You’re Stuck in Demon Tides’ Thuintir? Here’s How I Reached Roc and Beat Ragnar

Why Thuintir and Ragnar’s Castle Are the Real Wall

After spending about 16-17 hours with Demon Tides, this is the part of the game where I almost stalled out: hitting the Golden Gear thresholds, clearing all three Thuintir events, deciding whether to fight Roc, and then actually surviving Ragnar’s multi-phase final battle. The breakthrough came when I stopped wandering Thuintir randomly and treated it like a checklist: 20 Gears to reach Thuintir, three Roc events, 35 Gears for Ragnar’s Castle, then a focused plan for both bosses.

If you follow the steps below, you should be able to get from first landing in Thuintir all the way through the credits without wasting time backtracking or dying to the same boss patterns over and over.

Step 1 – Hit 20 Golden Gears and Sail to Thuintir

You can’t even get to Thuintir until you have at least 20 Golden Gears. I reached it with 21, which felt comfortable without needing to scour every corner of the earlier oceans.

Once you’ve got 20+ Gears, head back to Runa’s village in the Lokitana sea. Interact with the large container in front of Runa and select Thuintir from the interface. Runa will literally fire your ship out of the cannon and into the new region.

As you splash down, Roc will appear and reveal himself as Beebz’s brother and the real sender of the “invitation” letter. You can’t fight him yet; he’ll threaten you and leave. This sets up the three key events you must complete in Thuintir before he calls you out.

Before you start exploring, I recommend:

• At least 2-3 useful talismans unlocked (a defensive or mobility-focused one helps a lot later).
• Comfortable movement with Beebz’s dash, jump chains, and wall interactions – Thuintir leans into precise platforming.
• A bit of spare time – clearing Thuintir and beating both bosses can easily take 1.5–2 hours if you’re learning patterns.

Step 2 – Understand Thuintir’s Structure and Gear Targets

Talking to Runa and the revolutionaries at the landing spot (Runa’s Cannon) is important. They point you toward three Roc-related locations:

• Tartar Village – northwest of Runa’s Cannon.
• Avian’s Gaol – a central tower prison in Thuintir.
• Naval Conflict (Supply Ship) – two ships fighting in the southwest, east of the Golden Crow Nest.

You must clear all three to unlock the duel with Roc. that said, remember this: Roc is optional. The actual hard gate for finishing the game is Gears, not Roc.

Here are the two crucial thresholds to keep in mind:

• 20 Golden Gears – required to access Thuintir at all.
• 35 Golden Gears – required to unlock Ragnar’s Castle for the final confrontation.

You can technically skip Roc and still finish the game once you have 35 Gears, but defeating him gives you the final talisman slot and a big chunk of lore. I strongly recommend doing it; I regretted not fighting him on my first attempt and had to come back later.

Step 3 – Tartar Village: Cleaning Up Roc’s Raid

I like starting with Tartar Village because it’s closest and warms you up on combat before the harder platforming. From Runa’s Cannon, head northwest along the island routes until you see the village under attack.

Roc’s goons are attacking, and Runa jumps in to stall Roc himself, leaving you to deal with four enemies. The arena is fairly open, so your main dangers are getting cornered or getting greedy with attacks.

• Focus on one enemy at a time. I made the mistake of bouncing between targets and just extended the fight, which increased the chance of taking random hits.
• Use your mobility. Dash through gaps, use jumps to bait attacks, then punish during their recoveries.
• Don’t forget your talismans. A defensive or stun-oriented talisman can quickly stabilize the fight if you get swarmed.

Once all four enemies are down, Roc retreats, Runa thanks you, and this event is locked in as complete.

Step 4 – Avian’s Gaol: Climbing the Prison Tower

Next, head for Avian’s Gaol in the centre of Thuintir. As you approach the tall tower, Roc yells down that he doesn’t want you freeing his prisoners – so of course, that’s your next job.

This section is a pure platforming challenge with a clear objective: free the three cages on your way up to unlock the chest at the top.

• Take a slow first run. I rushed my first climb, missed a cage, reached the top, and realized the chest was still locked. You must open all three cages in one ascent to get the reward.
• Watch for side paths. Each cage is slightly off the main “straight up” path – look to the sides for small ledges or branching routes.
• Respect moving platforms and wind. Demon Tides loves mixing horizontal momentum into vertical climbs. Don’t overcorrect your mid-air movement, or you’ll slide right off the intended landing.

Once you’ve freed all three prisoners and reach the top, the chest unlocks. Roc gets annoyed and leaves, and you can grab a costume from the chest as a nice bonus.

Step 5 – Naval Conflict: Finding the Supply Ship

This is where I wasted the most time. The Naval Conflict event is the hardest of the three to find. From Runa’s Cannon, work your way to the southwest of Thuintir and look for two ships locked in battle. On the map, the location name is Naval Conflict, just east of the Golden Crow Nest landmark.

When you get there, one ship belongs to Runa, the other to Roc. Your goal is to defeat 6 enemies across the decks.

• Mind the edges. I lost more attempts here to falling off the ship than to actual damage. Fight near the centre of the deck when you can.
• Use knockback carefully. It’s tempting to blast enemies into the sea, but mis-aimed abilities can slide you off as well.
• Clear one ship fully before crossing. Swapping back and forth just raises the odds of getting hit by stray projectiles.

After all six enemies go down, Roc shows up again, exchanges a few lines, and leaves. With all three events done, you’re finally ready for the duel.

Step 6 – Optional Boss: Beating Roc at the Duelling Grounds

Once the third event is complete, Roc calls you on the phone and challenges you to the Duelling Grounds, located southeast of Avian’s Gaol. This fight tested my patience until I properly respected his invulnerability windows.

Roc Phase 1 – Cracking the Golden Aura

In Phase 1, Roc relies mostly on tackles and a slash attack. While his golden aura is active, he’s invulnerable; trying to brute-force hits through it just gets you punished.

• Bait an attack, then punish. After each tackle or slash, his golden aura fades for a short window – this is your time to hit him.
• Stay just outside his lunge range. I found it easiest to circle him, wait for the rush, dodge sideways, then immediately counter.
• Watch for summoned swords. Roc can spawn swords in the air that crash down. When you see them appear, move out of the target zones before going back in to punish.

Deal enough damage, and Roc pulls out a hammer, starting Phase 2.

Roc Phase 2 – Hammer Slams and Tornado Chaos

Phase 2 is where many runs fell apart for me until I learned to recognize two things: the timing on the hammer shockwave and the pattern of his tornado form.

• Hammer slam + shockwave: Roc jumps high and smashes his hammer down, sending out a shockwave. Jump over the shockwave as it reaches you, then close in while he recovers for several free hits.
• Bird form tornadoes: When he transforms into a bird and starts spinning tornadoes around the arena, focus on movement, not damage. Use dashes and jumps to weave between them. Getting greedy almost always ended my attempts here.
• Final burnout: After enough damage, Roc uses his bird form to spawn multiple tornadoes rapidly. He then exhausts himself and crashes to the ground.

This last moment is crucial: as soon as Roc lands and lies vulnerable, hit him with a Boost attack to finish the fight. If you hesitate or whiff it, the phase drags on and gets messier.

Winning the duel unlocks your final talisman slot and reveals more about Roc and Ragnar’s past. From a pure gameplay standpoint, that extra slot is huge for the final boss, so beating Roc is absolutely worth the effort.

Step 7 – Reach 35 Golden Gears and Enter Ragnar’s Castle

With Thuintir wrapped up, your last big progression gate is hitting 35 Golden Gears. I’d already collected a bunch while exploring the earlier oceans, so I only needed a few more – I recommend revisiting earlier levels you liked and grabbing any obvious missed Gears rather than hunting obscure ones.

Once you have 35, return again to Runa’s village in Lokitana and interact with the container to select Ragnar’s Castle. This is the true endgame area.

Step 8 – Ragnar’s Castle Platforming and the Barrier Lever

When you arrive, you’ll see Ragnar’s throne room sealed behind a magical barrier. Don’t bang your head against it – the game wants you to find the alternate route.

Follow the other path through a fairly tricky platforming gauntlet. Expect tight jumps and hazards designed to test everything you’ve learned so far. At the far end, you’ll find a lever that:

• Disables the magical barrier blocking Ragnar’s throne room.
• Spawns a rail that you can ride back to the entrance quickly.

Ride the rail back, step into the now-open chamber, and prepare for one of the game’s longest, most intense fights.

Step 9 – Ragnar Phase 1: Throne Room Showdown

Ragnar’s first phase borrows some ideas from Roc’s fight but amps up the variety. Here’s what to watch for and how I handled it.

• Charges and ground smashes: Ragnar often rushes straight at you or slams both hands into the ground. Dodge to the side and punish during his recovery animation.
• Bird form shockwave hops: When he transforms into a bird and hops along the ground, each landing sends out a shockwave. Time your jumps over each wave; after the final hop, he stays vulnerable longer, giving you a great damage window.
• Castle + drill form: Ragnar can morph into a small castle with a drill, sometimes spawning extra enemies. Keep moving in wide circles, pick off adds quickly, and watch the glowing trail he leaves as he spins around the arena – jump over it or steer clear.

The key here is discipline. I lost my early runs by going all-in whenever I saw an opening, only to get clipped by the next pattern. A few solid combos after each punish window are enough; don’t overextend.

Deal enough damage and Ragnar destroys the castle, transforming into a gigantic serpent. You’re thrown back into the ocean for the final act.

Step 10 – Ragnar Phase 2: Ocean Serpent and Final Patterns

Between Phase 1 and 2, you’ll have to complete another platforming sequence across the ocean to reach Ragnar again. Don’t stress too much: if you die during the second Ragnar battle, you respawn just outside this later arena, not at the start of the entire multi-phase fight. That checkpoint is a lifesaver.

Once you reach him, Ragnar’s moveset is very similar to Phase 1, but faster, stronger, and less forgiving:

• Triple tackles: Instead of a single charge, he now tackles three times in a row. Don’t rush in after the first one – wait until the third finishes, then counter.
• Empowered drill trails: The glowing trail he leaves while spinning in drill form now deals significant damage on contact. Treat it as a moving wall; jump it or steer far around.
• Falling magic attacks: Ragnar periodically summons magical projectiles that rain down. Keep an eye on telegraphed impact zones and weave between them while lining up your own attacks.

This is where your extra talisman slot from Roc really pays off. I ran one talisman focused on survivability and another on damage, so I could afford a couple of mistakes while still burning Ragnar down in his vulnerability windows.

Stay patient, keep dodging the triple tackles, and only commit to offense when you’re sure a pattern has ended. Eventually, Ragnar falls, leading to the final cutscene where Beebz tries to save him, only for him to refuse, seeing his wife in his daughter’s face. After that, the credits roll – you’ve beaten Demon Tides.

Wrapping Up – From Thuintir to Credits Without the Grind

If you take nothing else from this guide, remember these checkmarks:

• Hit 20 Golden Gears to unlock Thuintir via Runa’s cannon.
• Clear the three Roc events in Thuintir: Tartar Village, Avian’s Gaol, and Naval Conflict.
• Fight Roc at the Duelling Grounds for the final talisman slot (highly recommended).
• Reach 35 Golden Gears across the three oceans to access Ragnar’s Castle.
• Disable the throne room barrier via the side platforming route and lever.
• Learn Ragnar’s two-phase patterns and play patiently through to the end.

This stretch of Demon Tides feels like a skill and knowledge check rolled into one. Once you know the exact event order, Gear thresholds, and boss patterns, it stops being a brick wall and turns into one of the most satisfying endgames I’ve played in a 3D platformer. If I could push through it (after more than a few embarrassing deaths to shockwaves and drill trails), you absolutely can too.