Iris Robe

The Iris Robe is a Robe-class armor found in Golden Sun: The Lost Age and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.

Basic Description by Game
The Iris Robe increases the wearer's base defense by 47, Mars resistance by 30, and Luck by 15. Additionally, the wearer regenerates PP at a rate of 12 points per turn. It can be sold for 12450 coins and subsequently rebought for 16600 coins.

In The Lost Age, it is found in a treasure chest deep in Treasure Isle, in the portion accessible only with the Lift Psynergy. Being a Robe, it can be equipped by Jenna, Ivan, Sheba, and Mia. In Dark Dawn, it is found in a chest in Crossbone Isle, and can be equipped by Himi, Amiti, Karis, and Rief.

The Lost Age
As a Robe, the Iris Robe is one of the most valuable in late-game parties, as it regenerates PP at a rate unsurpassed by any other piece of equipment, with only the Psychic Circlet being equivalent. To add to the item's practicality, it has a large repertoire of defensive attributes. The Mars Resistance boost makes it very practical against late-game bosses, such as the Doom or Flame Dragons, while the Luck boost makes it more difficult for enemies inflict the adept with status effects. Finally, the Iris Robe has a high Defense rating to boot. This makes practical a strategy of having an Adept (such as Mia in her Water Seer class series) cast Wish constantly without fear of running out of PP, (and hence HP) or being afflicted with a status effect. Add to this the fact that Mia's default class has a high luck rating and that her Mercury Power will be naturally high (and can be increased with items such as the Clear Bracelet), and the enormous, constant HP regeneration will render the party virtually invincible.

The Iris Robe may be considered inferior to the Mysterious Robe, which also regenerates PP, as well as sporting a HP restoring effect and a higher Defense boost. However, upon closer scrutiny, the HP regeneration is negligible, if one is repeatedly casting curative Psynergy, as is the one Defense point difference. As such, the resistance and Luck boost offered by the Iris Robe may be more valuable. However, for an offensive strategy involving an Adept (such as Ivan) casting Psynergy (such as Spark Plasma) repeatedly instead of healing-oriented spells, the HP recovery may be considered to be more valuable. It is thus up to the player as to which one is better, but either way, it is highly probable that both will see end-game.

Dark Dawn
The Iris Robe provides the largest PP regeneration of any armor in the game, with the only competitor being the Mysterious Robe. Most other armor that regenerates PP does so at a lower rate, usually between 2 and 4 PP per turn. Additionally, the large array of Defensive attributes makes it very practical. The Luck rating helps the wearer to avoid status effects. However, the Mars resistance is not as useful due to fewer end-game enemies using Mars-based offenses, though the increase can still be beneficial against the Ancient Devil. The Iris Robe, like several pieces of equipment, suffers from late availability. It is only found in Crossbone Isle, which can only be accessed after the player defeats the final boss at least once. Though the Endless Wall Glitch can be used to bypass this limitation, the Iris Robe is still only available near the end of the game.

When choosing an Adept to equip the Iris Robe, several things should be kept in mind. First, the player will already have the Mysterious Robe, which will usually be equipped to the party's main healer, usually Karis or Rief. The Iris Robe could then be given to the other healer. Himi and Amiti also benefit. Most of Amiti's classes are mage-based, due to his Mercury affiliation. However, he has the lowest PP of any mage-style Adept. The Iris Robe would then serve as a way to bolster his low PP by giving him a way of regenerating it. On the other hand, Himi, as a mage-based Venus Adept. The regeneration allows her to make the most of her wide range of powerful Psynergies as well as her large PP pool, allowing for almost endless casting, even in the more physical classes that Venus Adepts can access. Meanwhile, her already high luck is bolstered by the luck increase. However, it is ultimately up to the player to decide how to use the Iris Robe.