Mountain Roc

The Mountain Roc is a boss and a core plot point in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. It is a mammoth bird that roosts at the top of Talon Peak. While it slumbers, its composition is stone-like, and it can only be awakened by using the Slap Psynergy on its red wattle. Its feathers have the qualities needed for Ivan to create paraglider-like devices named soarwings, and retrieving one of these feathers is the first objective of Matthew and his friends' journey in Dark Dawn. Also, magma energy within the bird's stomach naturally coalesces into jewel-like fragments called Magma Shards and, more rarely, a perfect jewel-like sphere called a Magma Orb. These fragments are usable as power sources to gain access into Belinsk Ruins, and the orb is the power source that is ultimately necessary for the Alchemy Dynamo within the ruins to be switched and unseal Eclipse Tower.

Arsenal
The Mountain Roc possesses a weakness against Jupiter-aligned attacks and a resistance to Venus-aligned attacks. It can use the following abilities:


 * Stone Molt: Allows the Roc to heal 150 HP every turn. Can be disabled by using Slap.
 * Stone Spire: Venus damage up to 3 people. Medium damage.
 * Upward Blast: A drop from on high! Medium-High damage to one person.
 * Potent Cure: Heals the Roc around 280 HP.
 * Shriek: Hits up to 3 people. Low damage. May drop Attack.
 * Seismic Stomp: Hits up to 3 people. High damage.

Defeating this boss gives the player 12,852 experience points and 140 Coins. During the following cutscenes, the player can enter the Roc to obtain Magma Shards.

Strategy
The Mountain Roc is a fairly straight-forward boss battle. It is worthwhile to have a designated healer for this battle, however, due to the fairly strong attacks the Mountain Roc has. The player should watch out for the Roc's Stone Molt move, since Stone Molt can regenerate HP every turn. Unlike most Bosses' regeneration abilities, Stone Molt can be disabled by using Slap, so the player should make certain they have one Adept ready to use it.

The Mountain Roc is weak against Jupiter-based attacks, so summoning Thor is an excellent offensive strategy. Alternatively, the player can place Matthew or Tyrell in the Ninja class series, assuming all available Djinn have been collected. This will give the player access to Death Plunge, which is a useful attack for the battle. It is also worth noting that the player should have two Jupiter-based pure-element weapons, the Yew Bow and the Sylph Rapier, at their disposal, providing an additional means of attack.

History and Story
The Mountain Roc is considered to be divine by the beastmen of Morgal, with its image appearing on many beastmen structures, particularly in the city of Belinsk. Sometime before Dark Dawn, the Warriors of Vale traveled in search of it, with the assistance of Morgal's king. The Warriors of Vale were eventually able to get one of the Mountain Roc's feathers. The feather was used in the creation of the Soarwing, an invention of Ivan's that allowed and Adept to fly. One of these Soarwings was given to Isaac and Garet. However, when Garet's son, Tyrell, breaks the soarwing, a new feather was needed for the repairs. Thus, Isaac and Garet send Tyrell, along with Isaac's son Matthew and Ivan's daughter Karis on a quest for a new feather.

After a series of events, the party was able to reach Morgal, but realized that they had no information about the Roc. By this time, the group had met with Amiti, a Mercury Adept who was the prince of Ayuthay, who had joined their party. Amiti had encountered the Roc as a child, describing it as a mammoth bird so large that it blocked out the sun. Later on, the party of Adepts were able to speak with Tret and Laurel, who give them vital information on the Mountain Roc. The Mountain Roc was then in a deep sleep, and could only be woken by means of the Slap Psynergy, a psynergy unique to beastmen. Additionally, the Roc produced a power source for the ruins in Belinsk, which would be needed for the group's secondary goal, to rescue Eoleo and Hou Ju, two prisoners of the beastmen. Before leaving, the Adepts were warned that the ruins hid a dangerous legacy, the Alchemy Dynamo, and were ordered not to start it.

The group eventually makes their way to Talon Peak, where the Mountain Roc roosts. Along the way, they gain the Slap Glove from Ryu Kou, prince of Sana and brother to Hou Ju. The party makes its way to the Mountain Roc and succeeds in getting a feather. However, Blados and Chalis, two Tuaparang commanders, set the Mountain Roc on them, for reasons they do not fully explain. However, they encourage the group to kill the Mountain Roc, and gain the Magma Orb that the Roc produced. Matthew's party is able to defeat the Roc, but Ryu Kou takes the Magma Orb for himself. Eventually, the Mountain Roc's Magma Orb is used to awaken the Alchemy Dynamo, which starts the Grave Eclipse. After this point, the Mountain Roc plays little role in the plot.