Golden Sun Level RNG Guide

This nitty-gritty list of perfect leveling spots and tricks in the first Golden Sun game.

Level RNG guide
Pre-Ninja Blade:

Some general notes before reading:

SRing means soft resetting ( pressing the A, B, START and SELECT buttons together to bring up the game's menu screen) which resets some the RNG in Golden Sun.

Hard resetting refers to turning your system completely off and then back on again (This also resets the RNG, but to a different starting point)

Sol Sanctum
(Don't try to bother leveling before Sol Sanctum, it's not worth it when you can't Level RNG)

Main article Sol Sanctum

With limited inventory items possible at this point, Perfect levels become very hard to come by. Note that at this early point in the game you might just want to reset and level randomly, but a surefire way to get close to perfect levels in Sol Sanctum is as follows:

Items needed: A Long Sword, equipped on Isaac, bought at the Vale armory.

Requirements needed: One of your characters needs to be missing 5 or less EXP to the next level.

The Method for close to perfect leveling in the sanctum takes place in the room just before you go up the first set of stairs. This is the room reached after completing the first eye puzzle of the sanctum. Save here, then Hard Reset. Run around to engage in a battle: it will be a Slime, a Vermin, and a Mushroom, in that order.

Turn 1: Have Isaac and Jenna attack the Vermin. Garet should cast Flare with the big arrow on the Mushroom. When both Isaac and Jenna attack the Vermin, it should die (the Long Sword is necessary to damage it enough for this step). Flare should then kill the Mushroom in one blow.

Turn 2: Isaac and Jenna attack the slime, Garet defends. Jenna will attack normally, but Isaac should get a critical hit, killing the slime and ending the battle.

If done correctly, the character who is close to leveling up should receive this stat increase: HP: +7 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

For Garet and Isaac this is one point short of a perfect level. ( There is an interesting twist if used for leveling Isaac for level 1 to level 2 in that sometimes the boost will be 8 / 3 / 4 / 2 / 4; in other words perfect. You may need to reset and repeat this method a few times for this to work though.)

If Isaac becomes faster than Jenna, do not worry, because if you follow the same steps, then last character to attack (Jenna if Isaac is faster) will critical hit (Even if one of the first two defends and Garet does the final attack it will still be a critical hit).

You can use this method up until level 3, where the game is programmed to make monsters not appear (you can't get to level 4 here).

Overworld: Vale to Vault
Main article Vale

Main Article Vault

This portion of the guide traverses the overworld for a single perfect level so that all characters will be level 4. This portion is completely optional if you don't want to level and just go straight to Vault, but this method only works from level three to level four (in one level your stats increase enough so you damage the enemy too much for the method to work again).

Before heading to Vault You can take a detour up toward Lunpa and its nearby cave. In this instance we are killing a single Zombie.

Items needed:

Long Sword (equipped on Isaac)

Short Sword (equipped on Garet)

Requirements needed: Isaac and Garet should be missing 7 or less EXP to the next level for their respective Methods.

The Method for Isaac is as follows:

Save and Hard Reset outside of the Cave nearby Lunpa. Enter and exit the cave once, then run around to get into a battle (NOT in the forest, it must be upon the plain) It should be a single Zombie.

Turn 1: Isaac attacks, Garet attacks.

Turn 2: Repeat turn 1.

The zombie should die on the second turn from a normal attack.

Isaac should get the boost of:

HP: +8 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

Perfect level 4.

For Garet we use the same enemy, but a different Method, as follows:

Once again save outside the cave, but this time Soft Reset. Enter and exit the cave once, then run around again to battle the Zombie once more on the plain.

If the Zombie surprised your party, or vice versa, reset and repeat the above step until it is a normal start.

Turn 1: Isaac unleashes Flint, Garet attacks. The Zombie should not die in this turn. It should instead attack Isaac (If Isaac dodged the blow, reset as he must get hit) for a few HP points.

Turn 2: Isaac attacks, Garet defends. Isaac should kill the Zombie with this hit.

The boosts for Garet:

HP: +8 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

Perfect level 4.

Goma Cave (Part 1)
Main Article Goma Cave

This method is only usable after you have beaten the Vault Bandits, and have acquired the Bandit's Sword.

This method is different from the past ones, as it always gives out perfect levels, and can be used at any level. It should be used as a substitute until you get the Ninja Blade (more on that weapon later). A different method is needed for all three characters (Isaac, Garet, and now Ivan). It can be used from level 4 (Which is the level you should be around) on up. Onto the Methods:

Isaac's Method for Goma Cave (Part 1): Items needed:

The Bandit's Sword, equipped on Isaac.

Requirements needed: Isaac should be missing 10 or less EXP to the next level.

That's it for this one.

To use this Method, save in the first room of Goma Cave, and then Soft Reset. Run around until you get into a battle. This enemy should be a single Skeleton. If the Skeleton surprised your party, or if you attack first, reset and try this again.

Turn 1: Ivan casts Ray, Isaac then attacks. (Garet would defend this turn but this combination should fell the Skeleton before he can move). The catch: Isaac's Bandit's Sword needs to unleash, and it needs to be the double hit version for this to work:

For a single hit unleash, Isaac would get this boost:

HP: +7 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

Almost a perfect level, but the HP could be better.

With a double hit Unleash however, Isaac would get:

HP: +8 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

A Perfect level.

Garet's Goma Cave (Part 1) Method:

Same Item combination as Isaac's version, and you even save in the same place as before (the first room of Goma Cave). This time however, you Hard Reset (Instead of SRing), then run around to get into a battle. It should still be a single Skeleton.

Turn 1: Ivan casts Ray (like the last method) and Isaac attacks with the Bandit's Sword. This time you need the attack to be normal, no unleash, and no critical hit.

If done correctly, Garet should get the boost of:

HP: +8 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

A Perfect level.

Ivan's Goma Cave (Part 1) Method:

This Method is different from the previous two in that you do not need the Bandit's Sword, rather you use Flint and Whirlwind. Same location and deal as Isaac's variation (this uses a soft reset). After saving and SRing, run around to battle that Skeleton again.

Turn 1: Ivan casts Whirlwind, Isaac unleashes Flint. The Skeleton should then die, and, if done correctly, Ivan will get the boost of:

HP: +7 PP: +4 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

A Perfect level.

Do note that in Ivan's method, because we are killing the Skeleton with a Djinn of its weakness (Venus), Ivan can be missing 13 EXP to the next level, rather than the 10 or less required by Garet and Isaac's methods.

It should be noted that these Methods used in the first pass through of Goma Cave do not required high level spells, and that you can be statistically a very high level at this point with RNG'd stats by abusing the programming oversight east of the Bilibin Barricade explained at the Upper center and eastern regions of Angara, then going back into Goma Cave to RNG when it you are close to the next level.

Skip to the bottom of Goma Cave (Part 2) for Ivan's RNG work if you come back to Goma Cave and are above level 19 without the Ninja Blade in your possesion.

Goma Cave (Part 2)
Post-Ninja Blade

By this point in the game, you should have beaten the Lunpa Fortress, and bought the Ninja Blade. This weapon is necessary for the remainder of this guide (Excluding part of Ivan's Method)

Items/Equipment needed:

The Ninja Blade

A pair of Hyper Boots

A copy of the Spiked Armor

The Warrior's Helm

Note that the last three items are entirely optional, but make unleashes (and critical hits by extension) vastly more common.

For all of the following Methods below all of the needed (and optional) equipment is equipped on Isaac for best usage. As a general note, there can be no first strikes, and the Skeleton cannot surprise the party either during the battle, or these Methods will not work.

Issac's method for Part 2:

Save in the first room of Goma Cave, and soft reset (just like in part 1 of Goma Cave) to fight the Skeleton once more.

Turn 1: Isaac should attack the Skeleton, everyone else defend. Regardless of what happened, be it critical hit, Unleash, or just a normal attack, Isaac should receive the following boost:

HP: +8 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

A perfect level.

Note that the Maximum values you received by this method go down the higher level you are (for level 40 on up, the PP boost becomes +2 instead of +3).

For Garet, the Method is similar to Isaac's; you still use the same requirements, and the same method, but you must get an unleash for Garet's perfect level up:

HP: +8 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

Garet is again similar to Isaac in that the PP boost will lower to +2 after level 40 (as this is the new maximum PP value for the pair).

Mia follows similar to Garet, same preparation, same method, but her boosts end up different. For her perfect level up, she receives, from the Unleash of the Ninja Blade, this boost:

HP: +8 PP: +4 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

Mia's PP boost is initially higher than Garet or Isaac, but the value lowers down to +3 after level 20 on up.

Ivan's Method for Goma Cave (Part 2):

Ivan has a different perfect level up than the other three in that his perfect level ups revolve around using unleashes (Levels 4 - 19) and also critical hits (Levels 20 up).

Ivan's Method using the Ninja Blade Unleash falls in the similar vein to Garet and Mia, but comes with the following stat boost:

HP: +7 PP: +4 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

Note that 7 HP is the maximum HP gain possible for Ivan in this game, as opposed to Sheba's 8 in the second game.

This method works until Level 20, where shifting to using critical hits produces better gains:

Ivan's Method using critical hits uses the same Skeleton as the rest of the Goma Cave (Part two) part of this guide, but with a twist: because critical hits do not vary with the type of weapons used, one can safely equip Isaac with a pair of Hyper Boots, a copy of the Spiked Armor, the Warrior's Helm, and no weapon. This greatly increases the critical hit chance, without having any Artifact Unleashes getting in the way. Using the critical hit Method:

Turn 1: Isaac attacks the skeleton with no weapon equipped. Everyone else defends. If the hit is a critical hit and it kills the Skeleton (if not, reset), Ivan should receive the following boost:

HP: +7 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +2 Agility: +5

Markedly different from any other character is the part that makes Level RNG so good for Ivan is that magic +5 agility gain per level, more than any other character can gain.

Part of the critical hit portion of Ivan's RNG (Levels 20 - 39) can be emulated by having Isaac cast Clay Spire for the same boost. This is extremely useful if you are already at level 20 or above but don't have access to the Ninja Blade yet.

RNG differences between Characters
The RNG for leveling in the first Golden Sun Shifts every 10 levels (1 - 19, 20 - 39, 40 - 59, 60 - 79, and finally 80 - 99) with some differences, some more apparent than others. For Isaac, Garet and Mia, this effect is rather minimal, as all of them use the Ninja Blade, which gives out Maximum values per level (but the PP values drop at levels 40, 40, and 20 respectively). Ivan however, because he uses critical hits, the values he receives change differently:

For Levels 60 - 99, Ivan's critical hit boosts give these values:

HP: +7 PP: +3 Attack: +4 Defense: +1 Agility: +5

In comparison, if a normal Unleash method is used you get these values for Ivan:

HP: +7 PP: +3 Attack: +3 Defense: +2 Agility: +4

It is up to the player (after level 60, if you go that far) then to decide whether to take the defense gotten from the normal Ninja Blade unleash (2 rather than the 1 from critical) or trade it for the Attack and Agility increase ( 4 / 5 over 3 / 4, respectively) gotten from the critical hit method.

Golden Sun: The Lost Age comparison
In the second game, the basic premise of Level RNG remains the same, using any kind of attack to produce level up numbers. The contrast of the second game to the first is that in The Lost Age, doing a hard or soft reset does not pair you up with the same enemy every time, like the first game does. Because of this, it is harder to use Level RNG, because of the increased randomness in enemies faced. However, it is still quite possible to Level RNG, it just takes more time, and memory of what combination's produce which numbers, so you know which attacks to use when facing groups of different enemies.

This is the end of the guide. After acquiring the Ninja Blade, Level RNG becomes a task of trekking back to Goma Cave before every level up to get the perfect level stat boosts. Because of this constant trekking back and forth, the Psynergy Avoid now becomes useful to avoid monsters on the way back (It saves time if you are already close to the level up point, where getting into battles isn't necessary because the monsters give too much exp). Happy Leveling!

References of note
See the Level RNG list for the complete table of maximum values obtainable for each level.

See the Golden Sun/Quick walkthrough for a "perfect" rundown of the game's progression and secrets (so you don't miss anything while Level RNGing!)