Livestock in Crimson Desert can't just be hacked down with a sword the way wild deer or boars can. Farm animals near settlements are classified as owned property, which means the game treats any interaction with them as theft. You need to steal the animal first, get clear of witnesses, and only then can you actually kill it. The whole mechanic feeds directly into the side quest known as Ben's Request, which specifically asks you to slaughter a sheep.
Quick answer: Buy a Thief's Mask from Grimrak (10 copper, south of Hernand Church), equip it, steal a sheep, carry it away from NPCs, drop it, then shoot it with a bow and arrow.
Buy the Thief's Mask from Grimrak
The entire livestock mechanic is gated behind one item — the Thief's Mask. Without it equipped, you won't even see a "Steal" prompt when you walk up to a sheep or goat. The mask costs 10 copper and is sold by a black market vendor named Grimrak. He's located near the lower cliffs just south of Hernand Church. There are two dealers in that area; Grimrak is the back-alley one. Masks can also drop from defeated bandits if you'd rather not spend the copper.
A second NPC in the same area, Edmond, operates the Livestock Black Market. He'll buy stolen animals off you if you'd rather sell them alive instead of slaughtering them — more on that below.
Steal the livestock without getting caught
Step 1: Equip the Thief's Mask from your inventory. With it on, approach any owned sheep or goat near farmland. The interaction prompt will change from the normal option to "Steal."
Step 2: Pick up the animal. The moment you do, a red circle and a Theft alert meter appear around your character. Any NPC who enters this circle or spots you carrying the animal will investigate, and if they confirm the theft, you'll get a bounty placed on you.
Step 3: Move away from the farm area as quickly as possible. The safest approach is to wait until nearby NPCs have wandered away from the animal before you grab it, then immediately head in the opposite direction. If no one sees you, the alert meter drops on its own, and you're in the clear.
Drop and kill the animal
Once you're safely away from any witnesses, set the animal down on the ground. This is the step that trips up most players: you cannot kill a livestock animal while carrying it. There's no slaughter prompt while it's in your hands. The kill option only becomes available after the animal has been dropped.
Step 1: Drop the animal on the ground.
Step 2: Equip your bow by pressing Q on PC. Aim at the animal normally, or press Tab for precision aim, which gives you a slight zoom for better accuracy. Fire with the left mouse button on PC, or the dedicated shoot button on console. One or two arrows should do it.
Step 3: Once the animal is dead, interact with the corpse to skin it. You'll receive meat and crafting materials — typically 3 to 4 meat per animal.
Melee weapons also work as an alternative once the animal is on the ground, so you're not strictly locked into using a bow. The result is the same either way.
Completing Ben's Request
Ben's Request is a side mission that specifically requires you to steal a sheep and then slaughter it. There is no alternative path to finish this quest — you can't buy meat from a vendor and turn it in, and you can't substitute a different animal. It must be a sheep, and it must be stolen and killed through the process described above.
You'll know the quest is complete when the objective updates after skinning the sheep. If the quest tracker doesn't advance, double-check that you stole the sheep (rather than finding a wild one) and that you used the Thief's Mask during the theft.
Sell or slaughter — what's more valuable?
You have two options with any stolen livestock, and which one makes more sense depends on what you need at the time.
| Option | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Sell alive to Edmond | More copper per animal | Making money early on |
| Kill and skin | 3–4 meat plus materials | Healing supplies, pet food, Ben's Request |
Meat serves two important purposes in Crimson Desert. It's a healing consumable that can be eaten during combat as many times as needed, making it valuable before tough boss fights where Palmar Pills might run out. It's also required to feed your pets. Killing livestock yourself saves you from having to buy meat at the vendor in Hernand Town.
Other ways to hunt animals efficiently
The bow-and-arrow method works for both stolen livestock and wild animals, but a few other tools are worth knowing about for general hunting runs. Poison arrows are particularly effective — they take down deer and other wildlife quickly, even in groups, and they don't reduce the quality of the meat you harvest. Once your horse reaches a high enough level, horseback kicks also become a viable kill method for smaller animals in the open world.
For Ben's Request specifically, though, the standard bow is all you need. Steal the sheep, get clear, drop it, and put an arrow in it. The quest updates immediately after you skin the animal, and you'll have a fresh supply of meat for the road ahead.