Chaos Chimera


 * This article is about the final boss of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. For the common enemies also known as "Chimeras", see Chimera monster line.

The Chaos Chimera is the final boss of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and is fought below the control station of the Apollo Lens, within Apollo Sanctum.

Story
When Matthew's party begins the necessary preparations for firing the Apollo Lens, they are confronted by Blados and Chalis. However, after a series of revelations, Arcanus fights the two as a distraction to allow Matthew's party to activate the Apollo Lens. The Adepts take this opportunity to travel to the central control station. Before they can climb the ladder to fire the Lens, their way to the control station is blocked by a monstrous being known as the Chaos Hound. The Hound nearly attacks the party but it restrains itself when seeing Sveta by their side. The Chaos Hound appears to fight whatever is influencing it, until Chalis and Blados (who were supposed to be distracted by Arcanus) re-appear and corrupt the hound, forcing it to fight the party alongside the two Dark Adepts.

Their assault fails, with either both Adepts or the Chaos Hound defeated. In either case, Blados and Chalis are not ready to give in, and choose to make one last effort. In an attempt to finally defeat the heroes no matter what the cost, they put all their strength into power known as Dark Binding. This power causes evil spirits to bolster the Chaos Hound, which goes berserk as a result. However, the Tuaparang Duo find that they are being pulled in themselves, though they accept this as a way to defeat Matthew's party. Together, the three fuse into a horrible monstrosity of darkness. Matthew's party is faced with an epic battle, where their abilities are tested to their fullest extent. In the end, Matthew's party emerges victorious, and the Chaos Chimera splits back into its three components.

As a Boss
The Chaos Chimera acts three times per round and regenerates 30 HP per turn, increasing to 100 HP per turn once it is below half of its maximum HP. Its arsenal is a complete monster skill set, featuring several devastating abilities from which it can choose freely during its turns. The number of available skills increases with the progress of the battle:


 * Attack: This is this enemy's standard physical attack.


 * Vicious Embrace: Strikes multiple targets at once with Chalis' claw. Attack power is multiplied by 1.6.


 * Retribution: A wide swing with Blados' sword hits the entire party and may instantly down Adepts.


 * Shadow Clash: A Summon monster skill resembling a dark version of Cruel Ruin. It pours down a hail of dark energy to inflict massive destruction. Causes damage with a Jupiter base power rating of 180 plus about 15% of the target's maximum HP with a range of 5 targets.


 * Djinn Blast: This monster skill fires a rainbow-colored blast at an Adept and puts all his/her Djinni in recovery mode.


 * Shadow Shield: A support monster skill that engulfs the Chaos Chimera in dark mist, which causes all damage it takes this turn to be lowered down to 50%, regardless of how fast your party is.


 * Darksol Gasp: This monster skill unleashes a swarm of dark spirits, dealing a Venus-based attack with a power rating of 230 and a range of 3 (the adepts to either side of the targeted Adept will only take 50% of the attack's force, instead of the normal 80%, however). In addition, each affected Adept may be inflicted with Haunt. The Chaos Chimera has a Venus Power rating of 110 to work with this attack.


 * Wicked Howl: This monster skill causes the Chaos Chimera to scream at a single Adept, dealing a Jupiter-based attack with a power rating of 60. The targeted Adept is also Paralyzed for one turn. The Chaos Chimera has a Jupiter Power rating of 95 to work with this attack.


 * Chaos Upheaval: A Summon-style monster skill and probably the boss' most infamous one. The Chimera rises high, charging up for an assault from above and rushes down with catastrophic force. This deals damage with a Venus base power rating of 200 plus about 30% of the target's maximum HP and hits up to 3 targets.

The Chaos Chimera also carries the following consumable items which it may use in place of a move from its normal move list each time it acts:
 * Firecracker: An item that causes Mars element damage with a power rating of 140 and range of 5 targets. The Chaos Chimera has a Mars Power rating of 105 to work with this attack.
 * Psy Grenade: An item that damages PP with a power rating of 30 and a range of three targets.
 * Vial: An item that restores 500 HP to the user.

Strategies
The final boss battle can be fairly tricky if the player does not plan ahead. The Chaos Chimera has a wide range of powerful abilities that possess various destructive effects. Before the Chaos Chimera can be fought, the player must first complete the boss battle against Blados, Chalis, and the Chaos Hound. Thankfully, the player is given an opportunity to prepare before battling the Chaos Chimera, by healing and/or rearranging their party, or by preparing Djinn for summons.

As for the battle itself, the party should be leveled up to at least Level 46, as this is the level where Adepts in healing classes like the Wizard or Pure Mage gain access to the healing move, Pure Wish, which greatly increases survivability. Having at least one Adept dedicated to healing is especially necessary in the final portion of the battle, when the Chimera is likely to use Chaos Upheaval and Shadow Clash regularly. Shielding Djinn like Chasm are a great way to reduce damage. The player should also have access to Revive or have Water of Life ready to use on multiple Adepts, should one or more be downed. The Chaos Chimera is weak against Jupiter. Thus, the summons Thor and Eclipse are potent attacks. Additionally, Sveta's Beastform is another choice, due to the form's high offensive and defensive capabilities. If Matthew is place in an equipment setup to guarantee Unleashes from the Sol Blade, then the player can unleash high powered attacks without worrying about PP or Djinn, though the nature of the Unleash system means that this method cannot guarantee a high-power hit, unlike other tactics. In order to take full advantage of these tactics, the player should have at least one or two Adepts capable of increasing Attack, via Impact, Djinn, or comparable tactics. Luckily, the Chaos Chimera lacks Break, and thus the attack increase can only wear off when the Adept is downed or when a certain amount of time has passed without a boost.

The player should watch out for the Chaos Chimera's Djinn Blast ability, as this will significantly weaken one Adept by placing their Djinn on standby. In this situation, it is recommended that the player switch the weakened Adept with a reserve party member. Retribution is another dangerous tactic, as it can instantly fell an unlucky Adept.

Extended Gallery