99 Nights in the Forest: All Missing Kids Locations

Where Are the Missing Kids in 99 Nights in the Forest?

The four missing kids in 99 Nights in the Forest — Dino Kid, Squid Kid, Koala Kid, and Kraken Kid — are held in four distinct corners of the map: a clearing near the starting forest, an eastern lake area, the high canopy of the ancient grove, and a deep cave guarded by The Deer. Rescuing all four is the main objective of the game, and each rescue is gated behind campfire upgrades, so you can't reach them all early no matter how brave you are.

This page is a locations-first companion to our main missing kids guide: that page covers the full rescue mechanics and story context, while here we focus on exactly where each child is held, how to read the landmarks, what each rescue rewards, and what finishing the set does for your run.

The Four Kids at a Glance

Two structural facts worth memorizing:

• Dino Kid is always first. The rescue is a tutorial: short walk, single guard, simple cage.
• Kraken Kid is always last. The cave to the final child effectively requires all other rescues done — the Koala Kid's reward literally hands you the map fragment you need to find the entrance.

Dino Kid: Location and Landmarks

Zone: the first clearing past the starting forest's edge — reachable as soon as your campfire hits Level 2.

How to navigate there:

• Leave your camp heading northeast and watch for a large fallen log — that's your first landmark
• Follow the stream north from the log; the walk is only a few minutes
• The clearing with dinosaur bone decorations marks the site; the cage sits in its center with a single Deer minion standing guard

The area is deliberately gentle: one guard, no environmental hazards, and a visible return path. Fight or avoid the minion, cut the cage ropes, and walk the kid home. If you can't find the clearing, you're either past your campfire's safe exploration radius (upgrade the fire first) or you missed the fallen-log landmark and drifted off the stream.

Reward: a small starter reward (herbs) and, more importantly, a shortcut back toward camp — which upgrades your entire early-game economy for the rest of the run.

Squid Kid: Location and Landmarks

Zone: the eastern section of the forest, at the lake — a water-adjacent area that punishes players who arrive without rope.

How to navigate there:

• From Dino Kid's clearing, continue east until you hear running water
• The lake is fronted by a fallen tree forming a natural bridge — bring rope to stabilize the crossing
• The cage is on the small island at the center of the lake, partially reachable through a flooded approach

Water is the whole gimmick of this rescue. Plan the crossing in daylight, keep dry gear in mind, and don't attempt it at dusk — swimming or bridging in low light is how players lose escorts. Squid Kid's zone pairs naturally with a fishing route: the lake is one of the better fishing spots on the map, so bring your rod and make the trip pay double. Our fishing guide covers the setup.

Reward: a water-breathing trinket — a permanent exploration upgrade that makes every later water crossing and flooded area trivial, which is why this rescue comes second in the optimal order.

Koala Kid: Location and Landmarks

Zone: the ancient grove to the southwest, high in the canopy — the vertical rescue.

How to navigate there:

• Head southwest from camp until you reach the ancient grove — older, thicker trees than the starting forest
• Look for the tallest tree with a spiral pattern on its bark; that's the climb
• The route up needs rope anchors at each branch level (bring at least four), and passes several platforming sections with falling-branch hazards
• The canopy nest at the top holds the cage, bound with vines you cut open

Do this one in full daylight. Climbing at night is both mechanically harder and Deer-dangerous, and a fall from the upper platforms deals serious damage. Anchor your ropes properly on the way up — they're also your safe way down.

Reward: a map fragment marking the hidden cave entrance where Kraken Kid is held. Koala Kid is the gateway to the finale; skipping this rescue blocks your access to the last one.

Kraken Kid: Location and Landmarks

Zone: a deep cave system whose hidden entrance is revealed by the Koala Kid's map fragment — the hardest rescue and the game's climax.

How to navigate there:

1. Use the map fragment to locate the hidden cave entrance (it's concealed — you will not stumble on it by wandering)
2. Descend through three cave levels, each with denser enemies than the last
3. Clear the puzzle room guarding the final descent
4. Face The Deer in a multi-phase boss battle at the bottom
5. Break the central crystal holding Kraken Kid and escort everyone out

Prepare like it's a raid: full upgraded gear, bone armor, several first aid kits, and multiple torches. The boss fight is the exam your whole run has been studying for — learn The Deer's attack patterns and don't waste hits trading when you should be dodging. For the cave itself — general cave tactics, loot, and hazards — our cave system guide covers what to expect underground, and the bat cave guide covers the deepest well-known cave on the map.

Reward: Kraken Kid's rescue triggers the ending sequence — all four children escorted home closes the main story.

Clue Items and What They Point To

Each rescue chain feeds you items that matter beyond the moment:

The Best Rescue Order

The campfire gates make the order mostly fixed, and it happens to be optimal anyway:

1. Dino Kid — around day 2–3, immediately after your campfire hits Level 2
2. Squid Kid — day 5–7, once you can craft rope reliably; the trinket pays for itself for the rest of the run
3. Koala Kid — day 8–10, with rope stockpiled and daytime reserved for the climb
4. Kraken Kid — day 12–15 or later, with full gear; don't rush the boss

Rescue attempts should start at dawn, every time. A full daylight budget is the difference between a calm escort home and a panicked night fight far from your fire. And based on community reports, The Deer grows more aggressive as your rescue count rises — after each rescue, expect it to investigate the empty cage, so finish the escort promptly.

What Rescuing All Kids Does for Your Run

Completing the set is the game's true objective, and its effects ripple backward into the rest of your run:

• Story: the ending sequence plays, resolving the mystery of The Deer and the curse on the forest
• Ending quality: how prepared (and how alive) you are at the finale shapes the outcome covered in our ending guide
• Practical economy: the shortcut, trinket, and unlocked territory make your final nights dramatically easier to supply
• Completion: the rescue questline is the spine of the game's quest structure — see the quests guide for how it fits with side quests

If your goal is simply surviving to night 99, the kids still matter: their rewards remove the biggest mobility and supply bottlenecks of the mid and late game.

Common Location Mistakes

Frequently Asked Questions

How many missing kids are there?

Four: Dino Kid, Squid Kid, Koala Kid, and Kraken Kid. All four rescues together form the main quest of the game.

Which kid is the easiest to rescue?

Dino Kid by a wide margin — the closest zone, the lightest guard, and the lowest campfire requirement (Level 2).

Can you rescue kids out of order?

Not meaningfully. Campfire levels gate the zones in sequence, and the map fragment from Koala Kid is required to find Kraken Kid's cave. The intended order is the only practical order.

What happens when all kids are rescued?

You escort all four children back to camp, which triggers the ending sequence and concludes the main story. The full outcome breakdown is in the ending guide.

Do the kids stay at your camp afterward?

Based on community reports, rescued children remain at your camp as the story progresses to the finale. They're the reason the run exists — keeping them alive to the ending is part of the deal.

Related Guides

Go deeper with the missing kids guide for full rescue mechanics and the story behind the abductions, the quests guide for every other questline in the forest, and the map guide to pin every landmark on this page.