Lure Cap

The Lure Cap is a Hat available in Golden Sun and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.

Basic Description by Game
The Lure Cap increases the wearer's defense by 20. It has the unique effect of increasing the rate at which monsters attack the party, which is essentially the polar opposite of Sacred Feathers and the Avoid Psynergy. It can be bought for 3000 coins and sold for 2250 coins. As a Hat, it is equippable by all Adepts.

In the original Golden Sun, it is obtained by winning Colosso, then receiving it as a reward in Tolbi; although the game can be completed even if Colosso is lost, there will never be another opportunity to obtain the Lure Cap. It is recommended to save at each step of Colosso to ensure victory. Acquiring the Lure Cap in Dark Dawn is easier by comparison, as players merely need to defeat the Mimic of Craggy Peak Ruins.

Analysis
Though not very spectacular in terms of Defensive ability, the Lure Cap is the only object in any game to increase the encounter rate, which is useful for any player that is level-grinding, regardless of the game. This unique ability means that it is useful to keep around even after it is outclassed by stronger equipment.

When using the Lure Cap in Golden Sun, the player should remember to reequip a stronger piece of headwear before major battles, such as bosses. In The Lost Age, the only way to get the Lure Cap is through transfer. When transferred, the player can speed up endgame level-grinding with Wonder Birds at Islet Cave. In doing so, the cap would be safest on a member of the back party so that the front party can have a decent defense stat on every character when fighting the Wonder Birds.

In Dark Dawn, the Lure Cap is especially useful when considering that the the random encounter rate is generally lower in dungeons. In the final dungeon, the player can speed up leveling by equipping the Lure Cap to increase the encounter rate of Tua Warriors.

Trivia
The Lure Cap is the only item accessible in all three Golden Sun games that is also permanently missable in each of the three games. It is missed in Golden Sun if the player finishes Colosso with a loss in the third round, in The Lost Age if it's not transferred over before The Reunion, and in Dark Dawn if the player has not retrieved it before winning the boss fight at the Belinsk Ruins.