The Dino Kid event turns one of the missing children into a survivor you raise across a full run. You pull him out of a guarded dungeon, keep him fed and happy each night, hunt down his lost belongings, and eventually survive a brutal Cultist raid triggered once you find everything he owns. Doing all of it unlocks six badges and gives you a helper who chops trees for your base on his own.
Quick answer: Clear the Alpha Wolves at Dino Kid’s dungeon, unlock it with the red key, carry him to a tent beside your campfire, and pick Befriend. From there, feed him every night, return his Lunchbox, Yo-Yo, Crayon, and Plush, and fix his mood whenever he turns sad to reach Level 5.
Dino Kid event window and where it runs
The Dino Kid update is live inside 99 Nights in the Forest and runs from Saturday, July 11 at 5:00 PM through Saturday, July 25 at 9:00 AM. It is a Dino Kid focused patch built around caring for him in exchange for his help, with a handful of extra challenges layered on top. You can jump straight in from the official Roblox game page.
How to rescue Dino Kid and start the event
Three ways to level up Dino Kid
Dino Kid gains EXP from three separate activities. You raise his level by feeding him well, returning his trinkets, and responding whenever his mood drops. Level 5 is the target for the Babysitting badge.
Feeding for steady EXP
Food is the main EXP source. His hunger bar drains over time, and you drag food next to him and press E to feed when the bar has room. Feeding a full bar does nothing and grants no EXP, so time it for when he is actually hungry. Better food returns more EXP per feed.
| Food | EXP per feed |
|---|---|
| Small food (Cooked Morsel, etc.) | 15–20 XP |
| Cooked Steak | Up to 50 XP |
| Stew | Up to 70 XP |
Tip: Build a Crock Pot and cook Stew once your camp is stable. Stew gives the highest return of any food, so it stacks feeding EXP faster than anything else.
Returning his lost trinkets
Four of Dino Kid’s belongings are hidden across the map. The bench tracker drops clue markers onto your map, and the search circle shrinks as you upgrade your campfire, so each hint gets more precise over time. Hand each item back to him for a large EXP payout.
| Trinket | EXP reward | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lunchbox | 100 XP | Found in a cabin near an early clue area. |
| Yo-Yo | 150 XP | Often tucked inside outbuildings in the swamp region. |
| Crayon | 350 XP | Hardest to reach; tends to sit inside the military base. |
| Plush | 750 XP | Locked in a cage in a new map area and needs Cultist Gems to unlock. |
Note: The Plush is the last trinket and the one that sets off the event’s biggest fight. Do not grab it until your camp is ready for a raid.
Handling his mood and needs
Dino Kid’s mood shifts during a run. When he turns sad, open his status to see the problem and fix it. Each solved need pays EXP and keeps his mood stable, which matters for the night-count badges.
| Problem | Fix | EXP reward |
|---|---|---|
| Too cold | Expand the campfire’s range to cover his tent | +100–150 XP |
| Needs sleep | Make his bed in the tent | +100–150 XP |
| Injured | Use a Bandage to heal him | +100–150 XP |
The final Cultist raid from taking the Plush
Freeing the Plush from its cage triggers a mega Cultist attack the following night, and it is the hardest combat encounter in the event. The raid comes in three waves under a time limit. When you open the cage, you choose the difficulty by paying with gems, and the difficulty decides how punishing the next night becomes.
| Difficulty | Cost to take the Plush |
|---|---|
| Normal | 1 Cultist Gem |
| Hard | 3 Cultist Gems |
| Challenge | 3 Cultist Gems and 1 Gem of the Forest |
Survive the raid on the hardest difficulty and you earn a Gem of the Forest and 3 Cultist Gems. You will know it worked when the attack notification confirms you were raided and the waves end without Dino Kid being lost.
What leveling Dino Kid gets you
Leveling him does not hand you a direct item. The payoff is passive labor. As his level climbs, Dino Kid starts cutting down nearby trees and collecting logs on his own, which eases resource pressure during the long late-game nights. The one-time combat prize, the Gem of the Forest and three Cultist Gems, comes from clearing that final raid rather than from his level.
Every Dino Kid badge and how to earn it
Six badges are tied to the event, tracked from the badge board by Dino Dad’s desk in the lobby. Three of them count protected nights, and a night only counts if Dino Kid is in a good mood, so keep him fed, rested, and warm.
| Badge | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Playtime | Give Dino Kid 10 different items that trigger unique interactions |
| Babysitting | Reach Dino Kid Level 5 |
| Warding | Survive the hardest Cultist attack after finding all four trinkets |
| Dino Kid Tape 1 | Keep him protected for 5 nights (unhappy nights don’t count) |
| Dino Kid Tape 2 | Keep him protected for 25 nights (unhappy nights don’t count) |
| Dino Kid Tape 3 | Keep him protected for 60 nights (unhappy nights don’t count) |
Note: If Dino Kid is unhappy when night falls, that night is skipped for the Tape badges, so the mood fixes above are what actually protect your progress toward 5, 25, and 60 nights.
Grab him early with a ranged weapon in hand, keep a Crock Pot running for Stew, and hold the Plush until your defenses can handle three waves. Do that and every badge, plus the Gem of the Forest reward, falls into place across a single strong run.
