistance and the Poison Spear is a reliable mid-game weapon. High effort, decent reward.
Ice Chest
Full loot table: Ice Axe, Ice Sword (35ā45.556 damage), Frozen Shuriken, Fuel Canister, 1 Diamond.
The Ice Sword is one of the strongest melee weapons in the Snow Biome and hits harder than the Spear. Frozen Shurikens are a bonus ranged option. Access requires surviving Polar Bears (500 HP, 50 damage), so come prepared.
Tier A ā High Priority
Legendary Chest
Full loot table: Rifle + Ammo, Iron Body, Berry/Flower/Chili Seeds, Oil Barrel, Strong Axe, Giant Sack (25 slots), 1 Diamond, Medkit, Bear Trap Blueprint.
The Giant Sack doubles your carry capacity compared to a Good Sack, and the Iron Body armor is a major defensive upgrade. Medkits heal approximately 100 HP ā critical for boss fights. The Bear Trap Blueprint adds a trap that damages enemies that step on it, and it can hurt players too.
Alien Chest
Full loot table: Alien Armor, Laser Sword (25ā232.539 damage), Laser Cannon (70ā87.5 AoE damage), Ray Gun (10ā15 damage).
Three high-tier weapons in one chest. The Laser Sword is among the most damaging weapons in the game. Alien Chests come from UFOs and the Mothership, and finishing an Alien Outpost challenge during the UFO event also spawns one along with an Alien Battery.
Obsidiron Chest
Full loot table: Obsidiron Hammer (70 damage, AoE explosion when bar fills), Obsidiron Body.
This chest is actually crafted. During the Meteor event, the Obsidiron Chest Blueprint is built at the Meteor Workshop for 10 Meteor Shards, 5 Gold Shards and 3 Obsidiron Ingots; placing and opening the chest earns the Astrophysics badge. The Obsidiron Hammer matches the Morningstar in base damage at 70 and has the same 1-second swing speed plus an AoE explosion when the explosion bar fills on hits. The Obsidiron Body is also one of the best armor pieces in the game.
Tier S ā Best Chests in the Game
Gold Chest
Full loot table: Strong Axe, Iron Body, Barbed Wire Blueprint, Strong Flashlight, Giant Sack, Medkit, 1 Diamond, Oil Barrel, Morningstar (70 damage, 1s swing), Cultist Gem, Gem of Forest Fragment.
The Morningstar is the top melee weapon available outside of alien tech. Its explosion bar mechanic fills with each hit and then detonates for area damage. The Gem of Forest Fragment is needed for Level 5 Crafting Bench upgrades. Gold Chests are worth any detour.
Ruby Chest
Full loot table: Chainsaw, Kunai (35 damage), Riot Shield, Thorn Body, Tactical Shotgun (starts with 43 ammo ā 3 loaded, 40 reserve), Gem of Forest Fragment.
The Tactical Shotgun is arguably the best gun in the game given its ammo capacity and raw damage output. The Kunai at 35 damage with fast throw speed is the Assassin's secondary of choice. Ruby Chests are found inside the Cultist Stronghold ā the reward for clearing it.
Diamond Chest
Drops from the Cultist Stronghold. Contains: 5 Diamonds. Not useful for gear, but 5 Diamonds at once is the best currency gain in any single chest in the game.
Chest Priority Summary
| Priority | Chest | Key Item |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruby Chest | Tactical Shotgun, Kunai |
| 2 | Gold Chest | Morningstar, Giant Sack |
| 3 | Diamond Chest | 5 Diamonds |
| 4 | Alien Chest | Laser Sword, Laser Cannon |
| 5 | Obsidiron Chest | Obsidiron Hammer |
| 6 | Legendary Chest | Giant Sack, Medkit |
| 7 | Iron Chest | Rifle |
| 8 | Ice / Frog Chest | Ice Sword / Poison Set |
Chests the Ranking Skips
The wiki lists several more containers, mostly tied to a biome or an event.
| Chest | Where | Loot |
|---|---|---|
| Vine Chest | Jungle Temples (top and bottom), Tar Pits, end of Jungle Outposts | Poison Spear, Blowpipe, Cultist Gem, Giant Sack, Strong Flashlight, Medkit, Oil Barrel, Strong Axe |
| Jungle Chest | One per world, in a Jungle Temple, after all 4 Cursed Skulls are placed | Poison Armour, Poison Claws |
| Vampire Chest | End of the Hedge Maze (Halloween) | Vampire Cloak, Scythe, Bouncing Blade |
| Miner's Chest | Side tunnels of the Caverns | Impact Grenade, Dynamite, Explosive Revolver and Rifle Ammo, Explosive Ammo Crate Tablet, 1 Diamond |
| Golden Miner's Chest | Fourth and last Caverns tunnel | Same as above, with the Explosive Ammo Crate Tablet guaranteed |
| Infernal Chest | Volcanic Biome | Infernal Sack (20 slots, cooks meat inside the biome) |
| Presents | Christmas event | Ammo, Fuel Canister, Bandage, Trim Kits, Ice Axe, Trident, Poison Spear, Obsidiron Hammer, Raygun, Laser Cannon, Blowpipe and more |
The Vine Chest is a strong pick on a Jungle run. It shares the Medkit, Oil Barrel, Strong Axe and Giant Sack with the Gold and Legendary Chests and adds the Cultist Gem and a Strong Flashlight.
Ways to Improve Your Chest Luck
Several classes change what chests give you.
| Class | Effect |
|---|---|
| Gambler (55D) | 50/50 chance to upgrade or downgrade a standard chest at Level 1, 60/40 at Level 2, and a 10% chance of coins at Level 3 |
| Scavenger (25D) | Opens chests 20% faster at Level 2, and a chance of bonus scrap at Level 3 |
| Explorer (80D) | Sees chests through walls when near, and opens them faster at Level 3 |
| Assassin (500D) | Throwing Knives can spawn in chests: 5% at Level 1, 10% at Level 3 |
| Fire Bandit (200D) | 10% chance for Wildfire as a bonus drop from chests at Level 3 |
| Grenadier (100D) | Chance to get Impact Grenades from chests |
| Engineer (1000D) | Chance of bonus scrap from chests at Level 2 |
The Gambler is the cheapest way to push your chest tiers up, but a downgrade can also cost you a good drop, so it suits runs where you are willing to gamble.
Common Mistakes
- Opening a Gold Chest and expecting the Morningstar. It is one of eleven possible results, so a Gold Chest can give you a Medkit or a Cultist Gem instead.
- Ignoring the Diamond Chest. It gives 5 Diamonds, the biggest single Diamond payout among the chests.
- Hunting Cold Chests. Their loot is mostly utility.
- Forgetting the Iron Chest's Rifle. It is the chest that makes the Rifle line possible without a Pelt Trader trade.
FAQ
Which chest has the Tactical Shotgun?
The Ruby Chest, found in the Cultist Stronghold. It can also appear as a Workshop recipe.
Can I craft a chest?
Yes. The Obsidiron Chest is built from a blueprint during the Meteor event.
Which chest is best early?
Common and Good Chests give the Good Sack, Revolver and Bandages in the first days.
Does the Jungle Chest always drop the Poison Claws?
No. The wiki says the Claws are not a guaranteed drop.
