Bloody Claw

The Bloody Claw is a Claw-class weapon introduced in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. It is exclusive to Sveta and raises her Attack by 194, more than any other weapon she can equip (it is also the third-highest attack boost in the game, behind only the Sol Blade and the Darksword). It is found in the treasure room of the top room of the sixth floor pair in Crossbone Isle (Treasure Isle in the Japanese releases of Golden Sun and Dark Dawn), in a treasure chest past the trapped pillars, and is a Cursed Weapon. Probably not coincidentally, a Cleric's Ring is found in a neighboring chest in the same room, so Sveta can equip it immediately.

In theory, the Bloody Claw's extremely high Attack gives Sveta almost unrivaled strength, particularly in Beastform. However, since it is Cursed, it is of limited usefulness unless equipped alongside the Cleric's Ring. As there is only one Cleric's Ring in the game, it might be preferable to give it to another character who really wants Cursed Equipment as well.

In practice, the Bloody Claw is of dubious usefulness. By the time the player acquires it, it is likely that there is only one optional boss left to fight. Since Sveta is limited to her Umbra Knuckles for the final storyline boss (the only boss that can be battled as often as desired), this means the Bloody Knuckles are generally not going to see a lot of practical use in a game.

Moreover, there is a very distinct chance that the Bloody Claw is simply going to be overkill when compared to Sveta's weaker weapons. While using the Savage Fiend class and under the effects of Impact-like effects, it is fairly likely that Sveta will hit the maximum possible Attack (1999) even with only the Umbra Knuckles equipped. This weapon has the following three Unleashes:


 * Endless Edges: Sveta strikes multiple times with a sparkling aura. This deals Jupiter-type damage with a multiplier of x1.5, and has a chance to ignore 50% of the target's Defense.
 * Foul Saw: Sveta slashes at the target(s) one time as the background turns an eerie white-gray, with the slash showing as dark purple, sweeping horizontally. As the claw passes the target(s), a candle similar to the Curse animation shows up on the affected target(s). This deals Venus-type damage with a multiplier of 1.6 to the targeted enemy and hits the adjacent units with an attack 80% as powerful as the main target. It has a chance of inflicting the 'Death Count' status on each target.
 * Crimson Cut: Sveta impales the enemy with her claw, lifts the enemy into the air, and as the background turns grey the enemy is shredded by blades of dark energy before a dark explosion engulfs them. This deals Jupiter-type damage with a multiplier of 1.9, and may inflict 'Haunt'.