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.

Setting Off

 * When starting the game, a very lengthy procession of cutscenes rather strictly guides you along. 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.


 * 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.