Elemental Rock

The Elemental Rocks are four dungeons found throughout Weyard and accessible in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. There is one for each of the four elements; Jupiter Psynergy emanates from Air's Rock, Mercury for Aqua Rock, Gaia Rock is aligned with Venus, and Mars is the element of Magma Rock. Each of the Rocks are filled with puzzles that test an Adepts abilities with the corresponding element.

As would be expected, the Elemental Rocks have many similarities. Deep within each Rock is a special room where the party from The Lost Age are able to learn new Psynergies (although the other Adepts should be eligible), all of which are required to complete the game. Each Elemental Rock has an interior and an exterior, which can be treated as separate areas, making the Rocks among the games' largest dungeons. Often, the player is required to scale the exterior before gaining access to the interior. Gaia Rock is different in this respect, although the interior cannot be fully explored until the Dancing Idol is retreived from the top. Large Psynergy Stones can be found in the lowest parts of the Air's Rock and Aqua Rock. Each of the four Rocks have special stones and guardian statues (most of which look similar) that can both trigger various effects when specific Psynergies are used on them. Again, Gaia Rock is the exception, as there are no stones and the Dancing Idol is used to trigger several of the statues.

Air's Rock is said to have stood since the beginning of the world, and due to the many similarities between them it can be assumed that the other three Elemental Rocks have been around just as long.

Air's Rock
Air's Rock is located in Osenia, in the middle of a desert north of Garoh. This is the first of the Rocks that must be visited, and Sheba can learn Reveal here. All the people of Garoh can use Whirlwind, and many attempt to scale the mountain to learn Reveal. Although the source of their ability to use Whirlwind is never confirmed, Kraden and Master Maha believe that Air's Rock, being a source of Wind Psynergy, may have carried particles of Psynergy Stones on the winds leading to Garoh, giving them limited abilities with Psynergy.

There are small stones found throughout Air's Rock. These stones are able to amplify the power of Whirlwind, which is needed to clear the sand blocking the player's path. Several large, purple, tornado-shaped stones can also be found, two outside Air's Rock and two inside. The stones outside are basically stronger versions of the other stones, although the second one clears fog rather than sand. The guardian statues of Air's Rock spit Whirlwinds that the player can us as transport. The tornado stones inside Air's Rock must be used to activate the statues on the inside.

The Flora Summon sequence can be found here as well.

Aqua Rock
Aqua Rock is located on the eastern edge of Weyard, on the large southern island (called Aqua Island) of the Apojii Islands archipelago. This Elemental Rock can be visited before or after Gaia Rock, and Piers can learn Parch here. Parch is needed to explore Tundaria Tower, so this should be one of the first places in the Great Eastern Sea that players visit. In a nearby village (also called Apojii Islands), a tradition has been passed down that men swim to Aqua Island when they come of age. In order to explore Aqua Rock, players must first cast Douse on the Aqua Stone, a tear-shaped stone in the Apojii Islands.

Aqua Rock is littered by its guardian statues, called moai by the villagers (the name is appropriate, as they somewhat resemble the moai statues from Easter Island). Most moai spit water out of their mouths constantly. Those that don't can have Douse cast on them so that they begin to spew water, and later Parch can be used to stop the flow of water. Several stones resembling the Aqua Stone can be found on Aqua Rock, two on the outside and four on the inside, which are activated just like the one in the Apojii Islands. The Aqua Stone at the foot of Aqua Rock allows the player to travel up the nearby waterfall, and the one on top of Aqua Rock opens a portal of sorts to the inside. The Aqua Stones inside Aqua Rock send a stream of energy across the water that the player can use as a bridge. There is a catch, however, as this energy path must travel between specific types of platforms, most of which change the direction of the path. This often requires players to move such platforms into position before raising the water level and activating the Aqua Stone.

Aqua Rock has water flowing down its sides constantly, which may help explain why Weyard's oceans haven't drained away over the edge of Gaia Falls.

Gaia Rock
Gaia Rock is located in the northern part of the Great Eastern Sea, just southeast of the village of Izumo. This Elemental Rock can be visited before or after Gaia Rock, and Felix can learn Sand here. Sand is not needed until exploring the Ankohl Ruins, so this doesn't need to be cleared until near the end of the Great Eastern Sea part of the game. Before Felix's party arrives at Izumo, the Serpent sleeping in Gaia Rock awakens and ruins a festival the locals were throwing. It then demands a female sacrifice every year (how the people of Izumo know this is never revealed), and Susa's friend Kushinada is chosen as the first sacrifice. When Felix and Co. arrive, Susa is attempting to destroy the Serpent before Kushinada can be sacrificed. This is the only Elemental Rock with a boss battle, as the Serpent must be defeated before Sand can be aquired.

Gaia Rock has many quirks that makes it slightly different than the other Elemental Rocks, but not so many that it outweighs their similarities. As mentioned above, Gaia Rocks interior is available from the beginning, although it cannot be fully explored until after the player gets the Dancing Idol on top of Gaia Rock. There are two different types of guardian statues on Gaia Rock. The statues on the outside resemble the statues on Air's Rock and Magma Rock. Some of these statues spit Whirlwinds, causing ivy to swing within the player's reach. Others are hidden in the cliffside and pop out to obstruct the player's climb. The statues on the inside are larger and somewhat resemble demonic faces. Two near the entrance block off roughly half of the interior, the remaining statues keep sunlight from entering the Serpent's lair. The Serpent cannot be defeated until all four beams of light are let in. These statues are moved by placing the Dancing Idol on nearby altars. Also, in order to reach the Serpent's lair (which is possible without the Dancing Idol), the player must cast Growth on small plants, causing them to turn into arrows pointing the way. Travelling down any of the other paths will eventually lead you back to the entrance.

In Izumo, Gaia Rock is known as Mt. Mikage.