You’re wandering around Akkala, maybe near the East Akkala Stable, and you notice a guy named Nobo hanging out by a cooking pot. She looks a bit worried. If you talk to her, she’ll mention someone she calls a shady customer in Breath of the Wild who’s been spotted around the area. This isn't just a random bit of NPC flavor text. It’s the start of a Side Quest that actually introduces you to one of the most useful shops in the entire game. Honestly, if you haven’t found Kilton yet, you’re missing out on some of the best gear for avoiding unnecessary fights with Moblins or Lynels.
Most players stumble into this quest by accident. You might be looking for a shrine or just trying to reach the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab when Nobo brings up this mysterious figure. He’s got a weird cart. He only shows up at night. He looks like a monster, but he’s not? It sounds like a creepypasta, but it’s just Kilton, the proprietor of Fang and Bone.
Finding him is the first hurdle. He doesn't just hang out on the side of the road like Beetle.
Where Exactly is the Shady Customer in Breath of the Wild?
The game gives you a hint: Skull Lake. If you look at your map in the northern part of Akkala, you’ll see a lake shaped exactly like a skull. It’s not subtle. There are two "eyes" in the lake. One is a tall pillar with a shrine on top (Zuna Kai Shrine), and the other is a lower patch of land. That’s where he is.
But here’s the kicker. He only appears at night.
If you get there during the day, the island is empty. You’ll just see some crows and some spooky scenery. You have to wait until at least 9:00 PM for his patchwork balloon shop to spawn. It’s a colorful, weird-looking thing that looks like it was stitched together from old rags. When you finally talk to him, he’s a bit... eccentric. He loves monsters. Like, really loves them. He wants to study them, and he needs your help to do it. This meeting officially closes out the quest "A Shady Customer," but it’s actually just the beginning of your relationship with Kilton.
After this first encounter, he tells you he’s moving on. He says he needs to find a more "populated" area to do business. This confuses people. They go back to Skull Lake the next night and he’s gone. Did he glitch? No. He’s just started his world tour. From this point forward, Kilton will appear on the outskirts of almost every major town in Hyrule, but again, only at night. You can find him outside Kakariko Village, Hateno Village, Lurelin Village, Zora's Domain, Gerudo Town, Rito Village, and even Lake Kolomo. He’s usually tucked away in a corner just outside the main gate or under a bridge.
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Mon: The Currency of the Underworld
Kilton doesn't take Rupees. He thinks they’re boring. He deals exclusively in Mon.
To get Mon, you have to trade him monster parts. This is basically the game’s way of giving you a use for those hundreds of Bokoblin Horns and Keese Wings you’ve been hoarding. Different parts have different values. A basic horn might only give you a few Mon, but if you’re brave enough to farm Lynel Guts or Giant Ancient Cores, you can rack up thousands of Mon very quickly.
It’s a smart system. Early in the game, you’re desperate for Rupees to buy armor. By the mid-to-late game, you have plenty of cash but nothing to do with your monster loot. Kilton solves that. He offers a specific inventory that expands as you defeat more Divine Beasts.
- The Monster Masks: These are the highlights. He sells masks for Bokoblins, Mobs, Lizalfos, and even Lynels. When you wear one, the corresponding monster type won't attack you. They’ll just sniff you and follow you around like you’re one of the gang. It’s hilarious and incredibly useful for sneaking through camps.
- The Dark Armor Set: If you want to look like Dark Link, this is where you get it. It doesn’t just look cool; it gives you a Night Speed Up bonus, which is great for exploring the map quickly when the sun goes down.
- Monster Bridle and Saddle: Purely cosmetic for your horse, but they look metal as hell.
- The Spring-Loaded Hammer: A weird weapon that has high knockback. It’s not great for damage, but it’s fun for launching enemies off cliffs.
- Monster Extract: A cooking ingredient that randomizes the duration or strength of your dishes. It’s a gamble, but it can lead to some of the longest-lasting buffs in the game.
Why Finding the Shady Customer Matters for Completionists
If you’re a 100% runner, Kilton is your best friend. Once you’ve defeated Ganon at least once, Kilton offers a new challenge: Medals of Honor.
He wants you to kill every "Giant" monster in Hyrule. This means every Hinox, every Stone Talus, and every Molduga. He doesn't care about Lynels (strangely), but he tracks the rest. When you talk to him after beating the game, he’ll tell you how many you have left. Once you clear a category, he gives you a medal. It doesn't give you any stats, but it’s the ultimate bragging right.
Most people struggle with the Stone Taluses because they are tucked away in weird corners of the map. There are 40 Hinox, 40 Taluses, and 4 Molduga. It’s a grind. But seeing that "★ Defeated" tag next to a boss’s health bar for the first time is a great feeling.
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Strategy for Farming Mon Fast
Don't trade your rare stuff first. Keep your Lynel parts for upgrading your armor sets at the Great Fairy Fountains. Instead, trade in the common stuff you have in massive quantities.
If you spend any time in the Hebra mountains or the Gerudo Highlands, you’ll end up with a stack of 99+ Keese Wings or ChuChu Jelly. These add up. However, the real "pro tip" for Mon farming is hunting Guardians. Ancient parts sell for a decent amount of Mon, and if you’ve mastered the art of parrying their lasers or using Ancient Arrows, you can farm them around Hyrule Field very efficiently.
Actually, the best bang for your buck is probably Dragon Parts. If you farm Shards of Farosh’s Horn at Riola Spring, you can get dozens of them in minutes. Kilton pays out a lot of Mon for dragon scales and horns. Since you can force Farosh to spawn by sitting at a campfire, it’s the fastest "legal" way to get enough Mon to buy the entire Dark Link set in one go.
Common Misconceptions About Kilton
People often think Kilton is a monster himself because of his grey skin and weird eyes. He’s actually just an obsessed Hylian. He’s a fanboy. He’s the guy at the convention who spent way too much time on his cosplay. His "shop" is literally a hot air balloon made of monster parts and rags.
Another thing: people worry they've "missed" him if they don't do the quest early. You can't. Even if you never talk to Nobo, Kilton will still be at Skull Lake. The quest is just there to point you in the right direction. If you’ve already found him and talked to him, talking to Nobo later will immediately finish the quest.
Also, his shop inventory is tied to your progress. If you go to him right after leaving the Great Plateau, he won't have much. You need to take down the Divine Beasts to unlock the good stuff, like the Lynel Mask and the Dark Hood.
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Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re starting a new save or finally getting around to this quest, here’s the most efficient way to handle it:
- Activate the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab first. It’s right near Skull Lake, so you’ll have a fast travel point.
- Wait until nightfall (9:00 PM). You can sit at a campfire to speed this up.
- Glide down from the Tech Lab or the surrounding cliffs to the left "eye" of the skull.
- Talk to Kilton. Exhaust his dialogue until he disappears.
- Go to any major town at night. Look for his glowing purple balloon on the outskirts.
- Trade in your excess Bokoblin parts. Grab the Bokoblin Mask immediately. It makes navigating the early game so much easier because you can just walk into a camp and steal the treasure without a fight.
Honestly, the "shady customer" adds a lot of personality to the game. Breath of the Wild can feel lonely sometimes, just you and the wilderness. Having a weirdo in a balloon who thinks monsters are "adorable" is a nice break from the high-stakes drama of saving Princess Zelda.
Just remember to check your inventory before you sell everything to him. You don't want to realize you traded away the guts you needed for that final armor upgrade. Mon is a one-way street; once you trade those parts, you aren't getting them back. But for a chance to run around looking like a shadow or wearing a giant Lizalfos head, it’s usually worth the price.
If you’re struggling to find him at a specific town, check the high ground nearby. In Kakariko, he’s up on a ridge. In Zora’s Domain, he’s tucked under one of the bridges leading to the city. He likes his privacy, but once you know his patterns, he's easy to track down.
Go find him. Trade some guts. Get that mask. It changes how you play the game when you realize you can just hang out with a group of Moblins and they think you’re their new best friend. It’s one of those "only in Zelda" experiences that makes the world feel alive.
To finish this off, make sure you've talked to Nobo at the East Akkala Stable after meeting Kilton. Even though you’ve found the "shady customer," the game won't mark the quest as complete in your log until you report back to her. She’ll give you a Silver Rupee (100 Rupees) for your trouble, which is a nice little bonus on top of unlocking the best secret shop in Hyrule. It's a simple task, but in a game this big, these small interactions are what build the legend. Stop overthinking the map markers and just head for the skull; the rewards are more than worth the trek.
Next Steps for Players:
- Check your map for Skull Lake in North Akkala.
- Bring at least 20-30 monster parts to your first meeting to get a head start on Mon.
- Focus on unlocking the Bokoblin and Lynel masks first for the highest utility.
- Remember to visit him only after 9:00 PM in-game time.