Magic Rod

The Magic Rod is a Staff-class Artifact weapon found throughout the Golden Sun series.

Basic Description by Game
In all games the Magic Rod appears in, it raises the wielder's attack by 16. It can be bought for 380 coins, and sold for 285 coins.

In Golden Sun. the Magic Rod is sold in Vault, and is notable as being the first Artifact weapon available. As a staff-class weapon, it can be equipped by Ivan and Mia. In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the Magic Rod is sold in Madra, and can be equipped by Jenna and Sheba. In both games, the Magic Rod's Unleash attack is Murk (Milky Cloud in Japan). Murk converts all damage to Jupiter damage and attacks with an additional 10 attack points. Also, it may put the target to sleep. Visually, Murk resembles a normal strike with a purple-white cloud released on impact.

In Dark Dawn, the Magic Rod is the second artifact weapon available, after Themis' Axe. It can be bought in Carver's Camp, and can be equipped by Karis, Rief, Amiti, and Himi. The Magic Rod retains Murk as its signature Unleash, but also gains Gale Force as a secondary Unleash. Gale Force is a physical attack that converts all damage to Jupiter damage, and multiplies the resulting damage by 1.3.

Analysis
The Magic Rod is acquired early into each game and, although it will be  replaced sooner or later, it makes for a  valuable weapon at the time. In the first Golden Sun, it can be  purchased before battling the Thieves that plague  Vault, although it is unlikely that players will be able to afford it  immediately. Strangely, it is stronger than the Shaman's Rod and Bandit's Sword acquired shortly afterward.

It is not as useful in The Lost Age as stronger weapons quickly become available. However, players will most likely be able to afford it and the ability to put enemies to sleep may come in handy early in the game, meaning it is still a valuable purchase.

The Magic Rod is a good upgrade for Karis, as it is stronger than the Short Bow she is likely carrying. It also has the advantage of having two Jupiter-based Unleashes, which play off of Karis's naturally high Jupiter Power. Soon after, however, Karis can gain Elven Rapier in Konpa Ruins, a much stronger weapon that is also a pure-element Jupiter-based weapon. Despite this the Magic Rod should be kept in the party until after the Konpa Ruins have been completed. When Rief joins the party, the Magic Rod can be equipped to him as a placeholder, until the player can buy stronger weapons in Harapa. Despite the Magic Rod being Jupiter-based, it will still be much stronger than the Wooden Stick he will start with.

Trivia

 * Karis is seen wielding the Magic Rod in official artwork for Dark Dawn.