Summary
Players ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhave discovered an issue with Link’s best friend. It’s one of those classicTOTKmechanics most players will never discover: give a dog treats until it turns and runs in the opposite direction, and it’ll usually lead to treasure or some other kind of secret. It’s a handy trick for finding hidden treasure, and can lead to some great rewards. As long as Link has food on hand, it can also be repeated pretty much infinitely atZelda: TOTK’s many stables.
But Reddit userBF00000ran into a problem with this strategy:even after they offered one ofTOTK’s dogs a hilariously gluttonous meal, it still didn’t lead them to any treasure. BF00000 reported giving the dog a feast fit for a king: 12 chunks of raw meat, ten of raw prime meat, five of gourmet meat, two raw bird thighs, and a whole bird. Although the dog visually responded every time, and gratefully ate all the food, it never actually got up and went looking for treasure.
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Many players sounded off in the comments of the original post,suggesting a variety of reasons why this one particular dog didn’t seem to respond to BF00000’s training. Some suggested that apples are better for getting dogs to lead Link to treasure. At the very least, they’re more plentiful than prime meat, so tossing ten of them at a disobedient dog feels like less of a waste. Another player,tazdingo91, suggested creating a Hansel-and-Gretel-esque trail of apples leading towards the cave, in an effort to get the dog to follow it. Others were quick to remind fellow players that not every dog has a secret to lead Link to - but this one is located right next to a cave full of treasure.
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But the true cause of this dog’s gluttony might go a little deeper. Commentercitrusellapointed out thatthis particular dog is actually connected to a side quest regarding the nearby treasure, and unless the player has taken the proper steps to complete it, the dog won’t respond to treats. The quest is called “Misko’s Cave of Chests,” and is unlocked by speaking to the two NPCs waiting outside Cephla Lake Cave to the north. They explain that the cave behind them is full of treasure chests, but most of them contain green rupees alone. One of them, however, hides a great treasure - it only takes the patience of a legendary hero to sort through them.
It usually takes four pieces of food to charm a dog inZelda: TOTK, but it may only take two if the player is using high-value cuts of meat.
But as it turns out, there’s a simpler solution. Once this quest has been started,if Link feeds the dog at Foothill Stable, it’ll lead him to the correct chest, no questions asked. And, as the original poster revealed in a later comment,they had already completed all three quests given by the relevant NPCs, so there was technically nothing left for the dog to lead them to. Mystery solved.
Still, it’s pretty funny to imagine dropping all this food for an ungrateful dog, hoping it’d lead to some legendary treasure, only for it to gobble everything up without a second thought. Thankfully, players can rest easy knowing this dog’s role had already been fulfilled, and it simply didn’t have anything left to dig up; their inventories full of apples in the thousands are safe, and feeding dogs to find treasure is still a valid strategy inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Sources:BF00000/Reddit,tazdingo91/Reddit,citrusella/Reddit
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the anticipated follow-up to Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. A rare occurrence in Zelda titles, Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel instead of loosely connected. In Tears of the Kingdom, Link will take to the skies and learn about a mysterious kingdom in the clouds.
