Don’t know how to use Luminous Stones? Neither did we, until we found one of the most mysterious creatures in Hyrule.
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hints at a secret use for Luminous Stones as you play. Notes on the loading screen will suggest someone (or something) wants Luminous Stones — which you’ll find plenty of as you play through the story, especially in the deep underground. Any glowing mineral deposits in caves or in the Depths will spawn Luminous Stones, and after 50+ hours, you’ll have a huge stack of them while hunting down Zonaite.
So what are Luminous Stones actually for? The answer is surprising. It isn’t a person that wants Luminous Stones, but a herd of strange creatures called Dondons. These walking manatees with glowing horns love to eat Luminous Stones. Seriously. Learn all about these exotic animals in the full guide below.
More Tears of the Kingdom guides:
All Shrine Locations & Solutions | All Skyview Towers Locations & Solutions | Best Healing Item Location | Rupee Farming Methods | Arrow & Bomb Farming Methods Zonaite Farming Methods | How To Get Cold Protection | How To Respec | How To Unlock Autobuild & Camera | How To Upgrade Armor | Great Fairy Locations | How To Upgrade Horses | Horse God Location | How To Unlock The Dream Home Plot | How To Easily Find Bubbul Gems | How To Unlock Gerudo Secret Club | Gleeok Boss Tips | Giant Horse Location | Hylian Shield Location | Glide Suit Locations | All Purah Pad Upgrades | All Misko’s Treasure Locations | All Divine Beast Mask Locations | Gloom-borne Illness Quest Guide
Where To Find Dondons & Get Gems
Dondons are strange creatures only found in the Faron Region. In this southeast jungle, you’ll find the Lakeside Stable to the west of Lake Floria and north of Ubola Point. From this stable, look across the cliffs to spot a strange grazing ground — you can talk to the old man NPC near the ledge and he’ll direct you toward this stable.
- Dondon Location: Bronas Forest, Faron – Near the cliffs on the southern edge of Bronas Forest in the Faron region. This forest is directly north of the Lakeside Stable, the horse stable of Faron.
At the small grazing spot, you’ll find five Dondons. These are strange luminescent creatures with glowing horns — they’re a little like gentler bulls. They won’t attack you, so don’t try to attack them!
Talk to the NPC at the stable. She’ll introduce you to Dondons but won’t tell you what they’re for. Instead, you need to examine the pile of gems in her tent. Trying to collect any of the gems, and she’ll explain that the Dondons are able to create gems.
- How To Create Gems: To create gems, go into your inventory and select Luminous Stones.
- Drop the stones on the ground near a Dondon. They will glow and approach the gems, consuming them. Make sure to place the pile of gems just a little bit away from their mouth so they can easily maneuver toward their favorite food.
- It takes a moment, but the Dondons will consume the Luminous Stones. After some time, they’ll then generate a random gem.
NOTE: You must leave and come back later to receive gems. They won’t appear if you’re nearby! The more Luminous Stones you feed them, the better the results. The gems will appear in the grazing field. Check back after about 24~ in-game hours.
Dondons can create Zonaite, Flint, Sapphire, Ruby, Opal and Diamond. In our testing, each Dondon can eat about 5 Luminous Stones. Doing this will spawn gems of every type — including Diamonds. The fewer stones you fed them, the worse the results. Feeding only one Luminous Stone can commonly result in only Flint drops. Feed all five stones and you can get some pretty great gem trades.
What else are Luminous Stones for?: Luminous Stones are also important for upgrading the Radiant Set — a set of glowing armor you can purchase from the Armor Shop in Kakariko Village. Luminous Stones can be traded to the Great Fairy for defense upgrades. Very important if you want to use that set.
