Sand Prince


 * This article is about the boss. For the item, see Sand Prince (item).

The Sand Prince (デザートプリンス Desert Prince) is a boss in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, found in the Alchemy Well located in Ayuthay.

He is awakened by the Tree Flute and challenges Matthew and co. to a battle. His power reverses the Alchemy Well, while his Mercury counterpart, the Ice Queen, reverses the Alchemy Forge.

As a boss
The Sand Prince is especially likely to be affected by Defense-lowering effects. His statistics are as follows:

The Sand Prince uses the following battle commands with and proceeds through the command list in sequential order with a random start point; this means that any one of the eight actions listed below can be the "starting point," and the next turn's action will be the one listed beneath what had been used, cycling back to the top of the list when the bottom of the list is reached.

Strategies
Assuming the player keeps all Adepts in their base-classes, Rief will be the most effective Adept in taking advantage of this weakness, whether through Djinn and Summons or Psynergy. Using Impact or Forge on him will raise Rief's middling Attack, allowing him to do more damage with his unleashed Djinn. By this point, the player should have two Mercury Djinn, allowing the player to summon Nereid for decent damage. Alternatively, if the player has collected all the Venus Djinn available so far, then they can summon Judgment. The Sand Prince's average Venus Resistance combined with the power of Judgment can result in a great deal of damage.

Alternatively, put Matthew and/or Tyrell in the Crusader class and have them cast Cutting Edge repeatedly. Any Crystal Powders the party might have in their inventory should be used, since they are essentially free uses of the Hail Prism Psynergy.

History and Story
The Sand Prince appears to be a benevolent being that resided in a room behind Ayuthay's Alchemy Well. When a group consisting of Matthew's party as well as Amiti, prince of Ayuthay, come looking for a power that will reverse the flow of the Alchemy Well, the Sand Prince makes the group aware of his existence by telepathically contacting Amiti. When Matthew plays the Tree Flute in his room, the Sand Prince explains that he has been waiting for someone to share his power with. However, Matthew and his party would have to prove themselves by defeating him in battle, which would convert him to a gemstone. Matthew's party is victorious, and they gain access to the Sand Prince's power.

Later on, the Sand Prince contacts Amiti again when the group needs information about the Ice Queen. He reveals that she was a dangerous woman who would only use a fraction of her power to help others.

Trivia

 * Interestingly, in the Japanese version, he's called the Desert Prince (written in Katakana to emulate English) in battle and in his entry as a character in the Encyclopedia, but as an item he's called the Sand Prince (written in Kanji as 砂の王子).
 * When Golden Sun: Dark Dawn is run through a process that displays it in high definition, the details of the Sand Prince's design are far more apparent than what is perceptible within the DS' low resolution; for example, the Sand Prince is revealed to have a seemingly featureless face with solid-green pupil-less eyes. Viewable here.