Mysterious creatures wander the caves of Hyrule, munching on luminous stones and leaving behind something far more valuable. Here’s how Dondons quietly turn your spare minerals into a steady supply of precious gemstones in Tears of the Kingdom.
You find the dondons as part of the “Potential Princess Sightings” quest, “The Beast and the Princess,” but the quest doesn’t really tell you what they do. Zelda is known to have saved these beasts, providing sanctuary for them, but they actually do have a use: They can give you gemstones, like diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.
You can’t ride them, sadly, but you can feed them luminous stones. We describe the process below.
Where to find the dondons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Dondons reside across the chasm from Lakeside Stable in the Faron region at coordinates 1562, -3354, 0059. Glide down from the stable to reach their pen on the outcropping below, near Joju-u-u Shrine. A group of five gathers there, perfect for feeding Luminous Stones.
The dondons are at a sanctuary directly north of Lakeside Stable. You can glide straight to where they are from Joju-u-u Shrine, if you look for the caretaker’s cooking pot in the distance. (Admittedly it’s kind of hard to see due to the murky fog around the area, but if you glide north, it’ll pop in.)
How to use dondons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Feed Dondons luminous stones by opening the materials menu with +, selecting up to five stones with X and A, then dropping them in front of a Dondon with A. Watch the creature eat each one before leaving the area for about 10 minutes or a few in-game days. Return to collect random gems like amber, opal, ruby, sapphire, or diamond that appear on the ground near the sanctuary north of Lakeside Stable.
If you have lots of luminous stone, you can feed dondons these stones and in return, they’ll poop out some gemstones. Based on some of our tests, you can get flint, amber, opal, topaz, sapphires, rubies, and diamonds, but it’s all up to your own luck. This isn’t a super solid way to grab gemstones, but since it takes time, you may as well test your luck if you have tons of luminous stones.
Before you dump all your luminous stones into dondons, note that you do need a ton of them to upgrade Radiant Armor, if you’re planning on doing that.
Feed the dondons by doing the following:
- Place a luminous stone in front of the dondon you want to feed.
- Watch as the dondon eats the stone.
- Leave the area. (You can go do something else, but they won’t poop in front of you.)
- After approximately 10 minutes, come back.
- Collect your loot, which will be around the dondon sanctuary, but not necessarily exactly where the dondon was when you left.
- Repeat as desired.
Best locations to find luminous stones fast
Luminous stones in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are essential for Dondon gem farming and can be gathered quickly from sky islands, caves, and specific surface areas near mountains.
Top Sky Island Spots
Sky islands offer dense clusters for fast farming. Key locations include South Hyrule Sky Archipelago at -1456, -1566, 1221; North Necluda Skies at 1918, -1064, 0961; and Sokkala Sky Archipelago at 4519, 2089, 1423, where entire islands consist of luminous stone deposits.
Cave and Surface Areas
Caves near mountains, hills, and mines contain numerous deposits-break rocks with blunt weapons or bombs and follow Blupees to entrances. Upland Zorana northwest of Zora’s Domain and areas around hot springs in Death Mountain (Lake Ferona, Lake Intenoch) yield high amounts.
Farming Tips
Use the Purah Pad’s material tracker, visit at night for glow visibility, and strike deposits repeatedly for multiple stones. Sky islands respawn after blood moons, making repeated runs efficient for bulk collection.
Best sky islands with dense luminous stone deposits
South Hyrule Sky Archipelago stands out as the top sky island for dense luminous stone deposits, located at approximately -1456, -1566, 1221. This small island is nearly covered in glowing deposits, allowing players to harvest 10-15 stones quickly by striking them with a blunt weapon or bomb.
North Necluda Sky Archipelago offers another high-yield spot at 1918, -1064, 0961 (note: some sources list as -1918 for precision). The high eastern island here features extensive clusters, accessible via Sahasra Slope Skyview Tower-rotate the platform wheel to launch toward it, and expect additional minerals like diamonds alongside luminous stones.
Sokkala Sky Archipelago provides a third excellent option around 4519, 2089, 1423, with a full island of deposits east of the main area. Use nearby shrines like Josiu Shrine for fast travel, and revisit post-Blood Moon for respawns.
