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Jul 29, 2023

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

There are some tame, friendly critters in Tears of the Kingdom's Faron region, and they will happily take some luminous stones in exchange for gems. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has a

There are some tame, friendly critters in Tears of the Kingdom's Faron region, and they will happily take some luminous stones in exchange for gems.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has a whole range of new critters for Link to meet. They range from the friendly Forge and Steward Constructs to the massively vicious Gloom Hands. There is also a new species of animal out in the wild for players to meet called a Dondon, and these massive, ox-like creatures can help Link get his hands on some very precious gems. These amazing animals can turn luminous stone into things like diamonds, Tears of the Kingdom's new ore called zoanite, amber, opals, and more.

Updated August 11th, 2023: If players explore every nook and cranny of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, they make come across strange creatures called Dondons. These large beasts seem pretty inconspicuous, but they are incredibly useful for those looking to pocket rare gemstones. Finding the Dondons in TOTK can be a bit difficult in its own right and players may find themselves confused on how exactly the Dondons work in Tears of the Kingdom. To better showcase what players should do when they discover the TOTK Dondons, the following guide has been updated with a video.

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If players have chatted with Penn the Pelican Rito at the Lakeside Stable in Tears of the Kingdom, they may have received the quest to check out some creatures nearby. Lakeside Stable (1552, -3519, 0060) is located just north of the Joju-u-u Shrine (1513, -3577, 0142). When Link chats with Penn about the news-worthy happenings in the stable, he says the stable-dwellers have been nervous about the new creatures that have made their home on the other side of the lake.

However, if Link heads across the lake, he'll find some docile glowing ox-like creatures that the NPC there calls Dondons. She says that she fed them some luminous stones and some gems appeared later. If players also want to turn their luminous stones into gems in Tears of the Kingdom, all they will need to do is feed them to the Dondons and give it some time.

First, players will need to hold the luminous stones in Link's hands, similar to when they are planning on cooking up some good Tears of the Kingdom food recipes. Press the + button to open the menu, then hit L or R until the Materials menu is visible. Scroll down to the stones, then press X. Press A until Link has his arms full of luminous stones, then press B to exit the menu. Press A to drop the stones.

Each Dondon can hold up to 5 luminous stones in their bellies at once. Then, players just have to wait. Usually, it's best to go wander around for a couple of in-game days before returning; however, if players are impatient, they can rest by the convenient cooking fire near the Dondons for a few days. The gems will be on the ground near where players fed the Dondons before. In exchange for the five luminous stones, players can get one of the following:

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for Nintendo Switch.

Mina has been devoted to playing video games for more than 30 years. She loves Magic: the Gathering, writing, reading, cats, board games, long walks, her PS5, and her local LGS. She lives in Richmond, VA, USA with her husband and fur-child Kaalia.