Burning Island Cave

The entrance to the inner volcano of Burning Island, opened up with the Search Psynergy.

Burning Island Cave (火山島の洞窟 Volcanic Island's Cave) is located roughly at the south-central end of the explorable world map in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. It is the sole feature of a spiral-shaped island located south of Ayuthay that is reachable as soon as the sailing ship is acquired, but Himi's Search Psynergy is required to open the entrance. Finding the ancient Umbra Map in Sana circles this and several other locations on the overworld map screen, indicating that this is the resting place of one of several pieces of exclusive Umbra Gear for Sveta (the Umbra Knuckles in this case) that must be collected before the final dungeon is attempted. It also contains a locked door leading to an optional boss fight with the Ogre Titans, which guard the Daedalus summon tablet; only the Sol Blade found at the end of the final dungeon can unlock it, so players often leave exploring this part for the postgame.

Walkthrough

The dungeon becomes accessible as soon as Himi is added to the party in Yamata City by bringing the Third Eye from Warrior's Hill to her. Once Iceberg Outpost has been completed, the island itself will be circled on the world map as the location where one of the mandatory pieces of Umbra Gear can be retrieved. To permanently open up the island's cave icon, cast Himi's Search Psynergy in front of it.

When you step into the first chamber with the pit, hop along the perimeter counter-clockwise until you reach a stalagmite-like protrusion jutting horizontally from the north wall. Cast Grip to launch yourself to the small ledge left of it and go down to the lava-filled basement floor, where a brief cutscene has Eoleo demonstrate for you that using his Thermal on a thermal updraft turns it into a swirling pillar-like structure. Hop into the bolstered updraft Eoleo created to be transported back to the floor above, where you can hop left onto the chest containing the Jester's Armlet. Slide down back to the lava basement and hop left onto the basement floor's left edge.

Flare is found in Burning Island Cave, as a part of the main puzzle.

Cast Grip on the pillar-like stalagmite in the southwest part of the lava pool, cast Thermal on the vent just above it, and ride it up to the first floor, where you can hop right and push an earth pillar off into the pit to make it fall into the lava below. Slide back down, and now hop up once, right twice, down once, and right once so that you can make use of a third Thermal vent to be brought to the chest in the center of the first floor. This contains the Umbra Knuckles.

To get a Mars Djinni, go back downstairs using the Grip-leaping method at the top of the first floor, then take the left edge down to where two separate "platform routes" southeast of the grip spire let you hop east. Take the lower route and proceed all the way to the room's northeast corner, and approach the Mars Djinni so that it moves straight onto a vent. Hop down to the other vent southeast of it and ride it up to where you can push another earth pillar into the lava below, then slide back down. Hop up, left, and up three times to position yourself left of the Djinni, and remotely cast Thermal on it to send it floating up to the first floor. Either cast Retreat or take the center thermal vent up to the first floor so that you can reach the Mars Djinni at the northeast corner and earn the Mars Djinni Flare through battle.

This is largely the end of your involvement with Burning Island Cave for the rest of the game, unless you want to try to get the monsters here to drop Fire Brand and Titan Gloves. Near the end of the game, when you acquire the Sol Blade at Apollo Sanctum, you can either immediately leave that dungeon and backtrack all the way here or beat the final boss and save this game as a post-game file so that you can return here more easily. Either way, the Sol Blade unlocks the gray slab-like door at the top end of the lava room; the easiest way to get there is to go to the two "platform routes" at the south end of the room mentioned earlier, and take the north route. Hop north onto the left of the two partially submerged earth pillars, then hop northeast from that to reach the door and Use the Sol Blade as an item to unlock the door. The small room on the other side will force you through the boss fight with five Ogre Titans in a row before you can interact with the Daedalus summon tablet to add that summon to your arsenal.

Enemies

Bestiary of Burning Island Cave (World Map)
Monster Name	LVL	HP	ATK	DEF	AGI	EXP	Coins	Weakness	Drop	Drop Rate
Goblord	38	416	396	192	159	1485	184		Herb	1/16
Weird Nymph	38	180	292	105	267	1559	176		Elixir	1/8
White Wolf	38	270	356	111	190	1188	117		Herb	1/16

Bestiary of Burning Island Cave (Interior)
Monster Name	LVL	HP	ATK	DEF	AGI	EXP	Coins	Weakness	Drop	Drop Rate
Brutal Troll	40	540	469	190	130	3775	223		Titan Gloves	1/128
Pyrodra	40	379	414	128	140	4976	249		Fire Brand	1/128
Mars Djinni (Flare) (unique)	40	949	377	186	261	6864	330		N/A	N/A
Ogre Titan (1) (boss)	44	964	546	223	202	7840	558		N/A	N/A
Ogre Titan (2) (boss)	44	1928	568	235	213	9800	774		N/A	N/A
Ogre Titan (3) (boss)	44	4016	591	238	225	11760	930		N/A	N/A
Ogre Titan (4) (boss)	44	8033	614	240	236	13720	1116		N/A	N/A
Ogre Titan (5) (boss)	44	16066	637	242	247	15680	1674		N/A	N/A

Enemy Formations

• Group 1: Brutal Troll x1-2
• Group 2: Pyrodra x1-3
• Group 3: Brutal Troll x1, Pyrodra x1

Collectables

• Jester's Armlet: Found in a chest on the left-most pillar of the upper floor. Can only be reached by using Thermal to ride up a heat vent from the lower floor.
• Umbra Knuckles: Found in a chest on the central pillar of the upper floor. Can only be reached by using Thermal to ride up a heat vent from the lower floor.
• Flare: Initially seen in the lower level of the cave. Must first be driven onto a thermal vent and then sent floating up to the upper level by casting Thermal on the vent underneath it. Must be fought to be obtained.
• Daedalus: Found in a hidden cavern only accessible after gaining the Sol Blade at Apollo Sanctum. Must fight the Ogre Titans before collecting.