The rockbomb is a recurring monster in the Dragon Quest series that was introduced in Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation. It is a craggy boulder with a trademark smile and penchant for exploding, occasionally killing everyone in the party.
Monsters made of living stone, this characteristic makes rockbombs part of the Material family. It is a bluish, sometimes gray, boulder with a maniacal face on it, its teeth particularly gaped. Despite looking like plain boulders, rockbombs are actually immense geodes with red cores.
Rockbombs are not very aggressive. Most times, they smile strangely or otherwise waste their turn, sometimes even entering battle asleep. However, the boulders are not to be taken lightly as they are capable of self-destructing without any warning, usually in the form of the devastating Kamikazee spell. Strategy-wise, it is useful to remove the rockbombs first when encountering them in battle to prevent them from casting Kamikazee. This can prove more difficult in some titles over others, as some games give the bombs an enormous HP stat compared to other monsters in the area.
Rockbombs appear in the Slippin' Slime minigame as obstacles, causing the player to lose if their slime touches it. A rockbomb also appears in the monster-oriented version of Reaper's Peak. It will simply say "Grrrarrrgh" when spoken to.
The rockbomb can be found in the Excavated Cave in Deja and the Ballymolloy region in Disc 2. There is a rare chance that, upon defeat, the rockbomb will drop a Heart which can be used to become a rockbomb at Alltrades Abbey.
While still occasionally mentioned as being monsters, rockbombs are treated as items throughout the game, often found sleeping on patches of dirt. Getting knocked into the air will angrily stir a rockbomb from its rest, and it will detonate the moment it hits the ground. They can be used as ammo in tank battles, but are mainly used to damage enemies and clear obstructions.
Craggy creatures concealed among rocks who explode when endangered, taking flocks of foes down with them. Pacifists at heart, they like nothing more than to doze in quiet corners. Disturb their dreams at your peril!
Craggy creatures concealed among rocks who explode when endangered, taking flocks of foes down with them. Pacifists at heart, they like nothing more than to doze in quiet corners. Disturb their dreams at your peril!
If you can deplete the life gauge of the Rockbomb and get far enough away before its timed Kamikazee attack expires and it explodes, destroying all in its path, the enemy just might drop a rockbomb shard. These things are risky to get, but they're worth it.
In Dragon Quest VII, the Gadabout has a joke about the rockbomb. It goes "Have you heard about the rockbomb who liked to Rock and Roll?"
While often noted for their grins, they are never shown smiling in Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, bearing slight frowns while asleep and having angrily agape mouths while steaming from being woken up.
Famicom artwork.
Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest.
Dragon Quest VIII. (PS2)
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker. (NDS)
