HawkZoned

Tek Sword and Shield only drop from the Ragnarok version.

South 1. It's incredibly close to red and is a short walk.

Rock Elemental saddles can be acquired from any drop on SE as of the TLC patch.

Yup. You'll take him down EZ-PZ. Just make sure you don't run up to close to him, attack his wings or he'll boot.

6x damage doesn't apply unless you are built on/around the platform of an Obelisk or inside a Cave. You will know if you are inside a cave if that's what your location says on your inventory screen. Scorched Caves are.. Ruins of Nosti, Grave of Tyrants and The Old Tunnels

Rex or Giga You can use Wyverns but if you do, bring 2 or 3.

I feel like it has a lesser chance than a normal generator to be shut off by a storm.

I don't think the Ragnarok devs wanted the fight to be impossible like pre-nerf Center was.

The Manticore offers all of the same Tekgrams as the Megapithecus does.

Ascension is planned for the Manticore although I don't know when it'll arrive. Jeremy said in one of the last few Digests that Scorched Earth is slated to get an Ascension Cinematic that shows you going from SE to Aberration.

Yes, although you'd have a higher chance of finding them in the red desert drops.

Rexes are more than capable of killing the Manticore. When it lands you CANNOT run up to it or it'll take off. When it lands, run up and bite its wings. It will not take off unless someone gets too close. Another alternate strategy that works amazing is bringing in a bunch of Lightning or Fire Wyverns and lighting his ass up. That's how my tribe beats Alpha Manticore since he never lands on that difficulty..

Phoenixes can spawn anywhere on the map during a heatwave and turn into a pile of ash when it ends. When the heatwave returns, it'll respawn wherever its ashes fell (usually right below where it was flying when the heatwave ended). If you find a Phoenix (they fly VERY close to the ceiling), pay attention to where its ashes drop at the end of a heatwave and build a trap over it so next time the heatwave happens, the Phoenix spawns inside your trap. I also recommend bringing a Fire Wyvern so when it respawns you can just torch it and not take any damage from its fireball.

Weather patterns on SE vary from day to day and happen every 30+ minutes. When one weather event ends you have at least 30 minutes before the next one starts.

Generally, yes, Scorched Earth has higher quality loot drops than the other maps. If you really want to pull an amazing loot haul, go hunting for desert drops at night in the dunes (SE equivalent to deep sea drops on Island/Center or surface drops on Aberration but MUCH MUCH better).