Phoenix enemy line

The Phoenix, Fire Bird, and Wonder Bird are species of monsters found in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. These monsters, resembling birds flying very close to the ground, are palette swaps of each other and have differing levels of power and defense. All are associated with the Mars element. This monster line is notable because all three of its members yield far more more experience points than any other monster that can be encountered in the wild. The Phoenix monster line is also of the Mars element due to its resistances and abilities.

Phoenix

A medium-sized member with yellow plumage. The Phoenix has 281 HP, 80 PP, 344 Attack, 112 Defense, 243 Agility, and 31 Luck. It can also act twice per turn, a very unusual and powerful trait for a monster that is not a boss. It is very resistant to Mars attacks but very susceptible to Mercury attacks.

A Phoenix can attack with a physical attack, the Inferno, Fiery Blast, and Supernova Psynergies, the monster skill Fire Dance which does heavy Mars Damage to one target, the monster skill Regen Dance which fully revives another monster that was slain earlier in that battle, and can flee the battle. This enemy is quite strong, but though it yields a lot of experience, it is not fought in favor of its more extreme counterparts. Also, it will not be able to use its Psynergy spells forever with its PP rating.

Felling a Phoenix yields 3750 EXP, 286 coins, and in rare cases, a Water of Life. Kill it with a Mercury Djinni to increase the chance it will drop this item by four times. Phoenixes are battled in Magma Rock and the Northern Reaches.

Fire Bird

A medium-sized member with purple plumage. The Fire Bird has 303 HP, 98 PP, 376 Attack, 124 Defense, 259 Agility, and 32 Luck. It can also act twice per turn, a very unusual and powerful trait for a monster that is not a boss. It is very resistant to Mars attacks but very susceptible to Mercury attacks.

A Fire Bird carries the same arsenal of commands as its Phoenix counterpart, but Fiery Blast has been replaced with Searing Beam. This enemy is a slightly stronger version of the Phoenix. Due to how Wonder Bird is very dangerous, lower level parties will probably have a safer time slaying these. However, Wonder Birds yield far more experience.

Felling a Fire Bird yields 5838 EXP, 304 coins, and in rare cases, a Water of Life. Kill it with a Mercury Djinni to increase the chance it will drop this item by four times. Fire Birds are battled in Mars Lighthouse.

Wonder Bird

A medium-sized member with turquoise green plumage. The Wonder Bird has 424 HP, 102 PP, 510 Attack, 190 Defense, 285 Agility, and 34 Luck. It can also act three times per turn, making it the only monster in the game that is not a boss to do so, and this makes it a very fearsome opponent. It is very resistant to Mars attacks but very susceptible to Mercury attacks.

A Wonder Bird carries the same arsenal of commands as its Fire Bird counterpart, but Searing Beam has been replaced with Pyroclasm. This enemy is a much stronger version of the already powerful Fire Bird, enough that it constitutes a legitimate danger to the party, but it is also one of the most actively slain enemies in the game.

Felling a Wonder Bird rewards you with an astounding 8622 EXP, 333 coins, and in very rare cases, a piece of Dark Matter or sometimes a Water of Life. This monster is the best way to level up the party. When you kill it with a Mercury Djinni to increase the chance it will drop its item by four times, you also increase the experience reward by 1.5 times, so players searching for Dark Matter will often level up doing so. If two Wonder Birds battle your party at the same time, dangerous it may be, felling one Wonder Bird may cause the other to use Regen Dance to revive it, where it can be killed again for much more experience points. Felling a Wonder Bird three times can yield upwards of 25000 experience in a battle. Wonder Birds are battled in Islet Cave, in the area accessible only by using the Teleport Psynergy.

Cultural Allusions

Phoenix

Origin: Egypt, Greece

The phoenix in Egyptian and Greek mythology was a sacred bird. It was said to live for 500 or 1461 years, depending on the author. At the end of its life, it builds a nest made from sticks of cinnamon, frankincense and other spices on the highest palm tree in the city of Heliopolis and then ignites it. The bird and the nest are soon reduced to ashes and a new-born phoenix arises from the ashes.

Fire Bird

Origin: India, Egypt, Greece, Russia, and Persia

There are several types of fire birds in mythology, but the most noted ones are the Garuda (India), Bennu (Egypt), Phoenix (Greece and Egypt), Zhar-Ptitsa (Russia), and the Huma (Persia).