Dustflier

Template:Enemy The Dustflier is an Emblem Heartless that is found in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It can be found at the Station Plaza in Twilight Town during Mission 89, after the basic requirements of the mission have been cleared. Defeating the Dustflier is the last requirement to completing the mission.

Design

A Dustflier is a large, draconian creature with predominantly brown skin, save for its belly, which is tan, and its shoulders, feet, and the tip of its tail, all of which are black. Its body is rather thin, while its three-toed feet are quite large, each sporting orange talons. Its wings seem rather short and bulky when compared to its feet and tail, and its light orange wingtips are vaguely reminiscent of the Nobody symbol. The Dustflier's tail ends in a large, misshapen club with three conical, orange spikes on it, and its head is V-shaped and flat. It has beady yellow eyes on either side of its head, and its Heartless emblem is on its chest.

The Dustflier's English name and its Japanese name, "Debrisflow", both reference dust and debris.

Strategy

It is strongly recommended that Roxas have abilities equipped for aerial mobility, especially High Jump, Air Slide, and Glide. Equip a weapon with high Strength, Critical Rate, and/or Critical Bonus to boost damage, and equip a Ring Panel that boosts fire resistance, such as the Tears of Flame, or Defense and/or HP, such as the Princess's Crown. Offensive magic is highly ineffective, but Cure magic can help Roxas's longevity. Since the Dustflier can inflict status effects with every attack, bringing Panaceas and Elixirs can make the battle easier.

The Dustflier appears at the Station Plaza after the basic requirements for the mission have been cleared, by defeating the other six Heartless bosses. With its immensely high Defense and HP, the Dustflier takes a very long time to whittle down. Watch out for the cues preceding each of the Dustflier's attacks.

The Dustflier is a powerful boss, albeit with predictable attack patterns. Its most common attack consists of a leap, followed by large, slow-moving, non-elemental shockwave that has a 100% chance of inflicting a random negative status effect. To avoid this, jump over the shockwave and Air Slide or Glide until it dissipates. The Dustflier will then execute one of three followup attacks: a flip in the air that will halve Roxas's HP, a flying charge that will air-toss the character, or a volley of fireballs that have an 80% chance of igniting the character. After each followup attack, the Dustflier will prepare to land another shockwave.

The flip and charge can be avoided by keeping one's distance or quickly moving to the side when the Heartless takes to the air. The fireball attack, which is signaled by the Dustflier spreading its wings and raising its head to the sky, can be avoided with continuous dodging, or by hiding behind the two the brick walls at either end of the train station steps. It is also possible to block the three followup attacks, especially if Round Block is equipped.

It is possible to temporarily avoid the shockwave by standing at the top of the steps. Caution is advised, however; due to its leaping prior to each shockwave, the Dustflier may land on top of the steps and damage Roxas regardless. Simple evasion is more reliable.

The best opportunity to deal damage to the Dustflier is immediately after its flip and charge attacks. Roxas can execute one or two attack combos before the Dustflier leaps up for the next shockwave. The key to defeating this Heartless is patience. Non-critical attacks will deal very little damage, and getting hit by any of the Dustflier's attacks can be devastating to Roxas's HP. Watch for visual cues preceding each attack, and switch between dodging and attacking until the Dustflier is defeated.