The borderlands 4 mutt quest is the most talked-about companion side mission in 1.4. It is also one of the few missions where the optional steps are genuinely worth doing — the bond ritual at the end is what gives you the permanent damage modifier. We are an unofficial fan site. This guide is verified against Patch 1.4 (2026-04-22).

Type: Side mission (companion)
Region: Stonefall Outskirts, kennels east of the river
Level range: Lv 22-26
Recommended Vault Hunter: Rafa
Estimated time: 30-40 minutes

How to start

The borderlands 4 mutt quest is offered by Bex, a wandering NPC who only spawns at the Stonefall Outskirts campfire between in-game dusk and night. If you arrive in daytime, fast-travel to a different region and come back, or wait at the campfire — the day-night cycle in 1.4 advances if you stay still. Bex hands you the leash item, which goes in your quest slot, not your inventory.

Prerequisites:

  • Story progress: completed at least 2 Sanctuary main missions
  • Level 22 minimum
  • One free quest-item slot

Step-by-step walkthrough

  1. Find Mutt’s tracks. Three trail markers along the riverbank east of the campfire. Each one triggers a short ECHO of the dog’s previous owner. Listen to all three — content is short and unlocks an optional dialogue later.
  2. The kennel raid. A group of poachers has Mutt in a fenced kennel. Six poachers, one shielded captain. Kill them all — non-lethal is not an option in this mission.
  3. Free Mutt. Interact with the kennel cage. Mutt now follows you for the rest of the mission as a temporary companion.
  4. Defend the camp. Bex’s camp is under attack on your way back. Three waves. Mutt fights alongside you and can be downed but not permanently killed.
  5. The optional bond ritual. Bex offers a 5-minute optional ritual at the campfire. Do this. It is what permanently unlocks Mutt as a summonable companion and the +10 percent pet damage relic.

Bond ritual: do not skip

The ritual sequence: place the leash on the altar, feed Mutt the Smoked Skag Jerky (acquired during stage 4), and wait through the cutscene. Skipping or interrupting this means Mutt becomes a one-time NPC and disappears after the mission. This is the single most common mistake in the borderlands 4 mutt quest.

  • Vault Hunter: Rafa, who has natural pet synergy in his action skill tree
  • Primary: Anything that handles 6+ enemies — AR or SMG
  • Shield: High-capacity, slow-recharge is fine; the fights are not sustained
  • Class mod: Pet damage / pet survivability if you plan to use Mutt long-term
  • Action skill: Crowd-clear preferred for the kennel raid

See Build Planner for a Rafa pet-synergy preset.

Rewards

  • Mutt — Permanent summonable companion (with bond ritual)
  • Bonebite — Legendary AR, ~80 percent drop from the kennel captain
  • +10 percent pet damage relic — only from the bond ritual
  • Bex’s vendor unlock — small but useful crafting vendor

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the bond ritual. You lose Mutt as a companion permanently — there is no way to redo this.
  • Trying to do the mission in daytime. Bex will not spawn.
  • Forgetting to pick up Smoked Skag Jerky during stage 4. It drops from a specific poacher; if you missed it, the ritual cannot complete. Reload an earlier autosave.
  • Letting Mutt die during stage 4. He will not actually die, but the rep loss is real.

Watch the mission