Golden Sun: Dark Dawn/Condensed Walkthrough

The following is a miniature, spoiler-free walkthrough for Golden Sun: Dark Dawn that is for players who don't want to be led by the hand throughout the entire game, but want to make sure that they're not missing anything important or valuable from the previous dungeon before moving on to the next town or dungeon.

Also see the quick, spoiler-free walkthroughs for Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age.

Western Angara

 * When starting the game, a very lengthy procession of cutscenes rather strictly guides you along; all terms that are highlighted in red within the dialogue are terms that automatically add themselves to your Encyclopedia menu function, and while the dialogue remains on screen, you can either tap the term with the stylus or press the shoulder buttons to see its Encyclopedia page on the top screen. The first time you take control, as a party comprised entirely of a level 1 Matthew, the "Onward!" message displays on screen, as it will every time you come out of a cutscene. Simply walk up to the roof of the Lookout Cabin to resume the cutscene. Later, after Karis demonstrates the equipment scheme by equipping a Leather Cap on you in the cabin basement, open the chest nearby to get a Short Sword, and open the chest in the small attic to get Padded Gloves; you will need both of these equipped in order for Karis to let you out and join your party. Furthermore, in the cabin's main room, investigate at the area where green books lie on top of a bookcase to gain Sun Saga 1, the first of a series of collectible items that, when used, recap the story of the two GBA games in movie form. These items are Artifacts, so they can be safely sold off.


 * You will be rigidly guided along through the Goma Plateau, the mountain trail between Lookout Cabin and the overworld that branches off into a cave trail, which is where you are going through. Your first battles and first usages of Psynergy as utility effects occur inside here. After emerging out through the other side, the next screen is the first screen of the Tanglewood sub-dungeon. More lengthy cutscenes grant you several temporary Djinn, as well as add Isaac and Garet as computer-controlled "guest" characters to your party in battles, and also demonstrate that progressing through the area requires using the Fireball Psynergy on large flowers to burn up the roots they are connected to. Utility Psynergy, both old like Growth and new like Fireball, have a wider range in Dark Dawn than previous games, but it is more that you and your target to be at the same elevation for it to work. You are eventually guided through the Abandoned Mine, at the end of which is the boss encounter with the Tangle Bloom, which shouldn't be loseable because of how powerful Isaac and Garet are. Following the boss battle and resultant cutscene, follow the remaining path back outside.


 * You will eventually be returned to the Lookout Cabin, and will be instructed and made to leave for the world map and head for Patcher's Place to the southwest, with Tyrell now part of your party. You will automatically acquire your first actual Djinni, the Venus Djinni Flint, along the way. Enter the main building, and after another long cutscene, you will be able to buy from the game's first vendors and innkeeper. The town's lowest-left residence has Sun Saga 2 in its upper-left cupboard. To get the first Mars Djinni, Forge, climb up to the screen above the main town, arrange the three earth pillars so that they can be hopped across from the center tree to the east end of the screen, cast Growth at the screen's bottom right, and climb down it.


 * Beyond the area above the town portion of Patcher's Place is the Psynergy Training Grounds, a series of four large, puzzle-filled screens that have to be completed in a row and on their own ten-minute timers. This is mandatory. In this area, the Adepts' PP meters will refill much faster while running around, which will be useful because throughout each area you will have to cast Fireball to burn billboards representing past games' characters and bosses. Once the two billboards at the top of the fourth area are burned, the boss battle with the Dim Dragon ensues, after which you can open one of two chests for the Gate Card and automatically leave the grounds. It will be the Gate Card whichever chest you choose, but if you go through the Psynergy Training Grounds again to open the other chest, you will get a Water of Life.


 * Leave the south exit of Patcher's Place, and proceed southeast to two wooded locations. The one to the right, Carver's Lumberyard, is a dead-end, so proceed through the location to the top, Goma Highlands Road, where a Jupiter Djinni will run away. The pink flowers can temporarily be set up as elevated hoppable platforms by casting Whirlwind through them, and after using them to get to the gondola at the lower right of the first screen, sit in it and cast Fireball to get to a Mint. In the second screen, rolling the leftmost log a fair distance right puts you on your way to getting your first weapon artifact, the powerful Themis' Axe. The Jupiter Djinni you see in this screen cannot be gotten right away, so proceed right into town.


 * A cutscene that starts as soon as you enter Carver's Camp allows you to Whirlwind a pink flower from across a broken bridge to save a boy. Once you're allowed to explore as normal, climb down the ladder below the bridge and use Growth to find your first Mercury Djinni, Chill. Roll the vertical log left of the shop so that you can drop down the chimney into the locked house on the lower left, and find a Lucky Pepper in its barrels. Walk counterclockwise behind the upper left house, then use Move to remotely move the earth pillar at the left entrance of town two spaces right so you can return to the previous screen in Goma Highlands Road on an elevated trail; there, shoot a fireball into a distant Gondola into the lower left so that you can ride it, and travel clockwise across the screen to fight and earn your first Jupiter Djinni, Gust.


 * Leave the south exit of Carver's Camp. Stop in the wooded overworld location shortly southwest of it to get into the right half of the Carver's Lumberyard; in this screen, you can solve a puzzle to get your first Summon Tablet, Zagan. The gondola here takes you to the earlier left half, where you can get to a field of flowers that can be whirlwinded to uncover a Hard Nut. Take the gondola back and proceed down the overworld; along the dirt road down, you should engage in a random battle with your second Mars Djinni, Fever. Follow the path to the Konpa Gate, and interact with the hanging gold bell so that you can make use of your Gate Card and open the gate up so you can progress. Past the gate, you can get to the Venus Djinni in the flower field, and when it hides under a flower, Whirlwind it to get your second Venus Djinni, Flower. Proceed past Konpa Gate until you get to Konpa Ruins.


 * In the Konpa Ruins dungeon, you see the first of a type of flashing, black Glyph tablet that will be present throughout the ruins. These tablets are present throughout most dungeons in Dark Dawn, and when read, they either give vital hints on how to solve puzzles or sometimes cause important effects to occur in the dungeons themselves. The ability to read their text will be unlocked once you obtain the dungeon's "main" treasure, the Glyph Book. One puzzle room involving glowing light-blue tiles that elevate when Whirlwinded includes a chest containing the extremely useful Elven Shirt. When you get to the roof, you can get the Grip Crystal, which bestows the important Grip Psynergy that either lets you grab remote objects and bring them to you, or propel youself toward remote spires. Use Grip to trounce the Jupiter Djinni on the top of the roof to fight and earn your second Jupiter Djinni, Jolt. Climb down ivy from the roof to the outdoor entrance to find a chest with a Psy Crystal. Late in the dungeon, in the cave-like basement, a Grip-based puzzle leads to a chest containing the powerful Elven Rapier.


 * When you reach the dungeon's end in its cave-like basement level, a procession of cutscenes will include perhaps the single most dangerous boss battle in the game in terms of being strong in relation to your party's current levels, the three Stealthy Scouts. Following the cutscenes after the bosses, when you follow the path down to the cave's southern exit, you will cross the game's first point-of-no-return - all important things that you may have missed up until this point will no longer be acquirable for the rest of the game. You will eventually gain Rief as a permanent party member, and he comes with the second Mercury Djinni, Sleet. Before leaving for the overworld map, get to the chest containing a Cookie.