Iron Shield

An Iron Shield is a common Shield-class arm equipment available throughout the Golden Sun series.

Basic Description by Game
In all its appearances, an Iron Shield increases the equipped Adept's base Defense rating by 20 points. As a common item, it can be bought repeatedly from vendors for 1200 coins each, and sold for 900 coins each. In Golden Sun, it is sold in armor vendors at Xian, Altin, and Kalay and can be equipped by Isaac and Garet. In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Iron Shields are sold in Naribwe and Kibombo and can be equipped by Felix and Piers. In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, Iron Shields are sold in Passaj, but are only available after the Alchemy Forge has been completely revived. Iron Shields can be equipped by Matthew, Tyrell, and Eoleo.

Analysis
In Golden Sun, Iron Shields, when first available, are a solid upgrade to the Bronze Shields Isaac and Garet might be equipped with. Should the player, for any reason, decide not to buy Iron Shields at that point, it is not necessarily a bad decision. During the player's exploration of the Altin Peak dungeon, Altin's armor vendor will open up after the floodwaters recede, where the player can buy superior Gauntlets. Additionally, a strong shield artifact named the Dragon Shield can be found in a chest in the dungeon itself.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, players will generally not need to purchase Iron Shields for Felix and Piers. By this point, Felix will already have the Fujin Shield, a shield Artifact found at Air's Rock that is much stronger than an Iron Shield. Meanwhile, Piers will already have an Iron Shield as his beginning hand armor. Both Adepts' respective shields are the best they can equip at that point, and should last until the party sails out into the Great Eastern Sea.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, only one Adept will need an Iron Shield, as the other Adept will have the Dragon Shield found in Ayuthay. By the time the player reaches Belinsk, they will have had several options to replace the Iron Shield, including the Vambrace in Craggy Peak Ruins, the Gauntlets in Te Rya Village, or the Knight's Shield in Belinsk.