99 Nights in the Forest Dino Kid Guide: How to Rescue, Level Up, Unlock Badges, and Earn Rewards

The Dino Kid update introduces one of the biggest side events in 99 Nights in the Forest, adding a brand-new survivor with unique progression mechanics. Instead of simply rescuing another NPC, you’ll need to take care of Dino Kid over multiple nights by feeding him, recovering his lost belongings, and making sure he stays healthy and happy.

As Dino Kid levels up, he becomes a valuable helper around your camp, and completing his storyline unlocks several exclusive badges along with a challenging Cultist encounter that rewards rare materials. This guide explains everything you need to know to complete the Dino Kid event from start to finish.

• Also check out our 99 Nights in the Forest Codes for more rewards!

How to Start the Dino Kid Event

Before you can recruit Dino Kid, you’ll first need to locate him. At the beginning of a new game, examine the investigation board near your campfire. A new clue system has been added that tracks Dino Kid’s whereabouts and eventually reveals the locations of his missing belongings throughout the forest.

The first clue leads you to a special dungeon where Dino Kid is being held captive. Unlike the standard rescue missions, this dungeon is guarded by powerful Alpha Wolves. Clear every enemy before attempting the rescue to avoid being overwhelmed.

Once the area is safe, use the Red Key to unlock the dungeon door and free Dino Kid. After escorting him back to your base, assign him to a tent near your campfire. Speak with him and choose the Befriend option to officially begin his event progression.

How to Level Up Dino Kid

Unlike many progression systems, leveling Dino Kid doesn’t immediately reward you with equipment or crafting materials. Instead, he gradually becomes more useful around your base. After reaching Level 5, Dino Kid begins helping with resource gathering by automatically chopping nearby trees and collecting logs for your camp. This passive assistance becomes especially valuable during the later nights when gathering wood manually becomes more dangerous and time-consuming.

His automatic resource collection makes maintaining defenses much easier during extended survival runs. Dino Kid gains experience in several different ways. To reach the maximum level efficiently, you’ll want to combine all available methods instead of relying on just one.

1. Feed Him Regularly

The easiest way to earn experience is by keeping Dino Kid well-fed. His hunger meter slowly decreases over time, and you’ll only receive experience when feeding him after his hunger has dropped. Attempting to feed him while he’s already full won’t provide any EXP, so wait until he actually needs food. Different meals reward different amounts of experience.

• Cooked Morsel and other small meals 15–20 EXP
• Cooked Steak Up to 50 EXP
• Stew Up to 70 EXP

Stew provides the highest feeding experience in the game, making it the best long-term option. Once your camp is stable, building a Crock Pot and preparing Stew consistently will greatly speed up Dino Kid’s leveling process.

2. Recover Dino Kid’s Lost Trinkets

Another major source of experience comes from returning Dino Kid’s missing belongings. As you continue progressing, your clue board will begin marking approximate search areas on the map. Improving your campfire also narrows the search radius, making each item easier to locate. There are four trinkets hidden throughout the forest.

• Lunchbox 100 EXP
• Yo-Yo 150 EXP
• Crayon 350 EXP
• Plush 750 EXP

The later collectibles become increasingly difficult to obtain. The Crayon often appears inside dangerous locations such as the military base, while the Plush is locked inside a cage in a newly added area. Opening that cage requires Cultist Gems, so expect to complete additional objectives before obtaining the final trinket.

3. Keep Dino Kid Happy

Besides food and collectibles, Dino Kid occasionally requires your attention throughout the run. If he becomes unhappy, interact with him to discover what’s bothering him and resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Every completed request grants additional experience while also maintaining his overall mood. Some of the most common needs include:

• Warming him by extending the campfire’s range
• Letting him rest by making his bed
• Healing injuries with a Bandage

Each completed request rewards roughly 100 to 150 EXP. Keeping Dino Kid happy is also important because unhappy nights do not count toward several event badge requirements.

Triggering the Final Cultist Battle

Collecting every lost trinket does more than simply award experience. After returning all four items, you’ll trigger the event’s hardest Cultist assault. This battle is significantly more difficult than standard enemy waves, so make sure your camp is properly defended before activating it. Successfully surviving the attack rewards you with several valuable materials:

• Gem of the Forest
• 3 Cultist Gems

These items are useful for later progression and make the challenging encounter well worth completing.

Every Dino Kid Badge and How to Unlock Them

The Dino Kid update includes six collectible badges that can be tracked from the badge board near Dino Dad’s desk in the lobby.

• Playtime Give Dino Kid ten different items that trigger unique interactions. Experiment with various objects you collect throughout your adventure to unlock this badge.
• Babysitting Raise Dino Kid to Level 5. This is one of the easiest badges to obtain if you consistently feed him, recover his lost trinkets, and take care of his needs during your playthrough.
• Warding Complete the toughest Cultist attack that appears after returning all four lost trinkets. Preparing your defenses beforehand is highly recommended since this is considered the most difficult battle tied to the event.
• Dino Kid Tape 1 Keep Dino Kid safe for five successful nights. Remember that nights where he is unhappy do not count toward your progress.
• Dino Kid Tape 2 Successfully protect Dino Kid for 25 qualifying nights while ensuring he remains happy and properly cared for throughout the event.
• Dino Kid Tape 3 Survive 60 qualifying nights with Dino Kid under your protection. Since unhappy nights reset your progress for that day, consistently feeding and caring for him is essential if you’re aiming to unlock this final badge.

Tips for Completing the Dino Kid Event Faster

Completing the event becomes much easier if you prioritize Dino Kid early instead of treating him as an optional objective.

A few strategies can save a significant amount of time:

• Rescue Dino Kid as early as possible after locating his dungeon.
• Upgrade your campfire to improve clue accuracy.
• Build a Crock Pot quickly so you can cook Stew for maximum feeding EXP.
• Check Dino Kid regularly for hunger and mood changes.
• Recover each lost trinket whenever a clue becomes available.
• Prepare strong camp defenses before collecting the final trinket since it triggers the toughest Cultist attack.
• Continue keeping Dino Kid happy if you’re working toward the Tape badges.

The Dino Kid update adds much more than another rescue mission to 99 Nights in the Forest. It introduces a companion system that rewards consistent care while providing meaningful long-term benefits for your camp. Between his automatic log gathering, collectible badges, hidden trinkets, and challenging final Cultist battle, the event offers plenty of reasons to complete every objective.

If you plan to unlock every badge and earn every reward, focus on rescuing Dino Kid early, keeping him well-fed, maintaining his happiness every night, and collecting all four of his missing trinkets before preparing for the final showdown.