DUNCAN: Hello again, my friends! Thank you for joining me here in Qurada Colony, located on the edge of the Daharan Desert. It’s not easy to brave this heat, but hopefully you’ll find my tales a worthwhile experience.
IBLI: So they’re your tales? I guess you don’t need me around, then.
DUNCAN: I wouldn’t dream of stealing any of your credit, Guildmaster Ibli. Of course I couldn’t tell these stories without the benefit of your many years of experience in the desert.
IBLI: Is that another way of saying I’m old?
DUNCAN: Yes, well, uh…. Wasn’t it nice for Hoku to offer us the use of his tavern for our conversation this morning? He promised that we won’t be interrupted by any Warden battles for at least an hour.
IBLI: It’d be better if he had a couple of Ice Solari here to cool down the place.
DUNCAN: Wait…Ice Solari? I’ve never heard of that affinity.
IBLI: Really? Hm. Forget I said anything.
DUNCAN: Uh…right. Anyway, we’re here to talk about the Solari that live in the Daharan Desert, specifically in the vicinity of the Desert Crossroads. I’m guessing that Stone Solari are fairly common?
IBLI: Eh, first-year students know that much. Yeah, we have plenty of Toddlerocks out there…
DUNCAN: …ready to petrify you with Lithic Pulse? Yes, I learned about them from Guildmaster Agatha of Gateway.
IBLI: ….wonderful.
You’ll also see plenty of Shellfoxes out in the desert. Interesting fact: plenty of students know they have the Stone affinity, but few remember that…
DUNCAN: Their signature skill, Spinward Strike, is actually Basic affinity!
IBLI: I can see that you don’t need me here, I’ll just leave and let you talk to yourself.
DUNCAN: No no no, I’m so sorry. It’s just that I get a little excited when I already know what you’re about to tell me.
IBLI: Yeah, you’d have been my favorite student, I can tell.
Did she also teach you about the Blockhead? Looks like it can barely stand up, and then it hits you with Slab Strike and now you’re the one falling down. I love introducing young Wardens to those guys.
DUNCAN: That sounds like a… useful lesson.
IBLI: Yeah, I’ve found the painful lessons are the ones they remember best. We also have Eggberts in these parts. Weird-looking thing, more like a half-open geode than a critter. That is, until it blasts you in the face with its Ruby Ray. Plus it has the whole hovering thing, which I guess beats rolling around the ground all day.
DUNCAN: I recall seeing one of those along the trail once. Thankfully my guide warned me away from picking it up as a souvenir!
IBLI: There’s one other Stone Solari that we occasionally see out there, though some folks mistake it for Fire. The Vulcature’s actually a bit of both affinities, as demonstrated by its Lava Spittle attack.
DUNCAN: Sounds like a potent combination!
IBLI: Yeah, especially if you’re an Electric Solari…now that’s a bad matchup!
DUNCAN: Speaking of Electric Solari, haven’t I seen some of those in the desert?
IBLI: Good eye, Duncan. We actually have three, all rare mind you, and they couldn’t be more different from each other.
The Kitzapp is a sleek, feline predator that you probably already heard about from Agatha. That Shock Tail is capable of zapping a whole enemy team.
Then there’s the Weevolt, which some think is one of the oldest Solari still around. It prefers to lurk in dark crevices, then scuttle out to dizzy foes with its Ozone Cloud.
And we also have the Zigment, which likes to soar above the desert floor until it finds prey that it can defeat with its Arc Bite. The damage can even chain from its target to others nearby.
DUNCAN: So, would you say that its arc is worse than…
IBLI: Zip it, explorer. That joke wasn’t even clever when I was in the academy.
DUNCAN: Of course, my apologies, guildmaster. That seems like a lot of Electric Solari, doesn’t it?
IBLI: Yeah, but have you noticed the thunder and lightning we get in the desert? Not much rain, but I figure the fireworks must attract like-minded creatures.
DUNCAN: An intriguing theory! But surely you must have Solari of other affinities, yes?
IBLI: What do you know about Podpetals?
DUNCAN: Wait…are they the Water ones or the Nature ones? I can never keep them straight.
IBLI: Nature. You want an old trick to help remember? Pod is like a pea pod, which grows on a vine. Tad is like a tadpole, which swims in the water.
DUNCAN: Why that’s fascinating! Did you make that up?
IBLI: Did I make that up? Seriously, how old do you think I am, Duncan?
Anyway, Podpetals can show up in huge swarms over the desert floor, sometimes blotting out the sun for a minute or two. It’s like a million flowers took flight, covering the sky with a canvas of springtime colors.
DUNCAN: Why Ibli, I had no idea you were so poetic.
IBLI: Yeah, let’s just keep that between us, okay? Besides, you wouldn’t think it was so poetic when those Podpetals came down and started thrashing you with their Petal Flutter attack.
DUNCAN: I suppose not! So, is that a complete list of the Solari that live in the Daharan Desert?
IBLI: Not quite. There’s also a strange one that uses the fire inside its belly to digest bones, rocks, old cans, and even precious minerals. It’s called…
DUNCAN: The Kindlehoof, right? And it knocks enemies for a loop with its Vicious Charge?
IBLI: …Hoku, can we get a check here?
Assuming Ibli’s not sick of Duncan, join us next week as we learn about the Solari of Gazira Mines!
Solari of the Daharan Desert Crossroads
Common
Blockhead (Stone)
Eggbert (Stone)
Podpetal (Nature)
Shellfox (Stone)
Toddlerock (Stone)
Rare
Kindlehoof (Fire)
Kitzapp (Electric)
Vulcature (Stone)
Weevolt (Electric)
Zigment (Electric)