Your first task in Dread Fields is to care for the cow, which involves mowing grass and feeding it. To do this, you need two essential tools: a scythe and a pitchfork. Both are located exactly where you need them — inside the large barn where the cow is housed. You don't need to search the wider farmstead; simply walk into the barn, and you'll find them leaning against the interior wall, ready to be picked up.
This guide will walk you through the precise steps to find these tools and use them to complete your Day 1 chore, ensuring your cow is fed and you can move on to the next unsettling task the farm has in store for you.
Why Do You Need These Tools?
On the morning of your first full day, your task journal updates with chores for the cow and chickens. For the cow, the list is specific: open the windows, pour water into the trough, and crucially, 'mow the grass and feed the cow'.
Attempting to interact with the tall grass outside the barn without a tool will do nothing. The game requires you to follow a specific sequence:
- Cut the grass: This requires the scythe.
- Gather the grass: This requires the pitchfork.
- Feed the cow: This involves placing the gathered grass into the feeding trough inside the barn.
Without finding these two implements, you cannot progress the day's main story quest. They are the first real test of your ability to interact with the game's core farming mechanics.
Finding the Tools: A Step-by-Step Guide
Fortunately, the game doesn't make you hunt for these initial key items. They are placed in a logical, convenient location right next to the task at hand. Follow these simple steps.
Step 1: Enter the Cow Barn
From the main farmhouse, head towards the largest outbuilding on your property—the barn. You can hear the cow mooing from inside. It's the same building where you need to pour water into the water trough. Go through the main door to enter the dimly lit interior. Your cow will be in its stall to one side.
Dead as Disco in-game screenshot
Step 2: Locate the Scythe and Pitchfork
As soon as you enter, look around the main floor space. Against one of the wooden walls, you will see both the scythe and the pitchfork propped up together. They are hard to miss, often positioned near some hay bales or other farm clutter. In one playthrough, a player notes upon realizing the need for the tool, "needed scythe. Okay, where are we going to find that? Right here." The game deliberately places them in your path.
To pick them up, simply approach them and press the interact key. You can carry both at the same time, switching between them as needed using your mouse wheel or the designated inventory keys.
How to Mow Grass and Feed the Cow
With both tools in your possession, you can now complete the chore. The process is straightforward but requires using the right tool for each part of the job.
Dead as Disco in-game screenshot
Mowing the Grass
First, equip the scythe. Exit the barn and find a patch of tall, uncut grass nearby. Swing the scythe to cut it down. You'll see the grass fall into neat piles on the ground. The game requires you to cut a specific amount; you'll need to mow until you have 20 units of grass on the ground. Keep swinging until you've produced enough.
Gathering and Feeding
Once you have 20 piles of cut grass, switch to the pitchfork. Use the pitchfork on the piles to collect them. Your character will scoop them up. Note that you may not be able to carry all 20 units at once. After picking up a full load, walk back into the barn.
Go to the feeding trough in the cow's stall. Interact with the trough to deposit the grass. Repeat the process of gathering and depositing until all 20 units of grass have been moved from the field into the trough. Once the final pile is placed, the task in your journal will be marked as complete, and you'll be prompted with your next objective: 'Time for breakfast'.
Dead as Disco in-game screenshot
What's Next?
Congratulations, you've completed your first major farm chore in Dread Fields. By finding the scythe and pitchfork, you've not only fed your livestock but also familiarized yourself with the basic tool-based interaction system you'll be using throughout the game. With the cow fed, you can now head back to the house to eat, which will trigger the next set of eerie tasks and push the narrative forward. Don't get too comfortable, though—the jobs on this farm only get stranger from here.