- The Iron Eagle is a mechanical bird pet found at Hawkstone Ruins in eastern Delesyia, just above the A in Delesyia on the map.
- It was added in Patch 1.05.00. If you visited the ruins before that patch, the eagle was not there yet.
- You need a Sotdae of Bond and either 20x Mercury or 1x Platinum Bar to tame it.
- The mechanism can only be activated between 4:45 AM and 5:00 AM in-game time. Miss the window and wait another full in-game day.
- Arrive at 3–4 AM in-game time so you are already in position when the window opens.
- Pre-fill the Sotdae of Bond with your Mercury or Platinum before triggering the mechanism. Do not fumble in your inventory while the eagle is flying.
- Mercury gives 5 Trust per piece — you need all 20. One Platinum Bar gives 100 Trust instantly in a single feeding.
The Iron Eagle pet in Crimson Desert is a bio-mechanical bird with metallic feathers, a glowing eye, and armour plating unlike any other animal companion in the game. It was added in Patch 1.05.00 and requires more preparation than most pets — a time-locked dawn puzzle, a rare feeding item, and exact Sotdae placement. This guide covers the exact location, every item you need, both feeding methods, and the tips that prevent wasted trips to Hawkstone Ruins in 2026.
Iron Eagle Location — Hawkstone Ruins in Delesyia
The Iron Eagle is at Hawkstone Ruins in the eastern part of the Delesyia region. On your map, find the word Delesyia and look directly above the letter A. That is where the ruins sit, south of Marni’s city.
The ruins look like a large Stonehenge-style circle with a steampunk column in the center. A giant iron eagle statue perches at the top of the column. The structure has been in the game since launch, but before Patch 1.05.00 it was just scenery with no interaction available. If you passed through here earlier in your playthrough and could not interact with it, that is why.
What You Need Before Going to Hawkstone Ruins
Gather everything below before you travel to the ruins. Do not arrive unprepared — the taming window is time-locked and the bird can ignore a poorly placed feeder.
Item 1 — Sotdae of Bond
The Sotdae of Bond is the bird feeder item required to tame the Iron Eagle. You get it by completing the Trembling Woods questline in Pororin Forest. See our guide on how to get the Sotdae of Bond if you have not done this yet.
If you have already used the Sotdae of Bond and it is no longer in your inventory, go to the Greymane Camp and speak to Cliff. The Sotdae appears in his Recover Items section. Collect it from there before heading to Delesyia. See our Unreachable Village quest guide for full context on the Pororin Forest unlock.
Item 2 — Mercury (20 pieces) or Platinum Bar (1 piece)
The Iron Eagle only eats rare metals. You have two options and the choice matters depending on where you are in the story.
Mercury — 20 pieces needed, 5 Trust per piece. This is the earlier-game route. Mercury is found at silver liquid pools in two main locations:
- Silver Wolf Mountain in Pailune — look just north of the mountains, directly above the W in Wolf on your map. This is the most accessible deposit for most players.
- North of the Hexe Sanctuary in Demeniss, east of Deadfire Mountain. Warning: do not go to this deposit before Chapter 9. The area is guarded by Hexe Marie’s crows. Approaching before Chapter 9 causes them to swarm you and black you out. Unlock this deposit only after completing the relevant Chapter 9 content.
To harvest Mercury from the silver pools, do not walk into them — the liquid damages you. Instead equip your bow, use a Charged Shot imbued with the Frost element, and fire roughly three ice-imbued shots into the pool. This freezes a platform that shatters and leaves Mercury pieces on the ground to collect. Each pool yields around 12 pieces, so you need at least two pools to reach 20. Carry a few extra in case some are missed. See our full Mercury farming guide for all deposit locations.
Alternatively, if you have 100 Trust with the troll scholar NPCs at Scholastone, they sell Mercury directly. This saves farming time if you are already there for other reasons.
Platinum Bar — 1 piece needed, gives 100 Trust instantly. One Platinum Bar tames the Iron Eagle in a single feeding — no waiting, no repeated trips. This is the faster method if you are deep enough into the game to craft it. You need a Witch’s help to make Platinum. The recipe can be found at one of two locations:
- A bookshelf inside Scholastone Institute, accessible after getting the key during Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge.
- A bookshelf on the west side of the Great Gate of Urdavah in the Crimson Desert region, near the Scholar NPCs. Take the lift up, go left up the stairs, and look for the bookcase in the room with green liquid containers — crouch to see the recipe on a low shelf.
Once you have the recipe, go to any Witch vendor, select Craft Abyss Gear, and cycle across to craft the Platinum Bar. Because Mercury is already required to craft Platinum, most players find it simpler to just collect the 20 Mercury pieces directly. Use Platinum only if you already have materials stockpiled and want a guaranteed clean tame. See our Platinum Bars guide for full crafting details.
How to Tame the Iron Eagle — Step by Step
Step 1 — Pre-Fill the Sotdae of Bond Before Leaving Camp
This is the most important preparation tip. Load your Mercury or Platinum Bar into the Sotdae of Bond while you are still at camp, before you travel to the ruins. Do not arrive at 4:45 AM, trigger the eagle, and then fumble through your inventory trying to add food while the bird is already flying. A pre-filled feeder means the Iron Eagle detects food the moment you place it and lands immediately. An empty feeder risks the bird ignoring it or flying away before you can load it.
Also empty any other food from the Sotdae first. Other birds in the area can land and eat from the feeder before the Iron Eagle arrives. Clearing out leftover food ensures your Mercury or Platinum is reserved for the Iron Eagle only.
Step 2 — Arrive at Hawkstone Ruins Before 4:45 AM In-Game Time
The gear mechanism at Hawkstone Ruins can only be activated during a narrow dawn window — between 4:45 AM and 5:00 AM in-game time. Outside this window the mechanism does nothing. If you arrive after sunrise, you must wait for the next in-game day.
Arrive at 3:00 to 4:00 AM in-game time to be safe. This gives you time to position yourself, pre-place the Sotdae, and be ready the moment the window opens. You can use the time of day change guide to advance to the right hour without waiting in real time.
As dawn approaches you will see the gears and cogs on the central column begin to twist and align — this is your visual cue that the activation window is near.
Read the inscription on the pillar in the center of the ruins if you want context on the puzzle. It reads: “Step beyond the edge of darkness and grab the handle of dawn to awaken the slumbering steel. Offer the silver shards flowing through the Sotdae, and claim the Wings of Steel.” This is the game’s hint at the 5 AM interaction and the Mercury/Platinum feed requirement.
Step 3 — Interact with the Gear Mechanism
When the window opens at 4:45–5:00 AM, interact with the dial or gear gate on the side of the central column — it is located just to the left of the pillar inscription. This triggers a short cutscene where the Iron Eagle wakes up and takes flight over the ruins.
Step 4 — Place the Sotdae of Bond in the Iron Eagle’s Flight Path
After the cutscene, place the pre-filled Sotdae of Bond on the ground near the statue. Place it directly in the Iron Eagle’s flight path — watch where the bird is circling and set the feeder under that path. If you place it in the wrong spot the Iron Eagle may ignore it entirely and keep flying. Adjust the placement slightly if it does not land on your first attempt.
Step 5 — Wait for Trust to Reach 100
Once the Iron Eagle lands and begins eating, the Trust meter fills. Do not move around too much during this phase — sudden movement can spook the bird.
- Mercury: Each piece gives 5 Trust. 20 pieces gives 100 Trust. The feeding process takes roughly 60 seconds of continuous eating at the feeder.
- Platinum Bar: One bar fills the Trust meter to 100 instantly in a single feeding cycle.
Step 6 — Take In the Iron Eagle
When the Trust meter reaches 100, approach the Iron Eagle and select Take In to officially claim it as your pet. You can then rename it and equip it from your inventory under the Pets sub-tab.
What the Iron Eagle Does as a Pet
The Iron Eagle functions the same as other pets in Crimson Desert. It follows you, collects loot from the ground automatically, and picks up materials from nearby corpses. It offers no combat bonuses or stat boosts on its own.
As of Patch 1.11, the Iron Eagle can equip the Sigil of Valor from the secret Pororin vendor. This item allows pets to fight alongside you. Most players recommend not equipping it. Pets are most valuable when looting — if the Iron Eagle is busy fighting enemies it is not collecting loot, which is its primary use. Leave the combat to Kliff and let the Iron Eagle handle the ground. See our pet accessories and equipment guide for what else you can equip on your pets.
Related Crimson Desert Guides
For more on birds and pets in Crimson Desert, see our full Crimson Desert guide hub. These guides connect directly to the Iron Eagle content:
- How to get the Gyrfalcon and Eagle pets — other tamable birds in the game
- How to get the Owl pet — another bird companion
- How to get a pet in Crimson Desert — full pet system overview
- How to change pet names — rename the Iron Eagle after taming
- How to get Mercury in Crimson Desert — full Mercury farming guide
- How to get Platinum Bars — the faster one-shot taming method
- How to get the Abyss Heuklang pet — another rare mechanical pet type
- Queen Bismuth Crab boss guide — another Delesyia content challenge worth doing nearby
Crimson Desert is available on Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Xbox. Check the official Crimson Desert site for the latest patch notes and updates.
